why can't EBAY crack down on dodgey sellers saying they in Australia when they clearly not

[gazza5454]

I am sick of buying something saying its from australia then to find out its from china or some other country and having it take up to a month to be delivered.Do something about this very common situation.signed un happy ebayer

[lyndal1838]

You can do something for yourself.....check where the seller is registered.

If they are registered overseas there is a 99% chance that the items will be sent from overseas.

[sandypebbles]

What exactly would you like the other members here to do about it?

So easy to check for yourself beofre you buy but your choice not to do so

How many have you reported for item location misrepresentation ?

[south.coffee]

Rule of thumb.

1. If feedback figure has 5 digits exercise due diligence and click on Seller ID.
2. If location is a capital city, State, Botany or Chullora NSW - buyer beware.

[springyzone]

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@gazza5454 wrote:

I am sick of buying something saying its from australia then to find out its from china or some other country and having it take up to a month to be delivered.Do something about this very common situation.signed un happy ebayer

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With a feedback score of 1025, mostly for buying, you're probably fairly familiar with how things work in ebay.

The problem you mentioned is a reasonably common one, you're not the only unhappy ebayer but ebay doesn't seem to be interested in doing too much about it. My guess is the profit from sales & fees is their main consideration. Maybe down the track they will implement other changes that will clear up the problem but at the moment, there is no sign of that happening so you just have to deal with it or deal elsewhere.

I don't have this problem much and where I have had something drop shipped I have been aware before I bought that the seller was a bit of a liar re location of item. You don't have to be caught out.

Here's what you need to do.

1. Check estimated arrival date. If it is located in Aust it shouldn't have a month. Suspect a lie and check seller location.

2. If the item doesn't arrive by ETA, open an item not received claim if you find the seller is located overseas. Escalate, get your money back, don't offer to refund either if the item arrives later and the seller had lied to you about item location. That's their consequence. Obviously if it is a legit Australian seller and it is just Aus post running late, that doesn't apply.

3. Before you buy check out feedback-the neutrals & negs. See if others mention a problem with delivery times etc and while you're on that page, look at the top to see where the seller is located. If overseas yet the delivery date says eg one week to 10 days, it could be they have a warehouse here but as in #2, if the item doesn't arrive in time, straight into a claim for refund. Be on the alert when you see a seller is overseas. If you really don't want to risk being mucked around, click out and onto a different seller till you find an aussie one.

[countessalmirena]

springyzone, you have summed it up well.

I can only endorse the points you make. We as buyers do need to check where the seller is registered. If the seller is registered in another country, then it's very unlikely that the seller has a shop in Australia. At most, the seller would be using a logistics company with some of the listed goods being stored in a giant warehouse owned by the logistics company. The warehouse is not used exclusively by that seller, but by quite a few other sellers, mostly ones located in China.

It is more than possible that the item, even if the listing states that it's located in Australia, is actually in China and will be despatched from there.

@gazza5454, as a general rule, I do not buy from Chinese sellers.