Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices at medicine shop
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Customs today received information alleging that a salesman of a medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui was suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices when selling Chinese herbal medicines. During the course of selling Chinese herbal medicines, the salesman provided the total price in an untimely manner. He revealed the total price only after the herbal medicines were ground into powder.
After an in-depth investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 30-year-old local salesman of the medicine shop concerned.
An investigation is ongoing and the arrested man was held for inquiry.
Customs has all along been concerned about visitors being misled to make purchases by unfair trade practices and has established a Quick Response Team to handle urgent complaints lodged by short-haul visitors. The complaints will be promptly referred to investigators to handle with priority.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO, and consumers to purchase products from reputable shops. Consumers should also be cautious about the unit price for a commodity and ask for more information, including the total price of the goods selected, before making a purchase decision.
Under the TDO, any trader who engages in a commercial practice that omits or hides material information or provides material information in a manner that is unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely, and as a result causes, or is likely to cause, an average consumer to make a transactional decision, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).
Ends/Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Issued at HKT 22:48
Issued at HKT 22:48
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