Gregory Hunt provides a guide to resolving cross border consumer disputes
The internet has had many originally unthought-of consequences when it comes to international trade. Previously the closest most consumers got to purchasing overseas was either bringing home souvenirs of various sizes or being told by their local retailer that what they wanted was out of stock and would have to be “ordered from foreign parts”. Now, however, consumers often can and do cross international borders online, sometimes unwittingly, while shopping for their ideal purchases. The internet also creates an amazing research tool, one can now source a new Italian kitchen direct from Italy, send an e-mail or pick up the phone and cut out the need for a UK supplier.
X-border consumerism
In the days before virtual shopping baskets the scale of purchasing from overseas was not felt by the EU to warrant particular action. However, a recent (2009) European Commission report, Cross-Border Consumer E-Commerce, found the market was “estimated to be worth 106 billion euros in 2006”. The report also stated that
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