Online shopping makes it easy to shop around the globe. Many legitimate businesses located overseas provide goods and services to Australian consumers without difficulty. However, there are some traders who may try to take advantage of overseas locations to target consumers in other countries to perpetrate scams, and frustrate the efforts of consumer protection law enforcement bodies.
Your rights
When dealing with internationally based companies, you may not be protected by Australian law. Even if a country has strong consumer protection laws it may be difficult to enforce that legislation on your behalf. It is important that you read any contractual terms that apply to your purchase, and ask the seller what policies or procedures they have in place if things go wrong.
Product standards
Products sold in other countries may not have the same standards of safety that are mandatory in Australia for some goods. When buying goods directly over the internet, you should check whether a safety standard applies and whether the goods meet that standard.
Protect yourself
Reliable businesses will not only abide by the law, but also adhere to internationally agreed best practice.
An online trader should disclose their business registration number, physical address, phone and fax numbers. Their website should provide ways for you to monitor the progress of your order and complain if things go wrong. The trader should clearly state their policies on refunds and exchanges, and how they will treat your confidential information. They should accept payments and personal information in a secure environment.
When things go wrong
If you have a problem with an international business, contact the ACCC Infocentre on 1300 302 502 or your local consumer protection agency. You may also want to consider contacting the consumer protection agency located in the same country as the business.
If your complaint relates to a cross-border transaction, log onto econsumer.gov and lodge a complaint. Econsumer.gov is a multilingual complaint site that is accessed by consumer protection authorities from around the world. It is an initiative of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), which enables law enforcement agencies from member countries to access complaints about cross-border, e-commerce transactions. The ICPEN site also gives useful tips to consumers on related issues.
