Clicky
Editorial

Policy to minimise online trade fraud

It will help both entrepreneurs and consumers


Bangladeshpost
Published : 10 Dec 2020 08:36 PM | Updated : 11 Dec 2020 01:00 AM

It is good to note that the Ministry of Commerce has formulated a draft policy to facilitate the development of the e-commerce sector and minimise online trade fraud

Reportedly, the draft policy states that e-commerce companies will be obliged to deliver the product to the buyers within a maximum of 48 hours of placing an order online. The policy also stipulates fines for non-delivery of goods within the stipulated time.  We hope, when implemented, the new policy will empower both entrepreneurs and consumers.

Online business or e-commerce has expanded in Bangladesh at a tremendous rate. Consumers today want more choices at their fingertips and everything faster at their doorsteps. People now order their desired products online from home as large gatherings in shopping malls or restaurants pose serious health risks due to Covid-19.


Unethical business practices in 

online shopping platforms 

have become rampant


As reported by this daily, the number of website-based e-commerce companies in the country is now around 2,000. There are more than 50,000 online entrepreneurs doing business through Facebook page in the country.

Exploiting the opportunity of people's reliance on e-commerce during the pandemic, some unscrupulous entrepreneurs are cheating customers. Many customers with little knowledge of the process of online shopping ends up being deceived. Consumers are mostly cheated on Facebook based online shopping pages, where frauds post product pictures with tempting offers and take money in advance for the product. Once they are successful in ripping off people, they close their page without providing the products customers paid for. Also they deceive customers by supplying substandard or expired products.

 Amid hundreds of thousands of online shopping platforms identifying the safe ones has become increasingly difficult. Unethical business practices in online shopping platforms have become rampant these days. Therefore, we need to integrate a regulatory body to prevent consumers from being cheated and given low quality or date-expired products.