Why is ebay allowing Chinese sellers to pretend they are in the uk?

[jimmythejock]

I am very angry that I can no longer shop on ebay knowing that I am buying from British business's.

There are literally dozens and dozens (100's 1000's???) of Chinese sellers advertising themselves as being in the uk and when you order something the first thing you realise is that the item is coming from abroad because it's the same scenario every time: You get instant tracking and it's usually always Yodel. On this ocassion I actually thought I might be wrong becuase it tells you the item is being send from Hayes to Yodel and sure enough the Yodel tracking updates like this:-

28/08/2418:12

We have your parcel. Please check back for updates

27/08/2418:00

Your parcel is on its way to Yodel. Please check back for updates

27/08/2400:00

We're expecting your parcel from your sender. We will provide updates here once we receive it

Estimated delivery issued by ebay says between today and Tuesday so I go onto yodel live chat and say "why is there no movement on my parcel which you say you have, and that was 2 days ago" the answer comes back and says "jimmy I know it says we have it but actually we don't we got advice of it from the sender on the 27th and since then they have never delivered it to us"

That's because it's coming from China. Are yodel colluding with these sellers in their deception? Looks very much like it.

So I report this to ebay as "Item location misrepresentation" just like I did the last time and I got the exact same reply. This reply is a disgrace. I say this is just ebay deliberately turning a blind eye.......

Thanks again for reporting the listing(s) you found. 

What happened:
We looked into your report and didn’t find the listing to be in violation of our policy. This determination was made using automation or artificial intelligence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What about all the people in feedback reporting "Not in uk" or "delivery very late" etc etc etc

The last time I reported it I then got the item delivered (late of course). Isn't it strange that the label on it is not a normal yodel uk delivery slip.

Isn't it even stranger that on this Delivery label it has the letters 2CXN with word "Handling" printed above these letters.

Isn't it even more stranger that 2XCN is an international mail handler!!!!!

ebay are aiding and abetting Chinese sellers to steal business from uk sellers and are turning a blind eye to the sheer fraud and deception that is taking place never mind the ficticious delivery times which are NEVER going to be honoured!

You order something thinking it's a British seller you are buying from, and it's British goods you are buying, and it's neither. ebay have just helped these people to scam me by allowing them to operate on the ebay plaqtform and do nothing when you report it.

GO AND HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME!

[Anonymous]

Hi, no I didn't but the order was cancelled by the vendor as soon as I complained to ebay. Even though ebay said that the vendor had done nothing wrong. I thought this very strange.

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[juliefitzy]

I am coming to the conclusion that the only way to avoid this is to stop using Ebay. They obviously make too much money from all the sales in China to make the process more transparent. I was so sure I chose a uk company for my latest purches..... But you guessed it... I am now playing the waiting game. I have avoided Amazon so far to spread profit etc so i guess i will just try to buy direct. The only things i will purchase on ebay will be private auctions. 

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have actually closed my ebay account for that reason and decided to go back to the High Street.

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[caremblemsuk]

I Have problems with Chinese seller they ruining my business with the *bleep* the send out its notably poor quality and they get cheap postal incentives and very low ebay fees.

I know its *bleep* cos i had customers (more than one) buy an item from  me and then take out a return and sent the chinese *bleep* to me that totally different colour and the cheapest *bleep* y0u can think of .Unfinished paintwork on the underside. Ebay when I  report say we advise you to refund the item because according to them  they have no proof it was not me who sent  it.I have to refund 50% and take a loss

Where is the ebay seller protection its ridiculous

caremblemsuk(HONEST SELLER) Not seller of *bleep* 🙈

[funkimonk]

Im currently experiencing this phenomena with a purchase I believed to be shipping from the UK, though the seller's business address is in China.

As with the OP, it's a Yodel delivery and Yodel's customer service are claiming it's not yet in their network despite their website making the very specific claim that "We have your parcel".

04/02/25 18:46
We have your parcel. Please check back for updates

03/02/25 18:16
Your parcel is on its way to Yodel. Please check back for updates

03/02/25 00:00
We're expecting your parcel from your sender. We will provide updates here once we receive it.

Of course, the seller is contradicting this, no admission of wrong doing there and claiming Yodel has it. I shall wait until the item is delivered to decide what to do about the Seller, though it seems from reading here nothing in fact will be done about the practice. I will however be reporting Yodel to trading standards as what they are telling customers on their website is a clear misrepresentation of the truth, whether or not they are in cahoots with these sellers in someway.

[ett1954]

@funkimonk  I don't think you have anything to worry about .......... yet.

I often get these messages not just from Yodel but other couriers also; especially Evri.

I will put my interpretation of the events:

03/02/25 00:00
We're expecting your parcel from your sender. We will provide updates here once we receive it. - A label has been ordered for delivery to you.

03/02/25 18:16
Your parcel is on its way to Yodel. Please check back for updates - Your parcel has been picked up from your seller, ordered as a pickup, or dropped off at a collection point.

04/02/25 18:46
We have your parcel. Please check back for updates - We have received your order at our depot and it is currently awaiting allocation to a delivery round.

This last one is usually followed within 24 hours by another message along the line of: Your parcel is out for delivery.

Obviously if you don't get an update on tracking in the next 48 hours then start to be concerned.

[funkimonk]

Yeah, thanks for your interpretation @ett1954, but I fail to see it's relevance, unless you have specific knowledge of the seller or Yodel.

[ett1954]

Obviously I have no knowledge of your seller; I don't even know who they are, however, I do have knowledge of Yodel although I do not use them for any of my eBay business.  My last involvement was a return from a click & collect order which the buyer failed to collect.  It sat in their depot 20 miles away for 4 days and was only put on a delivery the day I rang them and complained.  It arrived at 8pm that night.  Apparently the regular driver for the round was 'sick'.  Yodel are cheap for a reason and they are heavily linked with Shien and Temu so it wouldn't surprise me if they are not also closely aligned with eBay sellers in China.

Personally I would never buy direct from a Chinese seller as it is well known that some do ship from China even though they state the shipment is from the UK.  If I have to buy Chinese goods I always do so from a UK registered business seller.  It may cost a little more but it does prevent issues such as this as any problems can be resolved easily; you just ask the seller to do the chasing and update you.  Did your seller's feedback give any indication of shipping problems or delays?

You didn't state what your estimated delivery time was.  If it is outside of that simply open an INR case to get a refund.  When it then arrives it is up to the Chinese seller to pay for a return to the UK address they gave on the listing.  You may even find they cut their losses and you get to keep it.

[funkimonk]

Thank you @ett1954, I appreciate the effort you are putting in to your replies to me personally, however this thread is concerning non UK sellers advertising as shipping from within the UK and then overtly not doing so.

While I'm grateful for your interest in my particular case, I can assure you all due-diligence was taken on my part prior to making the purchase, other than the obvious lack of knowledge that eBay apparently allow sellers in other countries to advertise as shipping within the UK while in actuality shipping from abroad.

[fairycakes4tea]

Hi, I have had a similar incident. Purchased an item from a UK seller. It took a long time to arrive and when I checked the order it told me to be patient because of the postal  strikes in Canada.  Even though the EDT was way overdue I couldn't complete the "item not received" request. When I reached the report button it wouldn't activate. I reported this item to Ebay twice and they said the seller hadn't broken any of their policies. I have contacted the seller twice and had no reply.

[ep_micm_fpcrud5y6]

I have recent experience of this practice, I am trying to purchase an ebike that I have spent a lot of time trying to research and find the best one. There are 68 sellers on eBay advertising the same bike which I know is an import but when the advert says UK Stock and says In Stock and confirms delivery within 2 to 3 days and also says arrives before valentine's, you would like to think that's a lot of information and a detailed estimate for delivery, that it would have some truth to it......but that would be a big fat No. I have paid and now been refunded for three purchases as each seller has contacted to jet me know the bikes not actually in the UK and hasn't even been seen at Customs yet and the earliest they expect the item is the begining of March but that they also have no actual idea and just want me to keep checking. I have also contacted 4 other sellers with similar advertising who have all said almost the exact same. There isn't a single seller who actually has the bike in stock in the UK. eBay is a minefield of dodgy sellers. There are good ones but it's gone downhill a little in the last year. I reported the one above and was told that the seller isn't doing anything against their policy. So their policy is to allow completely inaccurate information and shipping timescales regardless if the actual items availability.

[tressygirl]

   wrote:   There isn't a single seller who actually has the bike in stock in the UK. 

This could be the reason why:

As of October 31, 2024, you cannot sell e-bikes as a private seller on eBay UK due to safety concerns; only "eligible business sellers" can list e-bikes and their batteries on the platform. This means that private individuals are prohibited from selling e-bikes on eBay UK. 

Reasons for the ban restrictions:

• Reason for the ban: Concerns regarding fire safety issues related to unregulated e-bike batteries, particularly conversion kits. 
• Who can sell: Only business sellers deemed "eligible" by eBay. 

  @ep_micm_fpcrud5y6

@ep_micm_fpcrud5y6

[Anonymous]

Exactly my experience and exactly the same answer that I got from ebay. I no longer buy or sell on ebay

[ep_micm_fpcrud5y6]

Thank you for providing that information. There do appear to be genuine ebike sellers doing this, Ebike boutique is definitely one of them, however I wasn't aware of what you mentioned so will check. How do you check if the seller is eligible. Many thanks 

[tressygirl]

Yep,  very wise to check,  and some can certainly slip the net and a Private seller could end up with one for sale.

Find the e bike you want,  click on it,  far right under the item heading will be the seller's ID name, and to the right,  it will have their status .....Private or a Business seller.

Seek out the Business seller's items,  look also to their feedback see if there have been recent purchases of an e bike,  showing good,  positive feedback.

Remember,  you always have eBay's 30 day MBG  Money Back Guarantee too,  it's written on right hand side of every listing and on link here:

https://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebay-money-back-guarantee/

@ep_micm_fpcrud5y6 

[sponge-face]

there are british manufacturers of e bikes now in britain.

perhaps,,god forbid,,you should buy british eh?

or is it the intention to profit by buying something made cheaply by forced labour thats compelling these purchases.

[ep_micm_fpcrud5y6]

Thank you very much for that information, very helpful and I will definitely look for this from now on.

Kind regards

Mike

[ep_micm_fpcrud5y6]

I am definitely not looking to profit, I simply want a good ebike at an affordable price that I can use to travel to and from my work and to care for my elderly patents the details of which I won't go in to. 

The UK manufacturers are very overpriced to the point that I cannot afford a bike which has the quality I am looking for and the reviews of the bikes I can afford, steer me away from purchasing.

If the UK manufacturers would produce something with good quality at a more affordable price then I would definitely purchase from them as I agree with you on that point and would welcome being able to do this.

My choice is based on viewing hundreds of ebike reviews by British reviewers who all would prefer to buy British but simply cannot justify recommending British manufactured ebike's due to the pricing for what would be acceptable quality.

I appreciate your point of view though and I did not make my choice lightly.

Thank you and kind regards

Mike

[caremblemsuk]

Yes there were postal strikes in Canada but it seems the Chinese have
infiltrated there also as well as the USA and UK god knows what other
countries.
Then they sell cheap and you wait long and most of the items are sub
standard .Most of their pictures and descriptions are also taken from other
legitimate sellers .Including the Main heading .They don't even bother to
do that.(ebay say )that's not against their rules but to me that's
misrepresentation WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET.
On top of that the product pictures they steal are pictures of a
completely different product than you will receive .Then you have to return
it which then also becomes a pain .
Hence a long time to receive it and longer time to get the refund if you
need to return
The best way to return is if the reason is not as described and the seller
has to pay the return .Then the chinese will start to offer partial refund
and then if that is refused then they will offer more and many times they
will give a full refund and you keep the item .For them its much easier and
more cost efficient as the two postal costs and return times are counter
unter productive
Many of these sellers are drop shipping also and have no stock or handling
fees .

[papso22]

The best way to avoid them is to check the country of registration on the feedback page.