Nearly 16,200 online stores sanctioned for profiting from COVID-19
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has been cracking down on profiteers for selling face masks, hand sanitisers and other items for inflating prices due to the high demand caused by the ravaging COVID-19 epidemic.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Industry and Tradehas been cracking down on profiteers for selling face masks, hand sanitisersand other items for inflating prices dueto the high demand caused by the ravaging COVID-19 epidemic.
The ministry has kept a close watch on online sales andpricing to prevent sellers from hiking prices in order to profit from thepandemic. It has also updated both buyers and sellers on specific penalties andfines given for each violation.
Prominent e-commerce platforms like Chotot.com, Lazada.vn,Tiki.vn, Sendo.vn and Shopee.vn have been actively cooperating with theministry to monitor sites in search of violators and warn online sellers againsthiking prices of essential goods that may spark market uncertainty.
The platforms have improved availability and accessibilityof essential goods on their sites to make online shopping much easier.
According to the ministry’s Vietnam eCommerce and DigitalEconomy Agency, nearly 16,200 online shops were sanctioned with around 32,880items removed from e-commerce sites between March 23 and 30.
The largest violations were found on Shopee.vn where about1,650 shops have been punished and 1,900 items, mainly face masks and handsanitiser, removed.
The agency advised all e-commerce platforms to continuetaking all necessary technical measures to prevent and remove violating itemsand strictly punish sellers who fail to comply with the rules in response tothe COVID-19 relief efforts./.
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Face masks on sales at shopee.vn. (Photo: VNA)
