China News Service, Beijing, November 2 (Reporter Wang Hao) When clothes tags are as big as A4 paper, and you have to hold them with both hands when trying them on, is this an over-defense on the part of the merchant, or is it a helpless self-protection in the face of chaos in returns? Who should pay for the inconvenience that consumers pay for trying on clothes?
Recently, giant hangtags have once again triggered discussions among netizens.
Various giant tags sold on e-commerce platforms.
The tag is as big as A4 paper, and "return after wearing it" creates a trust game
In the photos posted by netizens on social platforms, some clothing tags are as big as A4 paper and larger than your face. They have the words "If removed, they will not be returned or exchanged" in bold letters. Some tags are directly fixed on the front of the clothes. If you don't hold them with your hands when trying on, the fabric will be pulled, causing the clothes to deform. Many netizens reported that this type of hangtag seriously interferes with trying on clothes and makes it difficult to judge the fit.
Netizens have different attitudes towards the giant tag. Some people think that this can prevent them from "returning clothes after wearing them" and prevent them from buying clothes that others have worn; others think that it is inconvenient to even try them on, and the first thing they feel is that they are not trusted.
The reporter consulted the customer service of two women's clothing stores as a consumer. When asked whether the large tag would affect the try-on, a customer service representative replied that buyers can refer to other users’ upper body pictures. Talking about the original intention of setting up giant hang tags, customer service said that it was to prevent consumers from receiving clothes with traces of wear. "Once traces are left, they cannot be resold and can only be scrapped. The cost of a single piece is not low, and brands cannot afford to scrap large quantities." The response from another customer service company was more straightforward: "There are too many people who wear clothes for fun and return them within seven days without any reason. We don't want customers to receive second-hand clothes, so we have no choice but to be more strict after sales."
There are indeed cases of the phenomenon mentioned by the merchants. In sharing by netizens and media reports, "return after wearing" is common: leaving after going out and taking photos, taking photos after exams and returning after performances... Clothes with traces of use were sent back one after another. The cost of return shipping, cleaning, discounting and even scrapping ultimately falls on the merchant's account, and is also indirectly factored into the price of the next piece of clothing.
Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, analyzed that the root cause of the rise of giant hang tags is that the online clothing return rate has remained high for a long time, and merchants have to find other ways. There is a natural problem of information asymmetry in online clothing shopping. Some merchants over-beautify their products and have confusing size standards. In addition, a small number of consumers abuse return rules, which continues to drive up merchants' reverse logistics and inventory loss costs. Merchants can only rely on this method to fortify themselves and reduce losses.
The reporter learned that in recent years, a certain clothing accessories company has received an increasing number of orders for customized giant tags. Most customers will choose large tags with strong visual impact or extended anti-tamper ribbons. The core appeal is to prevent returns after wearing, and at the same time deal with disputes about package swaps and fake goods in the return and exchange process.
According to the relevant person in charge of the company, judging from the orders received, custom-made giant hang tags are mainly made by mid-to-high-priced clothing merchants; stores that focus on affordable prices will still give priority to controlling the cost of packaging accessories and select hang tag styles as needed. Generally speaking, giant hang tags are not a unified standard in the industry, but they have become a popular option for some merchants.
Expert: Giant hangtags treat the symptoms but not the root cause, and the platform is the key to breaking the situation
In the controversy caused by this giant hang tag, many consumers have questions: Why can clothes with obvious signs of wear be returned successfully?
Jiang Han said that the core of the loopholes in the seven-day no-excuse rule lies in the lack of clear boundaries between powers and responsibilities. In the early days of the platform, in order to quickly expand GMV (gross merchandise transaction volume) and lower the return threshold, it lacked a supporting user credit constraint mechanism. A small number of consumers have turned their right to inspect goods into the convenience of free short-term borrowing. However, the cost for merchants to prove that clothing has been stained is very high. According to the rules, rights and responsibilities are not equal, and the cost of breach of trust is extremely low.
In his opinion, giant hangtags treat the symptoms but not the root cause. When merchants invest a lot of costs in physical devices to prevent wear and tear, it becomes difficult to invest in optimizing product display, layout and quality. In the end, well-behaved consumers will have to bear a premium for the inappropriate behavior of a few people, and the consumer experience will decline; in the long run, compliant merchants and honest users will be lost, constantly eroding the trust foundation of the e-commerce clothing industry.
In this debate, businesses and consumers seem to be on opposite sides. Jiang Han believes that platforms are the key to breaking the situation.
In recent years, in the face of constant changes in the e-commerce market, many platforms have adjusted their rules for returns and refunds.
However, Jiang Han believes that on the one hand, the platform must safeguard consumers' legal rights to return goods and cannot restrict returns across the board; on the other hand, it can rely on big data to build a gradient user credit management system to implement reasonable restrictions on high-frequency malicious return accounts, while simplifying the dispute evidence process for merchants, and does not have to force merchants to rely on giant hangtags to protect themselves.
Shen Xu, a lawyer at Guangdong Guohui (Beijing) Law Firm, also mentioned that from a legal perspective, giant hangtags alone cannot prevent malicious returns. He introduced that the statutory seven-day right to return goods without reason originates from Article 25 of the "Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" (amended in 2013) and is a legal right of consumers; if the goods are in good condition, operators shall not deprive them of them with unilateral statements such as "no return or exchange after the tag is removed".
However, he also explained that the "no return or exchange after removal" notice cannot alone be used as a basis for refusal, but merchants can refuse returns on the grounds that the tags have been cut, there are traces of wear or stains, etc. The goods are not intact. This route is independent of the effect of the notice and can be established, but the burden of proof lies with the merchant.
Shen Xu further explained that the "Interim Measures for the Seven-Day Unreasonable Return of Goods Purchased Online" (revised in 2020) clearly defines "goods in good condition": Goods can maintain their original quality and functions, and the goods themselves, accessories, and trademarks are complete, the goods are deemed to be in good condition; consumers who open the packaging of goods based on inspection needs, or conduct reasonable adjustments to confirm the quality and functions of the goods, do not affect the integrity of the goods. At the same time, if the use of goods exceeds the requirements for inspecting and confirming the quality and function of the goods, resulting in a significant depreciation of the value of the goods, the goods will be deemed to be defective.
In other words, even if the hangtag is kept intact, if the clothing has wear marks, stains, etc., the merchant can claim to refuse the return, but must bear the corresponding burden of proof.
Shen Xu suggested that the platform should establish a self-regulatory mechanism for consumer dispute settlement and rights protection, be responsible for both merchants and consumers, and do a good job in assisting rights protection, information disclosure, and complaint handling.
