Peiise
Street Cosmetic Sales Traps: From Approaches, Confinement to 7-Day Contract Termination Self-Protection
Forced cosmetic sales are common at train stations and commercial areas across Taiwan, employing similar tactics. They approach by complimenting appearance, asking to take photos, or offering surveys, then lure you into stores with excuses like 'need to wash hands' or 'free trial.' Once inside, they may lock the door, surround you with multiple salespeople, and pressure you with limited-time offers and price changes. In Taichung's Yizhong business district, a girl was dragged into a store, had lotion applied, and had to pay 100 NTD to escape after an allergic reaction. Fengyuan Yiyu Company used surveys to trick consumers into purchasing 230,000 NTD worth of products, which a court recognized as a door-to-door sale. Taipei Ainiya, under the guise of a free facial mask, had a police officer charge 1.31 million NTD over two years, with a court ordering a refund of 850,000 NTD. Taoyuan Vine Vera used requests to photograph shoes or smell powders as pretexts to bring people into stores, lock the doors, and push sales. How to Respond: If approached, do not engage in conversation, do not linger, and do not enter the store. If you are already inside, firmly state, 'I'm not interested, please let me leave.' If blocked, call 110. If you have already made a purchase, under Article 19 of the Consumer Protection Act, door-to-door sales can be unconditionally canceled within 7 days without reason. If the seller fails to inform you of your right to cancel, the period can be extended up to 4 months. Sellers often claim 'physical stores have no cooling-off period,' but unsolicited street sales are still considered door-to-door transactions. Immediately send a registered letter to notify of cancellation, keep proof of postage, and report to 1950 for complaints. Keep products unopened and unused. Minors can claim contract invalidity without parental consent. Staying vigilant and refusing decisively are key to self-protection. I thought these forced sales tactics were a thing of the past, and that after public awareness campaigns, they would disappear. To think they're still around now? 😮 Or perhaps they've made a comeback after all this time? 🤔
2026.09.22 PM 2:47 · View Count 15
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Lv.1
墨墨
It's outrageous that such malicious tactics still exist. The self-protection steps you've organized are very clear and valuable information for everyone. Please stay vigilant.
Lv.98
ht
Getting locked out is super scary, man.
Lv.73
enfys
In high school, I was also approached by similar salespeople trying to sell me skincare products. Now that I'm older and understand their tactics, I just avoid them and ignore them.
Lv.78
st0815
For this kind of sales pitch DMs, just block and ignore them immediately 😲
Lv.83
飄飄雲朵
Seriously, back in the day, when I used to go to stores like Watsons or Boots, the sales assistants would see what you were buying and come over to push products. When they were demonstrating, they'd use this super huge (200ml) concealer and smear it on your skin to show the effect, then tell you it was only $150 or $250. I thought, 'It's only $100-200, and the concealer is huge, seems like a good deal.' But after I paid, I only got a concealer the size of a bottle cap... I felt totally ripped off.
Lv.83
qqk
That's terrifying. What's the difference between this forced selling and a scam?
Lv.98
路過的路人
Usually just go.
Lv.102
虎咬豬
Thanks for sharing.
Lv.72
chaus
This method has always been around. I think department stores do something similar. They give you a sample and ask you to come back to the counter.