Richmond Leader

A new poll shows strong support in Virginia for legislation addressing the problem of counterfeit and stolen items for sale online. 

“Counterfeit and stolen goods have become a major problem for consumers during the pandemic, and it’s clear from this poll that virtually all Virginians agree on the wisdom of these common sense proposals," Virginia Retail Federation director of government affairs Jodi Roth said, speaking in support of the measures. "And the Virginia Senate’s approval of the measure indicates that lawmakers also agree.”

Axis Research conducted an online poll from Feb. 4-7 of adults in Virginia regarding online shopping. Around 300 adults responded. Ninety percent of Virginia respondents answered that they were aware that online retailers sold goods from third-party sources, and 84% answered that they supported the practice. Sixty-one percent said fraud is an issue in shopping online.

A new poll shows strong support in Virginia for legislation addressing the problem of counterfeit and stolen items for sale online. | Adobe Stock

When it comes to support for the INFORM Act, 89% support it. Republicans and Democrats responded at 90% that they supported the bill.

The measure that is being weighed for consideration is the Online Consumer Protection Act, HB 888 and SB 341. This measure would try to address counterfeit items for sale and try to protect consumers by requiring high-volume third-party sellers to provide identifying information and contact information on the online marketplace from sellers. 

The Senate passed the bill by a margin of 27 to 12, the measure now moves to the Virginia House of Delegates, which has a similar proposal.

The problem of counterfeit goods is hardly one that is isolated to Virginia. This is a global problem that has affected many consumers. 

In September, The Wall Street Journal featured a major investigation into a $45 billion stolen goods scheme where brick-and-mortar stores like CVS, Walgreens, Home Depot, Walmart and others, are victims of sophisticated crime rings who steal merchandise and then sell it to resellers using online platforms like Amazon. These illegal sellers make millions of dollars while, according to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is slow or unwilling to investigate its own platform for these alleged theft rings.