125 yuan 10 catties, 298 yuan 20 catties, one buy a sack...... Following the launch of various year-end promotions by e-commerce, the "express detention blind box" sold by catty has flooded on some platforms, causing heated discussions among netizens. Recently, Red Star News reporters searched for keywords such as "express blind box" and "stranded blind box" on several mainstream e-commerce platforms, and most of them appeared "independent no empty package" and "emergency processing" express detention blind box goods, only Jingdong and Vipshop could not search for them.
Is this kind of "express blind box" reliable? Is it true that what the merchant said about "making a steady profit without losing money"? The reporter bought the "express blind box" through the e-commerce platform and unpacked it, and actually tested its authenticity, and found that some merchants exaggerated the value of the goods in the product description, or used "overseas pieces" and "unclaimed pieces" and other propaganda techniques that could not confirm the authenticity to attract consumers to buy. In fact, it is illegal to sell other people's express detention items.
Reporter's measurement:
9.9 yuan to buy 7 pieces of "three no products" to fill the number
Recently, the Red Star News reporter searched for keywords such as "express blind box" through several mainstream e-commerce platforms, and found that some blind boxes were sold by the number, some were directly processed by catty, and some were sold in "sacks", with prices ranging from 8 yuan to 300 yuan. In order to attract customers, many stores have written in large letters on the cover images and profiles of their products, such as "No one wants to dispose of stranded goods" and "overseas items" (below).
Subsequently, the reporter randomly selected stores on two of the platforms with more "express blind boxes" and placed an order for an express blind box with a price of 9.9 yuan. When asked by the store's customer service whether the blind box was an "unclaimed item", the customer service replied "yes", and then added that "there is no other person's information on the 'stranded express'".
After receiving the blind box, the Red Star News reporter checked the express package label before unpacking, and there was no trace of covering or tearing other express packages. There are a total of 7 items in one of the express blind boxes, including a palm-sized mini hair dryer, 5 hair accessories, and children's toothbrushes, which are bulk or secondary packaging, and the other "express blind box" package contains a total of 3 items, including Chinese knot pendants, switch films, and mixing cups, and each has an express bag packaged separately, but there is no trace of the original express label on the outside of the package (below).
From the point of view of the value of the goods, some of the goods are "three-no products" with damaged packaging or no production date, no quality certificate, and no manufacturer, which does not match the publicity such as "boutique overseas original order" in the business profile. When the Red Star News reporter asked the store's customer service whether these blind boxes were cleared or stranded, the customer service did not answer positively, but sent a photo of the mountain of express delivery to the reporter (below).
In the comment section of such stores, there is no shortage of return pictures that comment on "great value for money". There are a large number of reviews saying that they have dismantled high-priced "large items" such as drones, figures, musical instruments, and rice cookers, and many netizens have questioned the store's praise to guide consumers to buy.
Express delivery companies:
Specialized site storage overdue demolition treatment
The Red Star News reporter noted that in June this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Guidelines for the Code of Conduct for Blind Box Operations (Trial)" (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines) to draw a red line for the operation of blind boxes, clearly stating that express mail that cannot be delivered and returned shall not be sold in the form of blind boxes.
According to Article 26 of the "Interim Regulations on Express Delivery," if an express mail cannot be delivered, the enterprise engaged in express delivery business shall return it to the sender or handle it according to the sender's request. If it is an express mail other than a letter, the enterprise engaged in express delivery business shall register and handle it in accordance with the regulations of the postal administration department of the State Council;
The Red Star News reporter randomly interviewed several couriers, and they said: "If you can't find the recipient after contacting twice, you will generally return it directly, and if the sender does not accept the return, it will be treated as an unsealed shipment."
For undelivered express mail, the "Regulations on the Administration of Undeliverable and Unreturnable Express" issued by the State Post Bureau requires express delivery companies to arrange a special place for safekeeping, and the storage period shall not be less than 1 year from the date of registration of undelivered express mail.
For the unaccompanied express mail that exceeds the storage period, the express delivery company can open it according to the management system. When carrying out the demolition process, it shall be carried out by two or more staff members, and the whole process of demolition shall be monitored by technical means, and the monitoring data shall be kept for no less than 90 days.
Lawyer's Statement:
"Express blind boxes" are suspected of violating the law regardless of whether they are true or false
A person engaged in the logistics industry told the Red Star News reporter that these "express blind boxes" are generally fake, "just gimmicks", and fake express detention pieces, because the detention pieces have special processing requirements. He said that there have also been stalls selling "express detention pieces" offline, which can be dismantled for ten yuan, similar to the online one.
Regarding the question of whether express blind boxes are illegal, Gu Wei, a lawyer at Shanghai Fengzhao Law Firm, answered online that the main sources of "express blind boxes" sold by e-commerce are undeliverable and unreturnable express delivery that have not expired their shelf life, and express blind boxes packaged by merchants with goods purchased by themselves. If the former is the case, it is suspected of violating the provisions of the Postal Law on the handling of undeliverable and unreturned express mail, and if the latter is the case, it is a fraudulent act and is suspected of violating the Civil Code and the Consumer Rights Protection Law.
"The express logistics supervision department shall strengthen the supervision of relevant express logistics enterprises, urge enterprises to dispose of stranded express items in accordance with laws and regulations, and shall not resell or transfer them without authorization. The market supervision department should strengthen the daily supervision and inspection of the blind box business behavior, and strictly investigate all kinds of illegal sales of blind boxes", Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, told the Red Star News reporter.
He believes that e-commerce platforms should also strengthen the management of blind box merchants on the platform, and take measures to remove or report to the relevant departments in a timely manner for behaviors that they know or should know of violations of laws and regulations or damage to the rights and interests of consumers, otherwise they will also bear corresponding responsibilities."
Regarding the question of whether the platform allows merchants to sell "express strands", the Red Star News reporter tried to contact the relevant departments of the e-commerce platform involved, but has not received an official reply as of press time.
Chen Yinjiang also reminded consumers that they should pay attention to rational consumption and not believe in the blind box propaganda information such as "unclaimed items" by merchants. If the rights and interests are damaged due to the purchase of "three-no products", the relevant evidence should be collected in a timely manner and the merchant should be negotiated to resolve it; if the negotiation fails, you can file a complaint with the consumer association or the relevant administrative department to protect your legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law.
Red Star News reporter Yan Dan Yang Xinyu
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