Risk when shopping cheaply in China: How to protect yourself from penalties and other legal dangers

Risk when shopping cheaply in China: How to protect yourself from penalties and other legal dangers

According to a report by www.nordbayern.de Experts warn about the legal and financial risks of online shopping on the Chinese platform Temu. Despite supposed bargains and low shipping costs, German consumers can receive unexpectedly high taxes and customs fees, as well as counterfeit products or products that do not meet EU standards. This can lead to legal and financial consequences, such as additional customs payments, liability for damages in the event of product damage or even criminal consequences. Even small orders run the risk of being treated as a business, which can lead to further legal consequences.

Temu avoids import VAT and consumption taxes via a registration trick abroad. However, customs fees apply for purchases over 150 euros. To get around this, Temu divides orders into smaller sub-orders, but this may result in additional customs payments. In addition, many electronic devices do not have the EU-mandatory CE mark, which can lead to liability for damages in the event of damage. Products with illegal and copyright-infringing content as well as counterfeit products were also discovered, which customs checks at random and destroys if necessary.

With this in mind, consumers should be careful when shopping for cheap online on Temu, especially for large orders, to avoid legal and financial risks. Additionally, data security and sustainability should be taken into consideration.