TikTok shoppers thought they were bidding on iPhones. Instead, they won teddy bears

Tik Tok live broadcast Host waves a iPhone in front of the camera as about 250 viewers perform.

“This could be for you, have a chat,” the host says. “I wake up.” The host’s face is hidden from view, with only their hands visible in front of stacks of iPhone, iPad, and MacBook boxes. the Tik Tok Auction starts at $1. As the timer counts down, the price quickly rises, with a bid over $100 a win. After bidding closes, the digital prize wheel appears and spins through several possible products before landing on what the high bidder has just won: a teddy bear.

The winner was angry. “I just paid $147 for a stuffed animal,” they wrote in the chat log of the stream. “When I was bidding, I said I could win this iPhone, give me the BB3 Zodiac,” they said, referring to the iPhone. Lapopo style Plushie which retails for around $20. “This is a scam. Please return my money.”

This person was not alone in his frustration. Many stream viewers were outraged when they bid high in hopes of getting Apple devices, only to learn that their reward was a chance to spin a digital prize wheel that landed on something cheap. “Dude, no. That’s false advertising. Why would I pay $55 for a damn charger?” another angry bidder wrote. “Call my bank now.” Asking for a refund was a common refrain.

It’s all part of a TikTok feature, called “Surprise Collection,” where auction hosts create collections of up to 500 products and whoever bids the most walks away with a random selection of prizes available. These broadcasts often include some large items, such as iPhones and iPads, to attract viewers. The rest of the items are less desirable, such as charging cords and pen cases. This feature was added late last year to the platform and remains an invite-only feature for sellers on TikTok.

Many of the streaming setups for TikTok’s “surprise collections” look very similar: a pile of expensive products is displayed on the screen, as different hosts corral a few hundred concurrent viewers to pitch higher and higher offers. If a viewer clicks on the small button in the bottom left corner of the screen, they can see the live probability of winning each item as well as the full list of items still available.

The popularity of “Surprise Sets” on TikTok is emblematic of how gambling-like interactions currently dominate the online experience, with… Prediction markets and Sports betting era. People can even bet on the outcome Reality TV He appears.

WIRED reached out to TikTok for comment on Wednesday of last week to share examples of frustrated viewers who felt cheated. A day later on Thursday, TikTok rolled out a change to its settings Live broadcast policies And what hosts are allowed to do for “surprise packages.” (It’s a policy update that TikTok claims is already in the works.) Hosts will no longer be allowed to include iPhones, iPads, TVs, diamonds, gift cards, or precious metals as part of the prizes available for viewers to win during surprise auctions. After the rule change, the hosts appear to be following the new guidelines, with no iPhones appearing in the “Surprise Sets” live stream viewed by WIRED.

“The TikTok Shop requires all sellers, including those operating Surprise Sets, to accurately represent what is being offered. We will take enforcement action for violations of our policies, including removing products and suspending accounts,” Ben Rath, a TikTok spokesperson, said in a statement to WIRED. If a buyer feels they have been misled, they can contact TikTok customer support to review their purchase.