Carcinogenic bargains: Wish under criticism
A laboratory investigation shows: The low-cost platform Wish sells products that should not be on the market in this country, as even the "SonntagsZeitung" recently pointed out.
The US platform Wish, which mainly sells Chinese bargains, is gaining ground in Switzerland. In terms of sales, the online store is already the 8th largest Swiss online store - Wish generated CHF 185 million in this country in 2018, the same amount as LeShop. A threefold increase in sales within three years.
Via Wish, products are sold at knockdown prices and delivered directly from China. The platform is particularly popular with young people in Switzerland. Due to the extremely low prices, expectations of quality are low, says Patrick Kessler, President of the Association of the Swiss Mail Order Industry to the SonntagsZeitung.
But the hunt for ultra-cheap products - including counterfeits of brand-name items - has a catch. Products are being imported that violate safety standards. The newspaper reports on a test conducted by the Swiss Consumer Forum at an independent laboratory. According to the test results, a Bluetooth headset that costs only 16 francs instead of 296 was "not fit for sale."
The reason: Various substances that are hazardous to health exceed the limit values. One of them is even considered carcinogenic.
Other tests - for example by the German TV magazine "Wiso" - concluded that certain products were "potentially life-threatening". There was a risk of electric shock if the power supply unit was touched.
Lack of security controls
There are no security checks at Wish. Chinese retailers can register directly on the platform and sell their goods to customers from all over the world. Wish is not very impressed by the Swiss test results - the Bluetooth headphones in question are still on sale, even though the consumer forum has informed the online retailer about the questionable substances.
Swiss consumers also seem unimpressed by potential health risks. They continue to order diligently from Wish. The boom is being fueled by another factor: Because China is considered a third world country by the Universal Postal Union, retailers there benefit from discounted postal rates to Switzerland. Free shipping is therefore often offered. Unequal playing field that has long caused displeasure among Swiss online retailers. (Source: Advertising Week)
