This paper uses the export data of shoes from China Customs in 2010 to examine the factors which influence the relative prevalence of intermediaries. At the country level, the share of export value through trade intermediaries is inversely proportional to market scale and the institutional environment of the exporting country, while it is proportional to the tariffs and distance from China to the exporting country; at the province level, the share of export value through trade intermediaries is inversely proportional to the market scale of Chinese provinces, while it is proportional to the intermediary market development degrees of different provinces.