Claims were brought to the marketplaces – Newspaper Kommersant No. 38 (7483) dated 03/06/2023

An increase in consumer complaints about marketplaces could lead the authorities to once again raise the issue of tightening regulation of e-commerce. Claims due to difficulties with the return of goods, lack of reliable information about products and violations of delivery times are already planned to be discussed in the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Participants in online trading urge not to “disturb the existing balance.” However, experts note that it was regulation through the law on trade that helped to streamline the situation in offline retail.

Kommersant got acquainted with the February letter from Nikita Kuznetsov, director of the department for the development of internal trade of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to members of the commission for creating conditions for self-regulation in electronic commerce (it is headed by the official himself). The document notes an increase in the number of consumer complaints from the regions about the distance sale of goods. Complaints, says Mr. Kuznetsov, mainly relate to the work of large marketplaces – Wildberries, Ozon, Avito, Yula, Yandex Market and SberMegaMarket. Consumers complain about the violation of the procedure for handling claims, difficulties with the return of goods, the lack of reliable information about the product, delivery delays and refusal to sell.

To resolve the problems, the letter says, the regional authorities proposed to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to oblige online platforms to disclose information that allows “uniquely identify sellers”, provide shipping documentation upon request, and prohibit unilateral refusal to sell goods with reference to a technical failure. Also among the initiatives are the introduction of escrow accounts, payment from which is received by the seller after the client receives the order, and the establishment of liability for online sites for the lack of control over sellers and goods. The Ministry of Industry and Trade told Kommersant that they had received most of the positions of the commission members and the proposals would be considered at the next meeting.

Artem Sokolov, President of the Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT), clarifies that some of the problems raised by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have already been resolved by law, while others create “an exorbitant burden on business, do not meet the balance of interests of the parties, in particular, contribute to the development of consumer extremism.” According to him, when analyzing complaints, it is clear that consumers do not wait for the ten days allotted by law for a response, some complaints do not contain information about the transaction and the nature of the violations.

AKIT itself received about 1.7 thousand complaints from consumers last year, and “in the vast majority, everything is resolved in a pre-trial order,” Mr. Sokolov assured. Wildberries supports the use of payment through escrow accounts, but assures that no special regulatory measures are required, since “the main issues are successfully resolved in dialogue.” Other market participants did not provide comments.

Dmitry Leonov, deputy chairman of the board of Rusprodsoyuz, notes that the problems listed in the document “harm conscientious suppliers, whose products cannot compete in price with low-quality products, and the presence of counterfeit products harms brands that monitor quality.” In addition, Mr. Leonov says, when working with marketplaces, suppliers note “incorrect accrual of fines and commissions, loss of goods after transfer to the site and lack of responsibility for this.” At the same time, he considers external regulation of the industry “redundant”, confirming that “so far, problematic issues are being resolved by a commission under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.”

Aleksey Kozhevnikov, CEO of ANO Digitalization and New Technologies, admits that marketplaces can “influence consumer choice, unreasonably block sellers,” therefore, in his opinion, “the minimum requirements for platforms in terms of working with suppliers are needed.” However, Artem Sokolov is sure that the existing standards for the interaction of marketplaces with sellers of goods “already define the basic rights and obligations of the parties and prevent the emergence of unfair practices.”

At the same time, Marat Ibragimov, a senior analyst at Gazprombank, believes that ignoring the claims of consumers and counterparties “may undermine confidence in the e-commerce sector, adversely affect the pace of development, and lead to strict government regulation.” Grocery retail, he explains, for a long time refused to discuss problematic issues, until a trade law with a number of restrictions came into force in 2010, which was expanded in 2019.

Anatoly Kostyrev, Alexandra Mertsalova