Protecting consumers amid e-commerce wave

Convenient but risky

The development of e-commerce platforms and online business services on digital platforms such as Facebook, Zalo, TikTok, etc is an inevitable trend today, making it easier and more convenient for consumers to shop. However, many customers are also frustrated and disappointed because their rights are violated.

In early March 2025, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh (My Phu commune, Thu Thua district, Long An province) ordered a product through an e-commerce platform. Ms. Thanh said: “Because I was afraid that buying online would not be as expected, I carefully texted the seller. During the discussion, the seller committed that the product was 100% similar to the picture. However, I received a different product than what I ordered. I asked to the seller but did not receive a response”.

Market Management Force checks labels, origins, and sources of clothing products sold on e-commerce platforms (Photo: Provincial Market Management Department)

To save time, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thao (Duc Tan commune, Tan Tru district) often chooses to buy goods through e-commerce platforms. Although she has experience in online shopping, she has often been disappointed when receiving goods.

Ms. Thao shared: “To ensure product quality, I often choose to shop that I have bought from many times before. However, there were a few times when I ordered from a new shop and the products I received were not as advertised. For example, boxes were made of plastic while the shop advertised them as glass.”

Currently, with the reign of technology, no matter where you are, urban or rural, everyone can shop online. With just a computer or smartphone with Internet connection, consumers can find all brands, from domestic to major international brands. Shopping is easier than ever, just select the cart, click buy and wait for the shipper.

However, with this way of shopping, most consumers can only view the product through the images posted by the seller on the store registered with a third party (e-commerce platforms, social networks, etc) and they can only know the quality of the product after paying the shipper.

Shopping on e-commerce platforms is increasingly popular

According to the authorities, due to the specific nature of e-commerce, buyers and sellers do not meet but only communicate on the Internet, so many sellers take advantage of this to conduct business activities of counterfeit, fake, and poor quality goods for illegal profit.

In addition, the value of each item purchased online is often not too large, so many consumers who buy counterfeit, poor quality goods, or goods that do not match the advertisement choose to ignore and not continue to buy instead of reporting or suing the sellers, helping them continue to commit violations in e-commerce business.

In order to promptly detect and strictly handle violations in e-commerce business and protect consumers' rights, the provincial Market Management Department inspects and handles many violations in the field of e-commerce. Accordingly, in 2024 and the first 2 months of 2025, the Market Management Teams under the Provincial Market Management Department inspected 72 cases and handled 69 violations in the field of e-commerce. The total amount of money collected and paid to the state budget was more than 1.3 billion VND.

Most of the violations were trading in smuggled goods, violating, trading in goods of unknown origin, trading in counterfeit goods, violating product labels, etc. The violating products and goods were mainly cosmetics, clothing, food, etc.

The interface of the province's e-commerce platform

According to the Provincial Market Management Department, the unit is currently focusing on directing the Market Management Teams to strengthen their grasp of the area, deploy many solutions to monitor and combat violations; strengthen inspection, control and strictly handle violations in e-commerce.

Along with that, the unit is focusing on applying science and technology to detect and handle acts of trading in prohibited goods, smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and goods that infringe intellectual property rights through social networks and e-commerce platforms; promoting propaganda on regulations requiring notification or registration of e-commerce websites or sales applications for organizations and individuals to comply with regulations, preventing violations in the field of e-commerce, protecting the legitimate rights of consumers.

Strengthening the responsibility of e-commerce platform owners

Although the State's legal framework is adequate to manage and control the assurance of origin and quality of goods sold on e-commerce platforms, there are still many violations that affect consumer rights.

Currently, acts of violating of consumer rights in the e-commerce environment are often encountered such as selling counterfeit goods, fake goods, goods of unknown origin, violating intellectual property rights; goods received are different from advertisements; consumer transaction information is exploited by third parties to impersonate delivery, etc. Therefore, to strengthen control of the origin and quality of goods sold on e-commerce platforms, there is a need for synchronous solutions. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of e-commerce platforms in granting licenses for products.

E-commerce platforms must ensure that sellers publicly disclose information about the sellers and information about the products they trade, strictly punishes sellers who do not fulfill their commitments in the contract with the platform.

The Provincial Market Management Force inspects the products posted for sale on e-commerce platforms of a cosmetics business (Photo: Provincial Market Management Department)

Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade - Chau Thi Le recommends: Before making a transaction, consumers need to verify and carefully research the information of the selling unit; can use research tools, reviews of stores and products, etc. to increase the level of understanding, support their ordering decisions; choose to purchase goods and services on reputable e-commerce platforms, especially e-commerce platforms that have been certified and permitted to operate by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and competent authorities.

In addition, when purchasing goods, consumers need to check the goods before receiving them; choose to consume goods and services with clear origin and source, do not harm the environment, do not go against traditional customs and social ethics, do not cause harm to the life and health of themselves and others; accurately and fully implement the instructions for using goods and services.

In addition, consumers need to promptly inform relevant state agencies, organizations and individuals when discovering goods and services circulating on the market that are not safe, causing damage or threatening to cause damage to the life, health and property of consumers; the behavior of organizations and individuals trading in goods and services that infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of consumers./.

By Bui Tung - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/bao-ve-nguoi-tieu-dung-trong-la-n-so-ng-thuong-mai-dien-tu-a191799.html