This draft proposes a complete set of principles and guidelines for e-commerce self-governance, with the goal of supporting an ethical and responsible e-commerce ecosystem.
Key Principles
Draft divides e-commerce transaction principles into three phases – Pre-Transaction Principles, Contract Formation Principles, and Post-Transaction Principles.
- Pre-Transaction Principles
- E-commerce entity must ensure authenticity of sellers with details of their place of business, key managerial personnel, financial information etc.
- Disclosure of relevant information including product/service description, final consumer price, cancellation/exchange/return policies, safety warnings, seller details, country of origin etc.
- Contract Formation Principles:
- Entity shall record express informed consent of consumer and not in the form of pre-ticked checkboxes.
- Enable transaction review before final payment.
- Transparent process and policies for cancellations, returns, and refunds, clearly specifying charges and time limits.
- Maintain complete transaction records and secure payment systems with encryption and two-factor authentication etc.
- Post-Transaction Principles:
- Easy return, exchange, refund or dispute resolution process with single point of contact toll-free number, estimated resolution time, grievance officer etc.
- General Principles:
- Prohibition on selling of banned products with monitoring mechanisms and seller background checks.
- Fair Business Practice with no preferential treatment, following packaging norms etc.
- Provisions for addressing counterfeit products and mechanism for reporting instances of intellectual property rights.
E-commerce Sector in India
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