Australian Consumer Watchdog Warns Over 60 Overseas 'Ghost Stores' Targeting Online Shoppers

Australia's consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has issued a major warning about 'ghost stores'—online retailers that falsely claim to be local Australian businesses shutting down and offering heavily discounted, high-quality products. In reality, these ghost stores are based overseas, drop-ship low-quality or counterfeit clothing and footwear, and frequently rebrand under new names and different Australian locality-based domains to appear legitimate. Since early 2025, the ACCC has received over 360 complaints related to about 60 such ghost stores, with many consumers reporting refusal of refunds or lack of response to complaints. The ACCC identified four active websites—everly.melbourne.com, willowandgrace-adelaide.com, sophie-claire.com, and doublebayboutique.com—and urged consumers to be cautious about social media ads claiming to be from local boutiques. The regulator has also contacted e-commerce platform Shopify and social media giant Meta, urging them to take responsibility for preventing these deceptive practices, as shutting down one website leads to immediate reappearance of another. Consumer advocates highlighted the difficulty for consumers to seek recourse since these stores operate overseas, and recommend contacting banks to possibly reverse transactions, while calling for stronger regulatory reforms to address this widespread issue.