Winners and losers in early Singles' Day sales

Delivery workers handle packages at a warehouse in Beijing on Nov 9, 2020, to be delivered to customers ahead of the Singles' Day. PHOTO: AFP
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Scrolling through the e-commerce app Taobao one weekend last month, marketing executive Li Nana spent close to 500 yuan (S$102) in deposits on dozens of items, knowing she would have to pay the full amounts for them between Nov 1 and Nov 3 to enjoy massive discounts.

But the 26-year-old, like tens of thousands of others, missed the deadlines when they arrived, so she not only forfeited her deposit but also lost out on the price drop.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 10, 2020, with the headline Winners and losers in early Singles' Day sales. Subscribe