Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

[richardsuperstar]

how come there is at present so many Chinese sellers on here who are allowed to put their despatch location as here in the UK?

I've found loads of items which are undercutting most UK sellers and they all show their location as in the UK but then have their registered company address details as in Hong Kong.

its pretty clear that these sellers dont have offices in the uk and are just putting this to stop them being filtered out when someone clicks on show uk only.

surely there should be some check done by ebay to ensure that if a company claims to be in a country the address needs to be verified..

[personalisedgifts2suit]

In that case you should get trading standards involved, they surely will have the power to stop those items coming into the UK perhaps?

[oneofakind19792012]

I should have reported them to trading standards but At the time I was busy with personal matters at home so I didn’t. I contacted the seller who sent me the usual automated response to send them photos but I couldn’t because while I was out my ex who’s a qualified electrician took the box bit on the charger to pieces. Not to fix it but he was interested in the wiring inside the box and was stood there looking at it shaking his head 😂😂 He then just threw it in the bin. So I didn’t bother replying to the seller with photos I just let them know it blew up my laptop and I’d lost all my files and data. The reply I got back was the same.. Dear friend please send us photo.. Honestly I give up!! 

[elmo7676]

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@oneofakind19792012 wrote:

I noticed one Chinese seller with the same China based residence in “legal information” as two other sellers. So that is three sellers with the same name and address in China. Also the one I last bought from sent the parcel from a unit in Leicester but the return label said RMA then the address of another unit somewhere? The sellers company address is China. Also I’m a buyer I don’t sell and I’m not happy with the quality of the items I’m buying. I know many of my friends have stopped using eBay due to thinking they are buying from a uk trader but the seller is in China it’s just the item that is in the uk. 

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It may be that many of these people are signing up to some package which gives them a virtual office, hence the addresses being the same? I don't know, but it seems like a reasonable assumption.

The ebay item location is just that. It's supposed to show where the item is located, not where the seller is located. If you wanted to buy from a UK seller, the only way would be to buy from businesses and check their listed information before buying. This issue isn't exclusive to ebay, although would probably be more prevalent here.

[oneofakind19792012]

If eBay wanted their website and sellers listings to be more clear to buyers especially where it comes to the manufacturer or sellers company address they could make several changes I know would work.

i know one online company I used to work for a few years ago in commercial advertising who stopped those in the Philippines using their website due to breaching too many rules while using the website. But they continued to register accounts pertaining to be from some uk location. So the website owners began showing the last login location on the users platform page or profiles. They did this using the IP address. So those who were using a VPN to hide the location login it would show on the users page. Those who were away on holiday but logged in were ok because they would clearly state that they were on holiday at the time. This worked because then the public know exactly who they are trading with.  

Also Where as alot of people in UK want cheap products I’m someone as buyer that prefers quality over price. Id prefer to know what I’m buying and where it comes from, who makes it etc.. especially cosmetic products which should have clear labels on them with English instructions and leaflets in the box. It should have the ingredients and warnings on the bottles or packaging.

There’s a lot of cosmetics such as hand or face creams listed under brand names such as L’oreal, maybelline etc. and I’m yet to buy a cosmetic product from eBay which is authentic and not a counterfeit knock off.

What i I will receive will arrive without packaging and none of the writing on the back will be English. I know from first use with certain brands I use it’s not authentic.

Now the “report item” link when reporting it gives the option to report something that is counterfeit or a fraudulent listing... But you are limited with the words where it asks for more details.

No option to include a photo or enough space to explain to them why it’s fake.

So the listing stays put. They also offer stock photos so sellers don’t have to upload photos of the actual item. I’ve had bad reactions to some of the counterfeit makeup and creams I’ve bought on here.

I’ve offered to send a photo of the skin reaction I’ve had when I’ve spoke to customer services and the guy on the phone calls me ma’am’ (that’s not my name!) and he tells me to see the doctor and advises me I need to stop using it as it must be not suitable for me. Erm.. obviously! 

I didn’t ask for his sympathy or for medical advice it wasn’t why I was ringing. I was telling him I’d had a reaction to the counterfeit product I’ve just purchased from off here! I have been using that same brand for 18 years without any problem. He doesn’t get it. Are these people at customer services completely clueless or just plain arrogant? Or both?! 

[elmo7676]

I have a huge issue with counterfeit goods.

If you report these to ebay, you'll generally be asked can you prove that the item is counterfeit. If failed to have listings taken down, even when the seller has stated that the items isn't authentic.

It's one aspect of ebay that I'm thoroughly ashamed of, although I do see less counterfeit goods for sale these days.

[recasterrelicingsupplies]

eBay has taken a Chinese husband! eBay has done a deal to open distribution depots and training centres in China. They have made a massive investment.
The Chinese Government are too smart to have bought eBay. They now have the company prostrate on the floor and will dispatch with them when they have served their purpose. eBay thinks they are in on the emerging marketplace in China. I doubt very much they have bought into that. But Double Wingnut won't be around to explain, he'll be living it up on a private island for Tony Blair look-a-likes. ...

[oneofakind19792012]

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@recasterrelicingsupplies wrote:
eBay has taken a Chinese husband! eBay has done a deal to open distribution depots and training centres in China. They have made a massive investment.
The Chinese Government are too smart to have bought eBay. They now have the company prostrate on the floor and will dispatch with them when they have served their purpose. eBay thinks they are in on the emerging marketplace in China. I doubt very much they have bought into that. But Double Wingnut won't be around to explain, he'll be living it up on a private island for Tony Blair look-a-likes. ...

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^^ haha 😂😂😂

[oneofakind19792012]

I knew something was going on behind the scenes with eBay due to the massive disatisfaction I’ve had with the products I’ve been receiving. Nowhere is it made clear on these Chinese sellers listings that what is being bought is a Chinese import from a Chinese seller.

They know buyers don’t want to trade with them that’s why the sellers location is hidden on another page with the feedback.

So they refuse to let the uk public know that they are trading with a Chinese seller when they go to buy something.

It’s only after the sale and you receive something of extremely low quality and different that you check the listing again and again thinking “have I missed something here?” Then I’m out of pocket 7/10 times if I decide I don’t or I do want the hassle of returning a extremely low quality product that puts my health at risk.

Then Im given the pleasure of a full 8 working days to attempt communication with a automatic machine calling me dear friend... The seller will force you to sit out the full 8 days then send you a postage label 10 mins before I can escalate then I’m sent a label that isn’t the correct one as the parcel is too big for the price of a small parcel. The seller will reply to my next message on Day 9 requesting proof with photos (because they don’t deal with Royal Mail) that the parcel is a medium size parcel. But they managed to send it using a small parcel with Royal Mail.

So they don’t believe me so I tell them I’m English and I don’t get the privileges that the Chinese sellers get so they need to send me a medium size parcel label to send back 3 broken badly chipped planks of wood they deliberately sold me and which they coloured in the large chips with a marker pen. They were supposed to be plain black wooden Floating shelves. The listing says the pattern is Union Jack?  But I didn’t see this until later 😂😂

Well it explains the automatic return button for sellers. So i will be doing a lot of trips to the post office several times a week if I continue shopping on eBay. 👍 

I feel sorry for the disabled who will be forced to keep the junk. 

The woman at customer services has seen the listing blatantly showing the brackets and also the photos of the damaged wood and the Chinese instructions with a image on it showing the shelves on a wall but “with brackets showing” The listing is still up.

I’m assuming the government are fully aware and in on the plans due to the large number of Chinese sellers already on here and the ways they have been helped to bring lorry loads of plastic into the UK. All this is happening despite the government forcing everyone to recycle and particularly plastic. All the while there’s a huge amount of plastic influx being transported into the uk  What a great idea and a massive contribution to the uk economy who are already struggling to stay afloat!! 

Lets see how long it lasts with another betrayal against UK people in poverty. 

[elmo7676]

I'd say that's a rather simplified view of how the world works.

[robinet_uk]

@oneofakind19792012

You can remove HDD from broken laptop and connect it to desktop to transfer your data.

[oneofakind19792012]

Thank you but this happened in may and it’s now at some tip crushed. I did attempt to retrieve the HDD from the laptop but after removing all the tiny screws and messing about with it I realised I couldn’t pry it open as the under side of the keyboard had melted onto other circuit boards inside laptop. ☹️ I’m sure someone else will find that advice useful though as from what I’ve seen there’s 626,060 items listed under laptop chargers in UK and without going through every listing I will bet my life there’s thousands of China brand chargers for sale that haven’t been pac tested before being imported into UK. I did notice some were for sale with plugs missing though so I can see some china sellers aren’t risking having their goods seized.

I’m more worried about all items listed in baby categories including cot mattress’s imported from China to unsuspecting first time mums. It was only in my local newspaper this week about two men trading in uk jailed for continuing to sell dangerous cot mattresses to families after a baby died from cot death. I wonder how a business in China will be held to account when more child deaths occur. 😕

[elmo7676]

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@oneofakind19792012 wrote:

I’m more worried about all items listed in baby categories including cot mattress’s imported from China to unsuspecting first time mums. It was only in my local newspaper this week about two men trading in uk jailed for continuing to sell dangerous cot mattresses to families after a baby died from cot death. I wonder how a business in China will be held to account when more child deaths occur. 😕

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That case had nothing whatsoever to do with China or mattresses. The issue was that the bed was poorly designed (in the UK, by a British person) and was recommended for use by any age of child. The baby died when its body slipped through the slots and its head remained trapped. The issue was compounded by the fact that those same (British born and bred) defendants continued to sell the same bed, with no changes to their design, after they were made aware of this child's death.

You have however highlighted how effective trading standards can be and that willful negligence is not the sole preserve of any one nationality.

[oneofakind19792012]

Thanks for that. I only saw a small article about it in newspaper and I was confused as the photo in newspaper was of a child’s bed with a slide and mentioned a baby had died without saying how. My first thoughts were why would you put a baby in a bed with a slide coming down from it. It’s typical of media only publishing half a story and expecting the readers to come to their own conclusions on what actually happened. I just assumed cot death due to mattress as it never gave details how baby died. It just shows how people disregard human life where money is concerned. 😕

[migmag100]

Most of the Vat numbers are not legitimate. You can google the number with hmrc website for "no results" so no one at ebay is checking anyway. It used to be ok many moons ago but its just full of dangerous tat now. Roll on brexit and a return of a British standerd kitemark. Yeah right !

[4_bathrooms]

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@migmag100 wrote:
Most of the Vat numbers are not legitimate. You can google the number with hmrc website for "no results" so no one at ebay is checking anyway.

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HMRC's website has no facility to check the validity of a VAT number. You would need to use VIES but even then, a newly registered VAT number may not show up for two weeks. HMRC's helpline can verify if a VAT number is valid for a business that is registered in the UK but NOT for an overseas company that has (correctly) registered for VAT in the UK.

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@migmag100 wrote:

Roll on brexit and a return of a British standerd kitemark. Yeah right !

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The BSI Kitemark never went away. Most European standards have corresponding British standards (labelled EN or BS EN). Whether Kitemarked with a BS standard or non-Kitemarked with an EN standard the standard is exactly the same. There are some standards - like BS 1363 which applies to UK plugs and sockets - that have no equivalent EN standard for obvious reasons.

Brexit will do nothing to improve the quality of goods being sold on eBay as - the last time I checked - China was not part of the EU.

[migmag100]

Sorry. Yes your right on the Hmrc, my mistake. The brexit comment was just tongue in cheek. I know we will be stuck with **bleep** goods regardless. EBay listing are getting more difficult to tell the difference in quality until the item is in your hands as eBay do not care about the quality of its sellers as long as they pay their fees.

[recasterrelicingsupplies]

I ordered a glue gun recently. I was dubious of the true origin and the item description did not mention a brand. There were other dubious things about the seller, and I think they may have checked my forum posts because they sent me a branded item? But it wasn't the cheap bleep I was 1/2 expecting.
Now I'm paranoid about leaving them positive feedback, because even though better than advertised, it was not as advertised.
I suppose eBay would say it's not their job .. 'they are just a platform' except, their investments in China show that to be a lie.

[the-gilded-cage]

Some Tory toff on the take? Which Tory toff are you referring to? If you cant back up these words, why print them?

[fretsnikki]

Thats bull**bleep**.... Most of these sellers ship from china and still use uk address it's just that eBay don't care as long as they are getting their cut... Customer don't meen a thing to Ebay.. Just money.... Other wise it would be jumped on but why should they.. They get paid abyway...