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arXiv · 2407.15509

The increasing share of low-value transactions in international trade

Raúl Mínguez·Asier Minondo
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Abstract

This paper documents a new feature of international trade: the increase in the share of low-value transactions in the total volume of transactions. Using Spanish data, we show that the share of low-value transactions in the total number of transactions increased from 9% to 61% in exports and from 14% to 54% in imports between 1997 and 2023. The increase in the number of low-value trade transactions is explained by the rise of e-commerce and direct-to-customer sales facilitated by online retail platforms, and the fast-fashion strategy followed by clothing firms.

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Raúl Mínguez, Asier Minondo. 2024-07-22. The increasing share of low-value transactions in international trade. https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.15509

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