Kazakh authorities are moving to strengthen regulations for sellers operating on online marketplaces. According to Bolat Tanabergenov, chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee under the Ministry of Trade and Integration, sellers found to have violated consumer rights could be banned from conducting business on online platforms.
A surge in complaints related to online commerce is driving the proposed reforms. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of consumer complaints rose 5.5 times, from 2,500 to 14,500, according to ministry data. In the first ten months of 2025 alone, over 15,000 complaints were filed against sellers in the e-commerce sector. With digital trade expanding rapidly, Tanabergenov warned that the volume of complaints is likely to increase further.
The committee has proposed legal amendments that would require marketplaces to sign agreements with sellers that mandate compliance with the Consumer Protection Law. This would make both the seller and the hosting platform jointly liable for any violations. Under the new framework, businesses that break consumer protection rules could be barred from accessing e-commerce platforms altogether.
The expanding role of digital trade in Kazakhstan’s economy underpins the urgency of the reforms. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the country’s e-commerce turnover exceeded $4.2 billion in 2023, rising to $6.1 billion in 2024, according to the National Statistics Bureau.
Meanwhile, total consumer complaints continue to rise. Tanabergenov reported that in 2020, authorities registered around 21,000 complaints. That number climbed to 62,500 in 2024, and in the first ten months of 2025, approximately 68,000 complaints had already been recorded.
In offline retail, consumers most commonly report refusals to exchange goods or issue refunds for defective products. Online complaints tend to focus on a lack of product or seller information, discrepancies between advertised and delivered goods, refusal to refund payments, and fraudulent activity.
According to the Consumer Protection Committee, 37% of complaints were fully resolved, with one in three consumers receiving compensation. Another 34% received legal advice or clarification, while 23% of complaints were transferred to other government bodies for further investigation.
