Table of Contents:
Last updated on: September 5, 2022
Banggood is a Chinese ecommerce company known for selling high quality products at low prices. For this reason, potential customers may suspect the quality and authenticity of the website. However, Banggod is a legitimate company that has been in action for over fifteen years.
Like other online retailers, it’s possible for counterfeit products to slip through the net. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) estimated that the global trade in counterfeits amounted to €412 billion in 2019, which is the equivalent of 2.5% of the world’s trade. This money and trade could be seen as revenue stolen from the companies that sell the original products. Counterfeiting is the theft of someone’s intellectual property (IP) and as such it is an illegal activity.
In this article you will learn:
Founded in China in 2006, Banggood is an online retailer that sells a range of products to customers around the globe. Its product range covers 30 categories, from electronics and toys, to cosmetics and clothes. Banggood’s specialty products include Chinese electronic products such as Xiaomi smartphones and remote controlled toys.
Banggood manages to provide products at low prices due to the fact its business model cuts out the need for the middle man. It is a direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform, meaning that the products listed on its website come from any of Banggood’s 100,000 suppliers (mainly China-based).
Sellers are not allowed to sell products on the platform. Instead, Banggood lists the products, takes the payment, sources the products from their network of suppliers, and ships them from any of their 40+ warehouses.
According to Banggood’s website, the app is one of the most downloaded shopping apps in Europe, with more than 66 million registered users across North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East.
Simply put, the answer is yes. Banggood is a genuine company that sells genuine, high quality products from selected suppliers. Sellers cannot list their own products – Banggood lists the products sourced from its 100,000 suppliers – meaning that bad actors can’t slip through the net easily and list counterfeit items.
Banggood does not sell its own products, rather, everything sold on the platform comes from one of Banggood’s suppliers. This means that in theory it is possible for a counterfeit to make its way to the consumer if Banggood does not properly vet the products coming from its retailers. However, so far complaints about counterfeit products on Banggood have been few and far between which is reflected in Banggood’s high Trustpilot rating.
It should be noted that replica goods, as opposed to counterfeit goods, are not illegal since they are openly acknowledged to be cheap knock-offs of the original product.
One of the benefits of Banggood being the sole gatekeeper to the products listed on its website is that there is only one contact-point. Banggood is responsible for going between the unhappy customer and the retailer.
Banggood’s Buyer Protection Policy is as follows:
Consumers should be aware of fakes: how to spot them online, and how to differentiate between a genuine product from a counterfeit one once it has arrived. There are several steps you can take to identify fake products. Here, we have listed a few methods you can use if you are looking to buy from Banggood.
As we have already mentioned, Banggood selects its suppliers and quality checks the items before they are shipped. However, with a company that is rapidly increasing in size, counterfeiters have more places to hide.
A price that is too good to be true should have you on high alert for potential scams. At the same time, it’s worth noting that Banggood’s prices are less than expected since they cut out the need for the middleman and operate on a direct-to-consumer approach. Still, always check the advertised price against the standard retail price of the brand.
Counterfeits are made with cheaper, low-quality materials. A lookalike Chanel bag may in fact be made of fake leather and inferior textiles. When your purchase arrives, check for any low-quality, telltale signs of a fake.
Top brands and businesses invest heavily in attractive, protective packaging. If your product arrives in haphazard, flimsy, and unbranded packaging, this may indicate that it is not the real deal. Other signs to be wary of is packaging that arrives with an expired use by date, has broken or missing safety seals, and is lacking any information regarding producer contact details. Of course, spelling mistakes and non-matching trademarks are another telltale sign that all is not as it seemed when you made the purchase.
While counterfeiting is always illegal, there are certain products that, if counterfeited, pose a serious risk to consumers. Watches are a particular product to watch out for as they are frequently counterfeited. As already explained, however, it is unlikely you will come across a counterfeit on Banggood.
Although counterfeits are an unusual occurrence on the platform, there have been complaints about products taking a long time to be delivered or products not arriving in good condition.
Since Banggood is the sole gatekeeper for complaints about any of the products bought from one of its retailers, the reporting process is very quick and straightforward.
If your product arrives with quality issues or wasn’t as described on the original listing, head to Banggood’s Contact Us page.
Once there, click the “After Sales” button. Select Product problems > Quality issues.
Click on Return/Repair, and you will find yourself directed to an online form.
You will be asked to Select an item. The item should appear on a list of any recently bought Banggood products.
Click on the solution you would like. You have the options of “Return for a refund”, “Return for a replacement” or “Repair”. Type in any information about the product in the box provided and upload clear photos of the damaged product.
Once you submit your ticket, you will have a response within one working day.
If you have asked for an exchange, the processing time will take between 3-6 business days after receiving your item and depending on availability of stock. The same time period applies for refunds – 3-6 business days after receiving the item – plus the processing time according to your bank and payment method.
Repairs however depend on the manufacturer, postage times, and whether spare parts are available.
While Banggood has largely escaped the grasp of counterfeiters, fake products are a risk on any online platform. They are also a big problem for businesses, sucking profits away via rip-off products and negatively affecting brand reputation.
Below are a list of Red Points’ guides on how to report and remove counterfeits on the following websites:
There are a series of litmus tests you can conduct on products you believe may be fake, which include checking the materials, the labels, and of course, suspecting unusually cheap prices. Luckily, Banggood makes it easy to report a fake or damaged product, with quick refund times and response rates.
If you’re a business worried about counterfeit versions of your products entering the marketplace, see how you can detect and remove infringing listings in 5000+ marketplaces 24/7 with Red Points.
Online infringement and counterfeit items are a problem that threatens legitimate brands on just about…
Protecting your brand from counterfeits and online infringements can be overwhelming if you don’t know…
Brands and resellers compete for space on Walmart and other online marketplaces. Creating a seller…
With over 400 million registered customers, 150 million product listings, and 375k+ sellers, Flipkart is…