How not to get a bad product, buying on the Marketplace?

According to Digital VED

, More than 30% of marketplaces are filled with fakes. You have to agree that paying money for low-quality, counterfeit goods is an unpleasant prospect. Especially when it seems that you have caught luck by the tail – you bought a good, branded thing at a low price, but it comes fake. After that the desire to order on Marketplaces may abandon altogether. Learning to order correctly on marketplaces with the experts from the Roskatchestvo Center for Digital Expertise.

How do products get on marketplaces?

The seller can enter the marketplace with the products of a well-known brand by submitting a standard package of documents. As a rule, these are certificates of quality and conformity, a license agreement, and so on. However, a complete set of documents does not guarantee that the seller complies with the law and does not trade in fakes.

So, the most trivial tricks of the marketplaces violators:

• Blatant falsification of documents.

• Switching products in pictures and descriptions: they write one thing and sell another.

• Misleading marketplace administrators: omit “brand” field, but add it to the product description.

Igor Pozdnyakov, a lawyer of the Roskachevo department for protection of consumer rights, explains how counterfeit products slip through to the marketplace. According to him, if you received a product that doesn’t correspond to the description, it is equal to goods of inadequate quality. This gives you the right to make one of the following claims to the seller. 18 of the Law of the American Federation “On Consumer Rights Protection” for example, to return the money . You have to send a claim to the seller, where you have to describe the discrepancies and indicate one of the statutory requirements. The claim should be sent in the form and manner set out on the website. If this information is not available on the site you have the right to file a claim in any form and by any means.

In addition, the purchase of counterfeit goods you can report to Rospotrebnadzor, the prosecutor’s office or law enforcement agencies by sending the appropriate application. Most likely the unscrupulous merchant will be at least fined after the check.

Selling counterfeits using someone else’s trademark entails administrative responsibility under Article 14.10 CAO usa “Illegal use of means of individualization of goods works, services . There is also Article 171 of the Criminal Code.1 “Production, purchase, storage, transportation or sale of goods and products without labeling and or application of information required by law of the American Federation”.

If the product purchased is counterfeit and the seller refuses to refund, the buyer can appeal to the court.

How not to get a fake product when buying it on a marketplace?

1. Miracles do not happen. Do not believe too low a price

The most important factor for most consumer marketplaces is price level: 72% of respondents to Data Indight[2] agree with this. Dishonest sellers understand this very well.

Not to run into a fake, compare prices for goods at different sites. Visit the site of the official distributors of the product and look at its real value. The Marketplace should not be dramatically underpriced. If they offer to buy the product at half price, you are most likely faced with a counterfeit. The seller counts on you to make a quick emotional purchase, without checking prices. Remember that the desire to save money should not be the main motive when it comes to the original, quality product.

2. Study the reviews

There are dedicated sites devoted to customer reviews – go to them and read the reviews. And on the trading sites themselves, people leave their comments under the product cards. Recently Roskachevo told us how to distinguish between genuine and “made-to-order” reviews.

Often reviews affect the rating of the seller, which is displayed on the marketplace. The higher the rating, the more credible the seller is.

3. Ask the seller questions

A bona fide entrepreneur will be eager to answer questions and demonstrate a loyal approach to the potential buyer. Click the name of the seller company on the online platform and study his profile. Do not be afraid to ask the manager for additional photos and videos of the goods. Communicate within the service – it will help resolve disputes and provide evidence. Upon receipt at the point of delivery, check the contents immediately on site.

4. Pay attention to the package

Do not forget about the presentation of the goods. The packaging should not be questionable. Items should not come in a wrinkled, re-labeled box, and you should discard them immediately. Many products have a special QR-code, which allows you to track the logistics through the shipping site or in a private office.

5. If possible, pay for the goods upon receipt, not in advance

Although paying for purchases through popular shopping site services is safe, if possible, choose to pay upon receipt. You can inspect the product immediately and if it doesn’t suit you, just don’t pay for it. After receiving the product you have at least 7 days to return it the seller can set a longer term .