China’s Consumers Association has warned about online sellers displaying one version of a product while shipping a lower-quality version to some buyers. In a November 12, 2026 report citing CCTV News, IT Home described the practice as selling “A/B goods” through the same listing at the same price.
According to the report, consumers in remote rural areas may be sent lower-quality goods because returns and complaints are more difficult for them, while urban shoppers or those considered more likely to challenge an order receive the advertised version. The association said misrepresenting product quality may infringe consumers’ rights to information and choice, and could amount to fraud.
The association also raised concerns about using customer profiles to decide which version to ship. IT Home described such profiles as labels derived from data including delivery addresses, purchase histories and return frequency. The association said this kind of differential treatment implicates personal-information rights and fair-trading protections, and undermines trust in online shopping.
The report cited earlier investigations into the practice, as well as a platform response. In September 2026, Pinduoduo announced enforcement priorities that included shipping goods that do not match livestream samples and using customer data to send different products to different buyers. The association urged platforms to investigate differential supply, sellers to provide goods as represented, and consumers to retain listing pages, order records, livestream recordings and photos of delivered items if a dispute arises.
Source: ithome.com (originally published 2026-11-12 10:10 UTC+8)