The Ministry of Industry and Trade warns consumers about risks when shopping on cross-border e-commerce platforms...

1. Potential risks to product quality and consumer protection

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 the event of unexpected problems arising during transactions, consumers are at risk of facing a number of difficulties. For example, when discovering that the product received is not as described, has errors, is damaged or has the potential to affect safety or health, it will be difficult for consumers to request a refund or warranty for the product. Even when disputes arise, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms will not be subject to domestic legal liability. Due to the lack of 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 when 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 product information provision, consumers will not receive support according to the law from the authorities.

2. Potential risks regarding information security and personal data of consumers

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 in accordance with Vietnamese law, it is at risk of being stolen or illegally exploited, leading to major risks regarding personal information security. In particular, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms do not have commitments on consumer information security according to Vietnamese regulations, do not have a process for handling incidents in case of problems, and of course, do not have responsibilities or legal obligations according to Vietnamese regulations. Therefore, the risk of leakage of consumer information and personal data during transactions on unregistered platforms is very high, potentially causing major losses and long-term impacts on consumers.

3. Potential risks of tax-related legal liabilities for goods imported 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 e-commerce platforms do not foresee tax obligations for imported goods, leading to problems related to tax obligations and legal issues when the products are imported into Vietnam. This can cause consumers trouble when the products are detained at the border or have to bear 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.

Consumers can look up the list of registered e-commerce platforms on the e-commerce management portal at online.gov.vn or contact the Ministry of Industry and Trade's consumer support and consultation hotline at 1800.6838 for more information.

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/bao-chi-voi-nguoi-dan/bo-cong-thuong-canh-bao-nguoi-tieu-dung-ve-rui-ro-khi-mua-sam-tren-cac-nen-tang-tmdt-xuyen-bien-gioi-chua-dang-ky.html