Research on Trust Problems and Countermeasures in China C2C E-Commerce

摘要

The fact that the number of cyber citizens in China has been increasing constantly is building more solid basis of China C2C. With wide diffusion of Internet technologies into businesses and households, Chinese Internet users have become active players in the online C2C market, which makes China C2C playing a more and more important role in China’s e-commerce marketplace. When C2C can provide the convenience and the actual benefit for consumers, and create values through low cost, its problems still exist because the transaction in C2C is virtual, anonymous etc. These problems are generally related to sellers’trust, and the lack of seller's trust leads to shopping risk which is one of the most frequently cited reasons for consumers not purchasing from Internet vendors, so it is important to initiate and maintain sellers’ trust considered as key facilitators of successful C2C. Although some domestic and foreign scholars have made some studies related to selle’s trust in China C2C, more studies are still needed to further analyze the trust problems in China C2C and provide corresponding countermeasures. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify main trust problems in China C2C and then attempt to find out effective countermeasures. The paper thinks main trust problems in China C2C include the following aspects: the purchasers buy commodities different from the propaganda or his previous expectations; commodities can not be delivered timely; a unified standard has not been produced to keep after-sales service; many sellers often take credit speculation, such as increasing the sale rate of low-priced commodities to obtain a high level and then enter the area of high-priced commodities because of positive relation between the level of the sellers and the rate of sell-out goods; users’ private information is leaked because privacy information must be input to succeed in online transactions; auction online is unfair and buyers suffer damage because of C2C sellers’ participation and control over it. As regards to countermeasures, the paper provides the following suggestions. Firstly, the trust management system of C2C e-commerce, composed of client system, intelligent network platform system, the independent third-party certification system,online credit appraisal and management system, and an electronic banking system, should be established to effectively strengthen trust supervision and overcome potential risks. Secondly, the application of the government’s administrative supervision and intervention, regular inspection, and complaints and feedback institution supervises and maintains the trust management system of C2C. Thirdly, C2C websites manage to participate in the logistics and establish logistics alliances to solve trade flow. Fourthly, establishing supervision from a fourth party prevents third party payment platform from conducting bank-like businesses. Fifthly, adopting economic sanctions, credibility punishment and ordered shutdown etc. reinforce penalties.Finally, the approaches, including outstanding important information on pages, strengthening humanity design, reinforcing interaction, and improving the system of the description, inquiry and comparison of commodities online, are suggested to improve C2C e-commerce platform design to make buyers search for sufficient and key information. A C2C seller will beautify its own image in customers' mind through improving its sincere intensity constantly, and thus gain more market share.