Online Sellers Asking Customers to “PM for Price” Will Face Fine and Jail Punishments

If you’re selling stuff online, you might want to read this!

According to the New Straits Times, enforcers from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism will be taking strict action against online sellers who do not include the price of their goods and services, and instead request interested customers to private message (PM) them.

These online sellers include those from social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, where this form of doing business is most common. So, if you see those kinds of shops including “PM me for price!” in their product description, stay away!

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook

According to the Consumer Protection Act 1999, retailers are required by law to display:

1. The full prices of the goods or services, including the taxes and transportation or other costs
2. Name of the person operating the business or the company and business name
3. Business or company registration number
4. E-mail address, telephone number or address of the person running the business
5. Description of the main characteristics of the goods or services
6. Methods of payment
7. Terms and conditions
8. Estimated delivery time

If online sellers do not abide by these requirements, they could either be fined up to RM50,000 or face a maximum jail sentence of three years. They could even be sentenced to both the fine and the jail term in some cases.

These enforcers report that one of the red flags of an unscrupulous online seller is when they see interested buyers posting messages like “PM me” in the comments section of a product for sale. 

Source: New Straits Times

“We are fully enforcing this law after having relaxed on this to allow traders to adjust accordingly,” said Datuk Roslan Mahayudin, the ministry’s enforcement director.

“We want consumers to be better covered. Their rights must be protected, and they must be able to make informed purchasing decisions with details on prices, the products and services, who they are dealing with and hidden charges at their fingertips.”

“If a person is selling a cat, for example, he must display the price he wants for it. He cannot simply say ‘private message if interested’. Not any more.”

So, for those of you selling things online and find that you aren’t abiding by these requirements, it’s time to do so before you’re slapped with a fine, or worse, a three-year jail sentence!

Also read: 13 Things Only Malaysians Who Shop Online Will Understand