电商平台“仅退款”规则的法律规制研究

Research on Legal Regulation of “Only Refund” Rule on E-Commerce Platforms

摘要: 电商平台的“仅退款”规定自2021年拼多多率先提出后快速延伸至淘宝、京东、抖音等各大电商平台。该举措旨在降低售后成本、提升售后体验以达到吸引消费者的目的。商家入驻电商平台需将权利让渡，组成电商平台自治权，由此构成“仅退款”规则主要的权力来源。“仅退款”规则并非凭空出现，而是在平台经济竞争驱动、特殊品类商品需求等多种因素共同作用的结果。在规则实施初期受到了一致好评，但随着实践深入逐渐收到异化，平台责任的错位从而不合理转嫁平台责任、权利滥用等都造成商家权利的不合理受损，加之司法裁判中对于“仅退款”问题的分歧都导致电商平台经济经营的灵活性、自主性降低。2025年4月以来，各平台相继进行调整。对于“仅退款”条款的规制应当从平衡三方的权利与义务、尊重商家与消费者的协商、完善申诉机制与细化评价机制出发。避免“一刀切”，实行分层分类管理，从而提升交易的自主性，实现平台身份的转变。

Abstract: The “Refund Only” policy for e-commerce platforms has rapidly expanded to major platforms like Taobao, JD.com, and TikTok since Pinduoduo pioneered it in 2021. This measure aims to reduce after-sales costs and improve after-sales experience to attract consumers. Merchants entering e-commerce platforms need to transfer their rights, forming the autonomy of the e-commerce platform, which constitutes the main source of power for the “refund only” rule. The “refund only” rule does not appear out of thin air, but is the result of multiple factors such as competition driven by platform economy and demand for special category products. At the beginning of the implementation of the rules, it received unanimous praise, but as practice deepened, it gradually became alienated. The misalignment of platform responsibilities, unreasonable transfer of platform responsibilities, and abuse of rights all caused unreasonable damage to the rights of merchants. In addition, the differentiation of “refund only” issues in judicial rulings led to a decrease in the flexibility and autonomy of e-commerce platform economic operations. Since April 2025, various platforms have made adjustments one after another. The regulation of the “refund only” clause should start from balancing the rights and obligations of the three parties, respecting the negotiation between merchants and consumers, and improving the appeal mechanism. Avoid a one size fits all approach and implement hierarchical and classified management to enhance the autonomy of transactions and achieve the transformation of platform identity.