Shop online, but with caution

Buying products at unbelievably low prices via the Internet even from well-known and seemingly trustworthy shopping sites could be a frustrating experience at times. For one, online retailers can forget to ship some of the articles you have ordered, or mistakenly - or otherwise - cancel orders placed to cash in on special offers without even bothering to inform you through the phone or e-mail. The frustration increases when a buyer cannot figure out whom to turn to for help.

China Central Television once telecast an investigative program on a consumer's experience of buying a Casio watch from Dangdang.com, which started as a popular online bookstore and later developed into a comprehensive online shopping site.

Discovering that the serial number on the reverse side of the watch was different from the one on the box and that the watch itself was different from the one he had checked out at a Casio outlet, the consumer contacted the after-service center of the website. He was told that they would handle his complaint only after he provided proof, such as an authoritative inspection report, that the watch was counterfeit. The poor man, after being turned down by the local quality supervision department, finally got some help when he approached the Casio company, which verified that the watch was indeed a fake.

The e-commerce industry has grown by leaps and bounds in almost every conceivable sector - from books and home appliances to food products and daily necessities - in the past few years. According to iResearch figures, online trade was worth 1.304 trillion yuan ($212.56 billion) in 2012, a year-on-year increase of 66.2 percent and accounting for 6.3 percent of the total retail sales in China.

But the growth of the industry has been accompanied by rising problems, from the disappearance of group buying websites overnight to the delivery of counterfeit products. It is becoming increasingly difficult for online buyers to protect even their basic rights. For example, since the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers does not have specific clauses on the fast growing online retail industry, online consumers have a tough time getting refunds or replacements for unsatisfactory products.

Many people prefer online shopping for its convenience - they can buy almost anything without stepping out of their homes and at cheaper prices, too. But many times the quality of the delivered goods are inferior and after-sales service is almost non-existent to help solve consumers' problems.