It’s Christmas. An attractive promotion on a product available on an online sales site? Beware. It could be dropshipping, this business practice often associated with influencers. For a reseller, this process consists of putting a product for sale that you do not yet have. When an order is placed, the merchant will obtain the product from a supplier. It is the latter who will deliver it directly to the client.
This process, which creates an intermediary between the buyer and the seller, allows the latter to carry out trade without having to invest too much or deal with the storage of the goods sold and their delivery. Drop shipping is not illegal. However, on certain sites, this sales technique encourages abuse and scams.
Deceptive marketing practices
An investigation carried out in 2022 by the General Directorate of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) revealed that of 215 websites monitored, 116 had deficiencies in terms of dropshipping. These are certain sellers who do not hesitate to deceive consumers’ surveillance by showing false promotions to resell poor quality products purchased at low prices at a much higher price.
This is not the only problem: sale of dangerous, illegal or counterfeit products, delivery times that are too long, stock problems, high return costs if the merchandise comes from a country outside the European Union, are among the problems of the deceptive commercial practices in general. identified in the context of dropshipping.
However, the latter “remains legally responsible for the correct execution of the order placed by the consumer,” indicates the DGCCRF. This even if he is not in charge of shipping.
“As in any sale, the seller must ensure that he offers legal, compliant and non-dangerous products. He must also respect the rules of the Consumer Code applicable to distance selling, in particular in terms of pre-contractual information of the consumer and not implement commercial practices disloyal,” specifies the government.
In the event of a problem, the DGCCRF invites consumers to use the SignalConso reporting platform to resolve the conflict amicably with the professional.
Source: BFM TV
