DCBP: E-Commerce · Global Used Car Marketplace
Intro
Project Overview
Project: DCBP - Global used car marketplace
Role: UI/UX Designer → Product Lead
Team: CEO, CTO, Graphic Designers, Front-End Developers
Timeline: 2016–2017
Platform: Web Marketplace
Industry: Automotive, Logistics, FinTech
TL;DR
DCBP is the first cross-border used car marketplace in China, offering full diagnostics, flexible financing, and door-to-door delivery. I was hired to bring an offline auto logistics business online and build a trustworthy, end-to-end car-buying experience from scratch. We focused on transparency, financing education, and simplicity to overcome deep-seated distrust in China’s used car market.
Discover
Discovery & Research
Before I joined, DCBP was a B2B logistics company exporting cars from the US, Canada, Russia, and Europe to China.
I interviewed:
Buyers in China to understand objections around trust, payment, and vehicle condition
Internal stakeholders to understand logistical strengths we could turn into customer value
Local dealership websites for design inspiration (and quickly found there was none)
These conversations and audits revealed key insights that shaped our strategy, here are the top findings:
When Every Car Might Be a Lemon
Back in 2016, Chinese used car buyers, especially those in rural areas, were highly skeptical of online vehicle listings.
Due to a shortage of high-quality cars, scams were rampant. Photos often looked convincing, but they rarely told the full story. Dealerships would routinely gloss over critical faults with cosmetic touch-ups, faked documentation, or incomplete diagnostics. Odometers were routinely rolled back, accident histories hidden, and diagnostic reports either faked or skipped altogether.
Without access to third-party inspections or reliable service records, buyers had no real way to verify a car’s condition. For many, buying a used car online felt risky, frustrating, and out of their control.
Shame, Debt, and the Hidden Cost of Buying a Car
Many people believed the only way to own a car was to buy one brand new, pay for it in full, upfront, with cash.
This mindset shut out a huge portion of potential buyers who simply couldn’t afford that. Auto financing wasn’t just unfamiliar, it was seen as risky and confusing.
Without clear education or trustworthy guidance, loans felt overwhelming, like a trap that could spiral into long-term debt.
On top of that, there was deep cultural resistance. Older generations viewed borrowing money as shameful, something only the financially desperate would do.
For younger buyers, this pressure created a silent tension, needing mobility and independence, but fearing judgment, shame, or financial ruin.
Limited Choices
Local dealerships offered very limited selection, leaving buyers stuck with whatever was available. As a result, many would browse casually, looking for cars that felt aspirational yet still within reach, often without a specific model in mind.
For younger buyers, car ownership wasn’t always about personal choice or lifestyle. It was frequently driven by social pressure, especially the expectation to own a car before getting married. This turned what should have been an exciting milestone into a stressful, obligation-driven purchase.
Without variety, guidance, or emotional connection to the options, the process felt more like settling than choosing.
The Price Barrier to Imported Cars
High import markups, combined with excessive dealership fees, made international car models feel completely out of reach for most buyers.
Even when people found a car they loved, the final price often skyrocketed far beyond the original value. There was little transparency in how prices were calculated, leaving buyers confused, frustrated, and powerless.
Without fair pricing or trusted alternatives, many gave up on owning their dream car altogether and settled for whatever fit their budget.
Define
Problem
In 2016, buying a used car in rural parts of China is still a frustrating and often shady process:
Scams are rampant at local dealerships, with sellers misrepresenting vehicle conditions.
Trust is low, especially after exposés revealed widespread fraud.
Financing options are nearly nonexistent, forcing buyers to pay cash or delay ownership for years.
High import markups make international models unaffordable and out of reach.
The Challenge:
How might we give Chinese car buyers the transparency, affordability, and confidence they need to buy used cars online, often sight unseen and from abroad?
Define & Strategy
From these insights, we aligned on four core principles:
Trust Through Transparency
Treat the platform like a certified pre-owned dealership: every car gets a full inspection report, photo gallery, and clear return policy.Educate Without Overwhelming
Make financing approachable through real-time sliders, visual breakdowns, and monthly payment callouts.Discovery Over Search
Let people explore based on what matters most to them: price, fuel efficiency, popularity, and novelty.Leverage Offline Strengths
DCBP already had global logistics mastery—this became our differentiator in delivering door-to-door, even for remote buyers.
Design
Covering the Basics
We started by fixing the basics: most competitors had outdated, clunky websites. We created a modern, responsive UI with:
A clean homepage that builds credibility instantly
Easy filtering and sorting to encourage browsing
Professional branding to signal trustworthiness
Designing for Complete Buyer Confidence
I knew scams and hidden vehicle issues were a major concern for buyers, so I set out to design an experience that felt completely risk-free.
To tackle the problem of hidden damage, we introduced third-party testing with certified mechanics and 156-point inspection reports.
Early feedback was promising, but some users were confused by the downloadable PDF format. So I redesigned the report into a visual “Car Condition” section near the top of the listing page. Using a blueprint-style car diagram, each inspection point was color-coded and mapped to its exact location. Dents, dings, and damage were annotated with photos or videos, making it easy to scan at a glance.
To address buyer’s remorse, we added a 7-day, no-questions-asked return policy, offering peace of mind that users wouldn’t be stuck with a bad decision.
Loan Calculators Don’t Have to Be Scary
Because auto financing was unfamiliar and intimidating for many users, I focused on making the process simple, transparent, and approachable. I started by placing monthly payment estimates directly next to car prices, helping buyers instantly gauge affordability without doing the math themselves.
To build confidence and reduce fear around loans, I designed an interactive loan calculator with adjustable sliders for down payment, loan term, and APR. As users adjusted any one of these, the others automatically recalculated to stay within realistic, lender-approved ranges. This gave users a sense of control and flexibility, while ensuring the options remained practical and achievable.
Visually showing how each input affected total cost helped demystify the process. It turned a source of stress into something intuitive, even a little fun. For many, what once felt like a financial trap now felt like a set of clear, personalized choices they could explore without pressure.
Designing a Value-Driven Car Browsing Experience
Many buyers entered the platform unsure of what they could afford, or even what kind of car they wanted. To guide them through this uncertainty, I restructured the browsing experience around value-first categories like:
“Best Value Imports”
“Fuel-Saving Champions”
“Most Popular This Week”
“Hidden Gems Under $X”
These groupings offered more than just filters, they told stories that helped users connect with cars through lifestyle, savings, and social proof.
Rather than requiring users to search by make or model, which many found overwhelming or irrelevant, this approach gave them permission to explore without needing deep product knowledge. It also lowered the barrier for first-time buyers who weren’t sure where to start.
The tradeoff was less focus on traditional sorting methods, like brand or engine type, but the payoff was clear, users felt inspired, curious, and more confident imagining what ownership could look like for them.
Deliver
Introducing DCBP
China’s first cross-border used car marketplace designed to rebuild trust and expand choice.
For the first time, buyers could browse and purchase vehicles directly from the United States, Canada, Russia, and Europe, without relying on middlemen or unclear dealership listings. Every part of the experience, from inspections to financing, was reimagined to reduce fear, build confidence, and make car ownership feel possible.
Product Demo
(Need a better view? Click the expand icon in the top right, then hit "Z" to zoom it just right.)
Result & Impact
We launched DCBP at TechCrunch Disrupt 2016 in San Francisco, generating investor interest and validating our concept internationally.
By 2017, we secured one of the largest Series A rounds from the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, signaling major trust in our market approach.
Reflection
DCBP wasn’t just a design project, it was a cultural UX challenge. I wasn’t simply building an interface, I was helping reframe how people in China think about buying, trusting, and financing cars online. It pushed me to design for emotion as much as function.
What I learned:
When trust is the biggest barrier, every interaction needs to feel honest, transparent, and human.
Users don’t always need more choices, they need fewer reasons to be afraid.
Western UI patterns often fall flat in unfamiliar markets, real user behavior, shaped by culture, should lead the way.
