The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Strategic decision · 2023–2024
C&S Paper honored a pricing mistake and turned loss into trust
A livestream typo priced 56.9-yuan tissue at 10 yuan for six boxes; C&S shipped all 40,000 orders, lost millions, then thanked refunding buyers.
C&S Paper
the move
A pricing typo in C&S Paper's official livestream sold 56.9-yuan boxes of tissue at 10 yuan for six boxes, drawing more than 40,000 orders and expected losses over 10 million yuan. The incident hit hot search as crowds debated whether buyers were exploiting the error.
Two days later the company published a letter owning the mistake completely: no cancelations, all orders shipped, and alternative compensation for buyers who did not want bulk deliveries — 'integrity and users are C&S's foundation.'
When customers began refunding without asking for anything, the brand answered with a thank-you letter, 'Thank You, My Faint Light,' listing gestures of gratitude. Users reposted it, and the story swept all platforms, moving the narrative from mistake to mutual trust.
why it works
- Honoring the orders proved the brand's stated values under real cost.
- A plain, non-defensive letter defused public skepticism.
- Thanking refunding customers flipped the story from loss to gratitude.
- The resulting wave of praise was publicity no budget could have bought.
what transfers
In a public error, absorbing the loss is cheaper than defending it; the money buys trust no ad budget can, and gratitude turns witnesses into advocates.
what came after
The event reached over a billion people; the two letters each topped Douyin and Weibo hot-search lists, and the story led trending lists on 15 platforms. The free coverage was valued at over 10 million yuan, the case was named one of 2023's most influential PR cases, entered a Shenzhen University EMBA curriculum, and made the shortlist of the 2024 金投赏 (ROI Festival).
references
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