Shopee says it will tighten control over profiteering buyers after facing backlash over return policy

Shopee representative affirmed: The policy of extending the return period to 15 days will help consumers receive goods faster and return them more conveniently. These are the experiences that buyers want when using e-commerce services.

"In fact, since this policy was announced, orders and order values ​​have increased, proving that we have met consumer needs. This policy also helps sellers increase sales," Shopee informed.

However, in response to sellers' concerns that buyers may take advantage of this policy to use free goods before returning them, causing damage to sellers, Shopee said that to ensure the rights of both parties, after the buyer submits a return/refund request, Shopee will act as an intermediary to check and handle complaints.

"All buyer complaints will be carefully reviewed by Shopee to make a decision. Shopee will have policies to adjust and limit the benefits when trading on the platform for buyers who show signs of taking advantage of orders," the representative emphasized.

Shopee also confirmed that it allows sellers to appeal if the decision is not satisfactory. The e-commerce platform will respond and compensate sellers if the complaints are determined to be valid.

In addition, Shopee also affirmed that the right to return goods for the reason of "changing mind" will only apply to products that are still intact, with original labels, original manufacturing boxes, full accessories and documents so that sellers can continue to use them for subsequent orders.

"We will carefully review "return and refund" requests for buyers who show signs of abusing this new policy. In addition, sellers will not have to bear the rate of failed orders in this case, and are committed to free return shipping," Shopee representative pledged.

Responding to the suspicion that Shopee is "holding" sellers' money longer than before, Shopee's representative affirmed that for the vast majority of sellers with a good and regular business history on Shopee, the new policy does not affect the time it takes to receive money and do business on the platform.

"For the remaining sellers, we always have processes to listen and adjust appropriate policies to support. We confirm that the vast majority of sellers receive their orders sooner than 15 days," said a Shopee representative.

In recent days, a "wave" of protest against the new policy of the e-commerce platform Shopee has been strongly raised by sellers on this platform.

Specifically, from February 26, Shopee allows buyers to return/refund within 15 days of successful delivery, regardless of store type.

The policy allows Shopee shoppers to return purchased products labeled with a “15-day free change of mind” from the delivery date, three days longer than before, and 100% free of return shipping fees.

Buyers can even request a return or refund on the grounds of "no longer needed or defective item".

The new policy makes sellers worry that buyers will take advantage of it, causing damage to sellers.

Ms. Vu Thu Huyen (character's name has been changed) has been selling fashion products on Shopee for nearly a year now, and has lost money many times because customers returned products.

“Many times when delivering goods to customers, they try them on before returning them. When they receive them back, the body odor and the stench of used clothes are still there, but I have no way to prove it to Shopee to complain. Even when I call the floor to explain, I only receive general answers,” said Ms. Huyen.

“If a customer wants to return the item, Shopee will refund the customer, without any discussion with the seller. There are many cases where bad customers will open the item, swap it with fake or used goods and return it to the seller to get their money back. They will use the newly swapped product or resell it at a cheap price to make money. This is a very common situation, but when complaining to Shopee, it is almost impossible to prove it,” Ms. Huyen expressed.

Realizing the risk of loss when doing business on Shopee at this time, Ms. Huyen locked her store and temporarily stopped doing business.

“If Shopee listens to sellers' wishes and changes its policies accordingly, I will come back,” she said.

Another person also said that the process of filing a complaint with Shopee when the goods were switched is very difficult. The seller will have to provide a video recording the packing and receiving of the goods to be considered for compensation.

According to him, small shops with only a few dozen orders a day can still record videos of packing, but for businesses with hundreds, even thousands of orders, having thousands of videos of packing a day as a precaution is impossible.