In Brest, Rochefort-en-Terre (56), Vannes, maybe soon in Quimper… In Brittany, in empty spaces or, mostly, in shopping malls, but also online, here and there, strange ephemeral points of sale are opening. Wrapped packages pile up, in all shapes. It’s impossible to know what they hold, it’s a lottery. Three euros for 100 grams, 19.95 euros or 40 euros per kilo, 50 euros for five kilos… prices vary from one store to another. The phenomenon is gaining popularity thanks to numerous videos on the social network TikTok, where young people try their luck and unpack their packages while filming themselves.
The 2020 anti-waste law, which came into effect in 2022, includes a ban on destroying unsold non-food items in French law. Originally, the legislator wanted to encourage donations, especially to organizations fighting uncertainty.
La Poste does not sell its parcels
The acronym comes up regularly: NPAI, postal jargon for “not residing at the address shown”. These are the packages that will be resold. However, La Poste, which is responsible for delivering 453 million parcels out of a total of 1.5 billion in France in 2022, does not participate in the event. “La Poste, as a carrier, does not own the packages it transports and does not resell any packages,” the group assures, explaining that it systematically returns lost packages to senders. When it cannot be identified, the packages are sent to a specialized center to check and make one last attempt to find the address. After a period of three months, the contents can be resold at auction, but not in the form of a mystery package.
Beware of rumours
In an article in the daily Le Parisien, the carrier DHL also states that it does not sell its undelivered packages. However, some videos promoting this type of sale have featured the brand’s packages. Still according to journalists from the Ile-de-France newspaper, Amazon, which organizes clearance sales, may be original without confirming the information. The company did not respond when contacted. On the other hand, American brand packages can be found on the Interchange website.
Gregory Carret, director of the Consumer Observatory at UFC-Que Choisir, tells consumers to be careful: “These sales techniques, with effective relays through social networks, work on our curiosity to attract us and get rid of unsold items at low prices. Costs also warns against sales techniques that spread rumors, especially about the supposed benefits of certain participants. The ephemeral point of sale format also raises questions, as sellers no longer have any responsibility to their customers.
(TagsToTranslate)France
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