Secondary Market

The European Commission and national consumer protection authorities from 25 EU Member States, along with Iceland and Norway, have conducted a comprehensive screening of online traders selling second-hand goods. The sweep aimed to assess compliance with EU consumer laws across sectors such as electronic equipment, clothing, and toys. Out of the 356 online traders examined, 185 (52%) were found to be potentially in breach of EU consumer law. Common violations included failure to inform consumers of their right to withdraw from a purchase, incorrect communication about faulty goods returns, and non-compliance with the one-year minimum legal guarantee for second-hand products.

Consumer rights not properly communicated

The investigation revealed that 40% of traders did not clearly inform consumers of their right to return a product within 14 days without justification. Additionally, 45% failed to provide accurate information about the return of faulty goods, while 57% did not respect the required one-year legal guarantee period.

Green claims often misleading or deceptive

Environmental claims were also scrutinized, with 34% of traders making such statements on their websites. Among them, 20% were not properly substantiated, while 28% contained misleading or false claims, raising concerns about greenwashing practices.

Authorities to take further action

The consumer protection authorities will now assess whether to take legal action against the 185 non-compliant traders. They will request compliance through national enforcement procedures to ensure consumer rights are upheld.

Legal framework and upcoming changes

The sweep was conducted under the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) framework, which ensures the enforcement of EU consumer protection laws. These laws include the Consumer Rights Directive, the e-Commerce Directive, and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. Additionally, the upcoming Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition aims to strengthen consumer rights by improving transparency on product durability and reparability and curbing greenwashing.