The launch of a new standard on e-commerce transactions - Technical Reference 76 (TR 76) - is a welcome move by Enterprise Singapore and industry partners to help grow the e-commerce sector (National standard launched to improve e-commerce processes, June 13).

As the standard is still in its early days, the guidelines are likely to evolve, but the current recommendations can provide stakeholders with clearer directions and possibly weed out misleading practices.

I have shopped in various online marketplaces and have had my fair share of bad experiences.

I once purchased a mobile phone via an online marketplace. When it malfunctioned several months later, I went to the manufacturer's service centre, only to be told that my phone did not qualify for support and that the reseller I bought from may not have been authorised.

The reseller eventually informed me that the set I bought was a "not-for-local-use" set and that the warranty had expired. When I informed the online marketplace of my issues with the reseller, it took the reseller's side.

Consumers, merchants and platform owners can learn from TR 76 to strengthen our e-commerce ecosystem.

Tan Kar Quan