Proactive move by authorities to protect consumers on Singles Day

THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES have published a blacklist of e-commerce companies and a warning about the dubious practices of some sellers ahead of Singles Day, the shopping gala on Nov 11. Southern Metropolis Daily comments:

The government has invited third-party agencies to investigate and evaluate the authenticity of some major e-commerce platforms’ discount promotions and after-sales services.

These proactive moves before the annual e-commerce shopping carnival on Nov 11 are necessary and laudable, because, if well implemented, these actions will not only help to effectively protect the legal rights and interests of consumers, but also of those e-commerce platforms that abide by the law.

Some incidents in the past two years indicate the necessity of the authority’s strengthening their supervision.

In 2015, some information technology companies, including several big names, blamed each other for falsifying sales statistics with the aim of misleading consumers.

Last year, the government’s early warning report

on e-commerce consumption pointed out that more than 30 percent of sellers increased their prices before offering discounts to fool consumers into believing they were getting a bargain.

Almost all of the e-commerce giants showcase their fast growing sales volume on big display screens in their midnight celebration parties staged in the early morning of Nov 11. But a bitter fact the e-commerce business tycoons have to swallow is that about 25 to 40 percent of the commodities bought during the heady rush to snap up a deal are returned to the sellers, because the buyers are not satisfied with the quality.

The e-commerce platforms and their e-tailers should strengthen their self-regulation and value consumers’ trust and the government’s anticipation. Otherwise, the almost-predictable dazzling sales volumes of Nov 11 will only be an overdraft for the industry’s future.