ONLINE SALE OF COUNTERFEIT/FAKE/DAMAGED PRODUCTS SOLD IN INDIA THROUGH E-COMMERCE WEBSITES AND PORTAL

NO BACKGROUND CHECK OF THE SELLERS!!

NO CHECK ON THE GENUINENESS OR AUTHENTICITY OF THE PRODUCTS SOLD !!!!

NO REDRESSAL OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS BY THE E-COMMERCE WEBSITES !!!!!!!!

e-commerce customers – Beware !!!!!

MAJOR E-COMMERCE OR ONLINE SELLING WEBSITES IN INDIA, DOES NOT BUY NOR MANUFACTURE NOR IMPORT NOR HAVE ANY CONTRACT WITH THE SELLERS OF PRODUCTS ONLINE.  THE SELLERS REGISTER THEIR NAMES AND ADDRESSES ALONG WITH THE PRODUCTS AND START SELLING THEIR PRODUCTS ONLINE.

There are independent sellers, offering the products online through various E-Commerce portals and especially many unbranded or the products looks similar to the branded goods and especially clothes, perfumes and furnishing materials are used or damaged or counterfeit or fake and  of inferior quality, tempted by 60% to 90% discount.

The E-Commerce companies or portals might not be able to guarantee nor assure the genuineness nor authenticity of the products nor the seller`s credibility.

The details printed or pasted on the products are similar to the original branded products and most of such products are sold by sellers online without any warranty and guarantee.

Initiating the legal proceedings might be cumbersome and in some cases expensive and some of the sellers online, immediately abscond or close their shop online and disappear.

The online major sale portals must ensure that the sellers listed on their websites and the products sold by them are genuine and authentic and must thoroughly insist and obtain all the necessary and appropriate statutory licenses and permissions with necessary background check of the sellers and their products.

The Government must take immediate steps and make both the e-commerce portals or websites and retailer are liable to pay the damages and compensation to the affected and under the provisions of the Section 79 of the Information Technology Act pegs the responsibility of weeding out counterfeiting articles on the intermediary, which is the e-commerce website and third party sellers.