E-commerce, also called online commerce, has experienced unprecedented growth since the beginning of the 21st century. Introduced in the DRC for a few years now, it stands out from the traditional trade and has now become one of the routes that scammers use to rob less knowledgeable people.
Previously used in the banking circuit, e-commerce has diversified, penetrating other sectors of life, such as the sale and purchase of clothes, wigs, weavings, shoes and household appliances.
Even if some still prefer traditional commerce, that is to say physical shops, e-commerce has advantages such as ease of ordering products from home, lower prices and sometimes free home delivery.
The quality of the goods, a disappointment for the buyers
However, great is the disappointment of many buyers who lament the quality of the products ordered, presenting no warranty receipt, have reservations about the security of money transactions, have little confidence and fear scams.
Increasingly, people from Kinshasa are engaged in this flourishing activity, but many are often disappointed when the goods they order on the internet are delivered. Jewelry that discolors after a few weeks or months, clothes, wigs, weaves that are of lower quality than the photos published on the net… In short, it looks like the Internet is a dumping ground for low-quality products .
Payment at reception, an anti-fraud
The internet penetration rate in the DRC is still one of the weakest in the world. Many banks have settled in most cities in recent years, but users generally only use basic deposit and withdrawal functions. Most of the accounts are salary accounts which are emptied all at once at the end of the month.
As a result, few purchases and sales are made using bank cards. In Kinshasa, transactions are mostly done through local mobile money services.
“We are experiencing very embarrassing situations in Kinshasa”
Note that many sites are fraudulent, it is still not easy for novices to unmask them. To fight against scammers, payments are made on site, upon receipt of the package. In this way, the buyer preserves his money and checks the quality of the goods. Otherwise, the customer has the right to return the package if he is not satisfied.
Patient Madengea young entrepreneur from Kinshasa and victim of e-commerce, shared his experience with us: “ We sometimes experience very embarrassing situations in Kinshasa, recently I ordered a power bank online, after a few days of use I noticed that the goods were of very poor quality, it’s a shame because I didn’t have a warranty receipt to return it and unfortunately I had already paid for the goods and given the money for the delivery. »
However, e-merchants also encounter some problems, such as the loss of transport money because the package is not delivered. They also sometimes end up with a large batch of unsold items, which is a big loss and causes a drop in turnover. Moreover, despite the fact that today some are being scammed online, other people are hitting the jackpot with good quality merchandise at a low price.