Dhamaka Shopping came to the market with a singular plan: take hold of as much cash as possible from unsuspecting customers by offering them dizzying discounts for deferred delivery and run for safety as soon as a certain amount had accrued.

The  e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-Cab) has temporarily suspended  the membership of four e-commerce platforms: Evaly, Dhamaka Shopping,  Sirajganj Shop, and Glitters RST World.

The e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-Cab) has temporarily suspended the membership of four e-commerce platforms: Evaly, Dhamaka Shopping, Sirajganj Shop and Glitter's RST World.

The High Court yesterday wanted to know how tax is collected from e-commerce platforms and what steps have been taken into the allegation of money laundering by the companies.

The government today formed a 16-member committee to recommend measures to discipline the e-commerce sector, according to an order by the commerce ministry.

With owners of digital commerce companies Evaly and E-orange behind bars and facing trials on allegations of embezzlement, the funds of thousands of customers have been stuck in the payment channels because of legal complexity.

It calls its hefty discount offers tornado, typhoon, kalbaishakhi (Nor’wester), conflagration and Tufan (hurricane) and sells mobile phones, flats, cars and whatnot.

There is no need to form a separate regulatory body for the e-commerce sector as the existing legal framework is sufficient to ensure discipline, said industry stakeholders yesterday.

There are ways for online shoppers to get back their money stuck with some e-commerce platforms under the existing laws. But they will have to abandon the hope of retrieving all of their funds, said a legal expert.

The commerce ministry will form a committee to make recommendations on the formulation of a law, authorised by which the ministry will introduce an e-commerce regulatory authority to safeguard interests of all parties involved.

The commerce ministry is going to form a new committee to seek recommendations for making the law on e-commerce regulatory authority to safeguard the interest of the consumers and merchants.

Qcoom has suspended its physical operations after hundreds of customers thronged its office in Dhaka, demanding products or refunds amid the e-commerce platform’s failure to make deliveries within the promised dates despite receiving payments in advance.

President Abdul Hamid yesterday urged the Bangladesh Competition Commission to protect e-commerce customers from fraudulence. 

Appetite for purchases through online platforms using cards declined in July this year from that a month ago, as people have become cautious in placing orders following a series of scams centring e-commerce companies having started to come to light.

Appetite for purchases through online platforms declined in July from a month ago, as people became cautious in placing orders when a series of scams centring e-commerce companies started coming to the light.

Evaly is unlikely to be able to return the amount it took from customers in advance payment for goods, said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi yesterday -- in a crushing blow to the rogue e-commerce platform’s hundreds of thousands of aggrieved buyers.

The High Court yesterday issued an injunction order restraining controversial e-commerce platform Evaly, which allegedly has liabilities of more than Tk 1,000 crore, from selling and transferring its assets until further order.

The commerce ministry will have to take the primary responsibility to support the customers who were conned by some rogue e-commerce firms, said Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday.

The government has no plan to shut down any e-commerce company now due to irregularities by some 10 to 12 companies, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said today.

The commerce ministry will have to take the primary responsibility to help the customers conned by some rogue e-commerce firms get refunds, said Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.