During this year’s Chinese New Year holiday, Ms. Sheng from Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, spent 65,000 yuan (RMB, same below) on a shopping platform to purchase a 100-gram gold bar, only to receive a roll of toilet paper instead, leaving her stunned.
According to a report from the Shandong media “New Yellow River” client, on January 30th, the second day of the Lunar New Year, Ms. Sheng purchased the 100-gram gold bar for 65,000 yuan from the Gold and Jade Perfect Match Jewelry Selection store on Taobao platform. The merchant shipped the product on February 7th, and she received the package on the 12th.
Upon retrieving the package from the delivery locker in her residential complex, Ms. Sheng immediately felt that something was amiss. “The package was quite light, and the packaging was very simple. I thought to myself that a product costing over 60,000 yuan shouldn’t be like this,” she said.
As she unpacked the delivery and recorded a video, the moment she opened it, she was dumbfounded: the package contained a roll of toilet paper. She quickly contacted the merchant, and the chat records showed that the customer service replied that it was a problem with the shipping department and needed verification.
After several inquiries, the merchant’s customer service cited reasons such as “the boss is in a legal dispute” and “waiting for feedback from the leadership.”
“I bought gold, but the merchant sent me a roll of toilet paper,” Ms. Sheng said in an interview on the evening of February 17, expressing disbelief at the bizarre turn of events in her gold-buying experience.
The report mentioned that on February 18th, the Gold and Jade Perfect Match Jewelry Selection store had ceased product sales, and no one answered the registered phone number. In response, the Taobao official customer service staff stated that they had escalated the case for the consumer and that relevant experts would contact her to provide a solution.
Ms. Sheng contacted the merchant and the platform multiple times, managing to secure a refund of the principal amount but found no one willing to compensate for the losses incurred due to the rising price of gold.
Afterward, Ms. Sheng filed a complaint with the Taobao platform and was informed that the store had anomalies, and she was advised to process a refund. She also learned that due to the merchant’s insufficient deposit, the platform had no way to compel the merchant to compensate for her losses. Currently, she has reported the incident to the Consumer Association.
On the 18th, Ms. Sheng told the “Xiaoxiang Morning News” that the store’s customer service initially claimed they did not ship the package and needed to report it for verification. The customer service also revealed to her that the boss was unreachable overseas, and the company had not paid salaries for three months.
Finally, the customer service directly told Ms. Sheng, “The gold bar was forgotten during packaging,” and the roll of paper was a “gift.” After that, the store’s customer service ceased communication.
After the incident was exposed, it sparked heated discussions among mainland Chinese netizens: “It’s good enough to get the principal back.” “I wouldn’t dare to buy gold at 200 yuan. Some people have bought tens of thousands. It looks real in live broadcasts, but there may be substitutions during shipment.”
“My mom also bought online. The gold at the jewelry store was fake, fortunately, it was refunded.” “If it wasn’t recorded on video, the money would have gone down the drain.”
“I was cheated before, and they didn’t deliver the goods. When I reported it to the police, they said trade disputes cannot be filed.”
“First secure evidence, then complain to the platform about sales fraud for a refund or compensation, otherwise just sue. Always record video when unpacking valuables.”
“It’s a trick by the merchant. When the price of gold goes up, not delivering the goods is more profitable. The merchant regrets it.”
“They just want you to refund! With the surge in gold prices, delivering the goods is not profitable, so the merchant backed out.”
“I bought a computer from JingX, but they sent me a keyboard, and it’s been a year without any resolution.” “I usually buy valuables in physical stores; buying gold online is risky. Last time I bought cat food, the merchant sent me a pack of baking soda by mail. I even went to JingX but wasn’t successful in reporting.”
Source: New Tang Dynasty