When an online-shop owner dies...

The rapid growth of the e-commerce industry has led to increasing demand for parcel delivery services. [Provided to China Daily]

The main aim of the new guidelines, apart from addressing the thorny succession issue, is to make the entire online succession process transparent and free of litigation, they say.

If a man wants to inherit his former wife's online shop, he must first give the divorce and property distribution certificates to Taobao, and undertake to complete all the online deals made by his former wife, the guideline says.

The applicant should also accept all contracts the previous owner had signed and pay the necessary inheritance fees, the rules say.

In cases of online shops inherited after the death of the previous owner, claimants must provide the death certificate, and a will, or the appropriate documents.

"Many shop owners had come to us seeking a solution to the inheritance issue after the two deaths last year," says Ting Xiang, one of the key personnel involved with framing Taobao's rules.

"It was then that we realized that a long-term solution needed to be put in place.

"All inheritance claims will be settled based on court verdicts and legal certificates," Ting says, adding that the company will encourage claimants to submit their claims through online platforms, rather than in the bulky and cumbersome physical format.

The current rules address most cases of divorce and death and stipulate that the age of assignees should be between 18 and 70, he says.

"We'll continue to tweak the rules based on suggestions from members. Our ultimate aim is to create a smooth transition process along with strict supervision."