Taobao trade-in was accused of maliciously lowering prices. Customer service responded: The rules are not perfect and are being rectified.

On November 1, in response to bloggers’ reports that Taobao’s “old-for-new” service was maliciously lowering prices, Taobao customer service specialists responded that the platform had imperfect rules when handling disputes and had interviewed service providers to request rectification. The customer service staff admitted that the current handling method was "like bargaining at a wet market" and apologized to consumers on behalf of the platform.

Previously, when a blogger purchased an iPhone 17 Pro Max as a "trade-in" at the Apple flagship store on Taobao, the estimated recycling price of his iPhone 15 Pro Max was cut from 4,488 yuan to 3,017 yuan, a price difference of 1,471 yuan, a 32.7% decrease. The recycler "Tongchengbang" added the item "Body Condition: Appearance has obvious scratches/bumps/paint peeling" in the test report, but the photos provided by the blogger show that the phone has no obvious signs of use.

It is worth noting that the "Tongcheng Bang" that provides services is a platform under 360 that provides recycling and trade-in services for mobile phones and digital products. It mainly cooperates with e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and Suning.

According to the Black Cat Complaint Platform, the number of complaints against the company has reached 1,317, most of which involve malicious price reduction.

During the appeal process, bloggers questioned the professionalism of the testing process. He found that in the inspection photos provided by Tongchengbang, the inspection personnel did not wear gloves when working, and the platform failed to provide complete unboxing video evidence. After 21 communications in 9 days, the recycling price experienced dramatic changes from 3,017 yuan, 4,200 yuan, and finally maintained the estimated price of 4,488 yuan, which was called a "hell-like experience" by the parties involved. Taobao 88VIP customer service specialist said that there are no clear standards for second-hand recycling.

The customer service manager admitted in his response that a price difference of more than 30% is an abnormal situation. The platform will improve the disposal details in the trade-in rules and require service providers to sign relevant agreements. At present, Taobao platform has intervened to handle this dispute.