2024-03-02 17:44:01
In Brest, Rochefort-en-Terre (56), Vannes, perhaps soon in Quimper… Curious ephemeral points of sale are opening, here and there, in Brittany, in empty premises or, most often, in shopping malls , but also online. Wrapped packages pile up, in all shapes. Impossible to know what they contain, it’s a lottery. Three euros for 100 grams, 19.95 euros or 40 euros per kilo, 50 euros for five kilos… Prices vary from one store to another. The phenomenon is gaining popularity thanks to numerous videos on the social network TikTok, where young people try their luck and unpack their packages while filming themselves.
The anti-waste law of 2020, which came into force in 2022, included in French legislation a ban on destroying unsold non-food items.Originally, the legislator wanted to encourage donations, particularly to associations fighting against precariousness.
La Poste does not sell its parcels
An acronym comes up regularly: NPAI, postal jargon for “does not live at the address indicated”. These are the packages that would be resold. However, La Poste, responsible for delivering 453 million parcels in France in 2022, out of a total of 1.5 billion, does not participate in this phenomenon. “La Poste, as a carrier, does not own the packages it transports and does not resell any packages,” assures the group, which explains that it systematically returns lost packages to the sender. When it cannot be identified, the packages are sent to a specialized center to inspect and try one last time to find an address. After the three-month period, the contents can be resold at auction, but not in the form of a mystery package.
Beware of rumors
In an article from the daily Le Parisien, the carrier DHL also claims not to sell its undelivered packages. However, the brand’s packages are highlighted in several videos that promote this type of sale. Still according to the journalists of the Ile-de-France newspaper, Amazon, which organizes clearance sales, could be at the origin, without the information being confirmed. When contacted, the company did not respond. On the other hand, American brand packages can be found on the Interencheres website.
Grégory Caret, director of the consumer observatory at UFC-Que Choisir, calls on consumers to be cautious: “These sales techniques play on our curiosity to lure us, with an effective relay via social networks, and get rid of unsold items at a low cost. He also warns against sales techniques that relay rumors, particularly about the supposed gains of certain participants. The format of the ephemeral point of sale also raises questions, the sellers no longer having any accountability to their customers.
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