In September 2016, I moved to Aalborg, a city in northern Denmark, to begin my studies as an international student from China. A few days later, I received an unexpected message from an old high school classmate whom I had not seen in a decade. She asked if I could purchase infant formula from Denmark and send it to her in China, offering me an extra payment for the favour. Soon after, another acquaintance in China, recommended by my mother, reached out with the same request. This experience led me to start a small side business, helping Chinese acquaintances purchase Danish products. I quickly noticed the prevalence of this informal trade among Chinese immigrants in Denmark.
Known as daigou in Chinese, meaning “buying on behalf of”, this practice emerged as a significant transnational business in the early 2000s, driven by the liberalisation of commerce, increasing transnational mobility and rising Chinese ...



