Warning of risks when trading on unregistered e-commerce platforms

According to the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), cross-border e-commerce platforms that have not completed their registration and licensing obligations in Vietnam as prescribed will not be subject to supervision by competent authorities regarding product quality or after-sales service commitments. Therefore, in case of unexpected problems arising during transactions, consumers are at risk of facing some difficulties.

The Temu e-commerce platform has not yet been confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to have registered in the Vietnamese market. Illustrative photo

Easy to buy fake goods, counterfeit goods, goods of unknown origin

When consumers discover that the product they receive is not as described, has errors, is damaged, or poses a risk to safety or health, it will be difficult for them to request a refund or warranty. Even when disputes arise, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms will not be subject to domestic legal liability. Without a legal representative in Vietnam as prescribed, consumers will have difficulty contacting to report, leading to the resolution of complaints becoming a complicated and lengthy issue.

In addition, consumers also face high risks of purchasing counterfeit, fake or unknown origin goods when ordering on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms. These items may not meet safety standards, be harmful to consumers or be prohibited goods in the Vietnamese market.

In particular, for products related to health and safety such as functional foods, cosmetics, children's toys and electronic devices, the use of poor quality products can have serious consequences. In these cases, because the authorities cannot supervise the responsibilities of enterprises in ensuring product quality and the responsibility to ensure the accuracy of providing product information, consumers will not receive support according to the law from the authorities.

Risk of information and personal data leakage

Along with that is the potential risk of information security and personal data of consumers. Because when purchasing on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms, consumers often have to provide international payment information such as credit cards or e-wallet information. If this data is not managed and protected according to Vietnamese law, it is at risk of being stolen or illegally exploited, leading to major risks in personal information security.

Furthermore, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms do not have commitments on consumer information security as prescribed by Vietnam, do not have a process for handling incidents in case of problems, and of course do not have responsibilities or legal obligations as prescribed in Vietnam. Therefore, the risk of leakage of consumer information and personal data during transactions on unregistered platforms is very high, potentially causing great losses and long-term impacts on consumers.

Additional costs may be incurred due to taxes.

In addition, there is a potential risk of liability related to taxes on imported goods via e-commerce. In particular, consumers also need to be careful about legal risks when shopping on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms.

Goods purchased from cross-border trading platforms do not anticipate tax obligations on imported goods, leading to problems related to tax obligations and legal issues when the product is imported into Vietnam. This can cause consumers to get into trouble when the product is detained at the border or incur additional costs due to taxes that were not expected or not as initially announced.

Based on the recognition and assessment of the above risks, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends that consumers be cautious when conducting transactions on e-commerce platforms, especially absolutely not conducting transactions with unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms to ensure their legitimate rights and interests.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/canh-bao-rui-ro-khi-giao-dich-tren-san-thuong-mai-dien-tu-chua-dang-ky.html