Hand-carried goods market: let it float!

(Baonghean) -Hand-carried goods can be anything: Perfume bottles, cosmetic sets brought back from France, Hong Kong; a newly launched mobile phone brought back from Singapore or even a few boxes of baby milk shipped by air from Japan... Goods arrive in small drops, the price is not cheap but still in high demand. And even when genuine products are available in Vietnam, "hand-carried goods" still continuously "flood" into the market.

Coming to a store specializing in selling "hand-carried" goods on Nguyen Van Cu Street (Vinh City), when we asked if the store had "genuine" perfume, the saleswoman immediately enthusiastically introduced that there were almost all kinds of perfumes from famous brands such as CK, Gucci, BLV Gari, Chanel, Bubbery... with prices ranging from 700,000 VND to several million VND per bottle. At some mini supermarkets with signs specializing in Japanese, Korean, Thai goods, not only cosmetics, functional foods, milk, but also diapers, fabric softener, beer, candy... also had "hand-carried" goods.

The common feature of foreign goods supermarkets is that they are small in area, only 30-60m2, but they sell a wide variety of goods, without instructions in Vietnamese, without stamps, sub-labels, or import stamps, so it is difficult for buyers to know the name and address of the manufacturing enterprise as well as information and product quality... But according to the seller's introduction, "hand-carried goods are all of superior quality".

Thai food stall on Hong Bang street (Vinh city).

For a long time, hand-carried goods have appeared on the market through agents or individual retailers to deliver to consumers. In Vinh City, hand-carried goods, although not widely sold, are still of interest to many consumers. People buy products and only get product information through the seller's introduction without clearly understanding the manufacturer, origin, quality...

Ms. Ho Huong in Tan Tien block, Hung Binh ward confided: "I have a friend who specializes in selling Thai products such as clothes, cosmetics, household goods... According to her, the products are brought back from Thailand by relatives, the quality is better than domestic products. Although the price is higher, after many uses, I see the quality so I often choose to buy". Ms. Le Thi Loan, in block 3, Ben Thuy ward also said: "Not long ago, I went to a private clinic for a medical examination, the doctor advised me to use a functional food to support weight loss called Green Coffee. According to the doctor, this is a hand-carried product from the US, so I can rest assured about the quality, it is effective after 1 month of use. I have finished 2 boxes, initially I feel positive, but I don't know if this product is harmful to my health or not".

One of the hand-carried items that is currently favored by young people is mobile phones imported from Korea, Australia, the US... with beautiful designs, modern features and prices suitable for many customers, such as Sam Sung F1 priced at about 3.5 million VND/unit, F2 5.6 million VND/unit, Sky priced at 4.5 million VND/unit; iPhone 3 8GB priced at 3.2-3.5 million VND/unit...

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Long, owner of a mobile phone store on Minh Khai Street, said: "Customers look for hand-carried goods because of the advantages that genuine goods can hardly meet, such as quickly updating new products that are not available domestically; many strange, unique and beautiful items with brands or versions not intended for low-potential markets like Vietnam. High-end electronic products through genuine means are often "drop by drop". For example, the super product iPhone 5 of Viettel and Vinaphone, when it first appeared on the market after only 3 weeks of sale, both networks announced that they were out of stock or missing some versions, forcing users to buy hand-carried goods.

Labeled "imported", brought back by air, "hand-carried milk" products have long been trusted and favored by a segment of consumers, despite doubts about the origin and quality of the products. Meanwhile, the management and inspection of this product is almost being abandoned. Along Nguyen Thai Hoc, Nguyen Van Cu, Ho Tung Mau streets (Vinh City) ... it is not difficult for consumers to find suitable milk products; diverse in types, origins, divided according to the age of use, prices also differ depending on age and volume like milk. These types of milk are all imported through unofficial channels, advertised as being brought back by relatives, so the quality is guaranteed as well as the price is cheaper than official imported goods.

However, information from a survey report by the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) is very worrying: Only 1% of the causes of poor quality milk come from the manufacturer, while up to 72% come from improper storage by agents. Obviously, the transportation and storage of hand-carried milk products cannot follow the correct procedures, so it is completely possible that the quality will be affected.

According to the leader of the Market Management Department, most of the "hand-carried" goods are tax-evading goods, without business registration, without invoices or documents, and without price regulations. From the form of hand-to-hand sales, the seller sets the price for the product and resells it to the buyer for profit.

Using hand-carried goods has many potential risks, because there is no document certifying the origin and no agency or organization inspects the quality. In addition to the risk of buying fake goods, counterfeit goods, because food products are not properly preserved and transported, the quality can be affected.

And in any case, when a problem occurs, neither the seller nor the buyer knows where to go to complain.

Ngoc Anh