Did You Know: It's Illegal For Sellers To Ask You To 'PM For Price'
If a seller fails to comply with this requirement, it is considered a criminal offence and is punishable by law.
By Alia Kamelia — 23 Aug 2022, 03:29 PM
Yes, it's illegal for online sellers to ask you to private message (PM) them for the price of a product
I'm sure a lot of us are well-acquainted with buying things online, especially from Instagram stores. You may have even noticed that a lot of these sellers refuse to disclose the prices of their products — even going as far as making their Instagram accounts private.
'PM for price' may be a familiar phrase you always see while scrolling through these online stores. Well, did you know that it's actually illegal for sellers to tell you to 'PM' them for the price?
According to the Consumer Protection Act 1999, sellers are required to provide compulsory information, such as the price in product postings
Among the information that's required for a seller to disclose when selling includes "the full price of goods or services, including transportation costs, taxes, and any other costs", as stated in Regulation 3(5) of the Consumer Protection (Electronic Trade Transactions) Regulations 2012, enforced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP).
If a seller fails to comply with this requirement, it is considered a criminal offence and is punishable by law.
According to this 2017 article from New Straits Times, "Individuals running online businesses without observing the eight requirements listed out by the ministry could be slapped with a fine of up to RM50,000 or face a jail term of not more than three years, or both."
Keep this in your back pocket the next time an online seller tries to tell you to send them a message when you ask for the price of goods
