Rospotrebnadzor announced a ban on marketplaces to charge fines for returning goods

Sellers and marketplaces cannot charge money from the buyer for the return of low-quality goods, Rospotrebnadzor reported.

“When returning a low-quality product, sellers or marketplaces cannot charge or withhold consumer funds, since it is the seller who is obliged by law to accept the product with defects and conduct a quality check, as well as return the cost of the defective item to the consumer (if the presence of defects is confirmed),” says in the message.

At the same time, the seller may charge money from the consumer for the return of a quality product, the ministry recalled.

Rospotrebnadzor drew attention to a large number of complaints from Wildberries consumers related to the write-off of money for the return of erroneously delivered and defective goods. The marketplace confirmed that it is already working on automatic refunds that are charged for the return shipping of defective goods, the department noted.

The day before, January 31, in the press service of Wildberries reportedthat the information about the collection of funds for the return shipping of defective goods is not true. They explained that the seller should pay for the return of low-quality goods if the marriage is confirmed.

Prior to this, Wildberries was also accused of violating the laws of Belarus due to the write-off of funds for the return of goods. In September 2022, the Department of Antitrust and Trade (MART) sent the site an order to stop this violation, but in December it became known that Wildberries again began to charge customers for returning goods.

As a result, information about the violations reached the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. He instructed to restore the legal rights of citizens, as a result, the money was returned to citizens.