RISK FACTORS

Investing in our Common Shares involves a high degree of risk. In addition to the other information contained in this prospectus, you should carefully consider the following risk factors in deciding whether to purchase our Common Shares. You should also refer to the other information contained in this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties. In any such case, the trading price of our Common Shares could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The market price of our Common Shares has been extremely volatile and may continue to be volatile due to numerous circumstances beyond our control.

The market price of our Common Shares has fluctuated, and may continue to fluctuate, widely, due to many factors, some of which may be beyond our control. These factors include, without limitation:

•        “short squeezes”;

•        comments by securities analysts or other third parties, including blogs, articles, message boards and social and other media;

•        actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial and operating results;

•        risks and uncertainties associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;

•        shifts in the timing or content of certain promotions or service offerings;

•        announcements of new products and services by us or our competitors;

•        the effect of changes in tax rates in the jurisdictions in which we operate;

•        announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors;

•        the mix of earnings in the countries in which we operate;

•        changes in foreign currency exchange rates;

•        announcements about our earnings that are not in line with analysts’ expectations;

•        changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

•        negative public perception of us, our competitors, or industry;

•        release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and

•        potential litigation or regulatory investigations; and

•        overall general market fluctuations.

Stock markets in general and our share price in particular have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies and our company. For example, on July 7, 2021, our Common Shares experienced an intra-day trading high of $79.07 per share and a low of $28.19 per share. In addition, from May 12, 2021 to August 4, 2021, the closing price of our Common Shares on Nasdaq ranged from as low as $6.04 to as high as $67.57 and daily trading volume ranged from approximately 68,300 to 76,187,000 shares. During this time, we have not experienced any material changes in our financial condition or results of operations that would explain such price volatility or trading volume. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our Common Shares. In particular, a large proportion of our Common Shares has been and may continue to be traded by short sellers which has put and may continue to put pressure on the supply and demand for our Common Shares, further influencing volatility in its market price. Additionally, these and other external factors have caused and may continue to cause the market price and demand for our Common Shares to fluctuate, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of Common Shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our Common Shares.

Upon consummation of the Offering, Mr. Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang will control approximately           % and           %, respectively, and           %, collectively, of the voting power of our issued and outstanding Common Shares. They will exert significant influence on our business and operations and may have a conflict of interest with our other shareholders.

Upon the consummation the Offering, Mr. Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang will control approximately           % and           %, respectively, of the voting power of our issued and outstanding Common Shares, and           %, collectively, assuming the sale of           Common Shares in this Offering and assuming completion of the Synthetic Secondary Sale, in each case at a public offering price of $          , the last reported share price of our Common Shares on Nasdaq as of           , and based on the number of our Common Shares outstanding upon completion of this Offering. Additionally, Mr. Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang, both of whom serve as our directors, will be able to exercise substantial influence over our business and operations. They may also have a conflict of interest with our other shareholders. Where such a conflict exists, our other shareholders will be dependent upon Mr. He, Mr. Chang, and other directors exercising, in a manner fair to all of our shareholders, their fiduciary duties. Also, Mr. He and Mr. Chang will have the ability to control the outcome of most corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, including the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and amendments to our Memorandum and Articles of Association. Moreover, such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a change of control or other business combination, which may, in turn, have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their shares.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and, as a result, qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

Currently and after completion of this Offering, Mr. Zhitao He, through Hangzhou Lianluo, Hyperfinite Galaxy Holding Limited, and Digital Grid will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding Common Shares. As a result, we are and will continue to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company.” For so long as we remain a controlled company under this definition, we are permitted to elect to rely on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including:

•        an exemption from the rule that a majority of our board must be independent directors;

•        an exemption from the rule that the compensation of our chief executive officer must be determined or recommended solely by independent directors; and

•        an exemption from the rule that our director nominees must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors.

As a result, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.

The Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association limit your ability to appoint directors and influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that minority holders of Common Shares may view as beneficial.

Upon the completion of this Offering, our board of directors shall continue to consist of up to seven directors. Digital Grid and Mr. Fred Chang, who will beneficially own approximately           % and           %, respectively, of our total voting power, have the right to appoint four directors and three directors, respectively, with Mr. Fred Chang, acting as a “Minority Representative” selected by a majority of the Legacy Shareholders, who collectively will own approximately           % of our total voting power upon completion of this Offering. The number of directors that Digital Grid and the Minority Representative are entitled to appoint will decrease proportionately with the decrease of the respective voting power of Digital Grid and the Legacy Shareholders. Any director positions which neither Digital Grid nor the Minority Representative is entitled to appoint shall be appointed by the remaining directors, or by any other means allowed under the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Immediately upon Closing of the Offering you will have no right to appoint or elect any director to our board. The Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association will limit your ability to appoint or elect persons for service on our board and may discourage proxy contests for the election of directors and purchases of substantial blocks of shares by making it more difficult for a potential acquirer to gain control of our board.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Since the Merger, we have implemented a variety of measures to ensure that the Company follows the rules applicable to public companies in the United States. To the extent these new procedures and policies have not changed historical behaviors that might be inconsistent with the rules and practices regulating a U.S. public company, we could be at risk of violation or poor reporting as a public company. If our directors or executive officers inadvertently fail to identify, review or disclose a new relationship or arrangement causing the Company to fail to properly disclose any related party transaction or in the event that we fail to comply with SEC reporting and internal controls and procedures, we may be subject to securities laws violations that may result in additional compliance costs or costs associated with SEC judgments or fines, both of which will increase our costs and negatively affect our potential profitability and our ability to conduct our business. The public reporting requirements and controls are new for our management since completion of the Merger in May 2021, and may require us to obtain outside assistance from legal, accounting or other professionals that will increase our costs of doing business.

We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which could result in material misstatements of our consolidated financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.

Since the Merger of Newegg with LLIT, we have begun reporting as a public company for the first time. This has placed considerable strain on our accounting systems, processes, and personnel. As a result, in connection with the review of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which led to a restatement of consolidated financial statements as of and for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We have concluded that this material weakness arose because we did not have the proper business processes, systems, personnel, and related internal controls in place.

The material weakness related to our inadvertent failure to recognize a new lease that we signed in the second quarter of 2021, but which did not become effective until the fourth quarter of 2021. Under GAAP rules applicable to this lease, we should have recognized the lease in the second quarter of 2021, despite its effective date not occurring until the fourth quarter. This failure to recognize the lease in the second quarter caused us to restate our June 30, 2021 financial statements.

Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in our consolidated financial statements that could result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements, and could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, any of which could diminish investor confidence in us and cause a decline in the price of our common stock, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities.

Certain provisions of Newegg’s Amended Shareholders Agreement may delay or prevent us from raising funding in the future and may have an adverse impact on us and the liquidity and market price of our Common Shares.

We are party to an amended and restated shareholders agreement (the “Amended Shareholders Agreement”) with Digital Grid, Mr. Fred Chang and certain other shareholders (the “Principal Shareholders”).

Under the Amended Shareholders Agreement, the Principal Shareholders have pre-emptive rights to acquire additional shares when the Company issues or sells additional securities in the future, except for “excluded issuances” as defined in the Amended Shareholders Agreement or Common Shares offered pursuant to a registration statement filed with the SEC.

In addition, the Company and the Principal Shareholders also have rights of first refusal over transfers of the Common Shares by the Principal Shareholders, pursuant to the Amended Shareholders Agreement and subject to compliance with applicable laws and Nasdaq’s Listing Rules. If any Principal Shareholder receives a bona fide offer from any person other than its affiliate to acquire any of the Principal Shareholder’s Common Shares (the “ROFR Shares”), then the Company has a right of first refusal, but not the obligation, to elect to purchase all (and not less than all) of the ROFR Shares, at the same price, and on the same terms and conditions offered by the purchaser (the “ROFR Terms”). In the event the Company does not decide to purchase all such ROFR Shares, then each of the Principal Shareholders other than the selling Principal Shareholder shall have a right of first refusal to elect to purchase all (and not less than all) of its Pro Rata Share of the ROFR Shares on the ROFR Terms. For the purpose of the Amended Shareholders Agreement, “Pro Rata Share” means

the percentage which corresponds to the ratio which each selling Principal Shareholder’s “Percentage Interest” (which is calculated by dividing (i) the number of the Common Shares owned by such Principal Shareholder, by (ii) total number of the then outstanding shares of the Common Shares held by all Principal Shareholders) bears to the total Percentage Interests of all Principal Shareholders exercising their right of first refusal. In the event that the ROFR Shares are in exchange for non-cash consideration, then such right of first refusal shall be exercisable based on the fair market value determined in good faith by the board of such non-cash consideration.

Such rights of first refusal and pre-emptive rights have been waived for the offering contemplated by this prospectus, however, they may delay or prevent us from raising other funding in the future and may have an adverse impact on the liquidity and market price of our Common Shares.

We may be subject to shareholder litigation due to the volatility in the price of our Common Shares, which may result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits following periods of instability in the market price of a company’s securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Newegg’s Business

The impact of COVID-19 may adversely affect our business and financial results.

The spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, has caused different countries and cities to mandate curfews, including “shelter-in-place” and closures of most non-essential businesses as well as other measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Our online business and warehouse operations have remained active to serve its customers during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to-date we have seen increased demand for our products and services during the outbreak. By contrast, some of our brick-and-mortar competitors have been forced to close down at least some of their retail locations temporarily, while some competitors have de-emphasized certain lines of business, such as computers and electronics, which represent our core business. Both of these industry trends have contributed to increased sales and market share for Newegg. However, the course of the outbreak remains uncertain, and a prolonged global economic slowdown and increased unemployment could have a material adverse impact on economic conditions, which in turn could lead to a reduced demand for our products and services.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have experienced occasional supply constraints, primarily in the form of delays in shipment of inventory. We have also experienced increases in the cost of certain products, as well as a decrease in promotions by some manufacturers. While we consider such events to be relatively minor and temporary, continued supply chain disruptions could lead to delayed receipt of, or shortages in, inventory and higher costs, and negatively impact sales in fiscal year 2021 and beyond.

COVID-19 impacted the supply chain of our brand partners and Marketplace sellers, and our ability to timely fulfill orders and deliver such orders to our customers, particularly as a result of mandatory shutdowns in different countries and cities to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Although we cannot estimate the length or severity of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak at this time, if the pandemic continues, it may have an adverse effect on the results of our future operations. The potential negative impact of COVID-19 on our operations remains uncertain and potentially wide-spread, including:

•        our ability to successfully forecast sales and execute our long-term growth strategy during these uncertain times;

•        the build-up of excess inventory as a result of lower consumer demand;

•        supply chain disruptions experienced by brand partners and Marketplace sellers, resulting from closed factories, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials, and scrutiny or embargoing of goods produced in infected areas, along with increased freight costs for us;

•        our ability to access capital sources and maintain compliance with our credit facilities, as well as the ability of our key customers, suppliers, and vendors to do the same in regard to their own obligations;

•        our ability to collect outstanding receivables from our customers;

•        our ability to attend and participate in industry and trade shows; and

•        diversion of management and employee attention and resources from key business activities and risk management outside of COVID-19 response efforts, including cybersecurity and maintenance of internal controls, with resulting potential loss of employee productivity.

The COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis and therefore, there can be no assurance that these potential negative impacts will not materialize, and these and other impacts of COVID-19 may adversely affect our future business, financial condition, cash flow, liquidity and results of operations.

We face risks related to system interruption, including failures caused or experienced by third-party service providers, and lack of redundancy and timely upgrades.

Our success depends on our ability to successfully receive and fulfill orders and to promptly deliver such orders to our customers. We could lose existing customers or fail to attract new customers, potentially resulting in a decline in net sales, if our online platforms are inaccessible or if our transaction processing systems, order fulfillment processes or network infrastructure are not operational or performing to our customers’ satisfaction.

Any internet network interruptions, latency or problems with our online platforms’ availability could prevent customers from accessing, browsing and placing orders on our online platforms, and impact our ability to fulfill orders or bill customers, which may cause customer dissatisfaction and damage our reputation and brand. We have experienced brief computer system interruptions in the past, and believe that others will occur from time to time in the future. Our systems and operations potentially are vulnerable to damage or interruption from a number of sources, including the following:

•        natural disaster or other catastrophic event such as earthquake, fire, power loss or interruption, telecommunications failure, hurricane, volcanic eruption, flood or terrorist attack. For example, our headquarters and the majority of our infrastructure, including some of our servers, are located in Southern California, a seismically active region. In addition, California has in the past experienced power outages as a result of limited electric power supply;

•        diseases or pandemics (including COVID-19) that have affected and may continue to affect the supply chain of our brand partners and Marketplace sellers, and our logistics in the future due to inconsistent and unanticipated order patterns, other diseases or pandemics or unforeseen natural disasters;

•        computer malware, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions;

•        security breaches and hacking attacks;

•        failure by third-party vendors, including data center and bandwidth providers, to provide steady and high-speed access to our online platforms and systems. Any disruption in our network access or co-location services, which are the services that house some of our servers and provide internet access to them, provided by these third-party providers or any failure of these third-party vendors to handle existing or higher volumes of use could significantly harm our business. Any financial or other difficulties these vendors face could also adversely affect our business; and

•        incidents of fraud.

We have not yet created sufficient redundancy for our information technology systems and data, and we do not presently maintain backup copies of all of its data. Newegg has a limited disaster recovery plan in effect and may not have sufficient insurance for losses that may occur from natural disasters, catastrophic events or the resulting business interruption. Newegg is generally self-insured outside the United States. Any substantial damage to, or disruption of, our technology infrastructure could cause interruptions or delays, loss of data, or reduced system availability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to accurately project the rate or timing of traffic flow, including any traffic increases, or successfully and cost-effectively upgrade our systems and infrastructure in a timely manner to accommodate higher traffic levels on our online platforms. If the volume of traffic on our online platforms or the number of purchases made by our customers increases substantially, we may experience unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times, reduced levels of customer service and impaired quality and delays in reporting accurate financial information. For example, we experience surges in online traffic and orders associated with promotional activities and holiday seasons, especially during the Christmas season, which can put additional demands on our technology platform at specific times.

Additionally, we must continue to upgrade and improve our technology and infrastructure to support our business growth, and failure to do so could impede our growth. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in executing these system upgrades and improvement strategies. Any such upgrades to our systems and infrastructure could require substantial investments. In particular, our systems may experience interruptions during upgrades, and the new technologies or infrastructures may not be fully integrated with the existing systems on a timely basis, or at all. If our existing or future technology and infrastructure do not function properly, it could cause system disruptions and slow response times, affecting data transmission, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by users of our Marketplace, and if we cannot manage our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We rely on a limited number of third-party payment solutions to process deposits and withdrawals made by users of our Marketplace. If any third-party payment solution terminates its relationship with Newegg or refuses to renew its agreement with Newegg on commercially reasonable terms, we would need to find an alternate payment solution, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such payment solution in an acceptable time frame. Further, the software and services provided by our third-party payment solutions may not meet our expectations, contain errors or vulnerabilities, be compromised or experience outages. Any of these risks could cause us to lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment transactions or make timely payments to users of our Marketplace, any of which could make our Marketplace less trustworthy and convenient and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain our users.

Nearly all of our users’ payments are made by credit card, debit card or through other third-party payment services, which subjects Newegg to certain regulations and to the risk of fraud. We may in the future offer new payment options to users that may be subject to additional regulations and risks. We are also subject to a number of other laws and regulations relating to the payments we accept from our users, including with respect to money laundering, money transfers, privacy and information security. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties, fines and/or higher transaction fees and may lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment card transactions, which could make our Marketplace less convenient and attractive to the users. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Additionally, card organizations, including Visa, require Newegg to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or reinterpret existing rules in ways that might prohibit us from providing certain offerings to some users, be costly to implement or difficult to follow. We have agreed to reimburse our payment processors for fines, penalties or assessments they are assessed by card organizations if we or the users on our Marketplace violate these rules. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Newegg’s reputation and business may be harmed if Newegg or the Newegg Marketplace sellers sell pirated, counterfeit, illegal or “gray market” items.

We may receive in the future, communications alleging that Newegg or the Newegg Marketplace sellers sold pirated, counterfeit, illegal or “gray market” items. These and future claims could increase our cost of doing business as a result of legal expenses, adverse judgments or settlements, and reputational harm, and require us to change our business practices in a way that would be less efficient and more costly. In addition, key manufacturers and vendors, for instance, may be less likely to offer us favorable terms or authorization to carry their products if we sell products of theirs, purchased on the “gray market.” We currently do not have any insurance to cover the types of claims that could be asserted in such litigation or in legal or administrative actions initiated by customers of such products, or by government agencies. If a claim were brought against us successfully, it could expose us to significant liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Our business faces intense domestic and international competition.

The e-commerce market is intensely competitive with limited barriers to entry. Our current and potential competitors include retailers, manufacturers and distributors that offer a wide range of similar product categories and companies that provide Direct-to-Consumer (“D2C”) platform services, fulfillment and logistics services and

other e-commerce related services. It is expected that the competition in this market will intensify in the future as companies develop new business models and enhanced technologies, new competitors enter the market, competitors forge new business combinations or alliances, and established companies in other market segments expand to become competitive with our business.

Many of our current and potential online and brick-and-mortar competitors have larger bases of customers and Marketplace sellers, better brand recognition and greater financial, marketing, technical, management and other resources than we do. In addition, some of our competitors have used and may continue to use aggressive pricing or promotional strategies, may have stronger supplier relationships with more favorable terms and inventory allocation and may devote substantially greater resources to their online platforms and system development than we do. Increased competition may result in reduced operating margins, reduced profitability, loss of market share and diminished brand recognition for Newegg.

We compete with online retailers such as Amazon and traditional retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, who sell through brick and mortar stores and their online websites. In addition, we also face competition in the international markets in which we participate or may enter in the future. Certain other competitors in countries where we operate are subsidiaries of e-commerce competitors in the United States with established local operations and brands and with greater experience and resources than we have. In other countries that we may enter, there may be incumbent online and multi-channel online or brick-and-mortar competitors presently selling IT/CE products. These incumbents may have advantages that could impede our expansion and growth in these markets.

We could also experience significant competitive pressure if any of our manufacturers or distributors were to initiate or expand their own online retail operations. Because our manufacturers and distributors have access to merchandise at a lower cost than we do, they could sell products at lower prices and maintain a higher gross margin on their product sales than we can, and they may have the ability to directly connect with buyers at relatively low cost. This could result in our current and potential buyers deciding to purchase directly from these manufacturers and distributors instead of from Newegg. Increased competition from any manufacturer or distributor capable of maintaining high sales volumes and acquiring products at lower prices than we can, could significantly reduce our market share and adversely impact our operating results.

There is no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors. Competitive pressures may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A decline in demand for IT/CE products could adversely affect our operating results.

We and our Marketplace sellers primarily sell IT/CE products that are often discretionary purchases rather than necessities for consumers. Consequently, our results of operations tend to be sensitive to changes in macroeconomic conditions and their impact on consumer spending. Factors including customer confidence, employment levels, conditions in the residential real estate and mortgage markets, access to credit, interest rates, tax rates, customer debt levels and fuel and energy costs could reduce customer spending or change customer purchasing habits in ways that materially and adversely affect demand for the products that we and our Marketplace sellers offer.

There could be declines in the sales of the products offered by us and our Marketplace sellers due to several factors, including:

•        decreased demand for IT/CE products, particularly computer components and parts that have historically generated a significant portion of our net sales;

•        poor economic conditions and any related decline in customers’ demand for the products we and our Marketplace sellers offer;

•        increased price competition from our competitors; or

•        technological obsolescence of the products that we and our Marketplace sellers offer.

Additionally, it is expected that some of our future growth should be driven by product releases or upgrades that may occur in the near future. If such product releases do not occur or do not drive sales of IT products to the extent expected, our future sales may be less than predicted, negatively impacting our net sales and net income.

The loss of key employees or the failure to attract qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our ability to run our business.

The loss of any of our current executives, key employees or key advisors, or the failure to attract, integrate, motivate and retain additional key employees, could have a material adverse effect on our business. Competition for well-qualified and skilled employees is intense globally, and our future success also depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified and skilled employees, including, in particular, software engineers, data scientists and technology and fulfillment professionals. Although we have employment agreements with our executive officers, all of our executive officers are employed “at-will” and could terminate their employment at any time. If we lose one or more of our executive officers or other key employees, our ability to implement our business strategy successfully could be seriously harmed. Furthermore, replacing executive officers or other key employees with other highly skilled and qualified candidates may be difficult and may take an extended period of time. Recruiting skilled personnel is highly competitive. There can be no assurance that we will continue to attract and retain the personnel needed for our business. The failure to attract or retain qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

If we are unable to provide a satisfactory customer experience, our reputation would be harmed and we could lose customers.

The success of our business depends largely on our ability to provide a superior customer experience to maintain and grow our customer base and keep our customers highly engaged on our online platforms, which in turn depends on a variety of factors. These include our ability to continue to maintain a wide range of product offerings with attractive pricing, provide timely and reliable order fulfillment and provide high-quality customer support and service. If our customers are not satisfied with our platforms, products or services, or our online platforms are severely interrupted or otherwise fail to meet our customers’ requests, our reputation could be adversely affected.

As an e-commerce company, we have limited ability to allow buyers to touch, test and feel products, personally interact with sales and customer service representatives, and receive or return products without waiting or paying for the products to be shipped, like brick-and-mortar retailers or online retailers that have brick-and-mortar operations do. Therefore, it is important that we continue to improve our online platforms, including efforts to encourage the creation of more high-quality and useful user-generated content, such as reviews and commentary, on the products we and our Marketplace sellers offer. If we do not continue to make investments in the development of our online platforms and customer service operations and, as a result, or due to other reasons, fail to provide a high-quality customer experience, we may lose customers, which could adversely impact our operating results.

We currently operate customer service centers in California and Texas and have customer service representatives working remotely in California, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey and Texas, focusing on serving North American buyers. To enhance our service capabilities and maintain increased access, Newegg operates an Asia-based multilingual customer service center that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via e-mail and instant messaging. Any material disruption or slowdown in our customer support services resulting from telephone or internet failures, power or service outages, natural disasters, labor disputes or other events could make it difficult or impossible for us to provide adequate customer support. In addition, the future volume of customer complaints and inquiries may exceed our present system capacities. If this occurs, we could experience delays in responding to customer inquiries and addressing customer complaints and concerns. Our current level of customer support may also fail to meet the expectations of customers. Failure to provide satisfactory levels of customer service may harm our reputation, causing potential loss of existing customers and difficulty in acquiring new customers.

A significant inadvertent disclosure or breach of confidential or personal information we hold could be detrimental to our business, reputation and results of operations.

Our business requires the storage, transmission and utilization of data, including personal information, much of which must be maintained on a confidential basis. These activities have made, and may in the future make, us a target of cyber-attacks by third parties seeking unauthorized access to the data we maintain, including our customer data, or to disrupt our ability to provide service. As a result of the types and volume of personal data on our systems, we believe that we are a particularly attractive target for such breaches and attacks. For example, in 2018, Newegg suffered an intrusion of a portion of its network, as a result of which access was gained to a limited amount of credit card information.

In recent years, the frequency, severity and sophistication of cyber-attacks, computer malware, viruses, social engineering, and other intentional misconduct by computer hackers has significantly increased, and government agencies and security experts have warned about the growing risks of hackers, cyber criminals and other potential attackers targeting information technology systems. Such third parties could attempt to gain entry to our systems for the purpose of stealing data or disrupting the systems. In addition, our security measures may also be breached due to employee error, malfeasance, system errors or vulnerabilities, including vulnerabilities of our vendors, suppliers, their products, or otherwise. Third parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees or customers into disclosing sensitive information such as user names, passwords or other information to gain access to our customers’ data or our data, including intellectual property and other confidential business information.

While we have implemented security measures designed to protect against security breaches, these measures could fail or may be insufficient, particularly as techniques used to sabotage or obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, resulting in the unauthorized disclosure, modification, misuse, destruction, or loss of our or our customers’ data or other sensitive information. Any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches and improper access to or disclosure of the data we maintain, including personal information, could result in litigation, indemnity obligations, regulatory enforcement actions, investigations, fines, penalties, mitigation and remediation costs, disputes, reputational harm, diversion of management’s attention, and other liabilities and damage to our business.

We believe we have taken appropriate measures to protect our systems from intrusion, but we cannot be certain that advances in criminal capabilities, discovery of new vulnerabilities in our systems and attempts to exploit those vulnerabilities, physical system or facility break-ins and data thefts or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology protecting our systems and the information we possess.

We may incur significant costs in protecting against or remediating cyber-attacks. Any security breach could result in operational disruptions that impair our ability to meet our customers’ requirements, which could result in decreased revenue. Also, whether there is an actual or a perceived breach of our security, our reputation could suffer irreparable harm, causing our current and prospective customers to reject our products and services in the future, deterring data suppliers from supplying us data or customers from uploading their data on our platform, or changing consumer behaviors and use of our technology. Further, we could be forced to expend significant resources in response to a security breach, including those expended in notifying individuals and providing mitigating services, repairing system damage, increasing cyber security protection costs by deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, and litigating and resolving legal claims or governmental inquiries and investigations, all of which could divert the attention of our management and key personnel away from our business operations. Federal, state and foreign governments continue to consider and implement laws and regulations addressing data privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection laws, which include provisions relating to breaches. In any event, a significant security breach could materially harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may not succeed in promoting and strengthening the Newegg brand, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Brand recognition is a primary competitive factor in the e-commerce market and will be a key factor in maintaining and expanding our customer base, market position and bargaining power with vendors. Any loss of trust in our brand could harm our reputation and result in consumers, sellers, brands, vendors and other participants reducing their activity level in our business, which could materially reduce our profitability.

If we do not, or are unable to continue to, promote and strengthen the Newegg brand, or if the brand fails to continue to be viewed favorably, we may not be successful in attracting new customers and Marketplace sellers, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, we compete not only for customers and Marketplace sellers, but also for favorable product allocations and cooperative advertising support from our vendors. If we fail to maintain favorable recognition of our brand, we may not be successful in maintaining and strengthening our relationships with vendors in existing and new product categories or in maintaining existing offerings and sourcing new products at competitive prices and with adequate levels of inventory.

Adverse publicity about Newegg may arise from time to time. Negative comments about our online platforms, the products and services offered by us and our Marketplace sellers or our management may appear in internet postings and other media sources from time to time, and there is no assurance that other types of negative publicity of a more

serious nature will not arise in the future. For example, if our customer service representatives fail to satisfy the individual needs of the customers, the customers may become disgruntled and disseminate negative comments about our customer service. In addition, our Marketplace sellers and brand partners may also be subject to negative publicity for various reasons, such as customers’ complaints about the quality of their products and related services or other public relations incidents, which may adversely affect the sales of their products through Newegg and indirectly affect our reputation. Moreover, negative publicity about other online retailers or the e-commerce industry in general may arise from time to time and cause customers to lose confidence in the products and services Newegg offers. Any such negative publicity, regardless of veracity, may have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation and financial condition.

We are, or may become, subject to risks associated with our international operations, principally in Canada, which may harm our business.

Newegg began operations on our Canadian retail website, www.newegg.ca, in October 2008. We also have a physical presence in China and Taiwan. While Newegg is investing in building our business in other markets, we may not be able to successfully manage the challenges associated with our current and future international operations due to risks, such as:

•        international economic and political conditions;

•        changes in, or impositions of, legislative or regulatory requirements on e-commerce businesses and companies, such as U.S. sanctions laws and regulations, and limitations on our ability to directly own or control key assets, such as overseas warehouses;

•        the legal and regulatory environment in foreign jurisdictions, including with respect to consumer privacy and data protection laws, tax, law enforcement, network security, trade compliance and intellectual property matters, as well as consumer litigation;

•        tax laws, regulations and treaties, including U.S. taxes on foreign operations and repatriation of funds;

•        difficulties in identifying, attracting, hiring, training and retaining qualified personnel, and overseeing international operations, including the efficient management of our international operations;

•        delays or additional costs resulting from import/export controls, duties, tariffs or other barriers to trade; and

•        currency exchange controls or changes in exchange rates, which could make our pricing less competitive or reduce our profit margins.

Any one of the foregoing factors could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.

Our expansion into new product categories, services, technologies and geographic regions subjects us to additional business, legal, financial and competitive risks.

An important element of our business strategy is to expand into new product categories, services, technologies and regions, such as our expansion into Canada and other countries, and our plans to offer NPS for third parties. In directing our focus into these new areas, we face numerous risks and challenges, including alienating our core customer base, facing new competitors, having the increased need to develop new strategic relationships and straining our management, personnel, operations, systems, technical performance, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions. There is no assurance that our strategy will result in increased net sales or net income. Furthermore, growth into new business areas may require changes to our existing business model and cost structure, modifications to our infrastructure, and exposure to new regulatory and legal risks related to operating in new jurisdictions, any of which may require expertise in areas in which we have little or no experience. These risks may pose a material adverse risk to our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any interruption in our fulfillment operations may have an adverse impact on our business.

Our ability to process and fulfill orders accurately and provide high-quality customer service depends on the smooth operation of our fulfillment infrastructure, including our warehouses and order processing centers. If we do not optimize and operate our fulfillment infrastructure successfully and efficiently, it could result in excess or

insufficient fulfillment capacity, an increase in costs or impairment charges and a reduction in our gross profit margin, or harm our business in other ways. If we do not have sufficient fulfillment capacity or experience a problem fulfilling orders in a timely manner or if certain products are out of stock, our customers may experience delays in receiving their orders, which could harm our reputation and our relationship with our customers.

Our fulfillment infrastructure may be vulnerable to damage caused by fire, floods, power outages, telecommunications failures, break-ins, earthquakes, human error and other events. For example, our warehouse located in Indianapolis experienced a significant fire in January 2019, causing damage to our inventory. Our fulfillment infrastructure and processes may also contain undetected errors or design flaws that may cause our fulfillment operations to fail and materially impact our business and results of operations. If, for example, any of our warehouses were rendered incapable of operations, we may be unable to fulfill any orders in areas that rely on that warehouse. The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on our vendors to source sufficient quantities of merchandise on favorable terms. If we fail to maintain strong vendor relationships or if our vendors are otherwise unable to supply products that meet our standards in a timely manner, our net sales and net income could suffer.

Our contracts or arrangements with vendors generally do not guarantee the availability of merchandise or provide for the continuation of particular pricing or other practices. Our vendors may not continue to sell their inventory to us on current terms or at all, and, if the terms are changed, we may not be able to establish new supply relationships on similar or better terms. In most cases, our relationships with our vendors do not restrict them from selling their products through our competitors. Newegg competes with other retailers for favorable product allocations and vendor incentives from product manufacturers and distributors, including marketing dollars and volume-based sales incentive programs. Some of our competitors could enter into exclusive or favorable distribution arrangements for certain products with our vendors, which would deny us complete or partial access to those products and marketing and promotional resources. In addition, some vendors whose products are offered on our online platforms also sell their products directly to customers. If we are unable to develop and maintain relationships with vendors that permit us to obtain sufficient quantities of desirable merchandise on favorable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.

Our relationship with any particular vendor is dependent on our sales of products manufactured or distributed by that vendor. For certain products, we do not currently, and in the future may not be able to, meet the sales volumes or other requirements necessary to receive favorable treatment from the manufacturer of that product. As a result, we may not receive favorable pricing, vendor incentives or other considerations from those vendors. During times of short supply for highly desirable products, we may not receive adequate, or any, allocation of a popular product, leading to lost sales and customer dissatisfaction.

Certain products help create and maintain customer loyalty to the Newegg brand. Failing to maintain an adequate supply of these products could damage our ability to retain customers. We currently do not carry the full product portfolio of, and in some cases do not carry any products of, certain well-known brands. As a result, consumers who are searching for those brands may not be able to purchase products from us or purchase them at the most favorable prices, leading to potentially reduced net sales and net income.

Certain vendors provide a significant portion of our merchandise. In the United States and Canada, for the six months ended June 30, 2021, our ten largest suppliers accounted for approximately 70% of the merchandise we purchased. Two of our ten largest suppliers, ASI Corporation, an IT/CE product distributor, and Asus, a computer hardware company, accounted for approximately 23% of our purchases for the same period. Failure to maintain a positive relationship with these key suppliers could impact our ability to sell to customers the products they want.

Our vendors’ financial performance, liquidity and access to capital may be materially adversely affected by many factors, including, but not limited to: general economic factors, such as a continued slowdown in the U.S. or global economy or an uncertain economic outlook; political or financial instability; merchandise quality issues; product safety concerns; trade restrictions; work stoppages; tariffs; international trade war; foreign currency exchange rates; transportation capacity and costs; inflation; or outbreak of pandemics. These and other issues may affect their ability to maintain their inventories, production levels and/or product quality and could cause them to raise prices, lower production levels or cease their operations, all of which may in turn materially adversely affect our net sales and net income.

Our international sales and operations require access to international markets and are subject to applicable laws relating to trade, export and import controls and economic sanctions, the violation of which could adversely affect our operations.

Newegg must comply with all applicable U.S. export and import laws and regulations. Such laws and regulations include, but are not limited to, the Export Administration Act and the Export Administration Regulations. Newegg must also comply with U.S. sanctions laws and regulations, which are primarily administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, as well as other U.S. government agencies. U.S. sanctions generally prohibit transactions by U.S. persons, including us, involving sanctioned countries, entities and persons, without U.S. government authorization (which will rarely be granted). Non-U.S. subsidiaries of U.S. companies are required to comply with U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Iran.

Violations of U.S. laws and regulations relating to trade, export and import controls and economic sanctions could result in significant civil and/or criminal penalties on us or on our foreign subsidiaries, including fines, prohibitions on exporting and importing, prohibitions on receiving government contracts or other government assistance and other trade-related restrictions. U.S. enforcement of such laws and regulations continues to increase.

We must also comply with applicable foreign laws relating to trade, export and import controls and economic sanctions. We may not be aware of all of such laws applicable in the markets in which we do business, which subjects us to the risk of potential violations.

We conduct marketing activities to help attract visitors to our online platforms, and if we are unable to attract these visitors or convert them into customers in a cost-effective manner, our business and results of operations could be harmed.

Our success depends on our ability to attract visitors to our online platforms and convert them into customers in a cost-effective manner. We rely on search engines, social media, shopping comparison sites and other affiliate networks to provide content, advertising banners and other links that direct visitors to our online platforms. As of June 30, 2021, approximately 36% of our website and mobile app visitors were referred to us through paid and unpaid search engine listings, shopping comparison sites and other affiliate networks that provide links to our online platforms. In particular, we rely on search engines, such as Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo!, as important marketing channels. If search engines change their search engine algorithms periodically or penalize us for non-compliance with their guidelines while using their algorithms, terms of service, or display and featuring of search results, or if competition increases for advertisements, we may be unable to cost-effectively drive visitors to our websites and mobile apps. We also sometimes pay these third parties to include or highlight our websites in their search results. If such third parties modify or terminate their relationship with us or increase the price they charge to us, if our competitors offer them greater fees for traffic, or if any free third-party platforms on which we rely begin charging fees for listing or placement, our expenses could rise and traffic to our websites could decrease, resulting in harm to our operations.

Our success also depends on our ability to convert visitors to our websites and mobile apps into paying customers, a process which is partially reliant upon our ability to identify and purchase relevant keyword search terms, provide relevant content on our online platforms and effectively target our other marketing programs, such as internet portal referrals, e-mail campaigns and affiliate programs. If we are unable to attract visitors to our websites and mobile apps and convert them into customers cost-effectively, our business and financial results may be harmed.

We are partially dependent on third parties to perform a number of our e-commerce functions. If such third parties are unwilling or unable to continue providing these services, our business could be harmed.

As of June 30, 2021, approximately 6.2% of our GMV was generated by the sale of products fulfilled through third parties. These third parties provide various services on our behalf, including inventory maintenance and order processing. We have no effective means to ensure that these third parties will continue to perform these services to our satisfaction, in a manner satisfactory to our customers or on commercially reasonable terms. Our customers may become dissatisfied and cancel their orders or decline to make future purchases if these third parties fail to deliver products on a timely basis. If our customers become dissatisfied with the services provided by these third parties, our reputation and brand could suffer.

If we fail to manage our inventory effectively, our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity may be materially and adversely affected.

Our scale and business model require us to manage a large volume of inventory effectively. As we may continue expanding our product offerings, we expect to include more SKUs in our inventory, which could make it more challenging for us to manage our inventory effectively and put more pressure on our warehousing system.

We purchase most of the merchandise that we sell directly to customers on our online platforms from manufacturers or distributors. We assume inventory damage, theft, obsolescence, and price erosion risks for our inventory. These risks are especially significant as most of the merchandise sold on our online platforms is characterized by rapid technological change, obsolescence and price erosion. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, we recorded inventory write-offs or write-downs totaling $3.9 million, or 0.4% of our cost of goods sold. We may sell obsolete or dated merchandise at a discount or loss. If there were unforeseen product developments or if vendors were to change their terms and conditions, our inventory risks could increase. We also periodically take advantage of cost savings associated with certain opportunistic bulk inventory purchases offered by our vendors. These bulk purchases increase our exposure to inventory obsolescence. Our success depends on our ability to sell our inventory rapidly, purchase inventory at attractive prices relative to our resale value and manage customer returns and the shrinkage resulting from theft, loss, and mis-recording of inventory. If we are unsuccessful in any of these areas, we may be forced to write down or write off substantial amounts of inventory, or sell it at a discount or loss, which could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on our demand forecasts for various kinds of products to make purchase decisions and to manage our inventory. We are exposed to inventory risks as a result of seasonality, new product launches, rapid changes in product cycles and pricing, defective merchandise, changes in consumer demand, tastes and spending patterns, and other factors. While we endeavor to accurately predict these trends and avoid overstocking or understocking products we sell, the demand for products can change significantly between the time inventory is ordered and the date of sale, and we may be unable to sell products in sufficient quantities as we expect. Furthermore, we may in the future open additional warehouses and duplicate part of the inventory for our direct sales business that is stored at our current warehouses to increase our overall fulfillment efficiency as we grow our business, which will also increase the inventory risks our direct sales business faces. Failure to effectively manage our inventory risk could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have incurred net losses in the past and may experience losses in the future.

We incurred net losses of $17.0 million and $33.6 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively, and reported net income of $30.4 million in 2020. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to generate net profits or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability will depend in large part on our ability to, among other things, source and sell higher margin products, grow and diversify our supplier base, and optimize our cost structure. We may not be able to achieve any of the above. As we continue to grow and expand our business, our operating expenses may increase further. As a result of the foregoing, we may incur net losses in the future.

If we fail to adopt new technologies or adapt our websites, mobile apps and systems to changing customer requirements or emerging industry standards, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality and features of our online platforms, including our websites and mobile apps. The internet and the e-commerce industry are characterized by rapid technological evolution, frequent introductions of new products and services embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards and practices, and changes in customer requirements and preferences, any of which could render our existing technologies and systems obsolete. We may be required to devote substantial resources to developing proprietary technologies or license technologies, enhancing our existing websites and mobile apps, developing new services and technology that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our current and prospective customers and adapting to technological advances and emerging industry and regulatory standards and practices in a cost-effective and timely manner. The development of proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. There can be no assurance that our efforts to develop proprietary technologies will succeed or that any technology licenses will be available on commercially reasonable terms. Substantial investments will be required to remain technologically competitive, and our failure to do so may harm our business and results of operations.

The seasonality of our business places increased strain on our operations.

Newegg historically experiences higher sales in the fourth quarter due to the holiday season. If we do not stock or restock popular products in sufficient amounts such that we fail to meet customer demand, it could significantly affect our revenue and future growth. If we overstock products, we may be required to take significant inventory markdowns or write-offs and incur commitment costs, which could reduce profitability. We may experience an increase in our net shipping cost due to complimentary upgrades, split-shipments and additional long-zone shipments necessary to ensure timely delivery for the holiday season. If too many customers access our online platforms within a short period of time due to increased holiday demand, we may experience system interruptions that make our online platforms unavailable or prevent us from efficiently fulfilling orders, which may reduce the volume of goods sold through our online platforms and the attractiveness of our products and services. In addition, we may be unable to adequately staff our fulfillment and customer service capability during these peak periods.

As we tend to experience higher sales in the fourth quarter, we generally experience an increase in our cash position at year-end, as compared to the first, second and third quarters when sales are lower. As of December 31 of each year, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances typically reach their highest level (other than as a result of cash flows provided by or used in investing and financing activities). In anticipation of higher sales during the holiday season, we typically begin building up inventory levels in the later part of the third quarter. As a result of this inventory build-up and faster inventory turnover during the fourth quarter, our accounts payable are typically at their highest levels at year-end. As sales begin to slow in the first and second quarters, inventory levels decrease, inventory turnover lengthens, and accounts payable and cash balances decrease as we pay our vendors. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased cash and accounts payable balances due to an increased demand in our products. Inventory levels increased and turned faster than normal as a result of increased sales.

The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance, reliability and security of the internet infrastructure in the countries where we operates.

Our business depends on the performance, reliability and security of the telecommunications and internet infrastructure in the countries where we operate. We have several servers located in China that provide development, testing and quality control services. Almost all access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China. In addition, the national networks in China are connected to the internet through state-owned international gateways, which are the only channels through which a domestic user can connect to the internet outside China. We may face similar or other limitations in other countries in which we operate. We may not have access to alternative networks in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with the internet infrastructure in China or elsewhere. In addition, the internet infrastructure in the countries in which we operate may not support the demands associated with continued growth in internet usage.

The failure of telecommunications network operators to provide Newegg with the requisite bandwidth could also interfere with the speed and availability of our websites and mobile apps. If the prices that we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our gross margins could be adversely affected. In addition, if internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user traffic may decrease, which in turn may significantly decrease our revenues.

If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Our success depends upon our ability to manage the growth of our operations effectively. We anticipate expanding further as we pursue our growth strategies. Our expansion increases the complexity of our business and places a significant strain on our management, operations, technical systems, financial resources and internal control over financial reporting functions. Our current and planned personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support and effectively manage our future operations, especially as we employ personnel in several geographic locations. In addition, our growth will require us to improve our operational and financial systems, procedures and controls, successfully manage international operations and hire additional personnel. These efforts may not be successful, and we may be unable to improve our systems, procedures and controls in a timely manner.

Delays or problems associated with any of these initiatives could harm our business and operating results. These initiatives will also cause our operating expenses to increase. If we fail to accurately estimate and assess our growth or fail to increase net sales to match our increased operating expenses, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer.

An adverse change in the vendor payment terms and conditions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We purchase our inventory from vendors on trade accounts typically requiring payment between 15 and 45 days after the date the inventory is shipped to us. As of June 30, 2021, our accounts payable balance was $202.1 million with 39 days of payables outstanding. Our accounts payable balances as of June 30, 2021 represented 36.6% of our liabilities, and shareholders’ equity. An adverse change in our vendors’ payment terms and conditions would significantly increase our working capital requirements and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Because many of the products that we sell are manufactured abroad, we may face delays, increased cost or quality control deficiencies in the importation of these products, which could reduce our net sales and profitability.

Many of the products that we purchase for direct sale on our online platforms are manufactured in countries outside the United States. These imported products subject us to the risk of changes in import duties or quotas, new restrictions on imports, work stoppages, delays in shipment, freight cost increases, product cost increases due to foreign currency fluctuations or revaluations and economic uncertainties (including the imposition of antidumping or countervailing duty orders, safeguards, remedies or compensation and retaliation due to illegal foreign trade practices) and instability in the political and economic environments of the countries in which the manufacturers of these products operate. If any of these or other factors were to cause a disruption of trade from these countries, we may be unable to obtain sufficient quantities of these imported products to satisfy our requirements or our cost of obtaining such products may increase. Historically, instability in the political and economic environments of the countries in which our suppliers operate has not had a material adverse effect on our operations. However, the effect that future changes in economic or political conditions in the foreign countries where our supplying manufacturers are located may have on our operations cannot be predicted. Potential disruptions or delays in supply due to economic or political conditions in foreign countries could adversely affect our results of operations unless and until alternative supply arrangements are made.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights.

We rely on trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality or licensing agreements with employees, buyers, third-party sellers, brand partners and others to protect our proprietary rights. These steps may be inadequate, agreements may be violated or there may be inadequate remedies for a violation of such agreements. Our competitors may independently develop equivalent proprietary information and rights or may otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or proprietary information, which could affect our ability to compete in the market. There is no assurance that the steps that we have taken will adequately protect our proprietary rights, especially in countries where the laws or enforcement of the laws may not protect our rights to the same extent or in the same way as in the United States.

In addition, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our proprietary rights, and we could be required to enforce our intellectual property rights, which could require expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. We have registered and common law trademark rights in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, as well as pending trademark applications for a number of marks and associated domain names. Even if it obtains approval for such pending applications, the resulting registrations may not adequately cover our trademarks or protect us against infringement or dilution by others. Effective trademark, service mark, copyright, patent and trade secret protection may not be available in every country or jurisdiction in which our products may be made available online, which may cause our business and operating results to suffer. In addition, we may be unable to acquire or protect relevant domain names in the United States and in other countries. If we are not able to acquire or protect our trademarks, domain names or other intellectual property, we may experience difficulties in achieving and maintaining brand recognition and customer loyalty.

Assertions, claims and allegations, even if not true, that we have infringed or violated intellectual property rights could harm our business and reputation.

Third parties have, and likely will in the future, assert allegations and claims of intellectual property infringement against us on the items or their descriptions listed on our websites and mobile apps. Any such claims, disputes or litigation, even if resolved in our favor or not true, could be time-consuming and costly to defend, and could divert our management’s efforts from growing our business. We have intellectual property complaint and take-down procedures in place to address communications alleging that items listed on online platforms, including the Newegg Marketplace, infringe third-party copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights. We follow these procedures to review complaints and relevant facts to determine the appropriate action, which may include removal of the item from our online platforms and, in certain cases, discontinuing our relationship with a Marketplace seller or brand partner who violates our policies. However, these rules and procedures may not effectively reduce or eliminate our liability. In particular, Newegg may be subject to civil or criminal liability for activities carried out, including products listed, by sellers or brands on our online platforms.

If any third parties prevail in their intellectual property rights claims against Newegg, we may be required to pay significant licensing fees, damages and attorney’s fees, and may even be liable for punitive damages if Newegg is found to have willfully infringed third parties’ proprietary rights. We may have to stop using certain technology or solutions and need to develop or acquire alternative, non-infringing technology or solutions, which could require significant time and resources. We could even be required to obtain a license to use certain technologies, although such licenses may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, which may result in substantial payments and royalties and significantly increase our operating expenses. If we cannot develop non-infringing technology or license the appropriate technology at commercially reasonable rates, an intellectual property claim successfully asserted against us could cause significant business interruptions in our operations, which could restrict our ability to compete effectively and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Newegg may be subject to product liability claims, which could be costly and time-consuming to defend.

The majority of the products sold on our online platforms are manufactured by third parties, and some of them may be defectively designed or manufactured. If any product we sell were to cause physical injury or injury to property, an injured party could bring claims against us as the retailer of the product. Furthermore, we also offer IT components and peripherals under our private labels on our platforms or through other e-commerce platforms, such as eBay, which could potentially create more exposure for Newegg with respect to product liability than if we had simply acted as a retailer of third-party products. Our insurance coverage may not be adequate against such product liability claims. If a successful claim were brought against Newegg in excess of our insurance coverage, it could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Even unsuccessful claims could result in the expenditure of significant funds and management time in defending them and could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.

Some of our software and systems contain open source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software and solutions.

We have incorporated open source software code into some of our internal software and systems and expect to continue to use this open source software in the future. The licenses applicable to open source software typically require that the source code subject to the license be made available to the public and that any modifications or derivative works to open source software continue to be licensed under open source licenses. From time to time, we may face intellectual property infringement claims from third parties, demands for the release or license of the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software (which could include our proprietary source code) or claims that otherwise seek to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to purchase a costly license, publicly release the affected portions of our source code, be limited in the licensing of our technologies or cease offering the implicated solutions unless and until we can re-engineer them to avoid infringement or change the use of the implicated open source software. In addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties, indemnities or other contractual protections with respect to the software (for example, non-infringement or functionality). Our use of open source software may also present additional security risks because the source code for open source software is publicly

available, which may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to breach our websites, mobile apps and systems that rely on open source software. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage and, if not addressed, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We and our Marketplace sellers’ pricing strategy may not meet customers’ price expectations or result in profitability.

Demand for our products is generally highly sensitive to price. Our pricing strategies have had, and may continue to have, a significant impact on our net sales and net income. We often offer discounted prices, free or discounted shipping or bundled products as a means of attracting customers and encouraging repeat purchases. Such offers and discounts may reduce our margins. Moreover, our competitors’ pricing and marketing strategies are beyond our control and can significantly impact the results of our pricing strategies. If we fail to meet our customers’ price expectations in any given period, or if our competitors decide to engage in aggressive pricing strategies, our business and results of operations would suffer.

In addition, under applicable federal and state unfair competition laws, including the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and U.S. Federal Trade Commission regulations, we are required to accurately identify product offerings, not make misleading claims on our platforms, and use qualifying disclosures where and when appropriate. We are particularly subject to the risks associated with our discounting pricing practices as a result of the aggressive judicial interpretations of deceptive pricing laws, particularly in California, which has led to numerous class action settlements by online and brick-mortar retailers over the past few years. For example, Newegg was named as the defendant in a putative class action accusing it of violating the False Advertising Law, the Unfair Competition Law and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act by using allegedly deceptive list prices with allegedly overstated discounts for our electronic products. While the trial court had sustained without leave to amend our demurrer to such lawsuit, in July 2018, a California appellate panel reversed the trial court’s judgment and reinstated the action against us. This matter is still pending as of the date of this prospectus. There can be no assurance that we will be able to prevail in the foregoing action or that we will be able to settle the dispute on terms favorable to us. Any adverse outcome of the foregoing class action or other lawsuits challenging deceptive pricing against it could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business and financial condition.

We do not control the pricing strategies of our Marketplace sellers, which could affect our net income and our ability to effectively compete on price with other e-commerce retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. Our Marketplace sellers may determine that they can more competitively price their products through other distribution channels and may choose such other channels instead of listing products on our Marketplace, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Additionally, retailers and brands often employ different pricing based on the geographical location of consumers, which is accomplished online through geo-blocking that blocks a consumer’s ability to access certain websites based on geography. Legislation in the European Union removed certain types of geo-blocking in the European Union. This could allow our consumers registered in the European Union to access and make purchases through our Marketplace at the prices listed in different European geographies irrespective of their country of residence in Europe. This could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may incur additional costs due to tax assessments resulting from ongoing and future audits by tax authorities.

In the ordinary course of business, Newegg is subject to tax examinations by various governmental tax authorities. The global and diverse nature of our business means that there could be additional examinations by governmental tax authorities and the resolution of ongoing and other probable audits which could impose a future risk to the results of our business. For example, in February 2018, we received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue a notice of intent to assess sales and use taxes relating to a prior tax period, which subsequently resulted in an assessment of approximately $0.3 million, plus penalties and interest. In May 2020, we received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue another notice of assessment for sales and use taxes for additional prior tax periods in the amount of a total assessment of $2.7 million, including penalties and interest. We have appealed these assessments and intend to vigorously protest the assessments. The outcome of the matter or the timing of such payment, if any, cannot be predicted at this time. However, the ultimate results, if unfavorable, could have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, cash flows, and results of operations.

Significant developments stemming from recent U.S. government actions and proposals concerning tariffs and other economic proposals could have a material adverse effect on us.

As of June 30, 2021, approximately 68% of our products that were sold through our platforms, both direct sales and marketplace, were manufactured in China. U.S. government actions since 2018 have imposed greater restrictions and economic disincentives on international trade impacting imports and exports. The U.S. government has adopted changes, and may adopt further changes, to trade policy and in some cases, to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements. It has initiated the imposition of additional tariffs on certain foreign goods, including steel and aluminum, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and spare parts thereof, and has amended export regulations regarding sales to companies on the U.S. Entity List. These changes prevent sales of foreign produced direct product of the U.S. that is manufactured using controlled U.S.-origin equipment, technology, and software located outside the United States to companies on the U.S. Entity List.

Examples of recent actions are tariffs on steel and aluminum product imports announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce in March 2018, the scope of which increased on February 8, 2020, and a 25% tariff on certain products that originate in China announced by the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) in June 2018. The USTR also announced in June and July 2018 two additional supplemental lists of products that are subject to tariffs if the goods imported into the United States originate in China, which would increase the cost of these imported products. These supplemental lists issued by the USTR added an additional 25% tariff on certain semiconductor equipment and parts originating in China that are sold by Newegg or used in our business in the United States. In August 2018, the second list was made effective with a 25% tariff and in September 2018 the third list was made effective with a 10% tariff, increasing to 25% in May 2019. A fourth list was proposed by USTR in May 2019 for all remaining items originating in China. A portion of the fourth list (“4a”), was made effective September 1, 2019, with an additional tariff of 15%, reduced to 7.5% on February 14, 2020. The remainder of the fourth list (“4b”) was scheduled to have an additional tariff of 15% go into effect on December 15, 2019; however on December 13, 2019, the tariffs for list 4b were suspended after the U.S. announced it would enter into a trade agreement with China (the “Phase 1 Agreement”). Although the Phase 1 Agreement was signed January 15, 2020, implementation has been delayed due to COVID-19. A Phase 2 Agreement has not been announced as of the date of this prospectus. Any increase in the cost of importing goods and parts could decrease our margins, reduce the competitiveness of our products, or inhibit our ability to sell products or purchase necessary parts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business results, results of operations, or financial condition.

On April 28, 2020 the U.S. Department of Commerce issued new rules that (1) expand the definition of military end use and (2) eliminate the applicability of certain license exceptions for exports to countries on Country Group D of Supplement No. 1 to part 740 of the Export Administration Regulations. These changes expand export license requirements for U.S. companies to sell certain items to companies in China that have operations that could support military end uses, even if the items sold by the U.S. companies are for civilian end use and they reduce the applicability of license exceptions for exports to those countries listed on Country Group D, including China. Additionally, amendments have been made to General Prohibition Three (Foreign-Produced Direct Product Rule) and the Entity List, the most recent of which were effective August 17, 2020. These amendments expand the restrictions on the sale of goods manufactured outside the United States that are produced using certain controlled U.S. technology, or software to companies on the U.S. Entity List, and regulate the use of U.S. origin semiconductor manufacturing equipment that produces semiconductor devices for companies on the U.S. Entity List. The rule changes for export controls may reduce or impair our ability to sell products internationally, which could in turn decrease the demand for our products and have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. At this time, the additional proposed rule changes are not anticipated to impact the Company’s sales of non-U.S. products; however, any unpredicted rule changes could adversely affect our business results, operations, or financial condition.

Changes in U.S. trade policy could result in one or more U.S. trading partners adopting responsive trade policy making it more difficult or costly for us to export our products to those countries. As indicated above, these measures could also result in increased costs for goods imported into the U.S. This in turn could require us to increase prices to our customers, which may reduce demand or, if we are unable to increase prices, result in lowering our margin on goods and services sold. To the extent that trade tariffs and other restrictions imposed by the U.S. increase the price of semiconductor equipment and related parts imported into the U.S., the cost of our materials may be adversely affected and the demand from customers for products and services may be diminished, which could adversely affect our revenues and profitability. See “— Newegg’s Business Model” for more information about direct sales and marketplace.

We cannot predict future trade policy, the terms of any renegotiated trade agreements or additional imposed tariffs and their impact on our business. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products, our costs, our customers, our suppliers, and the U.S. economy, which in turn could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in U.S. social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development and investment in the territories and countries where it currently develops and sells products, and any negative sentiments towards the United States as a result of such changes, could adversely affect our business. In addition, negative sentiments towards the United States among non-U.S. customers and among non-U.S. employees or prospective employees could adversely affect sales or hiring and retention, respectively.

Employment laws in some of the countries in which we operate are relatively stringent.

As of June 30, 2021, we had 1,899 full-time employees, of whom approximately 53% were located in the United States, 39% in China, 6% in Taiwan, and 2% in Canada and other countries and regions. In some of the countries in which we operate, employment laws may grant significant job protection to employees, including rights on termination of employment and setting maximum number of hours and days per week that a particular employee is permitted to work. In addition, in certain countries in which we operate, Newegg is or may be required to consult and seek the advice of employee representatives and/or unions. These laws, coupled with the requirement to consult with any relevant employee representatives and unions, could impact our ability to react to market changes and the needs of our business.

We and certain of our subsidiaries are parties to a revolving credit agreement, which contains a number of covenants that may restrict our current and future operations and could adversely affect our ability to execute business needs.

We and certain of our subsidiaries have entered into a credit agreement with financial institutions which contains a number of covenants that limit our ability and our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things, incur indebtedness, create liens, make investments, merge with other companies, dispose of our assets, prepay other indebtedness and make dividends and other distributions. The obligations under the credit agreements are also guaranteed by our assets or those of our subsidiaries. The terms of the credit agreement may restrict our current and future operations and could adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs or to execute business strategies in the means or manner desired. In addition, complying with these covenants may make it more difficult to successfully execute our business strategy, invest in our growth strategy and compete against companies who are not subject to such restrictions. The credit agreement also contains financial covenants that require us to maintain certain minimum financial ratios and maintain an operating banking relationship with the financial institutions. Although we are currently in compliance with the financial covenants, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to be able to generate sufficient cash flow or sales to meet the financial covenants or pay the principal or interest under the credit agreements.

If we are unable to comply with our payment requirements, the financial institutions may accelerate our obligations under the credit agreement and foreclose upon the collateral, or we may be forced to sell assets, restructure our indebtedness or seek additional equity capital, which would dilute shareholders’ interests. If we fail to comply with any covenant it could result in an event of default under the agreement and the lenders could make the entire debt immediately due and payable. If this occurs, we might not be able to repay the debt or borrow sufficient funds to refinance it. Even if new financing is available, it may not be on terms that are acceptable to us.

Risks Relating to the Common Shares and this Offering

If we fail to maintain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules, we may be delisted from Nasdaq, which would result in a limited public market for trading our shares and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for us.

Our Common Shares are traded and listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “NEGG.” However, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to maintain compliance with Nasdaq continued listing requirements. If we fail to do so, our Common Shares may lose their status on Nasdaq and they would likely be traded on the over-the-counter market, including the Pink Sheets market. As a result, selling our Common Shares could be more difficult because smaller quantities of shares would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed, and security analysts’

coverage of us may not arise. In addition, in the event our Common Shares are delisted, broker dealers would bear certain regulatory burdens which may discourage broker dealers from effecting transactions in our Common Shares and further limit the liquidity of our shares. These factors could result in lower prices and larger spreads in the bid and ask prices for our Common Shares. Such delisting from Nasdaq and continued or further declines in our common share price could also greatly impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing and could significantly increase the ownership dilution to shareholders caused by our issuing equity in financing or other transactions.

We and our directors and officers may be involved in investigations or other forms of regulatory or governmental inquiry which may cause reputational harm to the Company, result in additional expenses, and distract our management from our day-to-day operations.

From time to time, we and our directors and officers may be involved in investigations or other forms of regulatory or governmental inquiry covering a range of possible issues including but not limited to securities laws compliance. These inquiries or investigations could lead to administrative, civil or criminal proceedings involving us and could result in fines, penalties, restitution, other types of sanctions, or the need for us to undertake remedial actions, or to alter our business, financial or accounting practices. Our practice is to cooperate fully with regulatory and governmental inquiries and investigations.

For example, on August 6, 2020, Hangzhou Lianluo and Mr. Zhitao He received an investigation notice from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) for alleged violation of laws and regulations regarding information disclosures of Hangzhou Lianluo. Hangzhou Lianluo is a PRC company with shares listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Mr. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hangzhou Lianluo. Mr. He was the former Chairman and the former Chief Executive Officer of LLIT and is currently the chairman of our board. Hangzhou Lianluo announced this investigation on August 7, 2020 and stated that it will fully cooperate with CSRC in the investigation. On October 19, 2020, Hangzhou Lianluo announced that it has received a notice of administrative punishment from the Zhejiang Regulatory Bureau of CSRC, which provides, among other things, that (i) Hangzhou Lianluo received a warning and would be required to correct its unlawful acts and pay a fine of RMB 300,000, and (ii) Mr. Zhitao He received a warning and would be required to pay a fine of RMB 400,000.

Legal proceedings, inquiries and regulatory investigations are often unpredictable, and it is possible that the ultimate resolution of any such matters, if unfavorable, may be material to our results of operations in any future period, depending, in part, upon the size of the loss or liability imposed and the operating results for the period, and could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, regardless of the ultimate outcome of any such legal proceeding, inquiry or investigation, any such matter could cause us to incur additional expenses, which could be significant, and possibly material, to our results of operations in any future period.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the Common Shares will trade.

In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price of that company’s securities or in conjunction with mergers and acquisitions such as the Merger and disposition of LLIT’s wholly owned subsidiary, Lianluo Connection Medical Wearable Device Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“Lianluo Connection”). If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We have broad discretion over the use of proceeds we receive in this Offering and may not apply the proceeds in ways that increase the value of your investment.

We intend to use approximately $           million of the net proceeds from this Offering to purchase a sufficient number of Common Shares from Digital Grid at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and less a 30% withholding tax on distributions to our foreign shareholders, to enable it to repay in full and cure all defaults under certain loan agreements between Hangzhou Lianluo, Digital Grid and the Bank of China, as lender. Accordingly, we will not retain any of that portion of the net proceeds. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds from this Offering

for working capital, to fund incremental growth and other general corporate purposes, including possible acquisitions. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products, websites or technologies or to enter into strategic relationships with third parties. We have no present understandings, commitments or agreements to enter into any acquisitions or investments. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this Offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this Offering differently than as described in this prospectus. To the extent that the net proceeds we receive from this Offering are not immediately used for the above purposes, we intend to invest our net proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing bank deposits or debt instruments. Our management may spend a portion or all of such proceeds in ways that not all shareholders approve of or that may not yield a favorable return. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business.

Certain data and information in this prospectus were obtained from third-party sources and were not independently verified by us.

In October 2021, Newegg engaged Frost & Sullivan to prepare a commissioned industry report that analyzes the e-commerce industry landscape. We have not independently verified the data and information contained in the Frost & Sullivan report or any third-party publications and reports that Frost & Sullivan relied upon in preparing its report. Data and information contained in such third-party publications and reports may be collected using third-party methodologies, which may differ from the data collection methods used by us. In addition, these industry publications and reports generally indicate that the information contained therein is believed to be reliable, but do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of such information.

Because our offering price is substantially higher than our net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase Common Shares in this Offering, you will pay more for the Common Shares than the amount paid by our existing shareholders for their Common Shares on a per-Common Share basis. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately $           per Common Share, based on an assumed offering price of $           per Common Share, which was the closing price of the Common Shares on Nasdaq on           . Each $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $           per Common Share would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this Offering by approximately $           million, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per Common Share after giving effect to this Offering by $           per Common Share, and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per Common Share to new investors in this Offering by $           per Common Share, assuming no change to the number of Common Shares offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses. See “Dilution” for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in the Common Shares will be diluted upon the completion of this Offering.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the Common Shares, the market price for the Common Shares and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the Common Shares could be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about our business in the future. Currently no securities analysts cover our company. If any analysts cover us in the future and downgrade the Common Shares, the market price for the Common Shares would likely decline. If no analysts initiate coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for the Common Shares to decline.

Techniques employed by short sellers may drive down the market price of our Common Shares.

Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is in the short seller’s interest for the price of the security to decline, many short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions and allegations regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a security short. These short attacks appear to have, in the past, led to selling of our shares in the market. If we were to become the subject of any unfavorable

allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we could have to expend a significant amount of resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend ourselves. We may not be able to defend against any such short seller attacks, and may be constrained in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law or issues of commercial confidentiality.

Investors may have difficulty enforcing judgments against us, our directors and management.

We are incorporated under the laws of the BVI and many of our directors and some of our officers reside outside the United States. Moreover, many of these persons do not have significant assets in the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to recover against us or them on judgments of U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.

The courts of the BVI would not automatically enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or our directors and officers, or some of the experts named herein, predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, or entertain actions brought in the BVI against us or such persons predicated solely upon U.S. federal securities laws. Further, there is no treaty in effect between the United States and the BVI providing for the enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters, and there are grounds upon which BVI courts may decline to enforce the judgments of U.S. courts. Some remedies available under the laws of U.S. jurisdictions, including remedies available under the U.S. federal securities laws, may not be allowed in the BVI courts if contrary to public policy in the BVI. Because judgments of U.S. courts are not automatically enforceable in the BVI, it may be difficult for you to recover against us or our directors and officers based upon such judgments.

In addition, under PRC law, a foreign judgment, which does not otherwise violate basic legal principles, state sovereignty, safety or social public interest, may be recognized and enforced by a PRC court, based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. As currently there exists no treaty or other form of reciprocity between China and the U.S. governing the recognition and enforcement of judgments, including those predicated upon the liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, there is uncertainty whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce judgments rendered by United States courts.

Certain types of class or derivative actions generally available under U.S. law may not be available as a result of the fact that we are incorporated in the BVI. As a result, the rights of shareholders may be limited.

Shareholders of BVI companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a court of the United States. The BVI courts are also unlikely to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts in the United States based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities law or to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the BVI, based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature.

You may have more difficulty protecting your interests than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation.

Our corporate affairs will be governed by the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and by the provisions of applicable BVI law. The rights of shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors and officers under BVI law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions in the United States, and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law.

These rights and responsibilities are to a large extent governed by the Companies Act and the common law of the BVI. The common law of the BVI is derived in part from judicial precedent in the BVI as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the BVI. In addition, BVI law does not make a distinction between public and private companies and some of the protections and safeguards (such as statutory pre-emption rights, save to the extent expressly provided for in the memorandum and articles of association) that investors may expect to find in relation to a public company are not provided for under BVI law.

There may be less publicly available information about us than is regularly published by or about U.S. issuers. Also, the BVI regulations governing the securities of BVI companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in the United States, and the BVI law and regulations regarding corporate governance matters may not be as protective of our shareholders as state corporation laws in the United States. Therefore, you may have more difficulty protecting your interests in connection with actions taken by our directors and officers or our Principal Shareholders than you would as a shareholder of a corporation incorporated in the United States.

The laws of BVI provide limited protections for our shareholders, so our shareholders will not have the same options as to recourse in comparison to the United States if the shareholders are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs.

Under the laws of the BVI there is limited statutory protection of our shareholders other than the provisions of the Companies Act dealing with shareholder remedies. The principal protections under BVI statutory law are derivative actions, actions brought by one or more shareholders for relief from unfair prejudice, oppression and unfair discrimination and/or to enforce the Companies Act or the memorandum and articles of association. Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted in accordance with the Companies Act and the memorandum and articles of association, and are entitled to payment of the fair value of their respective shares upon dissenting from certain enumerated corporate transactions.

There are common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked, largely dependent on English company law, since the common law of the BVI is limited. Under the general rule pursuant to English company law known as the rule in Foss v. Harbottle, a court will generally refuse to interfere with the management of a company at the insistence of a minority of its shareholders who express dissatisfaction with the conduct of the company’s affairs by the majority or the board of directors. However, every shareholder is entitled to seek to have the affairs of the company conducted properly according to law and the constitutional documents of the company. As such, if those who control the company have persistently disregarded the requirements of company law or the provisions of the company’s memorandum and articles of association, then the courts may grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are the following: (i) a company is acting or proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; (ii) the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could only be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; (iii) the individual rights of the plaintiff shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed; or (iv) those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

These rights may be more limited than the rights afforded to our shareholders under the laws of states in the United States.

Under the Companies Act, members of the general public, on payment of a nominal fee, can obtain copies of the public records of a company available at the office of the Registrar which will include the company’s certificate of incorporation, its memorandum and articles of association (with any amendments) and records of license fees paid to date and will also disclose any articles of dissolution, articles of merger and a register of charges if the company has elected to file such a register.

A member of a company is entitled, on giving written notice to the company, to inspect:

a)      the memorandum and articles;

b)      the register of members;

c)      the register of directors; and

d)      the minutes of meetings and resolutions of members and of those classes of members of which he is a member; and to make copies of or take extracts from the documents and records referred to in (a) to (d) above.

Subject to the memorandum and articles of association, the directors may, if they are satisfied that it would be contrary to the company’s interests to allow a member to inspect any document, or part of a document, specified in (b), (c) or (d) above, refuse to permit the member to inspect the document or limit the inspection of the document, including limiting the making of copies or the taking of extracts from the records. Where a company fails or refuses to permit a member to inspect a document or permits a member to inspect a document subject to limitations, that member may apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order that he should be permitted to inspect the document or to inspect the document without limitation.

This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the Board or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Shares — Differences between the Law of Different Jurisdictions.”

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this Offering, you must rely on a price appreciation of the Common Shares for a return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our funds and any future earnings after this Offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the Common Shares as a source for any future dividend income.

Our Board has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of British Virgin Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under British Virgin Islands law, a British Virgin Islands company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our Board decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the Common Shares will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the Common Shares. There is no guarantee that the Common Shares will appreciate in value after this Offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the Common Shares. You may not realize a return on your investment in the Common Shares and you may even lose your entire investment in the Common Shares. Additionally, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends on our Common Shares may be limited by restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, including restrictions that are imposed under the terms of the agreements governing our subsidiaries’ loan and credit facilities. There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of such dividend.

As a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards.

As a British Virgin Islands company listed on Nasdaq, we are subject to Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards. However, Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain provision in the Companies Act relating to corporate governance in the British Virgin Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards. We intend to follow the relevant provisions in the Companies Act in lieu of the following corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq that listed companies must have for as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors; and (iii) a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. To the extent we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

In addition, in September 2018, California’s Senate Bill 826 was signed into law. Senate Bill 826 generally requires public companies with principal executive offices in California to have a minimum number of females on its board of directors. As of December 31, 2019, each public company with principal executive offices in California was required to have at least one female on its board of directors. By December 31, 2021, each public company will be required to have at least two females on its board of directors if the company has at least five directors, and at least three females on its board of directors if the company has at least six directors.

Our board of directors currently includes one female director. There is uncertainty as to whether this law applies to foreign private issuers with their principal executive offices in California, like us. If the law is deemed to apply to foreign private issuers, we will be out of compliance. An initial violation of Senate Bill 826 can result in a fine from the California Secretary of State in the amount of $100,000, with each subsequent violation resulting in a fine of $300,000. We cannot assure you that we can recruit, attract and/or retain qualified members of the board and meet gender requirements under California law, which may expose us to financial penalties and adversely affect our reputation.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.

Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

•        the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;

•        the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

•        the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and

•        the rules under Regulation FD governing selective disclosure rules of material nonpublic information.

We are and will continue to be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, upon closing of the Offering we intend to publish our results on a semi-annual basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited and could adversely impact our business, financial condition and operating results.

Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income and taxes may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” occurs if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by one or more “5% shareholders” (as defined under U.S. income tax laws) that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules apply under state tax laws. We believe it is possible that we may experience an ownership change in the future as a result of shifts in our stock ownership, some of which are outside our control, in which case we may be limited in our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax assets to reduce taxes owed on the net taxable income that we earn. If finalized, Treasury Regulations currently proposed under Section 382 of the Code may further limit our ability to utilize our pre-change net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards if we undergo such an ownership change.

We are treated as a U.S. corporation for all U.S. federal tax purposes.

We believe that we are an inverted corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. This means that, notwithstanding that we are a company incorporated in the BVI, we will be treated for all U.S. federal tax purposes as if we are a U.S. corporation and you will be treated for all U.S. federal tax purposes as holding the stock of a U.S. corporation. For a lengthier discussion on tax considerations, see “BVI, PRC and U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” on page 115.