Let’s Run the Numbers
The marketplace sends a notification: “Due to the incident, the updated user agreement has taken effect — drone strikes are force majeure, no payments for burned goods. But we value you, so here are preferential logistics and commission rates for six months.”
Before clicking “Accept,” let’s do the maths.
The Real Economic Calculation
Assumption: your burned stock at the affected warehouse amounts to 5,000,000 roubles at net cost price.
WB offers: a “preferential discount” on commission or logistics fees — say, 3%.
Question: how much new goods do you need to sell through the platform to recover the lost 5 million roubles using only this discount?
Answer: you need to generate turnover of 166,000,000 roubles.
Do you have 166 million roubles of working capital available just to break even? And if another warehouse burns next month?
What Is Actually Happening
You are being asked to fund the negligence of a professional custodian out of your own pocket.
The drone force-majeure clause is not a law. It is an attempt to frighten sellers, defuse the wave of claims, and get you to click “Accept preferential terms” — which, in legal terms, contains your voluntary waiver of real money.
What the Law Says
Under Articles 901 and 902 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the marketplace is obliged to reimburse actual loss with real money, paid directly to your bank account.
Under Article 425 of the Civil Code, the new terms cannot apply to goods that were delivered to the warehouse before those terms were published.
Discounts do not pay your staff, do not cover supplier invoices, and do not service your loans. Burned goods require real payment — not virtual percentages on future sales.
How to Avoid the Trap
Do not accept discounts without a legal review. Agreements for preferential rates almost always contain language confirming “the absence of any financial and property claims.” By clicking “Accept,” you voluntarily close the door to court.
Calculate real figures — do not be distracted by percentage points without anchoring them to your actual losses.
Act now — case law in this area is being formed today, and early claimants with correct documentation have the best prospects.
Read Also
- 4 Myths About Wildberries Terms and Drone Force Majeure
- Marketplace ‘Logistics Discount’ Instead of Fire Compensation: Why Russian Law Says No
Stop funding other people’s losses out of your own capital. Contact us — we will assess your primary documents, verify delivery dates, and show you how to claim real compensation through lawful means.