In a recent expose, it has been revealed that live streamers on the mainland are once again selling substandard down jackets as high quality products. Within half a month in one livestream room, four down jackets priced at a hundred yuan each were found to be substandard, with three of them containing a large amount of cheap floss or being completely filled with floss. The sales of these products amounted to approximately 3 million RMB, and the shops involved have been removed from the platform.
According to a report by “Blue Whale News” on August 6, clothing assessment blogger “Mr. H, Little Han Brother” purchased multiple down jackets from the livestream room in question for testing. The results revealed that one of the products claiming to be filled with “95 down” only contained 23% duck down, with the rest being floss. These down jackets were recommended and sold by former contestant Chen Xibei from “Super Girl” in the livestream room.
The assessor stated that between June 16 and 29, four low-priced down jackets sold in Chen Xibei’s livestream room were found to have filling consisting of duck down and floss, or entirely floss-filled; another one was also deemed substandard.
The term “floss” refers to single short fibers that come loose from feathers during the down processing. Its appearance and texture are similar to down, making it difficult for consumers to differentiate by observation or touch once mixed in the filling.
On June 23, a women’s down jacket priced at 179 yuan, claiming to be filled with “90 white goose down,” sold approximately 5000 pieces in a single livestream session, generating about 1 million RMB in sales. Within half a month, the total sales of related down products reached around 3 million RMB.
One consumer mentioned that the down jacket she received had stains and signs of wear around the collar, indicating previous use. After the test results were publicized, she tried to return the product citing false advertising, but was refused by the seller.
The products in question were also accused of using a “dual-store setup,” where the display page and the actual transaction page show different store names. Currently, both related stores have been removed from the platform, and the products have been taken down. The local market regulatory authorities where the businesses are located have stated that they have launched investigations into the matter.
On the evening of August 6, Chen Xibei publicly apologized, stating that a comprehensive investigation has been initiated and that affected consumers who purchased the down jackets would be reimbursed in full as a gesture of goodwill. As of now, the regulatory authorities have not disclosed the results of their sampling and investigation.
This incident has sparked heated discussions among netizens. Some admitted to having purchased the problematic down jackets, saying “The quality was too poor, so I returned them in the end.” Others questioned the quality of products in livestream rooms, commenting, “They occasionally attract consumers with low prices, then cut corners in the production process. Many businesses use this tactic.” Another netizen described floss as inferior short fibers scattered in a down processing workshop, labeling it as “the worst quality.”
Industry insiders in the down industry stated that the procurement price of floss is around 15-25 yuan per kilogram, while 90 white goose down is priced at 860-1150 yuan per kilogram, making the former only about one twentieth of the latter. If a regular short down jacket requires 200 grams of 90 white goose down for filling, just the raw material cost alone would be close to 200 yuan, with additional costs for fabric, accessories, and labor, making the total manufacturing cost at least 300 yuan.
In 2022, the mainland implemented the “Down Clothing” standard, which uses “down content” as the main indicator. According to this standard, products must specify their down content, and those with less than 50% down cannot be labeled as down jackets.