[단독]Kakao, this time suspected of unfair fees for ‘gifting’ stores

2024-05-08 02:58:00

Up to 10% off the ‘sales price including shipping costs’
It’s like a company charging a fee for delivery.
Fair Trade Commission launches investigation into ‘unfair trade’

News 1

It has been confirmed that Kakao is being investigated by the Fair Trade Commission on suspicions that it unfairly collected fees from companies participating in the ‘KakaoTalk Gifting’ service. Kakao, which raised controversy over ‘abuse of power’ by charging commissions of up to 10% or more from small business owners, has become the subject of another investigation by the Fair Trade Commission over suspicions of unfair trade.

According to related industries on the 7th, the Fair Trade Commission is investigating allegations that Kakao collected commissions from gifting stores and even charged commissions on shipping costs. All products registered for KakaoTalk gifting are delivered free of charge, except for some islands and mountainous areas, due to Kakao’s free shipping policy. Accordingly, stores are selling products with basic shipping costs included in the product price.

The problem is that when Kakao deducts brokerage fees from stores, it has been charging a commission on the entire sales price including shipping costs. The commission that Kakao collects from gifting stores is known to be up to 10%. Considering that the average shipping cost is 2,000 to 3,000 won, the company will have to pay an additional fee of 200 to 300 won per order. Product delivery is handled by the store company, not Kakao.

Receiving a fee in this way may constitute a request for economic benefit, which is prohibited by the Large-Scale Distribution Business Act. The Large-Scale Distribution Business Act stipulates that large companies such as Kakao must not provide economic benefits to suppliers without justifiable reasons. There is speculation in the industry that the Fair Trade Commission will complete the investigation within this year and submit it to deliberation to determine sanctions and the level of sanctions. An official from the Fair Trade Commission said, “We cannot comment on specific cases.” Kakao did not reveal any specific position regarding the investigation.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding Gapjil’s gifting on KakaoTalk has continued. The National Franchise Owners Association reported to the Fair Trade Commission in November last year that Kakao was abusing its market dominance and charging excessively high fees. It is said that Kakao is taking advantage of its dominant position to collect a commission of 5-11%, which is far more than the credit card payment commission rate of 2%. Last year, Kakao’s commerce sales amounted to 989 billion won, most of which is known to come from gifting.

There are also predictions that other commerce platforms may also be subject to investigation depending on the results of this investigation and sanctions. Naver also collects commissions, including shipping costs, for products sold on Smart Store.

Meanwhile, the Fair Trade Commission sent investigators to Coupang and Naver headquarters on this day to secure data related to membership termination terms and conditions. Coupang and Naver are accused of making it difficult to cancel early or not informing consumers that early cancellation is possible while operating the ‘Wow Membership’ and ‘Naver Plus Membership’ services, respectively. The Fair Trade Commission has previously launched investigations into other online platforms, including Netflix, Wave, Watcha, Bugs, and Spotify, regarding early termination.

Sejong = Reporter Song Hye-mi [email protected]
Reporter Kim Ha-kyung [email protected]

Donga Ilbo exclusive

I also recommend these subscriptions!

• 

  cat eyes

• 

  health capsule

• 

  Byeong-Guk’s Army, Navy and Air Force Conversation

• great

  0dog

• I’m so sad

  0dog

• I’m angry

  0dog

• I recommend it

  dog

Hot news now

2024-05-08 02:58:00