OP, itโs such a bizarre occurrence that Iโd guess most eBay members reading here would have thought it must be a scam.
Now that youโve explained it was also a message in your inbox, the authenticity of the message is established, but the bizarreness remains!
As said, why eBay would be contacting you about an item being โrecalledโ is in my experience unprecedented.
That they did so about an item that is unbranded - by definition without a stated brand or Australian manufacturer - is so weird that my brow is wrinkling and Iโm discussing this with our cat Ichabod. He is meowing in astonishment (or else he just wants some further patting).
Your reference to items sold by Coles and your dismissal of โunbrandedโ as meaning things without a brand name stamped on them are not really relevant. Coles is, as said by others here, an Australian company and they are subject to ACL and of course for selling electrical / electronic items that are manufactured to Australian standards. If they sell something of that sort not to Australian standards, theyโd be in a world of trouble.
Unbranded doesnโt mean no brand name showing on the item. It means itโs churned out in a (usually Chinese) factory, of the poorest cheapest quality raw materials, its components made to function minimally and without regard for safety, adequacy, capacity etc, items which have not been tested AS REQUIRED for the electrical regulatory standards. What you do when you order from a Chinese seller selling unbranded items is bypass that process, and you put yourself at risk.
From a previous post in another thread:
@countessalmirena wrote:
I won't buy on the basis of the item being the cheapest. I buy on the basis of best value for money, and part of that value (for me) is that the item be genuine and that I can have confidence that it was made to the brand's specifications, both in manufacturing details and in materials used. This is something I can't over-stress, but it's difficult to convey how important this is. The difference can literally be that between life and death when it comes to electrical goods/electronics, because lower quality components are not fit for purpose. The least that could happen is that the item fails; the worst is that someone dies. Almost as bad is the possibility of fire damage, destruction of connected devices, etc., and the certainty that one's insurance won't cover that.
โAll electrical professionals should be conscious of the law of โsubrogationโ, which enables insurance companies to recoup money they have paid out on insurance claims from other parties who can be identified as being partially or fully responsible for the cause of the claim. So if you knowingly or unknowingly supply, install or specify counterfeit electrical goods that are found to have contributed to an insurance claim (e.g. fire or electrocution) because of being sub-standard or unsafe, you could be held liable for personal damages and possibly face imprisonment.โ โ Does It Comply? an initiative of NECA
I posted a reply on another thread, touching on "just in time fulfillment" among other things. [...]
In another thread, I've explained why "made in China" under contract to a brand is completely different to "made in China" without any quality control, faking capability and quality and brand, with the components not even being fit for purpose.
Raw materials are actually the costliest aspect of manufacturing in China, which is why these factories that churn out unbranded/fake/fraudulent items will skimp on the raw materials for the components. The intention is to make something/sell something that looks - ON THE OUTSIDE - very much like the expensive name-brand quality items that are made under contract and must meet certain standards, but which are revealed as the cheap made-to-fail rubbish they are once you look "under the hood", or try to use the item to the capacity/function/etc which is stated. It may work for a while, but it will not work to the extent or for as long or to the acceptable safety standard that the genuine item which it's imitating will work... and it is a safety hazard. It's a risk. It's not worth it.
In yet another thread, I touch briefly on the Regulatory Compliance Mark. You must be aware of the RCM requirement. I'll quote a bit from that thread here as well:
โThere are regulations that apply to the supply of electrical equipment and appliances. The requirements set out in the regulations must be followed. A failure to do so is a criminal offence.โ
โRegulations and Standards apply to all electrical equipment sold or offered for supply in Australia. Certain types of equipment are classified as prescribed. These pieces of equipment must go through a certification process which ensures the equipment is compliant to the relevant safety standards before being offered for supply in Australia.โ
โRegulatory Compliance Mark (RCM)
Prescribed electrical products must have an RCM on the appliance or an Australian approval number to show that the product has been certified.
This mark is currently recognised by all States and Territories of Australia.โ
IN CONCLUSION
If eBay have contacted you directly about a router which you bought quite a while ago, whatโs the chance that they are doing so because another buyer of the same item has had a catastrophic issue resulting from the use of that item? Fire, explosion, severe injury, death - and of course that buyer (or family) would have contacted eBayโฆ and eBay, sort-of stuck in the middle with no legal responsibility but wanting to protect themselves as a result of the information, might well send out emails and messages warning buyers, using wording that really makes no sense but effectively washed their hands of the issue.
In other words, youโve been warned. Continue using that router at own risk.
