Young Iraqis work as online shopping agents with Chinese e-commerce giants amid economic crisis

An Iraqi young man searches Chinese online shopping sites for goods he can import from China to sell to customers in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2021. (Xinhua / Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Suffering from the high rate of unemployment and poverty in Iraq over the past years, some young men have carved out a new career as shopping agents with the famous Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

In his retail store located in the Mansour neighborhood in Iraq's capital Baghdad, 28-year-old Ali Abbas, surrounded by stacks of electronic products, was busy in sorting them out for re-distribution.

Abbas came up with the idea of opening a retail store for online orders just a few years ago when he noticed that many Iraqis preferred to buy goods from Chinese online shopping portals such as Alibaba.

His retail store collects customers' orders for electronic devices and then buys them in mass quantities from Alibaba so that the customers will get their goods at a suitable price by sharing the shipping cost and he is able to earn some service fees from them.

The shop owner prepares the goods that have arrived from Chinese shopping sites to deliver them to his customers in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2021. (Xinhua / Khalil Dawood)

"In addition to lower shipping cost, I choose Alibaba for its nice and cheap products as well as noticeable presence on social media websites," Abbas told Xinhua, noting Alibaba has a good reputation for the quality of goods and service among Iraqi customers.

"Such success of the business model has inspired more young men to follow suit in Baghdad and other provinces ... thus creating job opportunities for young people," he said.

Anas Jabbar, a customer at Abbas' store who came for the electronic device he had ordered, said he prefers to order goods from Alibaba via online shopping agents as this could ensure both quality and lower prices.

The shop owner sends a message to a customer for informing him that his goods have arrived in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2021. (Xinhua / Khalil Dawood)

In April, the Iraqi Ministry of Planning said the poverty rate in Iraq has increased to about 27 percent, with nearly 10 million living in poverty out of the total population of about 40 million.

Iraq is currently going through a severe economic crisis because of the plunging oil prices under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.