Marketplaces in the Crosshairs: Supreme Court Protects Consumers

The Supreme Court of Russia has issued a ruling that could change the rules of the game for marketplaces. The court ruled that an aggregator is liable for losses if it provided false or incomplete information about a product or seller. This case arose from a complaint by a resident of Krasnodar Krai who purchased a gasoline surfboard on AliExpress for 320,000 rubles. While using the product, he discovered an engine malfunction and demanded a refund and compensation.

AliExpress, in turn, stated that it is not responsible for the quality of the product, as the sales contract was concluded with a specific foreign seller. However, the Supreme Court sided with the buyer, stating that the aggregator is obliged to provide complete and accurate information about the product and seller. If the information turned out to be incomplete or inaccurate, the aggregator is liable for losses caused by such information.

This ruling underscores the importance of marketplaces providing complete information and may affect the practices of such platforms in Russia. It also demonstrates that consumers can count on the protection of their rights even in complex cases where the seller is abroad. For marketplaces, this is a signal to more carefully control the information provided on their platforms and to pay more attention to consumer rights.