Website's and eBay Sellers Lying about Being Based in Australia. Can Anything Be Done?

mitcheo on 29/08/2016 - 13:05
Last edited 09/01/2018 - 15:39 by 2 other users

I have recently had an experience buying motorbike parts from a website that had AU in the company name / web address. Their homepage had a big Aussie flag on it and in there Q.A they said that there stock is shipped from Sydney NSW.

I was in quite a rush for parts so I wanted to buy from Sydney rather then cheaper from overseas. I was given an international tracking number and ignored when i questioned why the parts hadn't arrived in a couple days. I wasn't happy with being ignored so I opened a Paypal dispute (mainly because i knew they would respond) and they said "in rare cases some parts shipped from Korea" Which I know is a complete lie.

I've also noticed when you search eBay "Australia only" "price + postage lowest first" Sellers are doing the same thing and saying there items are located in Darwin NT or WA or sometimes just NSW.

Is there anything that can be done about being deceived like this? Or is it just a case of buying from well known reputable sellers / websites and if you want to bargain hunt expect to be deceived?

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Comments

      • richmond12 on 31/08/2016 - 12:22

        Yeh i got dupe by this as well a few times trying to pay a bit more for quiker delivery. The survive cos they keep tricking people.. its so easy..

      • FeRGan on 31/08/2016 - 14:48

        Even if it ships from Australia it was probably bulk imported from Asia.

      • Cluster on 31/08/2016 - 16:16

        If the item is good I'll leave neutral feedback mentioning that the seller lied about their location.

        I don't mind that the item comes from overseas. Pretty much all my items do. What I object to is 10+ working days being added to the shipping.

      • deltakilo on 31/08/2016 - 17:11
        +1

        Gripe to eBay about this deciptive conduct. After all, the idea of having search option to limit "Within Australia" should do just that.
        I've been caught a couple times. On one ocassion item ws actually sent from Aus but the "Seller" was sstill HK based. Must have a cousin or friend running spare bedroom "warehouse" in Aus. Product was faulty, had to return to HK; said no way and was given refund.

        FIRST line of CHECKING is looking at their feedback - click the number in brackets after the sellers name EG, ImaDodgeySeller_AU (567890)

        That will reveal their feedback score and comments and ….. at the top, in light grey text, show as being "Member since 31-Apr-2023 in China" or Australia or whatever.

        • Diji1 on 01/09/2016 - 00:01

          Whoa … are you from the future?

      • matrix83 on 31/08/2016 - 18:53

        The only problem with looking at feedback is the savvy seller that refunds every complaint about an item arriving from Asia to protect their reputation. The seller I refer to above has over 100 revised feedbacks and surely gets some special treatment from eBay along with that.

      • Mobe1969 on 01/09/2016 - 14:39
        +1

        One thing that does get me is when it is local, and it takes longer to ship than if it came from say Amazon UK. Sometimes shipping across Australia is so slow now, I've had ebay items sent from local sellers, and I've been getting angry at the time thinking they had to be drop shipped from overseas, but looking at the postage stamp and dates, it wasn't, just slow Aus post…

      • radar64 on 12/10/2016 - 13:34

        Koala-ok don't use them at all, I ordered some items a couple didn't work , left negative feedback, I then got an email from them pleading to change it I told them if they replaced the items I would . I was hounded for days to change my review so I told them the same thing once I had received the items I would change it , Still not received the replacements & when chasing them I have been told that they sent them I am still waiting for tracking order number . DON'T use these Chinese Scammers

    • bbqwer on 20/08/2017 - 15:26
      +3

      I have found many sellers stated item location in australia. Also says AU stock. But when you check his ebay id history , it is showing China. Just becarefull.

      Are they avoiding gst 10% , import stamp duty 5% , company tax 30%?

      • drspy00 on 20/08/2017 - 15:38
        +5

        I think its more just companies in Asia wanting to expand their market and make people think they are buying locally. Some may have a "warehouse" where items are sent from locally but from the comments, and googling it seems its hit and miss. I wish they could be honest as all it does it make buying much harder. It also reduces the prices for people who are selling their phones, because people assume thats the going rate, but really its a scammy company selling as new from somewhere in Asia.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/08/2017 - 18:27
          +3

          Its just so people buy from them, thinking the goods will arrive sooner than if the seller was in China.

          • D C on 22/08/2017 - 18:24

            @[Deactivated]: As a counterpoint I just received a parcel that I purchased from AliExpress, obviously a Chinese seller. Probably on eBay too.

            It was shipped from Sydney, so some sellers do indeed have stock in Australia.

            Some AliExpress sellers do state they can ship locally (AU, UK, USA etc) but usually the postage is higher. I don't recall that being the case for this seller.

      • zs8574832 on 21/08/2017 - 13:46

        Some of SELLER, cheat on item location.
        they said "AU STOCK" But when you check the item location. It said NT or "somewhere in the middle of nowhere in AUS"
        actually they sent products from "China" or HK. but they have a good excuse for long shipping time.

    • JimmyF on 20/08/2017 - 16:05
      +10

      Yes its crap, you report and ebay does nothing. They just keep pocketing the 'ebay fees'.

    • garetz on 20/08/2017 - 18:29
      +3

      Cause ebay doesnt care about you, all they care about is their bottom line.

    • Ocker on 20/08/2017 - 18:55

      As an EBay seller with quite a large EBay store we are quite knowledgeable with some of the major shortcomings of the EBay system.
      Firstly, the co-called "location" of an item can be a total scam. A most common location is Darwin, when in fact it is the backwaters of China.
      If ANYTHING with a brand name is coming from China, then with 100% certainty it will be a fake.
      Ebay's only interest is in generating sales and as a result, 10% commission.
      BUY ON EBAY FOR AN OVERSEAS SELLER AND YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO GET RIPPED OFF.

      • drspy00 on 20/08/2017 - 19:03
        +5

        I don't agree with that for everything but get where you are coming from. Theres some sellers with a very good reputation who operate out of Hong Kong or China but people have the option to buy from them, and understand the warranties wont be the same and they are also not likely paying tax. Sometimes have to send back to Hong Kong for warranty at your own cost. I was more talking about the ones who state they are in Sydney or VIC but are clearly sent from Malaysia or China.

        Ive noticed that with the Darwin sellers, I bought some items just to see how long it would take, they came in Australia post packages but you could tell they had come from another country. The post was still quite fast, so I dont know exactly what they do. I have heard some of them get a special deal by air mail, then it is put back into regular post when it gets here. Darwin is probably put to show it may take longer than a week. Unfortunately for Australian sellers I have known regular post items from China to arrive in similar time frames, especially if the seller has a handling time just due to our post being both expensive and slow. The Chinese sellers are lucky they can send things basically for free and thats unfair for local sellers, especially when Australia post is so slow these days. Express Post though I would say its worth paying extra if you really need something as that can be pretty quick. Unfortunately for parts and smaller electronic items its not really worth paying crazy post costs in Australia. Its bad for sellers like myself too!

        • thepigs on 20/08/2017 - 21:36

          Yeah this is interesting and I have noticed it too. Its almost like there is a 're-shipping' service within Australia. I don't see how this could be cost effective though - but maybe the sellers are guaranteed no buyers are scamming them by saying they never received the item.

      • whooah1979 on 20/08/2017 - 20:07
        +4

        BUY ON EBAY FOR AN OVERSEAS SELLER AND YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO GET RIPPED OFF.

        speak for yourself. ebay sellers ripping off buyers isn't unique to international sellers. we've good and bad shopping experiences with both local sellers like yourself and international sellers.

    • Ocker on 20/08/2017 - 19:48
      +5

      This discussion is getting away from the core question of EBay allowing for "lies about location"
      1. Ebay do not give a rats ass about what sellers list about locations etc - their main (only) objective is to generate sales fees.
      2. ANY seller that lists Darwin as the product location IS A SCAM - it is LOCATED IN CHINA (somewhere)
      3. ANY Chinese seller of a BRAND NAME is flogging a counterfeit item
      4. We are an authorised re-seller for a USA item, for which there are numerous counterfeit listings on EBay. When this is pointed out to EBay they fail to take any actions.

      enough said

      • whooah1979 on 20/08/2017 - 20:10
        1. ANY Chinese seller of a BRAND NAME is flogging a counterfeit item
        2. We are an authorised re-seller for a USA item, for which there are numerous counterfeit listings on EBay. When this is pointed out to EBay they fail to take any actions.

        use vero.

    • Clear on 20/08/2017 - 19:51
      +1

      On the desktop site check the seller's profile. To the right is a spot that says their real location. Very quick and easy to check.

      • drspy00 on 20/08/2017 - 20:20
        +1

        I know how to check but some are claiming they have warehouses in sydney or VIC. One looked incredibly trustworthy and a great deal for a new phone, but so many are saying they are not new, and not sent from Australia. It takes a long time if you have to check every single one when 100 or 50 results come up.

    • whooah1979 on 20/08/2017 - 19:59
      +1

      I need the item now, or possibly pickup so I cant afford to get from overseas.

      the choice is clear. buy from a b&m.

      • drspy00 on 20/08/2017 - 20:26

        Obviously I would if I had to but Ive bought locally online for years for every other electronic item ive bought and its been fine. The stores have the latest model phones, but in a month or 2 will have new models and I would rather get the best possible price on an older model rather than pay top dollar for the latest model thats been around almost a year.

        • Speckled Jim on 21/08/2017 - 09:13

          would rather get the best possible price on an older model

          ColesWorths will have something ripe for under $100. If you need something quickly, it's the safest option.

    • CyberMurning on 20/08/2017 - 19:59

      Just think this way. It's impossible to get decent price for stuffs you want, if they are located in Australia.

      So, choice is yours. If you see cheap price then don't expect local stock.

    • bbqwer on 20/08/2017 - 20:04
      +3

      Had a look this one:

      http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10x-1-2M-18w-LED-T8-Tube-Light-G1…

      it says AU stock , item location NSW

      If you dig deeper, you will see: Member since: 30-Mar-06 in Hong Kong

      problem is , most aus buyer they dont check seller ebay id, and always assume AU stock is aus stock = aus seller!

      this is not fair against genuine aus seller!

      • drspy00 on 20/08/2017 - 20:23
        +1

        Some do have warehouses locally but its impossibly to find out. The excuse one gave me for not being able to pick up was they have an obligation under their contract with Australia Post that all items must be sent and they could never let someone pick it up. I dont think there would be a contract that limiting and its more likely no warehouse existing.

        • bbqwer on 20/08/2017 - 20:27

          Assuming they have warehouse here. Do they pay any import duty 5% and GST 10% ? Unless if their paypal account can withdraw funds into overseas bank account, they definitely do not pay GST or income tax.

          • whooah1979 on 20/08/2017 - 21:13

            @bbqwer:

            Do they pay any import duty 5% and GST 10% ?

            lvt applies them just like it applies to us.

      • Candour on 21/08/2017 - 08:34

        if enough people report it when they find this to the authorities like consumer affairs they will be put out of business. must report to ebay first though.

    • Slippery Fish on 20/08/2017 - 21:39
      +1

      Buy a 20-50 buck smart phone, if unhappy with it order your better one and use it till it arrives, this allows you to wait for a price and gives you a backup/drunk night out phone.

    • Bluberry on 20/08/2017 - 21:43
      +1

      I have experienced this as well. Often the item takes ages to arrive and sometimes I was given an auspost tracking number that was clearly a fake (tracking number does not exist or says the item not scanned yet when you enter the tracking number on the auspost website).

      My solution is simple:
      1. Inform the seller so they know you are on to them
      2. Leave appropriate negative feedback
      3. Never buy from the seller again.

      What can you do. There are poor sellers everywhere. This is not ebays fault. As a buyer you have to be diligent. Sometimes you get caught even then. Thats life.

    • Aniseed Steed on 20/08/2017 - 23:48
      +1

      I've also encountered many Australian sellers (with Australian bank accounts), usually based in Sydney and Melbourne, who dropship from China.

      Checking their eBay IDs and reading their feedback usually gives a good indication of whether their stock is local or not.

    • Candour on 21/08/2017 - 08:35

      how is Kogan and dick smith on their warranties? they are 'local' but their warranties seem to be 'greyer'

      • furys12 on 21/08/2017 - 09:30
        +1

        depends what you are buying but most of the phones "they" sell are from HK etc, i've dealt with kogans warranty department a few times and it was fine each time but you have to be aware that it all has to go through HK so can take more then a few days, chances are it will with telstra and the likes also mind you

    • [Deactivated] on 21/08/2017 - 08:41
      +2

      Ebay is getting worse in the application of its own policies. If a seller, based in Australia, is operating a dropshipping arrangement with an overseas supplier, it should be mandatory for the seller to state this clearly. If they just state Aus-seller, then this is a misleading action, as the buyer assumes the item's location is in Australia. I would call this deceptive and misleading and in breach of our trade practices laws.

      • matrix83 on 21/08/2017 - 18:30

        Precisely. There was a thread on here exactly like this 1-2 months ago. The cosmetics section of eBay is basically Strawberry.net drop shippers.

    • boccos on 21/08/2017 - 11:06

      I think it is probably related to the fact that GST was supposed to have been added to imported items from 1st July 2017 but has been delayed to 1 st July 2018. If there are extra Dollars involved and a way to avoid paying extra, then merchants will find a way.

    • matrix83 on 21/08/2017 - 18:33

      With 3PL, many of these Asian drop shippers are able to have an item arrive only 2-3 days slower than if the stock was held here.

    • plowry1977 on 21/08/2017 - 21:25

      Happened to us. Missus ordered since AU Stock Birkenstock sandals based in Melbourne, and they took about 3 weeks to cone and was clearly from China on packaging and customs sticker etc.
      One of them is obvious fake, can we lodge complaint and get our money back via paypal?
      She says its only $60 and she learnt lesson and should known better at $30 each, but im thinking been conned and we should lodge a complaint. Thoughts?

      • double dukes on 22/08/2017 - 05:21
        +1

        did you buy from eBay? Yes, open a case on eBay (if not eBay, open a case on PayPal) and get your money back. Back up your claim with lots of photos showing the dodgy quality and anything that can prove it is a fake.

  • Avacardooo Rayy Mee on 09/01/2018 - 14:11
    Merged from eBay Seller Based in Australia, Shipped from China?

    Has anyone run into the issue where the ebay seller states that they have AU STOCK and the item location is sydney/darwin , and all of a sudden they give you a WINIT tracking number and its sent from china? when you click on the users profile it states " BASED IN CHINA" you even use the ebay search to say " AUSTRALIA ITEMS ONLY" but they still show up.

    They also put down that they offer Australia express post or startrack express 1-3days , then send it via china and say to you 5-12 days delivery.

    Its a pitty there is no way to report the sellers, just the items.

    • Third_Gear on 09/01/2018 - 14:16

      You can report the seller but eBay China sellers are untouchable. They play by their own rules as they are mamaged by eBay China and not Australia.

      • whooah1979 on 09/01/2018 - 14:42

        by eBay China

        there is no such thing as ebay china. ebay china folded a long time ago.

    • Peace Maker on 09/01/2018 - 14:18

      For some reason I see a lot of China sellers who claim to be in Australia have the item location as 'NT Australia' or 'Darwin'. That's how I filter most of them out.

    • hogwarts on 09/01/2018 - 14:19

      Sometimes they are legitimately shipping from AU (drop shipping) but most of the time they are shipping in China! Furious ;(

    • IceCreamBandit on 09/01/2018 - 14:22

      I have the same issue.

      Bought an item on 2/1/18 with an item location of Sydney when search parameters were set to Australia only and thought I'd have my item by now (I'm located in Sydney).

      Australia Post tracking only shows shipping info received on 4/1/18 and shipping info approved on 5/1/18 with an eBay's estimated delivery between 11-17/1/18.

      Fairly certain the item will be coming from overseas but will it be worth leaving negative feedback if this is the case? I should contact the seller first but I doubt they would do anything about it.

      • Avacardooo Rayy Mee on 09/01/2018 - 14:25

        I know this sounds bad, but you can request your money back from these sellers as there tracking doesn't work well, and paypal will refund you, and most likely the item will rock up.

        I got stung during xmas, a guy had express post 1-3 days, and put the delivery time of it for 30days, so i had to wait 30 days to request a refund.

    • rambutann on 09/01/2018 - 14:26

      I always ask for a refund when this is the case - and they generally process the refund.

      9 times out of 10 its quite obvious which companies are based in Australia and which ones aren't.

      Just check their suggested transit times..

      • Avacardooo Rayy Mee on 09/01/2018 - 14:27

        They are putting 1-3days delivery now.

      • IceCreamBandit on 09/01/2018 - 14:27

        I always ask for a refund when this is the case - and they generally process the refund.

        Refund of shipping or the item itself?

        My case above is for an item with free shipping so no sure what I can do about it.

        • rambutann on 09/01/2018 - 15:41

          I request a refund on the entire product because they cannot deliver on what they promised. If they say 1-3 days and they can deliver in that time frame then I dont care where it comes from - its when they quote 1-3 or 1-5 days and it takes 2 weeks.

  • drspy00 on 08/05/2018 - 12:35

    People on other forums are suggesting the best way to combat it is to punish the seller for lying about location and claim the item was never received even if it was. Is this ethical?

    Even if it was, I would feel kindof bad about it.

    Do ebay have a limit to how many items can be not received? or would they get suspicious if you did this multiple times? I have done it before, but only when the item arrived destroyed, which was easier than sending it back, or if it really has gone missing. I feel its a good idea to punish them but a bit fraudulent.

    Is there a blacklist or a site to report ebay sellers? Is there also a way to tell 100% sure it was sent from China? I notice most of these items arrive in black packaging with a label over the top of the other label, one arrived in less than a week so I was fine with it. Is the obvious lack of tracking number now a warning sign, since all packages have a tracking number now?

  • lostn on 11/05/2018 - 20:17
    +2

    What I find even more annoying is sellers who list multiple items with one of those items being a $1 item that you don't want (like a screen protector). They do this in order to be bumped to the very top when you sort by lowest price. It becomes impossible to find which seller truly has the cheapest item. You really have to look at all of them, use their pulldown menu to find the item you want and see the price.

    Another thing they do is list some items as out of stock (the one you were after). It wasted your time enough, and you in the meantime looked at other items they were selling on the same page, and if they're lucky, induced an unexpected sale out of you.

    I've given ebay feedback about this in their surveys many times but nothing has been done about it.

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