TikToker Calls Out TikTok Shop Scams

July 04, 2022

On TikTok, a creator calls out fake products she purchased from the marketplace side of TikTok. In 2021, TikTok launched its marketplace, reminding many users of the market from other apps like Facebook or Instagram. But,  some of the products were sold by vendors for sky-high prices. Iman Hamid, a creator and a lawyer, posted about one of the products she purchased being fake. She purchased a lipstick by the brand Nyx for about 5 dollars, a lower price than what the lipsticks typically cost. But, upon receiving the product, she posts about the scam,  comparing the product from one she bought at a store and the one she purchased from TikTok’s shop.

In the comparison, she shows how the two colors look much different, and the texture of the shop looked different. “Please be careful and report them so they don’t scam others!” she warns in her caption. With over 300 comments on her video, many were unsurprised that the product was fake. “I knew TikTok shop was sketchy,” one commenter noted.

Although many users remained unsurprised that Iman received a false product, she is not the only person to purchase a product just for it to be a scam. For example, one creator who reviews products to help others know if a product is worth the investment or not bought a water bottle from a TikTok shop. This water bottle proved to be popular on the app, as it has times inscribed on the bottle to help people reach their daily water consumption goals. But, she reported her water bottle “had weird numbers at the bottom” and was the “worst purchase from TikTok shop.

https://www.tiktok.com/@notreallyf/video/7070500110764887302?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7043861003306944005

Although some people had great success with buying products from the shop, what is there to do about those being scammed? Small businesses often sell products on Instagram or Facebook successfully using the app’s designated marketplace, but it seems some are a bit wary of TikTok. Some recommend buying the product directly from a reliable website, as opposed to the better deals you could receive from TikTok.