On February 26th, Mr. Zhang from Guangdong spent nearly 50,000 yuan on purchasing 2000 grams of investment silver bars on the Jingdong platform, only to find out through testing that the silver content in the bars was a mere 0.16%. Currently, the shop that promised “one fake, compensate ten” has closed down, and Jingdong has only agreed to a refund, rejecting the compensation offer. Unfortunately, Mr. Zhang’s experience is not an isolated case.
Since 2025, the price of silver has been steadily rising, reaching historic highs in January 2026. Many people see investing in silver bars as a new financial option.
According to a report by Tencent Finance on March 15th, on February 26th, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang from Guangdong were shopping for investment silver bars on the Jingdong platform and found that the prices of various brands did not differ much. Taking advantage of the interest-free installment plan, they placed two orders for silver bars from the “Jieyun Mao Jewelry Flagship Store,” with each order totaling 24,999 yuan, amounting to a total payment of 49,998 yuan. The shop claimed to offer a “one fake, compensate ten” guarantee.
Upon receiving the goods and unpacking them, they found investment silver bars inscribed with “Investment Silver Bar S9999, 100 grams,” featuring a dragon and phoenix pattern on the back. Each bar came with a “Appraisal Certificate” issued by the “Zhongxin Yinke Gold and Silver Jewelry Testing Center,” stating that they were “pure 999.9 silver.”
It was reported that the company owning the “Zhongxin Yinke Gold and Silver Jewelry Testing Center” is Zhongxin Yinke International Gold and Silver Jewelry Testing Co., Ltd. Information from Tianyancha showed that the company had been flagged for abnormal business operations by the Xiu Yu District Market Supervision and Management Bureau of Putian City in June 2025, citing inability to contact the registered address or operating location. The national market supervision administration’s website for inspecting and testing agency qualifications does not have any information on this organization.
Wanting peace of mind, Mr. Zhang had some of the silver bars tested at a local mall recycling store, only to discover that the bars contained a high copper content of 50.54% and zinc content of 47.04%, with only 0.16% silver content.
Subsequently, Mr. Zhang sent all the purchased silver bars to the “National Jewelry, Jade, and Gemstone Inspection Group Co., Ltd.” for retesting. The test report clearly showed that the investment silver bars submitted for testing were primarily composed of copper and zinc metals, not genuine investment silver bars, confirming that the purchased bars were indeed counterfeit and substandard goods.
Currently, the shop “Jieyun Mao Jewelry Flagship Store,” which guaranteed “one fake, compensate ten,” has closed down.
Mr. Zhang contacted the Jingdong platform to request compensation, insisting that the platform honor the shop’s public promise of “one fake, compensate ten.” After repeated communication, Jingdong refunded the initial purchase amount, but citing the compensation amount as excessive, refused to fulfill the promise of “one fake, compensate ten.”
The report mentioned that Mr. Zhang’s experience was not an isolated case of buying fake investment silver bars. Many consumers have shared their experiences of purchasing investment silver bars online on social media. They had hoped to make a profit in the market, only to find out upon testing that they had received counterfeit goods, with platforms rejecting high compensation claims, leaving consumers in distress.