A bride in Europe or America could order a custom wedding dress from LightInTheBox and have it made and shipped from China. That was the company's pitch: cut out the importers and the stores, and sell factory goods to the world at factory prices. Five co-founders started it in Beijing in June 2007, led by chairman and chief executive Alan Guo. By its 2013 IPO it was selling apparel, electronics and home goods in many countries and languages.

Factory to Front Door

LightInTheBox bet that the internet could link Chinese suppliers directly to overseas consumers. It ran websites in many languages, bought ads on search engines and social networks to find shoppers, and shipped orders by international courier. Made-to-order dresses were a signature product, since they could be cut to a buyer's measurements. A sister site, MiniInTheBox, sold small gadgets and accessories. The model needed cheap traffic from Google and Facebook to work.

Small Cap, Still Standing

LightInTheBox priced its ADSs at $9.50 in June 2013 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange as LITB. Rising ad costs and tough competition from bigger cross-border sellers squeezed its growth, and its market value shrank. In late 2024 the NYSE warned that it had fallen below listing standards. In June 2026 the exchange confirmed it had cured the deficiency, and the stock remains listed.

Cover: Goblin Lanterns, Helen Hyde. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for lanterns (a light in a box).