Dentures ordered from overseas shopping site turned out to be plastic toys, agency warns

A consumer identified only as A ordered dentures in June from an overseas shopping site after seeing a YouTube ad, paying 59,000 won ($43) for what was advertised as a fully functional product. What arrived was a thin plastic tooth model of toy quality and a handful of silicone beads.

Another consumer, identified as B, purchased a pair of pants in June through a YouTube ad linking to an overseas shopping site. After receiving an item that did not match the advertisement, B sent an email requesting a return — only to have it bounce back. The site then shut down entirely, leaving no way to pursue a refund or return.

The Korea Consumer Agency said Wednesday that complaints are mounting from consumers who used overseas shopping sites after seeing YouTube ads, only to receive substandard products or find themselves unable to return items or obtain refunds.

The agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Government's e-commerce center received a combined 359 consumer inquiries in the first half of this year related to overseas shopping sites accessed through YouTube ads. June alone accounted for 142 cases — about 4.6 times the 31 recorded in January.

The most common complaint types were false or exaggerated advertising — such as receiving low-quality products that did not match what was shown — and refusal of full refunds or cancellations, each accounting for 24.0 percent of cases. Those were followed by sellers becoming unreachable (21.7 percent), delivery problems (13.4 percent) and excessive return shipping charges (11.4 percent).

By product category, clothing and fashion items accounted for the largest share of complaints at 63.2 percent. Furniture, lifestyle and kitchen goods came in at 11.1 percent, while health and hygiene products made up 10.6 percent.

The average loss per case was about 71,000 won. Transactions under 100,000 won accounted for 88.9 percent of all reported losses.

An analysis of 339 cases where the complainant's age was available showed that consumers in their 50s made up the largest group at 34.8 percent, followed by those aged 60 and older at 30.4 percent.

The agency urged consumers to avoid sites where the operator's name, address and other identifying details cannot be verified, and to check return and refund policies before completing any purchase.