A Taiwanese tourist claims that cosmetics purchased in Osaka were empty when opened after returning to Taiwan. Taiwan media outlet ETtoday reported this on the 8th.

According to the article, the poster explained on the social media platform Threads that on the afternoon of the 6th of this month, they purchased a branded makeup primer at a store in Namba Walk, Osaka. However, when they returned to Taiwan and opened the box, the product was not inside. According to the poster, there was no indication like "empty box" on the box, and because the staff performed duty-free packaging immediately after the purchase (opening the seal would invalidate the duty-free status), they were unable to open and check it during their stay in Japan.

The poster uploaded a video of the empty box to Threads, asking, "This is too terrible. Is there any way to get some kind of response? 1500 Taiwanese dollars (approximately 7600 yen) is not a small amount of money." "This is surely a scam. But I threw away the receipt. This is truly the worst." "Moreover, at that time, when I tried to take a regular product without an extra gift, the staff told me, 'Please take this set,' and so I chose it. I had done a lot of shopping then, so I didn't notice any difference in weight at all. I'm really going crazy. Are there any Taiwanese people in Japan who can report this to the police on my behalf?"

In response to this post, Taiwanese netizens commented, "I think in Japanese drugstores, high-end cosmetics, and skincare product sections, it's common to display empty boxes on the shelves and the staff hands over the actual product at the checkout." "Usually, empty boxes shouldn't have barcodes. I don't think they can be scanned at the register without a barcode." "It's really better to check the contents before having them bagged at checkout. Many people have unexpectedly experienced such oversights."

Also, comments included, "The same thing happened to me. I realized it while packing the night before returning home, and when I took it to a sister store and asked for an exchange, I was told, 'We can only handle exchanges at the store of purchase,' so I ended up returning home with the empty box." "When shopping in Japan nowadays, you really need to be careful. If it's a duty-free purchase, you should thoroughly check the screen at the register. For expensive items, empty boxes are often displayed, so you need to confirm that the staff has provided a new item." "It's a good idea to email the Japanese head office to request a response. I also once contacted them after returning home when I noticed a defect in a duty-free product. The communication was troublesome, but it was resolved." (Translation/Editing by Kitada)