Cross-Border Sales: Myths vs Reality

At Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026, Dmytro Shapovalov explored the realities behind cross-border eCommerce expansion and challenged many of the common misconceptions businesses have when entering international markets. Drawing from his experience building one of Europe’s fastest-growing healthcare marketplaces, he explained that cross-border growth is not simply about translation or advertising – it is about infrastructure, localization, logistics, pricing strategy, and operational execution.

Cross-Border Expansion Looks Easier Than It Really Is

Dmytro began with a story about a company that expanded into Germany:

• translated its website
• invested in ads
• hired a local project manager
• and expected fast success.

Despite all of this, the expansion failed.

According to Dmytro, this reflects one of the biggest misconceptions in eCommerce:

cross-border expansion often looks simple from the outside, but operationally it is extremely complex.

He explained that:

• logistics
• localization
• VAT management
• customer psychology
• and pricing differences
  create hidden operational challenges that many brands underestimate.

Cross-Border Demand Is Real – and Growing Fast

One of the biggest myths discussed was:

“There is no real cross-border demand.”

Dmytro demonstrated the opposite.

The European cross-border eCommerce market is now valued at approximately:

€365 billion,

and has grown roughly 2.5x within five years.

According to him:

the demand already exists.

The real challenge is:

• whether businesses are connected to the right infrastructure
• and whether they can operationally support international sales.

Translating a Website Is Not Enough

Another major misconception is that:

cross-border expansion only requires website translation.

Dmytro explained that although Europe appears unified from a consumer perspective, each country behaves very differently commercially.

Every market has:

• different buying psychology
• different legal expectations
• different marketing channels
• and different consumer behavior.

For example:

• Germany
• Italy
• Romania
• Spain
  all require completely different communication strategies.

His key point was:

“You cannot open every door with the same key.”

Successful localization requires adapting:

• pricing
• messaging
• visuals
• positioning
• and customer experience
  to each specific market.

Marketplaces Are the Main Driver of Cross-Border Sales

Dmytro emphasized that:

marketplaces dominate cross-border commerce in Europe.

According to the presentation:

• around 70% of cross-border sales in Europe happen through marketplaces.

These include:

• Amazon
• eMAG
• Allegro
• Skroutz
• and vertical marketplaces such as Liki24.

He explained that marketplaces provide:

• faster market entry
• lower customer acquisition costs
• and immediate access to existing audiences.

Instead of asking:

“Should I use marketplaces?”

businesses should ask:

“Which marketplace combination creates the most leverage?”

The Recommended Strategy: Test, Learn, Scale

One of the most practical parts of the lecture was Dmytro’s recommended framework for expansion:

Test → Learn → Scale.

He advised businesses to:

1. test multiple marketplaces and countries
2. analyze unit economics and margins
3. identify which channels perform best
4. then scale only the successful combinations.

This reduces risk and prevents companies from investing heavily before validating demand and profitability.

VAT and Regulation Are Not Impossible

Another common fear discussed was:

VAT complexity and legal compliance.

Dmytro acknowledged that:

• VAT rates differ across Europe
• and regulations vary by category and country.

However, he stressed that:

modern systems such as OSS (One Stop Shop)

have significantly simplified VAT reporting for cross-border commerce.

His recommendation was straightforward:

• work with experienced accounting and legal partners
• understand category-specific regulations
• and build compliance into operations early.

He also highlighted that if heavily regulated sectors such as healthcare and supplements can operate cross-border successfully, then most eCommerce sectors can as well.

Logistics Is an Architecture Problem, Not a Guessing Game

One of the strongest insights from the session was:

logistics should be treated as infrastructure architecture.

Dmytro explained that successful cross-border logistics consists of two separate layers:

1. cross-country transportation
2. local last-mile delivery.

There is:

no universal logistics champion.

Different providers perform better on different “cross-border corridors” between countries.

As a result, businesses often need:

• multiple logistics partners
• multiple fulfillment setups
• and different delivery strategies depending on the market.

He also highlighted:

• marketplace fulfillment systems
• regional carriers
• 3PL providers
• and local logistics champions
  as critical operational tools.

Pricing Must Be Localized

A major topic in the presentation was:

pricing localization.

Dmytro explained that the same product can have:

• completely different acceptable price levels
  across different countries.

For example:

• a supplement may sell for €10 in Romania
• but €15 in Italy.

Using the same pricing strategy everywhere creates:

• lost margin
• or lost competitiveness.

He encouraged brands to:

• use marketplace analytics
• monitor local pricing
• test different price points
• and optimize based on:
  • margins
  • conversion rates
  • and local consumer behavior.

Cross-Border Commerce Requires Constant Optimization

Throughout the presentation, Dmytro repeatedly emphasized that:

cross-border commerce is not a one-time setup.

It requires continuous:

• testing
• operational optimization
• logistics management
• and pricing adaptation.

He described cross-border expansion as:

building a machine,

rather than simply launching a translated website.

Key Takeaways

The lecture demonstrated that cross-border eCommerce success depends far more on operational execution than on simple translation or advertising.

Dmytro explained that while cross-border demand in Europe is growing rapidly, companies often fail because they underestimate:

• localization complexity
• logistics infrastructure
• marketplace strategy
• and pricing adaptation.

The presentation highlighted that:

• marketplaces are the dominant cross-border sales channel
• logistics should be approached strategically
• and pricing must be adapted to local market realities.

Another major insight was that:

Europe may look unified from the consumer side, but commercially every market behaves differently.

The session also showed that:

• VAT and legal compliance are manageable
• cross-border logistics requires multiple specialized partners
• and successful companies constantly test and optimize their operations.

Finally, Dmytro reinforced that successful cross-border expansion is not about entering every market immediately, but about:

finding the right corridors, the right marketplaces, and the right operational model – then scaling what works.