China News Network, June 6 (Zhongxin Financial Reporter Xie Yiguan) On the 16th, the China Consumer Association issued a blind box purchase consumption tip, which mentioned that under the consumption trend of "everything can be blind box", the blind box economy has appeared to sell temporary or even expired goods, use blind boxes to induce consumption, sell live animals, induce minors to impulse consumption, blind box probability is not transparent, etc.
The State Administration for Market Regulation recently issued the Guidelines for Blind Box Business Conduct (Trial) (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines) and implemented them. The Guidelines clearly regulate the problems existing in blind box operation. The China Consumer Association believes that consumers can focus on the following aspects in blind box consumption:
Resolutely reject blind boxes that operate beyond the scope
The Guidelines make it clear that commodities with strict requirements on the conditions of use, storage and transportation, inspection and quarantine, etc., such as drugs, medical devices, toxic and harmful substances, flammable and explosive substances, and live animals, shall not be sold in blind boxes. Food and cosmetics that do not have the conditions to ensure quality safety and consumer rights and interests shall not be sold in blind boxes. Shipments that cannot be delivered and cannot be returned shall not be sold in blind boxes.
The China Consumer Association said that, for example, if it is claimed that online cosmetics can be purchased with a price of 1 yuan, a blind box can be added, but the actual blind box may contain products that are about to expire. The product quality of the over-range blind box products sold by merchants not only cannot be guaranteed, but also has great safety risks. Therefore, it is recommended that consumers should resolutely refuse to accept goods that exceed the scope of operation in blind box consumption.
Blind box prices are opaque, consumers have the right to say "no"!
The Guidelines make it clear that blind box operators shall reasonably determine the price of blind boxes based on production and operation costs and market supply and demand. Blind box operators providing goods or services shall clearly mark the price, must not collect any fees that are not indicated, must not sell goods at an additional price in addition to the marked price, and must not carry out illegal acts such as not clearly marking prices in accordance with regulations, price gouging, price gouging, price gouging, etc.
The China Consumer Association believes that blind box goods must be clearly priced, and the price gap between them and non-blind box sales products should not be too large. In the blind box consumption, consumers have the right to say "no" if they encounter behaviors such as opaque prices and temporary price increases in blind boxes!
Consumers have the right to know the probability of drawing limited blind boxes
The Guidelines make it clear that blind box operators shall publicize key information such as product names, product types, commodity styles, extraction rules, commodity distribution, quantity of limited quantities of goods, extraction probability, and product value range in a conspicuous manner to ensure that consumers know before purchasing. Blind box operators must not induce consumption in disguised form through background manipulation to change the extraction results, arbitrarily adjust the extraction probability, etc. The issuance of blind boxes shall not be refused or deliberately delayed by means of discount, repurchase, exchange, etc. Empty boxes must not be set.
According to the China Consumer Association, at present, most blind box companies do not explicitly indicate the probability of drawing hidden money, and many consumers report that the probability of drawing hidden money is lower than expected. Blind box companies may stimulate consumers to buy repeatedly by controlling the number of hidden models. Consumers have the right to know key information such as the number of limited blind boxes and the probability of extraction.
Proprietors must not sell blind boxes to minors under the age of 8
The Guidelines make it clear that blind box operators are not allowed to sell blind boxes to minors under the age of 8. The sale of blind box products to minors aged 8 and above shall confirm that the consent of the relevant guardian has been obtained in accordance with law.
In the view of the China Consumer Association, inducing minors to impulse consumption in the name of collectible, rare, limited, etc. is a prominent problem of the blind box economy. The China Consumer Association calls on blind box operators to strictly follow the norms of the Guidelines and take effective measures to prevent minors from becoming addicted, protect their physical and mental health, and facilitate the resolution of minors' consumption disputes.
Operators should consciously promise not to stock up and not speculate
The Guidelines clearly encourage blind box operators to establish a minimum guarantee mechanism to guide rational consumption by setting the extraction time, the upper limit of the amount of withdrawal and the upper limit of the number of times. Blind box operators are encouraged to consciously promise not to hoard, speculate, or directly enter the secondary market, and consciously accept social supervision.
The China Consumer Association believes that the scarcity of hidden blind boxes may induce speculation. In some second-hand trading platforms, some blind box hidden models have even increased dozens of times to sell in the market, and even some blind box companies directly participate in the second-hand market trading, destroying the price formation mechanism of the secondary market, and also stimulating consumers' speculative psychology to buy blind boxes.
Business operators shall establish and improve enterprise quality assurance systems
The Guidelines make it clear that blind box operators shall establish and improve the enterprise quality assurance system, strengthen the management of production, warehousing, logistics and other links, and ensure that the source of goods is reliable and the quality is qualified. Commodities produced and traded by blind box operators shall comply with the quality and safety requirements of laws and regulations. If the blind box goods fall within the scope of the compulsory product certification catalog, they shall obtain certification and mark the CCC certification mark. Blind box operators shall organize production and operation in accordance with standards. Where blind box commodities do not have national standards or industry standards, blind box operators shall formulate corresponding enterprise standards and strictly control supply channels, raw materials, design safety performance, etc.
The China Consumer Association believes that the blind box economic boom attracts blind box enterprises to compete to reduce costs to seize the market, blind box product quality problems are common, blind box sales counterfeiting, refusal to take responsibility and other problems are prominent, and even some blind box products "small parts" may also cause children's breathing blockage and other suffocation risks. The China Consumer Association recommends strengthening the supervision of blind box product quality, and strengthening social supervision through comparative tests, spot checks and surveys in a timely manner, so as to ensure product quality. (End)
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