“I bought it when the exchange rate was cheap, but they told me to cancel the delivery”… Increasing conflict over overseas direct purchases

As the logistics flow was blocked due to the blockade of Shanghai, China, direct overseas delivery was delayed, and the exchange rate soared in the meantime, increasing conflict over the delivery of imported goods. There are cases where transactions have to be canceled due to long-term delays in delivery. This is because the prices of imported goods are rising rapidly as the exchange rate has risen by more than 5% in the past six weeks since the blockade was imposed.

Mr. A purchased Dior J'Adore perfume through Coupang in early April, but did not receive the product even after the two weeks announced as the delivery period. After waiting for another week, Mr. A contacted Coupang and received a response that import customs had been cleared and the product was being delivered domestically.

However, after waiting for another week, the product did not arrive, so Mr. A complained again to Coupang. This time, he was asked to cancel the payment because the product was lost. The reason the company requested cancellation of delivery was because the selling price of perfume had risen sharply in the past month when delivery was delayed.

Mr. A explained, "As recently as early April, it was easy to find products priced around 100,000 won for 100 ml, and I found a place that sold them at the cheapest price and purchased products priced around 80,000 won. Now, to buy the same product, I have to pay 120,000 to 130,000 won." As the seller says, if you cancel the payment and purchase a new product, you will have to pay an additional fee of 20,000 to 30,000 won.

Myeong Hyeon-jun, an attorney at Daeryun Law Firm, said, “If the merchant does not deliver the goods to the buyer after signing the sales contract, the merchant is responsible for the delay, and the merchant must also be responsible for any extended damages incurred as a result. However, since this case corresponds to a case where the courier company lost it during transportation, the courier company is responsible for the damage.” He added, “It appears that consumers are having difficulty in compensating for damages because it is such a small amount that it is not easy for them to realistically file a lawsuit.”

View article text- https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2022/05/417356/