A SHENZHEN resident bought a refurbished iPhone 5s for 1,200 yuan (US$193.32) in April on 58.com, only to find the phone couldn’t be charged.

    The website 58.com is similar to American website craigslist.com, with a key difference: products are paid for online and mailed to the customers.

    After the resident, surnamed Mao, mailed the phone back and asked for a refund, the seller couldn’t be contacted.

    “The online shop (on 58.com) had a ‘V’ next to its name, which means the shop is considered credible,” Mao told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

    Mao called 58.com’s customer service, but they told him they had no responsibility to ensure the quality of the goods sold through the website.

    Mao then filed a complaint with the market supervision bureau in Luohu District where the Shenzhen office of 58.com is located.

    Mao is far from the first customer to complain about 58.com.

    The bureau has received 18 complaints from customers about counterfeit goods being sold through 58.com.

    Another Shenzhener, surnamed Zhou, thought he was buying an iPhone 5S for 1,200 yuan through 58.com. When the phone arrived, he discovered it was fake. Like Mao, he mailed the phone back and asked for a refund.

    An authentic iPhone 5S now sells for at least 4,488 yuan in China.

    The online seller refused to refund Zhou, so Zhou lodged a complaint with 58.com’s customer service in Beijing. Customer service in Beijing said that they couldn’t help Zhou because he had already mailed the fake iPhone back to the seller.

    Many customers choose sellers on 58.com based on whether or not they have a “V” rating. Many buyers assume shops with a “V” rating are trusted and high quality, but actually a “V” rating can be purchased for as little as 3,000 yuan per year.

    Jin Lijuan, head of the legal affairs department of the city’s consumer council, said 58.com is legally required to compensate defrauded consumers when shop owners can’t be tracked down.

    A woman, surnamed Liao, was identified as being in charge of 58.com’s Shenzhen office, but her phone went unanswered.

    The website 58.com hosts information about jobs and apartments. It also has a section for matchmaking and hosts a secondhand product market.

    According to legal experts, the website should be responsible for the products sold and services provided on its platform.

    (Zhang Qian)