Online vendors who refuse to display the prices of products on their pages and only reveal them to potential buyers in private messages will in future face hefty penalties, according to a new consumer protection law.
The Royal Gazette on Tuesday announced that online vendors must display prices and other details explicitly on their online platforms, with violators being fined up to 10,000 baht per offence.
The Central Committee on Goods and Service Prices said vendors must show prices so customers are better informed before deciding whether to contact them.
Apart from the price, vendors must also publish other details, including service charges, the type, size and weight of their products, on all websites and online platforms.
The vendors will also be required to display unit prices and to avoid anything being lost in translation the listing should write in Arabic numerals.
Written messages that relate to prices or service charges must be clearly expressed in the Thai language and if there are any expenses on top of the prices of products and services, the vendors must display such expenses too.
The maximum penalty can be imposed if the vendor insists on only revealing prices in private messages on major online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Line and websites.
Those who inform the Department of Internal Trade of offending posts will receive 25% of the fine if they produce the following evidence: screenshots of chat messages, prices revealed in private messages and vendors' bank account numbers.