Goods sold via CBEC are considered personal goods and therefore granted customs clearance, without the need of pre-registering the product, obtaining relevant certifications or licences, or to comply with e.g. labelling or packaging standards. However, not all goods are allowed to be sold via CBEC; in addition, certain goods can only be exported via CBEC through the bonded warehouse pattern and therefore cannot enter through any port in China; finally, some goods must not include ingredients or components which are considered as endangered flora or fauna. The Chinese imported will need to notify and apply for inspection to the local customs.

For the above, many goods which would otherwise not be allowed to be exported to China (e.g. in case of certain food products which require a dedicated government protocol signed between the exporting country and China), may be exported via CBEC.