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| Sun Jian exposes shady tricks behind e-commerce live streams. |
Chinese actor Sun Jian sparked heated discussion on October 17 by posting a video on social media to expose what he calls shady practices in the live-commerce world.
He confessed that he once spent 20 yuan of his own money to offer viewers a discount.
But — to his surprise — the store behind the scenes raised the displayed product price by the same amount right in front of the camera. In effect, the “discount” was neutralised.
Meanwhile, other influencers would offer only 5 yuan discounts, yet consumers still received almost identical price cuts.
Sun suggested this disparity showed that his own contributions had been undervalued.
Sun didn’t stop there.
He criticised influencers who flaunt luxury lifestyles — such as driving sports cars or wearing designer labels — yet claim they “can’t afford additional subsidies” when asked to share the burden of discounts.
He also revealed a past episode in which a brand had promised a 20-yuan voucher giveaway for the 11.11 promotion.
Allegedly, after pressure from other influencers, the brand withdrew the plan.
Sun ended up footing the discount cost himself—after the brand had already inflated the product price.
He described himself as “the fool who helps others profit.”
As someone with a science background, Sun claims he understands the tricks and patterns behind these marketing games.
He expressed strong dislike for manipulative tactics like these, arguing they harm both sellers and consumers.
This revelation has provoked conversations around transparency and fairness in the fast-growing livestream e-commerce sector.
Many are calling for higher standards and clearer rules to protect both creators and buyers.
Source: Weibo