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..

[plpmr]

The link please.

[lookaftereachother]

I've sent it.  But why have the global shipping programme or have information about postage, selling, fulfilments and have clear instructions on how sellers should price, pack, print their own postage label etc on their current pages

[plpmr]

"I've sent it".

Sent it where?

All you need to do is post it here for all to use and refresh their information.

[edgeog]

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@richard7502 wrote:
When I phoned customer support up about one that I bought some items from and they had dispatch from the UK, yet 4 weeks later when I emailed the seller they said they posted from China and could take 6 weeks, ebay reply was they do it so they show up on UK only searches..... well thank you for that information, this is why customers are leaving by the bus load...

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IOW ebay is fully aware of this scam but ignore it as it benefits them. You will like this part "When registering for VAT, you must use the address in which you carry out your daily business activities. This means using a virtual office service for VAT registration is prohibited, as is using a PO box, a “care of” address, or an accountant's address. What this means is, by turning a blind eye to Chinese sellers who give false details, ebay is technically involved in VAT fraud. To register for VAT in the UK, you must conduct your business from the address used to register for VAT. You can't really do that when you are actually based in China.  

[stepheoakle9]

Agreed

Needs reporting higher up. I no longer use ebay but amazon is equally now getting infected.  Fake addresses that loop back to China. Fake reviews even paid bribes to remove a 1/5 star review (a shower head that was meant to be stainless steel and arrived already rusted. I was offered 20 pounds to remove). You heard about ones that send out products also to people who havent ordered, to show a legit order amount. People think they have been hacked but its just them sending random items to build up fake order numbers. Even prime order next day took weeks. 

Ebay and Amazon just allowing their brand to be crushed. 

Nothing against China or legit overseas sellers when you know what you are buying and getting and time taken. Its this fake s@&t

Maybe will stop now the pound is worth a bag of Whotsits 

[edgeog]

I still use ebay for buying and I have just been scammed by a Chinese seller pretending to be based in UK.

From the 2 to 3 days delivery promise,  even offering economy Royal Mail 48 postage. Location given as Manchester, United Kingdom, all false.

A check of the GB VAT number show it is registered to a Mailbox company at 116 Ballards Lane, Finchley, London. Which is illegal. 

They are even able to provide a genuine RM tracking number, but when you check the RM tracking, the status shows the item is still with the seller several days later. Not sure how they do this, maybe they send the item to the mailbox company in London who forward it on, complete with RM tracking label, in a few weeks time. 

Reporting this to ebay had no effect, they are still trading as a UK seller, with false details.

[plumbing007]

That's not what happens, they may have a Uk return address listed but items are shipped in through the yodel Hatfield terminal from China but they state that they are shipping from Uk eBay need to go more. For instance they say three to five day shipping which expands after payment 

[mytinis44]

So true but sometimes it has shocked me and been less than seven days


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

[richarpearso70]

These Chinese scammers are stealing names and addresses to appear UK based but ebay will do nothing about it. I'm sick of getting returned items and post for the one who is using my name and address and now ebay are even offering them loans! 

[stepheoakle9]

Sick of it also

recently had around 10 packages a day to someone who lived at my address years ago. Their account was hacked. Assume brushinf scam to give the five stars

most had ebay recipts and even return address. So know the sellers doing the scams. Yet ebay didnt care

Took me ages to have the freeze rhe account for Id check albeit my legit account has same address. Only way i could speak to a person on it was threaten to cancel my owm account

it stopped weeks later and had bags of hair clips and stickers and junk

EBAY have lost their way. 

a few Chinese sellers even have registered names with "UK" at the end just to sound local

bored of it. Stopped using ebay and will never return. They may not realise the damage they are doing to customers or maybe lack of staff. But its ruined

Again if i know im buying from a chinese firm. Fine. But all these scammers. Fake fake 5 stars all over the place. Its all nonsense. Dont trust any reviews. 

ebay RIP

you ruined your firm and brand allowing these poor checks and firms to open up

[stepheoakle9]

Yep 

look at hundreds all fake random villages. Items take weeks. If you ask for return they normally panic and refund but want the actual item. Fake five stars on brushing scams all over the uk. Its ruined. Was good back in the day. But let it rot with these scam firms and fraudulent five star reviews everyehere. 

bought a shower head. Was mesnt to be German made. Was chinese seller. Chinese. Fake stainless steel. Rusted in 24 hours

i gave 1 star 

a week later i was contacted by various email addresses. Was the chiense seller. Offering me 20 quid to take down the review. Each time a new name. Sue smith1145 or david jones89 etc dtc 

He was just doing his own fake reviews sendinf crud to whoever. I didnt take it down. Reported the firm. Nothing happened

he contacted me for several MONTHs in broken english to remove it. So fake. Literally rusted day 1. Wasnt fit for purpose. 

[ile136yz]

The items come into the UK to be packed & sent on to the UK Buyers.     The UK Post Offices take bulk sacks of packages at cheaper set weight prices from these packers.

[ojewellery]

The BBC reported on a man in Wales who received 11000 tax bills from HMRC when Chinese sellers had adopted his genuine address for their business VAT registrations.  Several thousand of them had debt owing.  It was headlined:

Cardiff flat owner gets tax bills for 11,000 Chinese firms

link

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65205520

I hope eBay has terminated all accounts (other than the flat owners) that are using that address. 

It helps to justify why whilst anoying, I had to re-upload my driving licence, after a big red banner flag warning appeared on my seller dash this week.

[stepheoakle9]

Thats mad isnt it!! Wow.
Ebay probably didnt...
inland revnue need to act here also to stop the crazy.  

how did they just accept that address over and over. Such a failing. 

assume whoever hacked the guys account using it for brushing scams - he will have

same ID check but as he never uses it will be indefinitely frozen out. 

[stepheoakle9]

Ive had loads of single parcels direct as a even one got stopped at customs. Hence not always the case. Normally with chinese stamps and writing. 9/10 addresses also totally fake

Hey - granted im sure you are right for larger more legit operations. And. If in a warehouse in the uk. And when says 3/5 days delivery and it is. Non issue

But a shed ton are not legit and ebay dont give a hoot hence cut them off. Unless i can prove uk and rapid communication back / chat in a call. Unfortunately you have to wade through a ton of fakes

Again no issue with overseas sellers

just the fake uk seller nonsense etc

much love

[potters_uk]

This country is probably the easiest country to defraud unless you actually live in it of course.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

I refuse point blank to buy from China whether they are in uk or not.

I have had too many bad experiences with poor qulaity items.

[potters_uk]

If you really want to see how they operate then check no further than FB. They are always advertising something under a UK website. When you do some checking, they have a UK address usually in central London in some top end zone. You then check it off with companies house and they have one director who changes regularly and an account balance of £1000. Thats some figure for an office in central London.

And yet when you try to warn people they simply ignore you and send them the money.

[preciousjewellerygifts01]

yeap they have seemed to of moved on now to Scotland and Wales adresses in the last few years since this post was posted on the forum, just goes to show how awful our Vat registration is though, that should not of happened and wonder how many others are in the same situation as that poor guy!

[kuddin20]

I have returned an item I purchased on ebay that was supposed to be on warranty and I did not get a refund, replcement or original item back. So what am I supposed to do now, The seller ignores my emails.