I have noticed lately when buying stuff from NSW Australia the reciept is printed in Chinese why it

[williamhawkins]

I have purchased a few items lately from sellers supposedly in NSW Australia. The reciept is printed in Chinese and they seldom reply when you try to contact them. Just wondering why it is in Chinese.

[davewil1964]

At a guess it is because the sellers are Chinese. 7 of the 9 feedbacks you have received in the last 6 months are from Chinese sellers.

Where are they registered? Just because the goods are alleged to be in Botany, doesn't mean they are. Or that the seller is in Australia.

Which could well be an issue if buying stuff with supposed warranties. Or anything electrical/electronic - which will unlikely be built to Australian standards.

There is usually a reason why things are cheaply priced.

[countessalmirena]

@williamhawkins,

Don't just look at the item location in the listing. It can be misleading, due to eBay's permitting Chinese eBay sellers to use "just in time fulfilment".

Quick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!                                 Seller: Member id t**t  (6668 )
(Feedback percentage 99.6%. This seller is registered in China.)

Hope to deal with you again. Thank you.                                                           Seller: Member id w**s  ( )
(Feedback percentage 99.1%. This seller is registered in China.)

Quick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!                                   Seller: Member id a**3 (517106 )
(Feedback percentage 99.4%. This seller is registered in China.)

Good buyer, prompt payment, valued customer, highly recommended.  Seller: Member id t**5  (96750 )

(Feedback percentage 97.2%. This seller is registered in China.)

Great communication. A pleasure to do business with.                               Seller: Member id s**n  (807 )

(Feedback percentage 96.5%. This seller is registered in Hong Kong.)

5 out of your most recent 7 transactions are from Chinese sellers. (I've masked their usernames by substituting asterisks between the first and last letter, to avoid transgressing the Community guidelines.)

Click onto the seller's feedback percentage (in a listing) and you'll be taken to their feedback profile page. (NB: I would as a general rule not purchase from a large volume seller whose feedback percentage was less than 99.5%.) There you will see where that seller is registered, plus all of the feedback they've received. If you click onto the total number showing the negatives received over a 12 month period, it can make it easier to see if there are consistent issues.

For instance, among the negatives received by the seller that I've indicated as Member id t**t  (6668 ) are the following comments (by other buyers):

Fake location (China)                                                                             Buyer: e***n ( 509)

  100 Einwegpipetten Einmalpipetten Transferpipetten Farbe AIRBRUSH PIPETTEN 3ml  (#173625796187)

                                                                                                                                                        EUR 5.99

Artikelstandort nicht wie beschrieben                       Buyer: i***i ( 360)

        in Deutschland sondern China.

  Neu Löten Reparatur Wartung Plattform Wärme Isolierung Pad Silikonmatte Lötmatte  (#173631611962)

                                                                                                                                                        EUR 13.69

Billigster chinaschrott ... eigentl. kein          Buyer: d***j ( 75)

        Problem aber hier geht's um Gas ...

  Gasbrenner Lötlampe Lötbrenner Bunsenbrenner Manuelle Zündung Gasanzünder 1300°C  (#173679511488)

                                                                                                                                                        EUR 6.98

(The second comment states roughly that ❝Item location isn't - as described - in Germany, but rather in China.❞ The third comment is roughly ❝Cheap China rubbish... actually no other issue but this is an item containing fuel!❞.)

The seller's other negatives and also his neutrals include many comments complaining that the items are substandard, below par, of inferior quality, etc. And that seller is actually among the better ones in those five recent transactions!

To protect yourself, and to ensure that you're purchasing from legitimate Australian sellers, an essential step is to check the seller's feedback profile to

1. ascertain where the seller's registered, and
2. read through the negative (and possibly the neutral) feedback comments to spot any persistent problems.