Don't let fake discounts and paid rankings distort online shopping deals

Track price history, compare the final payable amount and keep screenshots

The Centre notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, on September 9, 2026. They will take effect on January 1, 2027, making it harder to advertise fake or exaggerated discounts. The rules also prohibit e-commerce platforms from manipulating search results or indexes in ways that mislead users. Platforms will also have to prominently identify sponsored product or service listings.

This festival shopping season, however, buyers will themselves have to be on guard against deceptive discounts, paid rankings, and deceptively cheap credit.

Platforms and sellers at times inflate the reference price or the maximum retail price (even when the product was rarely sold at that level), making the discount look larger than it really is. “They may temporarily increase a product’s price before a sale and then present the reduction as a discount,” says Akshat Pande, managing partner, Alpha Partners.

For instance, a product ordinarily sold for ₹1,000 may be marked up to ₹1,500 and then offered at ₹1,000 as a 33 per cent discount, which, in effect, amounts to zero saving for the buyer.