On November 12, 2025, the annual “Double 11” shopping festival in mainland China, which saw a noticeable decline in enthusiasm last year, is experiencing a more subdued market atmosphere this year. Despite major platforms launching promotions in advance and offering marketing activities such as “low prices” and “price protection” to attract consumers, the reality is marked by issues of inflated prices, unclear rules, and difficulties in honoring price protection guarantees. Many businesses are using deceptive tactics, leading to a significant increase in consumer complaints. The promotional behaviors of some businesses are eroding consumer trust, and “Double 11” is facing a crisis of trust.
As the “Double 11” approaches, many consumers are adding desired items to their online shopping carts in advance to wait for discounts during the promotion. However, on the actual promotion day, prices of some items are observed to be higher than usual.
Mr. Zhang from Shanghai shared that on October 27, he added a razor head to his online shopping cart to monitor its price trend. Four days later, the price of the same item with the same link and specifications surged from over 260 yuan to over 590 yuan, more than doubling. Two minutes later, after refreshing the page, the price dropped back to over 280 yuan. The original price of the item on the same link also experienced a price roller coaster: starting from 317 yuan, rising to 670 yuan, and then dropping to 523 yuan.
Ms. Mai, a consumer in Hangzhou, told reporters, “The prices of items I added to my cart in advance actually increased during checkout.” After reaching out to customer service, she was informed that it was considered “normal business practice” by the merchant.
Many consumers have taken to social media to express their frustration: “Prices change every day, just when I was about to place my order, they increased.” “Merchants hike prices at the last minute before the event, with seemingly plenty of discounts and coupons, but when calculated, it turns out to be more expensive than usual.” “Behind the apparent discounts of today’s Double 11, it’s all tricks.”
A comparison of data from multiple price comparison platforms reveals that many products quietly increase their prices before promotions, then lower them for sale with discounts such as “full reduction” or “subsidies,” appearing to offer significant discounts, but actually the prices are higher than usual. On the JD platform, the prices of the top ten memory products have generally increased by over 40% since early October, and some solid-state drives on Double 11 are even priced higher than their regular prices.
This year’s “Double 11” sees various platforms deploying marketing tactics such as “low prices,” “reductions,” “full discounts,” “gifts,” and “coupons,” with intricate and ever-changing rules. The conditions for using various coupons and full discount activities have left many consumers feeling overwhelmed. What exacerbates consumer dissatisfaction is that some high-value coupons are either unusable or have unreasonable rules set.
Ms. Wu from Shanghai mentioned that she saw an activity in a flagship store for baby products offering a reduction of 525 yuan for purchasing 5 sets, but she did not enjoy the discount during checkout. Customer service explained that the “activity is still under review,” and she has yet to use the coupon.
Many netizens have pointed out that numerous coupons have strict conditions, making some items ineligible for their use. Some consumers have highlighted that the “lowest price” promoted by merchants often requires cumulating “cross-store reductions” to achieve, meaning if they don’t buy additional items or do not reach a certain amount, they cannot enjoy the discount.
Consumers on social media have vented out: “Multiple coupons cannot be used together, limited scope of application. Buying something feels like solving a math problem, the price rules are too chaotic.”
Others expressed, “Buying something involves overcoming hurdle after hurdle, participating in Double 11 for so many years, it’s the first time I feel mentally exhausted.”
To attract consumers, many shopping platforms have launched slogans like “price protection throughout the process” and “price protection for 30 days.” However, a search on a certain third-party complaint platform revealed that complaints about “Double 11 price protection” have exceeded tens of thousands.
Many consumers have reported that the products purchased during “Double 11” period did not have the promised “lowest price” as claimed by the merchants. When they applied for price protection, merchants often refused by citing reasons like “platform coupon and gifts are not eligible for price protection” or “early buyers enjoy the benefits”; some merchants avoid price protection responsibilities by delisting products or changing links.
Ms. Zhang from Hangzhou stated that she bought an air fryer with a “30-day price protection” guarantee, but after the promotion, the price dropped by a hundred yuan, yet her price protection application was rejected.
Since Alibaba launched the “Double 11 Shopping Festival” in 2009, this e-commerce promotional event has now been through 17 years. What was once a “national celebration” creating sales records is now experiencing a noticeable decline in popularity. Since 2024, many platforms have stopped disclosing the total transaction amount.
An article published today (November 11) by China Economic Network reads, “If the price maze is not broken, Double 11 will eventually lose people’s hearts,” pointing out that from the price “disguise show” of “first raising prices and then lowering them,” to the deceptive practice of “different prices for different people,” and the rule trap of “the more you buy, the more expensive it gets,” the former “consumer welfare” of Double 11 is being eroded by layers of deception.
(Reference to reports from Legal Daily, China Economic Network, among others)