“Abusive practices”: the Province of Buenos Aires charged Mercado Libre and could fine it for more than $1.8 billion

In this regard, the Buenos Aires Ministry of Production, Science and Technological Innovation, through its Provincial Directorate of Consumer Defense, initiated an ex officio action against the company.

The measure took place within the framework of an investigation, with “an inspection carried out on the contractual instruments published on the company’s official site, in which More than 10 clauses with alleged violations were identified to National Law No. 24,240 on Consumer Protection and complementary regulations,” said the provincial portfolio.

He specified that the analysis covered the general conditions and terms of use of the “MELI ecosystem”, as well as those of personal loans and for Mercado Pago purchases and payments. He pointed out that there would be abuses under the terms of article 37 of the Consumer Protection Law, “by enshrining an imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties, to the detriment of consumers.”

He added that the company has the possibility of formulating a proposal for adaptation, modification or deletion of the observed clauses and, in such case, the file would end. Otherwise, he assured that may be punished with a fine of up to $1,815,000,000.

Now, Mercado Libre has a period of five business days and cannot be extended. to present your defense in writing in the city of La Plata.

The Province also noted that Mercado Libre is the company with the most complaints in the Province: 2,396 individual complaints in the first four months of 2026 alone.

Asked about this, the e-commerce platform indicated that “The aforementioned accusation corresponds to an initial instance of ex officio administrative review“, and clarified that “it does not imply any sanction and does not arise from claims “specific numbers of affected users.”

“We reject the accusations raised and will present the corresponding defense in a timely manner, providing all the necessary information and clarifications,” he anticipated.

“Millions of people use our platforms every day and, relative to the enormous volume of transactions we process, we have a very low level of complaints. Besides, We have user protection toolssuch as Protected Purchase and different service and resolution channels, which allow the vast majority of cases to be resolved quickly and efficiently,” he highlighted.

And he added that “Mercado Libre has clear terms and conditionstransparent and aligned with current regulations, which is why it once again rejected any interpretation that suggests otherwise.”

“As we usually do, We maintain a permanent and constructive dialogue with regulatory authorities and control bodies from all over the country, including the province of Buenos Aires,” he concluded.