Price tag 9000 worth only 200, why does live-streaming "real gold" fear the fire test | Beijing News Quick Comment

▲Beijing News Reporter Investigation Uncovers Hidden Tricks Behind “Welfare Price” Gold and Silver in Live Broadcast Rooms

“Pure gold worth over 9,000 yuan,” 100 grams of “full silver,” sparkling ingots—various “hard currency” products all come with authentication certificates and support offline testing. They are offered at deeply discounted prices, claiming “buy for family” and “grab it to earn.”

Against the backdrop of rising gold and silver prices, live broadcast rooms selling gold and silver on social media platforms are extremely popular. Beijing News reporters investigated and uncovered the tricks behind the “welfare price” gold and silver. In the Jin Feng Jewelry live broadcast room, a product claiming to be worth 9,000 yuan—15 small gold beads—actually contained only 0.34 grams, half of which turned into black smoke during a burn test, leaving only 0.18 grams worth about 200 yuan.

The so-called “welfare price” gold and silver products investigated by reporters all have suspected counterfeit issues. Such chaos is not a first occurrence. However, as prices rise and profit margins expand, illegal merchants are more motivated to fake materials and certificates, using appealing marketing language to deceive consumers and profit from it.

In the current environment of rising gold and silver prices, this chaos is particularly alarming, and timely media exposure is essential.

Looking at this chaos, the main tricks are generally threefold, each interconnected.

First is “offline faking.” By faking materials, they package alloys and craftworks as “pure gold” or “full silver.” These products are not actually gold or silver. For example, the “investment silver bars” randomly purchased by reporters are actually alloy crafts, not real silver. Such products lack investment value, proper preservation attributes, and recycling worth.

Second is “verbal tricks.” Merchants move traditional offline counter business online, with hosts using enticing phrases like “less than one-tenth price” and “welfare price,” exploiting information asymmetry and consumers’ profit-seeking psychology. They are suspected of false advertising, using persuasive language to attract buyers.

Another common trick is “runaway and change accounts,” involving after-sales issues. Beijing News investigation found that these fake-selling live rooms and shops have short lifespans, seemingly lacking “long-term” plans. After receiving consumer complaints【Download Black Cat Complaint App】, related product links are quickly taken down, and shops may even shut down and run away. However, this is not a genuine change of heart; it’s likely that after the hype dies down, they will reappear with new accounts and shop names to continue operations.

These tricks are not new, but compared to ordinary products, gold and silver items are usually more expensive, meaning consumers who fall for these scams face greater losses. The harm caused by this chaos warrants increased attention.

Given the hidden tricks behind “welfare price” gold and silver in live broadcasts, and the lack of after-sales and rights protection for consumers, market regulators need to hold involved hosts and merchants accountable. Strengthening supervision and increasing penalties for violations are necessary to curb such chaos and ensure healthy development of live e-commerce.

Relevant platforms must fulfill their responsibilities and management obligations. Generally, platforms have a duty to reasonably review and supervise merchants. If platforms knowingly or should have known about obvious fake or falsely advertised “welfare price” gold and silver, or forged certificates, and fail to intervene, they may bear responsibility.

As a special commodity, gold and silver traditionally have industrial and financial significance. However, as their market heats up and public participation increases, they have become somewhat related to people’s livelihood. The chaos in gold and silver live markets concerns the interests of the public and must be taken seriously. The responsibilities of merchants, hosts, and platforms are all involved—no one can just shift blame.

Writer / Ke Rui, Commentator at Beijing News

Editor / Chi Daohua