Most Overseas Direct Trade Consultations
"Impact of Increased AliExpress Inquiries"
Most Consultations Related to Air Tickets..."Cancellation Refusal"
As overseas purchases of goods and services through Chinese online shopping platforms such as AliExpress have expanded, the number of international transaction consumer consultations has surged.
The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 29th that an analysis of last year's international transaction consumer consultation trends showed a total of 19,418 cases received, a 16.9% increase compared to the previous year (16,608 cases). The number of international transaction consumer consultations soared to 24,194 cases in 2019 and 26,954 cases in 2020, then dropped to 14,086 cases in 2021, but is now on the rise again.
By transaction type, consultations for 'overseas direct transactions,' where consumers purchase goods and services directly through online direct purchase platforms, increased by 68.9% to 11,798 cases compared to the previous year (6,987 cases). In particular, consultations related to direct goods transactions increased by 136.1% year-on-year. The Consumer Agency analyzed that this was influenced by an increase in consultations related to suspected fraudulent sites and AliExpress. In fact, last year, consultations related to AliExpress reached 673 cases, more than triple the 228 cases from the previous year.
Analyzing 18,974 cases where the item was identified, consultations related to 'air tickets and air services' were the most frequent at 5,254 cases (27.7%). This was followed by 'clothing and shoes' with 4,665 cases (24.6%), and 'accommodation' with 2,331 cases (12.3%). Looking at the year-on-year increase rate by item, consultations related to 'cultural and entertainment services,' which include local activities and performances, increased the most by 166.5% (from 167 cases to 445 cases). This is interpreted as a significant increase in local experiential activities due to the rise in overseas travelers.
The main reason for complaints was 'delays or refusals of cancellations and refunds,' accounting for 7,521 cases (38.7%). This was followed by 'delivery-related complaints such as non-delivery, delayed delivery, and wrong delivery' with 2,647 cases (13.6%), and 'unfair charges of penalties and fees and price complaints' with 2,271 cases (11.7%).
Regarding the countries where overseas businesses are located, Singapore had the highest number of consultations at 2,958 cases. This was followed by China with 1,161 cases, the United States with 1,047 cases, Malaysia with 608 cases, and the Czech Republic with 427 cases. Among these, consultations related to China more than doubled from 501 cases the previous year, which was also identified as mainly due to the increase in AliExpress consultations. In the case of Singapore, consultations related to global online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Agoda and Trip.com accounted for a high proportion.
The Consumer Agency is negotiating the establishment of a hotline to resolve consumer complaints with AliExpress, which has seen a surge in consumer consultations following the 'Consumer Protection Measures for Overseas Online Platforms' announced on the 13th. The agency also plans to hold meetings with other overseas online platform operators where consumer complaints are frequent based on this analysis.
Going forward, the Consumer Agency plans to issue transaction advisories for items with high consumer damage and expand the provision of foreign language refund forms by damage type through the International Transaction Consumer Portal to help consumers directly file objections.
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