YLE: Finnish stores sell products similar to Temu and Alibaba offerings
YLE News reported that the ranges of several well-known Finnish stores include products that, based on advertising images, look identical or very similar to products on the Chinese marketplaces Temu, Shein and Alibaba. Journalists compared advertising photos of products in Finnish stores and on these online platforms.
In particular, YLE purchased a massage gun promoted by the Finnish brand Prego. It cost €29.99 at Tokmanni, while wholesale buyers can purchase such a product on Alibaba starting from €3. The packaging states that the device was imported by a Finnish company rather than manufactured by it; the country of origin is not indicated.
The companies’ position
Berndt Krause, CEO of Inbound, which is behind Prego products, said that the industry usually emphasizes product features rather than the country of origin. According to him, Prego products are researched and tested before being introduced to the Finnish market.
Janne Kärkkäinen, head of the Kärkkäinen online store, noted that the country of manufacture alone does not determine a product’s quality or safety. He added that a significant share of consumer goods worldwide is made in China or other Asian countries, regardless of the country in which the brand is owned or managed.
Biltema labeling
YLE also drew attention to a cleaning tool for in-ear headphones that Biltema sells in its online store. It looks the same as a product offered by Temu at a significantly lower price. In its marketing materials, Biltema says that it manufactured this product in Sweden.
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Biltema marketing manager Joonas Leinonen explained that the company is not required to state the origin of products on its website. According to him, under the EU General Product Safety Regulation, the company is considered a manufacturer if it sells and promotes a product under its own trademark.
Similar products may differ
Juha Berling-Pomoell, secretary-general of the Consumers’ Union of Finland, said that this practice does not create legal problems, although it may mislead buyers. According to him, legislation considers a manufacturer to be the party that made a product itself, commissioned its manufacture, or developed it. The manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that products comply with EU rules and are safe to use.
Berling-Pomoell warned that products that look similar may differ in their level of safety. He estimated that 80–90% of products on such platforms may be unsafe due to potentially allergenic or carcinogenic substances or improper construction of electrical components.
Among other examples, YLE named a support backrest for a car or office chair: Clas Ohlson sells it for €34.95, while a similar product is offered on Alibaba for 50 cents with the same advertising images. Clas Ohlson representative Kaisa Sipponen said that the brand’s products are developed in Sweden but are often manufactured in China; large marketplaces also feature unauthorized copies and products whose advertising may improperly use original photos.
