Online shops: Consumer advocates warn against these 23 shops

The days when shops from China came up with adventurous translations and stolen photos seem to be over. There are now shops with a .de domain, the products are extensively photographed and the descriptions are understandable.

And even if you are not looking, the offers are displayed on social media such as Facebook or Instagram. Sweaters for five, dresses for 15 euros – and all with a modern look: the shops from the Far East have done their homework.

Dresses from the china shop

The consumer advocates urgently warn against buying from the shops. “Garments from Asian shops repeatedly show significant defects in workmanship or cut,” they wrote. Especially when it comes to sizes, Chinese goods are still a lottery for Europeans. “The information does not correspond to the sizes known here in the EU, which is not adequately explained on the offer pages. After all, in many cases the goods purchased are not just something, but considerably smaller and narrower than expected,” said Hamburg’s consumer advocate. The material also often does not correspond to the information in the online shop. What is sold there as cotton or linen is ultimately made of polyester.

You can see in the video: Supposedly reputable Internet shops lure with Corona residual items.

Another problem is customs. Because for orders outside the European Union, the recipient of the goods has to pay customs duties, customs costs, customs taxes and / or import sales tax. Until now, the price limit was 22 euros. Import sales taxes were only due for goods valued above this. But from July 1, 2021, this will apply from the first euro. “For every shipment of goods from a non-EU country, taxes must be paid if they exceed the amount of € 1. The taxes, plus a flat-rate fee of € 6, will be collected from you upon delivery or collection in the branch, if they have not already been paid by the sender “, lets their customers know. There is a possibility with which the retailer can relieve the customer of such payments: The so-called “One Stop Shop” procedure (OSS) is theoretically open to all companies from non-EU countries. The dealer pays the fees and taxes incurred directly to the tax office, the customer does not have to pay anything extra. But it is unclear whether the Chinese traders will take this very bureaucratic route. After all, the “” reported that around 50,000 Chinese dealers are registered with the Berlin tax office. Three years earlier there were around 430 shops.

The problems with the return are still not resolved either. Often customers do not get any contact with the shop to arrange the return. “Anyone who manages to establish contact with customer service can still expect a large portion of frustration: The return of the goods is either not possible at all or involves high return costs. Some sellers only offer a low discount of 10 or 15 percent on the But what use is it if the clothing cannot or does not want to be worn at the end? “, Say the consumer advocates.

The Hamburg consumer advocates recommend not shopping at the following shops:

In addition, the consumer advocates collect the experiences of the customers. So if you have ever had a bad experience, you can let the experts know