Draft law protects online shoppers

Consumers will be able to get refunds within seven days after shopping online, under a draft amendment being presented to the legislature on Monday.

The draft amendment, which aims to further protect consumer rights 19 years after the law was introduced, will allow consumers to get refunds for unsatisfactory products seven days after purchase, and to be reimbursed with cash within seven days after they receive the product.

Li Shishi, director of the Legislative Affairs Office under the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said the proposed requirement will also apply to telephone and television shopping.

"Consumers are easy to influence by sensational promotion since they can only judge the quality of the products by pictures and descriptions," Li said.

That draft, if passed, will affect mostly business-to-consumer online stores, as wells as platforms such as Amazon and Tianmao, a leading domestic shopping site.

Shopping platforms have a shared responsibility to refund in advance, if the store cannot be reached, the draft said.