In a survey launched by Chinese Internet portal Sina.com on the new rules for online shops that go into effect on August 1, 2008 in Beijing, about 90% of netizens said they are against the new rules and over 80% of them thought the rules would kill the enthusiasm of online sellers.

At the beginning of July 2008, Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce issued a management regulation on the supervision over e-commerce, which says from August 1, 2008, profit-making online shops from Beijing should get a business license before starting operation. The new rules have set off a wave of discussion on the advantages and disadvantages. Many people complain that this will stifle China's e-commerce growth because it creates a financial barrier for people to create an online shop.

By July 30, 2008, 16,187 netizens participated in the survey, of which 14,160 said they did not agree with the new online shop rules launched by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce, accounting for 87.48% of the total votes; 1,631 said they support the new rule, accounting for 10.08%; and 396 sat on the fence, accounting for 2.45%.

For the question whether the new rules will discourage the development of China's e-commerce, 8,319 said "yes", accounting for 85.3%; 859 said the new rules will be beneficial for the development of e-commerce, accounting for 8.81%; and 574 were noncommittal and said further observation would be needed, accounting for 5.89%.