Online sites liable for shoddy goods
Print Edition
CONSUMERS who receive shoddy goods from online purchases can now hold trading platforms responsible, according to China’s first regional regulation on online sales issued yesterday.
The Provisional Regulation on Online Sales Management gives consumers the right to ask e-commerce trading platforms to help settle their disputes with online businesses over unsatisfied purchases.
E-commerce companies will be obliged to address such applications within seven days. Otherwise, they could face a fine between 1,000 yuan (US$160) and 10,000 yuan.
The regulation was issued yesterday in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, which is home to a number of China’s e-commerce heavyweights such as Alibaba. It will take effect on May 1.
Alibaba’s C2C (consumer-to-consumer) shopping platform Taobao and its B2C (business-to-consumer) platform Tmall jointly register 9 million online businesses so far.
E-commerce, especially Taobao’s C2C mode, has made it easy for individual startups. However, complaints over shoddy commodities from online shopping were previously up to the consumer to resolve with the business.
From May 1, all online businesses are required to make commercial registration at e-commerce trading platforms. Online shops that are found threatening consumers so they alter negative comments or cancel a complaint will be fined between 20,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan.
According to Zhang Mao, head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the reason for so many e-commerce market violations is that the cost breaking the rules is too low.
The market will fundamentally improve if companies find such costs unaffordable, Zhang said on Monday.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
