CSR proposes to adjust the rules for returning quality goods on marketplaces

The rules for returning goods of good quality purchased on marketplaces may be adjusted due to cases of abuse by buyers. The head of the Center for Strategic Research (CSR), Pavel Smelov, told RIA Novosti journalists about this.

According to him, sellers are faced with situations where buyers return goods that do not have defects. The reason may be that the purchase was not suitable for the person or he simply decided to abandon it after completing it.

“The scale of the phenomenon really demands attention. It is necessary to make targeted adjustments to the legislation on the protection of consumer rights, primarily in terms of the return of quality goods,” the interlocutor believes.

It is advisable to limit the return of certain categories of goods that cannot be freely returned in regular offline retail. For example, food and medicine may be subject to revision of the rules. The expert clarified that for perfumes, cosmetics, electronics and some other items, the return procedure can be reasonably brought closer to the rules that apply to traditional trade after the buyer has inspected the goods and confirmed receipt.

According to current legislation in the field of consumer protection, such goods of good quality purchased in a store cannot be returned. In addition, according to Smelov, it is necessary to increase the transparency of control over returns for sellers. “There are situations when an entrepreneur sees a large number of refusals, and later finds out that the goods were damaged at one of the stages of the supply chain and lost their appearance. If such costs are completely passed on to the seller, he will ultimately be forced to include them in the price,” added the head of the Center for Social Development.