Press "PandaGuides" above to follow us!
A popular second-hand toy trading platform in China has come under fire after a seller allegedly demanded that a mother submit a video of herself slapping and scolding her child as a condition for a refund.
The incident began when Li Yun, the mother of an 11-year-old girl, discovered that her daughter had secretly spent over 500 yuan (US$70) on collectible trading cards through the Qiandao app, a major online marketplace for designer toys and collectibles.
After realizing the unauthorized purchase, Li immediately contacted the seller to request a refund, as the order had been placed only two hours earlier. Instead of agreeing, the seller accused Li of “pretending to be a minor to cancel orders maliciously” and issued a so-called “Minor Refund Notice.”
The notice demanded that Li record a five-minute continuous video of herself slapping her daughter, insisting that the footage must have clearly audible slapping sounds and show both of them in the frame. It also required a three-minute video of Li angrily reprimanding her child and a 1,000-character handwritten apology letter signed and fingerprinted by the girl, to be read aloud on camera.
When Li reported the incident to Qiandao’s customer service, she was told the platform could not intervene and that she should “negotiate directly with the seller.”
Following public outrage, the company issued a statement on October 20, clarifying that the “Minor Refund Notice” was sent by an individual seller and not officially endorsed by the platform. The company described the matter as a “personal transaction dispute” and pledged to “guide users toward civil communication and proper conduct.”
Founded in China, Qiandao has become one of the country’s leading resale platforms for designer toys and trading cards, boasting a total transaction volume exceeding 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in 2025. The platform enforces strict no-return rules for verified collectibles, but this case exposed potential flaws in its dispute-handling process.
Legal experts condemned the seller’s actions. Fu Jian, director of Henan Zejin Law Firm, said the request violated China’s Law on the Protection of Minors, which bans all forms of domestic violence. “This kind of demand is essentially inciting and coercing parents to abuse their children,” Fu said.
Online reactions were sharply divided. Some netizens sided with the seller, arguing that the child’s behavior caused the issue. “If a kid secretly uses their parents’ money, why should the seller suffer the loss?” one wrote. Others were outraged, calling the demand “humiliating” and “beyond reason.”
One comment summed up the public mood: “Refund policies should protect consumers—not force parents to harm their own children. This is not discipline, it’s abuse.”