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Online shopping (symbol image): The Federal Statistical Office has identified clear gender differences
Photo: Mohssen Assanimoghaddam / dpa
More than a quarter of consumers who sought help from a debt advice center in 2021 had outstanding invoices from online and mail order companies.
This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office, citing a comprehensive data analysis.
According to the analysis, a total of 28 percent of around 575,000 people were affected.
The proportion of online shoppers seeking help had risen by three percentage points within five years, it said.
There is also a clear gender difference.
As a rule, women have more debts with online and mail order companies.
Almost 35 percent of the women who sought the help of a debt counseling center in 2021 had payment arrears with online and mail order companies.
For men, the proportion was 23 percent.
The average debt burden is also significantly higher for women at EUR 779 than for men (EUR 425).
Younger buyers also often have open liabilities.
38 percent of the 20 to 24-year-olds who are advised have debts with companies in the sector.
The percentage decreases steadily with increasing age: while 34 percent of the 25 to 34 year olds still had payment arrears, the percentage for the 55 to 64 year olds was 21 percent.
On average, the debts that over-indebted people had with creditors in the online and mail order business amounted to 587 euros.
That corresponded to almost two percent of the total average liabilities of all over-indebted people of 31,087 euros.
Internet shopping is widespread in Germany: 81 percent of 16 to 74 year olds have ordered goods or services over the Internet.
While 82 percent of men were online buyers, the proportion of women was 80 percent.
The trend towards online shopping has increased again as a result of the pandemic.
ssu/Reuters