One third of sample goods bought from Chinese websites ‘fake’, study finds

More than a third of products bought online by watchdog found to be fake or substandard

Consumers

Alice Yanin Shanghai

Published: 12:00pm, 26 Jan 2015

Why you can trust SCMP

Five out of six websites in a recent survey were found to be selling fake or substandard goods.

Ninety-two products - ranging from clothing and cosmetics to toys and fertiliser - were randomly selected by the survey, commissioned by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce and done by the China Consumers' Association.

Of these, 38 were found to be fake, refurbished, mislabelled, parallel imports or lacking in quality certificates.

All of the products were bought through vendors advertising on websites including Jd.com Taobao.com Tmall.com Yhd.com and Zol.com

All firms caught out by the survey had been punished by the authorities, a report on state television said.

Most of the goods scrutinised were from Taobao.com the mainland's largest online shopping site. Of these, a little more than a third - 37.3 per cent - were found to pass the standards for retail on the mainland.

Other major websites fared better. At Jd.com 90 per cent of the products selected were up to standard, while at Tmall.com the rate was 85.7 per cent and at Yhd.com 80 per cent.

Fertiliser was the product most likely to be substandard. Only 20 per cent of fertiliser products bought in the survey were deemed authentic. A little more than a quarter of mobile phones - 28.6 per cent - were authentic, compared to two-thirds of clothes, cosmetics and toys, and three-quarters - 77.3 per cent - of lubricant oil.

At least 350 million people have shopped online in China, with each spending at least 3,000 yuan (HK$3,770), according to official statistics. That figure is below the estimates of many online trade websites.

The bulk of consumer complaints on the mainland were linked to online purchases, according to the report.

Among the bootleg products bought in the survey was a fake Samsung mobile phone, which was sold for 300 yuan less than its usual retail price. An intellectual property rights manager from Samsung said many online vendors would give away mobile phone covers and phone accessories to distract buyers from questioning the authenticity of the goods.

Many of the toys did not have the proper certification to prove they were safe for children. Mainland regulations stipulate that all toys must carry the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) tag to show they have passed safety tests.

One lubricant oil vendor said he marked his products as "genuine" because "no problems have been reported" about the goods he sold and most of his customers felt "okay".

THE REAL DEAL?

Fertilisers, 20%

Mobile phones: 28.57%

Cosmetics: 66.7%

Toys: 66.7%

Clothing and apparel: 66.7%

Lubricant oil: 77.3%

Average: 58.7%

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Survey: 5 in 6 websites sell faulty goods

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