Rankings and ratings on Ebay or Amazon are not always reliable. The business for consumers is now to become more transparent by law.
- Ebay and Amazon: Law should create more transparency for consumers
- eBay, Check24 and Amazon: Information obligation for online platforms
- Ebay and Amazon: Companies have to justify search results
NRW – The price for the new bicycle on eBay classified ads looks tempting, the traders’ ratings by other customers are only positive. What should go wrong? As is known, user reviews are not always reliable- this and much more should change with the new _ Act to strengthen consumer protection in competition and commercial law.
Ebay and Amazon: Law should create more transparency for consumers
The goal of the Federal Government: More transparency for veils and consumers in online trading. According to the law, companies such as eBay or Amazon, search engines and comparison platforms have to clarify whether and how they ensure that “the ratings are actually real.” Fake reviews will be “expressly prohibited in the future.” (More digital news at comparison)
Ebay and Amazon will also have to answer the question of whether a offered offer comes from a company or a consumer. Likewise transparently, comparison platforms and other placement services such as Check24 should indicate “according to which criteria the operators were and rated.”
eBay, Check24 and Amazon: Information obligation for online platforms
According to wa.de, the law, which is entitled to force on May 28, creates an obligation to provide information for operators in online trading and on comparison portals. This was also announced by the consumer advice center. In the future, operators will have to explain why which product of a provider is displayed in the search specified in the search and disclose if the ranking is influenced by advertising or payments. So far, operators have often left their customers in the unclear.
If you go to the search for a product or service as a consumer, the rankings displayed may not be influenced by hidden advertising or hidden payments. In such a comparison, Check24 would have to disclose which providers were taken into account.
As reported wa.de, violations of the obligation to provide information can lead to a fine of up to 50,000 euros according to the consumer center. Larger companies with annual sales of more 1.25 million euros can even be punished with fines of up to four percent of the turnover.
Ebay and Amazon: Companies have to justify search results
In addition to the conventional goods and services, the new regulation, according to the Federal Government, also covers “digital content, such as eBooks or video clips and digital services such as social networks or video streaming services.” This should make the protection of customers significantly more transparent in the future.
From May 28, consumers who want to buy a bike during online shopping can not only insist on Valide user ratings on Ebay or Amazon, but above all on a transparent indication of the ranking bicycles on the results list. That makes the choice more safer after the new bike.
Rubric list picture: © Michael Weber/Imago
