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Purchases
Holiday season: tips for buying well
Publié le 11 décembre 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
How to recognize good chocolate? Which wine should you choose for your New Year's Eve? What are the quality labels? How to choose toys according to safety standards? How to buy online with confidence? Here are some tips to guide you in your end-of-year purchases and preparations.
Basic tips for holiday shopping
The Directorate General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) gives you practical advice to prepare your holiday season well.
- If you buy online: check the characteristics of the product by reading its full description, name, quality, composition, etc. (don't be content with the photo).
- If you buy in-store: check for CE marking for items, including toys or decorations, product composition and return conditions.
- If you buy games or toys: Make sure the toys you buy are suitable for your children, paying attention to age guidelines or prevention messages on the packaging. Make sure the toy you choose has the CE marking on it; read all the warnings on the packaging carefully; buy products in shops or on sites of known brands (do not hesitate to handle it if necessary); do not necessarily look for the right deal (a price too low can hide a counterfeit). In France, toys are regulated to keep children safe. Safety advice: check for markings and warnings and read the instructions carefully; avoid sophisticated equipment (e.g. presence of a remote control) for a young child; lasers and LEDs must be Class I.
- If you buy Christmas decorations, garlands or candles: check the safety markings (CE marking) and follow the instructions and precautions for use.
- If you purchase digital gifts: Assert your rights to the legal guarantee of compliance. Digital products, content, or services (subscriptions) have a two-year legal compliance warranty.
- If you buy food: Read labels and ingredient lists to see the percentages of quality raw materials; the higher the ingredient, the more it appears in the final product. For example, each type of chocolate must meet specific compositional criteria. According to the legislation, it must contain at least 35 % cocoa for an ordinary dark chocolate or 43 % for a quality dark chocolate. Milk chocolate contains 30% cocoa. As for chocolate sweets, the regulation is that they contain 25% chocolate. Official quality labels and signs are used to recognize a food product such as the PGI or the Red label...
- If you buy drinks: choose according to your expectations and not according to the graphic design of the label (organic, sulfite-free, sweet, raw, PDO, HVE); all these indications are there to help you in your choice.
Christmas markets
Christmas markets are subject to a specific regulation. In these markets, “physical” purchases do not allow you to benefit from the right of withdrawal (merchants must indicate this).
- The prices: they must be clearly displayed and the products must be able to be identified in full transparency to avoid deception about the crafts or the local character of the articles.
- Origin of products: for food, origin must be indicated. In the case of other foodstuffs, this indication is compulsory only if its omission is likely to confuse the purchaser.
- Labels and terms: to avoid any disappointment, choose products with the words ‘Made in France’ or ‘Made in France’ or those with quality labels such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) or AOC (Controlled Designation of Origin). They guarantee a specific know-how and a local origin.
FYI
The Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe) offers buying advice and a tutorial for an eco-friendly Christmas.
Reminder
You can report any problem with your purchase, transparently with the company, on the government website SignalConso.
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