Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

richardsuperstar
Conversationalist

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..

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

II have just looked at the ebay hong kong website and all they showed me on there was uk selllers and no chinese sellers with dodgy addresses! and fake locations!!

so brits if you want to buy off a tru british seller use www.ebay.com.hk and simply click translate.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

just been on the hong kong ebay and all it showed me on there is real uk sellers, there was not one chinese seller on there with dodgy locations and fake addresses.................... bet they would dare lie on another ebay site!!

so uk buyers is you want to buy off a authentic uk seller go to www.ebay.com.hk and simply click translet!!

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

I have tried to post this now 4 times but each time its not shown!! so i think i will have to reword it!

I have just been on the hong kong  website and all they showed me was real uk sellers on there and not one seller from china with a fake address, so if you want to buy off a real uk seller go ont EBAY/HK and smply click translate.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

Just out of interest i have just seen a really lovely bracelet on the HK site off a uk seller i have never noticed before,so have just gone onto the uk site and put in the description and could not find it on the uk site at all, so have just messaged the seller to see if she is actually supposed to be on the uk site and wating a reply.

 

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

she has just replied to me and said yes her listings are on the uk site and she is an international seller, so i have just informed her that her product is not showing up on the uk site, all it was showing me on the uk site was china, india,australia,italy and usa for the description of her listing, so she is going to call them up today and ask why she is being shown else where but not on the uk site!!!

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@best.buy.items.limited wrote:
I mean buy from uk based seller not seller based in china who is paying nothing to hmrc..
While we paying tax rents so just want to create awareness in british buyer minds
Not only they buy cheap quality but also they hit hard on local sellers...
Additional time wastage n difficult return product procedure to chinese seller

If you mean that you want to buy from a UK based seller, rather than buy goods stocked in the UK, then scroll down to the seller's business information section and read it.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@best.buy.items.limited wrote:
My dear do you know how many uk seller left ebay because of hard hit from ch seller,
Please read from start
N you will know many seller left .
It is very painful experience for me...
They record protest n now they no more on ebay....
Fair trade only they want...

I have no idea how many UK sellers left ebay for this reason, as I've got no access to such information.

 

Perhaps you could enlighten me by posting an exact number.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

I mean clear picture for uk n chinese seller
Ch seller should declare what they are,
Why they disguise in uk seller protection title,
Like
In ebay.us
Our status clearly mention beside listing Uk seller, international seller. We not using fake words like we are usa seller regardless of stock location....

We want to know how much vat return they submit, they just mention vat number not company name
I want to see how much they contribute to uk economy...

Does any one know fair trade, ethical trade meaning ???
Responsible person pretend to be sleep they know everything fair trade etc,, but only money works,
I can take room in china n start selling stuff but i dont want to cheat my countryman....cost cutting edges , getting away from council tax , vat, storage expenses ,
What a shame we can do nothing.....
How many uk seller left ebay just read from start this blog n you will know,
It is very painful for me n i cant stop to raise my voice against unfair trade....
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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

Most Chinese sellers state their registered business address in China. Some are keen to push the fact that stock is held in the UK and many Chinese sellers do indeed hold stock here. Those who don't will either offer long lead times or will suffer badly from late delivery defects.

 

Some Chinese sellers display a UK business address. If you find that such details have been falsified, then you need to report this to HMRC as ebay aren't going to bother investigating.

 

I agree that every seller should be paying any taxes due in every country they conduct business, but in the UK such enforcement is the responsibility of HMRC. I don't like dishonest sellers, but let's not kid ourselves into believing that the only dishonesty on ebay is some Chinese sellers misrepresenting the location of items.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@elmo7676 wrote:

 

 

Some Chinese sellers display a UK business address. If you find that such details have been falsified, then you need to report this to HMRC as ebay aren't going to bother investigating.

 


Some are going the whole hog and putting Union Jacks on their pictures !

I call it ebay.cn now not ebay.co.uk

 

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

Not much that any of us can do about that as sellers convinced ebay to ignore their images policy, so that watermarks could stay in place.

 

Be careful what you wish for...

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

Surely ebay must be breaing some kind of trade rules by continuing to allow Chinese sellers to state that their items are based in the UK but are in fact located in China

 

I would suggest people start to complain to trade regulators - MP's about this - eventually ebay will be forced to take action - it's pretty obvious that unless there is some intervention this situation will continue as ebay just don't care

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

We have contacted our MP and have had a reply from Kelly Tolhurst MP House of commons and basically the chinese are allowed to do what ever they want it seems to me that nobody wants to upset them she did not address the issue about the chinese sellers on ebay just quoted the CRA  2015 and bassically it is down to Ebay to police their own selling platform so we might as well just bang our heads againts a brick wall.

Also contacted the trading standards they are the sam,if it was a British seller doing something against ebay rules they would be  jumped apon and even shut down.

 

We have a sublimation printing business and sell personalised puzzles ebay closed us down for a week as we sent a customer our email address so they could attach a photo for us to print on the puzzle.How is that fair?

Yet the chinese are getting away with false advertising saying something is what it is not, having muliple ebay id names under the same seller, saying item in UK when its not I could go on and on yet Ebay turn a blind eye

 

There is definitely something going on in the bigger picture.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@personalisedgifts2suit wrote:

We have contacted our MP and have had a reply from Kelly Tolhurst MP House of commons and basically the chinese are allowed to do what ever they want it seems to me that nobody wants to upset them she did not address the issue about the chinese sellers on ebay just quoted the CRA  2015 and bassically it is down to Ebay to police their own selling platform so we might as well just bang our heads againts a brick wall.

Also contacted the trading standards they are the sam,if it was a British seller doing something against ebay rules they would be  jumped apon and even shut down.

 

We have a sublimation printing business and sell personalised puzzles ebay closed us down for a week as we sent a customer our email address so they could attach a photo for us to print on the puzzle.How is that fair?

Yet the chinese are getting away with false advertising saying something is what it is not, having muliple ebay id names under the same seller, saying item in UK when its not I could go on and on yet Ebay turn a blind eye

 

There is definitely something going on in the bigger picture.


Yes I fully agree Chinese sellers do seem to get a free pass on ebay and not just regarding item location - I sell from overseas myself but my true item location is clearly stated unlike the Chinese sellers

 

A while ago I contacted ebay to report some of these sellers - ebay asked me to provide them with proof so I sent secreenshots of numerous feedback from buyers stating item location stated as UK but came from China

 

The reply I got back said Without Tracking it's hard for ebay to determine where the item was sent from

 

Either sheer incompetence or as many suspect part of the free pass Chinese sellers get

 

I really don't think ebay realize the damage these sellers are doing to ebays repuation and it's only going to get worse as more Chinese sellers join

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@thai_fashion_clothing wrote:

 

I really don't think ebay realize the damage these sellers are doing to ebays repuation and it's only going to get worse as more Chinese sellers join


I do think eBay should make it clearer where the seller (rather than the item) is located. I know if I'm purchasing something on eBay that I need to look in the business seller information section if it is an item I only want to purchase from a UK registered seller. However, I suspect many buyers don't even realise it is there and assume by checking the "UK only" box they are only seeing items offered from UK registered sellers.

I'm surprised the MP mentioned in an earlier post quoted the Consumer Rights Act - statutory consumer rights do not generally apply if you purchase from a non-UK (or non-EU, whilst we're still part of it) registered seller. The only protection you will have is eBay's 30 day MBG and whatever financial protection PayPal offer. There are many things I will not purchase from a non-UK registered seller such as children's toys, anything with a 3-pin UK plug, anything that requires hard-wiring into a mains circuit and anything designed to be used with a car's seatbelt system. This isn't an exhaustive list; just items I have recently purchased (not necessarily from eBay) that I would never purchase from a non-UK registered seller.

Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

Looking back at forum posts , This problem has been on going for at least 5 years and EBay is doing nothing about it, disgusting . Isn’t it a listing missiformation infringment  ?

When I choose to view UK only listings, I expect to be shown only true UK listing . It would not take much to tighten up this option . But EBay do nothing . I am daily reporting obvious non UK listing and intend to continue doing so l in the hope that EBay will get so fed up , they will actually make EBay fair to all . How about an option for Chinese only listings , or insisting on 3- 5 days delivery for Uk only listing , as they obviously can’t cope with the policing of their own listing infringement policy 

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?

Ebay are a business and, with regard to the Chinese market, they are fighting for their share, hence the free listings they offer to Chinese sellers - unlike in the UK there they have competition and they are the relative newcomer fighting to get a share of the market.   The UK is a tiny market where Ebay know the potential, China and Asia is a huge market for them, and one they can grow.  Simple economics. 

 

I am not at all sure why it is cheaper to ship from China but I have heard that the Chinese government supports Chinese shippers and postage is one area where they get help.

 

There are no customs charges for low value items because that is UK law - is it wrong for Chinese sellers to exploit this?  I have seen some Chinese sellers mark items as gifts when they are not - which is wrong as well as illegal - but items under a value of £15 are exempt from duty, I believe. 

 

We can export to many areas of the world where the customs charges are far more lenient, as can the Chinese of course.

 

I was under the impression that any business or company importing to the UK from outside the EU has to register for VAT - with no minimum threshold, I may be wrong.

 

The UK controls the quality of UK manufactured items.  Individual importers however, have the responsibility to ensure all electical goods, toys and many other items meet the EU directives.  Note - importer.  Common sense suggests that Chinese manufacturers will ensure their good meet EU directives, in order to sell to the EU.  Eventually, one would hope - except that, when they do, they will become an even bigger issue.  They presumably will meet US directives to sell to the US etc. 

 

So anyone buying for their own use has to either ensure the directive is met or take the risk it is not - if you are buying Chinese goods from China it is the importers responsibility remember, and Joe public is the importer if he buys from China.  Of course the reason a lot of product never gets here is because it is stopped a customs, but possibly doubtful that many one off items get stopped. 

 

If i were selling new chinese goods, and I am pricing consumables at the moment, I would either keep it simple (boxes are simple) or I would at least point out that my goods are safe and meet EU directives (if they do) and point out to buyers why this is important.  People do usually read descriptions and if you want to educate folk about the dangers of importing Chinese goods - where there are indeed dangers - then educate.

 

Otherwise remember that prayer about the courage to change what you can, patiently accept what you can't and be wise enough to know the difference.

 

Incidently, if anyone knows of a UK manufacturers which makes jewellery boxes, let me know - at the minute I can buy at a reasonable price from a Scottish supplier, but he is a middleman.

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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@magpiecorner1 wrote:

Ebay are a business and, with regard to the Chinese market, they are fighting for their share, hence the free listings they offer to Chinese sellers - unlike in the UK there they have competition and they are the relative newcomer fighting to get a share of the market.   The UK is a tiny market where Ebay know the potential, China and Asia is a huge market for them, and one they can grow.  Simple economics. 


eBay failed miserably in China, they gave up fighting for any share of the Chinese market in 2007. eBay also failed miserably in India. The East is unlikely to be a region where eBay will ever usurp the local marketplaces.

 

 


@magpiecorner1 wrote:

 

I am not at all sure why it is cheaper to ship from China but I have heard that the Chinese government supports Chinese shippers and postage is one area where they get help.

 


It is nothing to do with the Chinese government - it is the Universal Postal Union. Under a system known as "terminal dues" Royal Mail effectively deliver any postal items sent from China for free.



@magpiecorner1 wrote:

 

I was under the impression that any business or company importing to the UK from outside the EU has to register for VAT - with no minimum threshold, I may be wrong.

 


Correct - if stock is imported to a fulfilment house in the UK then the seller must register for VAT and there is no threshold for registration. However, in most cases where an international (non-EU) seller ships individual orders to the UK there is no requirement to register for VAT as the applicable VAT will (read: should) be charged to the buyer on import.



@magpiecorner1 wrote:

 

The UK controls the quality of UK manufactured items.  Individual importers however, have the responsibility to ensure all electical goods, toys and many other items meet the EU directives.  Note - importer.  Common sense suggests that Chinese manufacturers will ensure their good meet EU directives, in order to sell to the EU.  Eventually, one would hope - except that, when they do, they will become an even bigger issue.  They presumably will meet US directives to sell to the US etc. 

 

So anyone buying for their own use has to either ensure the directive is met or take the risk it is not - if you are buying Chinese goods from China it is the importers responsibility remember, and Joe public is the importer if he buys from China.  Of course the reason a lot of product never gets here is because it is stopped a customs, but possibly doubtful that many one off items get stopped. 

 


There really isn't much that is manufactured in the UK any more. China is pretty much the world's factory thanks to having an enormous workforce, low wages and the little regard generally given to things like worker's rights and copyright infringement.

There are many items I don't bother trying to sell on eBay, even those sourced from China. In one case I spotted a Chinese seller offering a certain style of tap cheaper than I could source direct from a factory. In fact, I could not work out how they could possibly be making a profit even if they were shipping it from the factory to a UK customer for free. I purchased one out of curiosity and, upon arrival, it became abundantly clear why it was so cheap. Although it looked more-or-less identical at a glance it was much lighter than the taps I stock. The tap body was manufactured from much thinner brass (if it even was brass) and whereas the tap I sell has a brass lever the copy had a plastic lever. The chrome was also very thin - it was beginning to pit even though the tap was new. The tap tails had very poor braiding and were certainly not WRAS approved (although this is not a requirement for domestic fitting). I gave the tap to a regular customer - a plumber - to inspect and he just shook his head and said he would refuse to install it if asked to by a customer.

Now, don't get me wrong - there are many items I have purchased as a consumer from China and been very happy with the product. However, if it is something that could be dangerous if it did not meet the correct standards or if it is otherwise something I would prefer to have complete consumer protection for then I will buy from a UK seller. 

Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@pink-jade wrote:

Looking back at forum posts , This problem has been on going for at least 5 years and EBay is doing nothing about it, disgusting . Isn’t it a listing missiformation infringment  ?

When I choose to view UK only listings, I expect to be shown only true UK listing . It would not take much to tighten up this option . But EBay do nothing . I am daily reporting obvious non UK listing and intend to continue doing so l in the hope that EBay will get so fed up , they will actually make EBay fair to all . How about an option for Chinese only listings , or insisting on 3- 5 days delivery for Uk only listing , as they obviously can’t cope with the policing of their own listing infringement policy 


When you choose UK only you are choosing to see items located in the UK, not sellers. It is entirely possible - and perfectly legal - for a non-UK registered business seller to have UK stock. If you want to only buy from a UK seller you need to look at the business information section of the listing - that will tell you where the seller is registered.


Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
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Chinese Sellers with UK addresses?


@thai_fashion_clothing wrote:

Surely ebay must be breaing some kind of trade rules by continuing to allow Chinese sellers to state that their items are based in the UK but are in fact located in China

 

I would suggest people start to complain to trade regulators - MP's about this - eventually ebay will be forced to take action - it's pretty obvious that unless there is some intervention this situation will continue as ebay just don't care


 

I honestly don't know the ins and outs of this, but would be pretty certain that ebay would only act when they're forced into doing so. It's unlikey that they'd consider this a constructive use of resources, unless some penalty existed which might be more costly or research showed that it was costing them a considerable amount of revenue (which this may well do).

 

It's likely that ebay's position is that they're simply a platform and that it's up to sellers to ensure compliance with relevant laws (if such a law exists). That's certainly not a position I would condone, but is quite likely to be the reality.

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