Regulation of online shopping must be kept up with the times

HK Consumer Council on Monday announced the contents of the complaints on online shopping. Some of the cases could not be resolved because they were beyond the reach of the law.

The government should ensure the relevant regulatory provisions and mechanisms are kept up with the times and can catch up with changes in Hong Kong people's habit of online shopping.

Otherwise, it is afraid that there will be more and more related complaints, disputes and frauds.

HK Consumer Council has received more than twice the number of complaints in the previous year for online shopping.

As for online shopping, it is getting more and more popular these years. Team buying that has become popular recently will make more people enter the world of online transactions in order to save money.

Hong Kong's commercial reputation must be protected while exploring business opportunities online.

The Hong Kong law cannot be applied to some cross-border transaction disputes, especially when the seller is overseas. It is often beyond the reach of the Consumer Council.

If the seller in a cross-border transaction is in Hong Kong, it will come under the regulation of the Hong Kong Law. Then the overseas complainant has to fit in. For example, if someone uses a fake address and cheats an overseas business into depositing money in a local bank account to buy a piece of goods and then disappears after receiving the money, and the website will not cooperate in tracking the seller's identity, the council advised reporting the case to the police.

The Consumer Council can look into reporting to the police on behalf of the complainant so long as the person gives consent, directly handing the information to the police for follow-up on such cases in future. It will provide convenience to consumers, raise investigation efficiency and protect the commercial reputation of Hong Kong.

IBUonline is a B2B business platform. It persists on credit operation. You could visit IBUonline homepage.