Avoid buying from Chinese sellers selling in Australia at any cost (very dodgy)
Summary: En la discusión sobre evitar compras a vendedores chinos en Australia, astronaut_77 expresa preocupación por la falta de fiabilidad de dichos vendedores. A lo largo de la conversación, múltiples participantes interactúan, incluida k1ooo-slr-sales, quien parece compartir o contrastar experiencias. gutterpunkz05 y countessalmirena también contribuyen con sus opiniones, mientras refinan los motivos detrás de esta advertencia. Finalmente, otros participantes como springyzone y sugar249 responden, generando un intercambio activo de ideas y experiencias relacionadas con la confiabilidad de los vendedores internacionales en el mercado australiano.
My experience with Chinese sellers in Australia is very bad, especially when it's a high value item. This seller listed a Xiaomi 14 Pro phone and in the description says that it has eSIM, when I received it, I found out that it doesn't have an eSIM, contacted him, he argued that the eSIM only work in Europe, although that it's not true (as per Xiaomi customer service themselves as Pro version is only for Chinese market and there is no eSIM in China), yet the seller still blame me for not contacting him first asking about eSIM!!! Told him that item description says it has eSIM, as well as he is selling in AU! He asked me to return it but not to say that the reason for the return is that I changed my mind, took him so long arguing about the return and asking me to return it using the cheapest way possible, although the item is sold for $1519.62, as well as to add a coverage value of $300 (of course if something happened to the phone on its way back it will be on me, and he is in the clear), then finally after the phone was received, he is still stalling to refund me, and eBay is stalling too, telling me that the refund approval needs to be handled by a secondary team that handles high value items, I bought the phone on the 24th/July, received on the 3rd/Aug, I requested the return then next day 4th/Aug after inquiring about the eSIM. And from the 4th/Aug till the 16th/Aug (the date I actually returned it via AusPost) the seller was arguing about the return cost and every step of the way when I contacted him, he was asking me to change my negative feedback, I was actually willing to change it if he was genuinely willing to help and refund me smoothly, but he didn't. Now he received the phone since 29th/Aug and today is 2nd/Sep, yet he hasn't refund me as kind of payback for not changing my feedback. And even when I asked him why the refund wasn't processed yet, and in order to stall, he asked me if the phone has any collision (his own word) instead of inspecting it (although I packed it and protected it very well)
So please avoid buying from any Chines seller sells in Australia. THEY WILL SCAM AND MANUPULATE YOU
Now after this terrible experience with this seller and eBay customer service, I will NEVER EVER buy any item over $30 from eBay again.
I tried Amazon in the last 2 month for about 9 items, and they were very good in everything, delivery time and item description and customer service, I will switch to Amazon for sure.
shoppingbag*
·1 year agoWhat was their feedback rating? Did you check? I would never buy a phone online, I want somewhere (a store) to take it back to if it is faulty. Too many sad stories about people who buy phones online for me. I buy lots of stuff from Chinese Sellers, but only every small value items, and I check their feedback first. I wont go near anyone who has hundreds of negatives. I've had few problems.
greywolf271
·1 year agoI'm an electronics engineer and buy all my goods from china as far as possible. You seem to be a one off experience. I have never had any problems with the sellers I associate with.
Rule one, communicating with a non english speaking seller - take time to ask the right questions.
sandypebbles
·1 year agoObviously you have not read the many hundreds of complaints on here from buyers who choose to buy knock offs from dodgy sellers in China and then get up in arms how the thing did not work/damaged whatever/no warranty etc etc etc
You might be happy to risk damage to your property or putting others at risk or worse and that is on you
Being an electronics engineer you ought to know better
And would be well aware of the consequences of buying unbranded knocks offs not up to Australian safety standards from unauthorised sellers especially in China
sugar249
·1 year agoMy concern is that they are putting it in customers premises, or an employers establishment. The engineer may be aware of the potential dangers and happy to take the risk, but do the poor people they are inflicting this stuff on because they call themselves an electronics engineer. And the insurance impacts of using this rubbish.
springyzone
·1 year agoHalf the stuff in our shops has been made in China, so I think lots of people just assume if they buy on ebay from a Chinese seller, they just cut out the middle man and get the same goods.
But when businesses import things in bulk, those things pass through customs and have to be up to Australian standards.
When you buy something direct from China though, it will probably slip into the country without having to pass those standards. It may not be the same quality as the identical looking items in the stores.
So I guess my question is-are you a fairly medium sized importer of products from China, where your items are made to conform to our standards by established Chinese companies, or are you just buying here and there from random Chinese sellers and not checking the quality of what you get?
sandypebbles
·1 year agoThere is huge difference between what is sold in genuine retail stores that comply with Australian safety standards and the made for China for use in China and unbranded or knock off items that do not
davewil1964
·1 year agoas per Xiaomi customer service themselves as Pro version is only for Chinese market
Why did you buy it then?
astronaut_77
OP1 year agoBecause I found out that after I bought the phone unfortunately, I trusted the item description, and when I asked the seller where is the eSIM settings, he pointed me to the Network settings, which I didn't find any eSIM settings, then messaged him, he changed his answer and said that the eSIM is only working in Europe, not in Australia (which is wrong as well).
This is when I contacted Xiaomi customer service and asked them, not before.
springyzone
·1 year agoUnfortunately, that is exactly what you can't afford to do on ebay.
Ebay is made up of thousands of random sellers, some good, some bad.
I have learnt that before buying, it is a good idea to do a bit of a check on the seller.
I do it by clicking on the seller's name and feedback score.
That should take you to a section where you can click on the 'about' tab and see where the seller is located. Just because something is listed as being in Australia, it doesn't mean it is or that the seller is.
Then I check the feedbck. Keep clicking till you can see all the feedback, not just the last 6 or so. Read the negatives and neutrals.
It will give you a sense of whether there is a pattern of problems.
Personally, I tend to try to buy from sellers in Australia with a reasonable feedback score. It doesn't have to be 100% as some buyers give unfair negs.
But always take the time to check it all out before you buy so you can get a sense of whether this seller is one of the reliable ones or not.
sandypebbles
·1 year ago97.1% feedback
I would have run a mile and then another mile
You do not have to play along
Don't support dodgy sellers in the first place
I am glad you are switching, you have bought from several dodgy sellers, helping them stay in business for a long time now
The less people doing this, the better off other buyers and genuine sellers are going to be
springyzone
·1 year agoThat is a huge amount of money to spend on trust. Massive really. When something goes wrong with a purchase of that amount, you really, really need to do your homework to make sure you get a refund.
I feel as if you may have made a few strategic mistakes along the way, unfortunately.
The first was, as you now know, to buy a phone on ebay from a random Chinese seller.
Buying these sorts of items from any random seller is a recipe for disaster. You need to buy from a store or authorised seller. For that sort of money, I'd be wanting a proper warranty and often you won't get it on ebay.
Your second mistake was trying to sort this out privately with the seller and arguing back and forth.
I know ebay encourages people to contact the seller but really and truly, for something like this, go through proper ebay channels, straight into an official ebay cclaim for item not as described. That way, for an Australian purchase, the seller will be up for return postage & need to issue you with an appropriate label.
If you don't get that refund soon, get ebay involved. Contact them through chat, ask to speak to someone. Explain. Quote the tracking etc. And if the seller has tried to manipulate you by suggesting you need to change feedback before a refund, report it as extortion and ask ebay to look at the message.
It is against ebay regulations for a seller to do that.
Don't change your feedback, you don't have to, and if you did, there is no guarantee the seller would do the right thing by you anyway.
And yes, be very careful what you buy on ebay and which sellers you buy from. Read their feedback, check where the seller is located (not just the item, as some sellers are overseas but can list items as in Australia). It may take a little bit of effort to spend that time checking, but it helps avoid problems later.
astronaut_77
OP1 year agoYou are right, I should've do more homework and checking the phone model, regardless what the seller says in the item description, but I did open a refund claim/dispute after I found out that the seller is going back and forth, which upset the seller, because he obviously didn't want me to say that the item is not as described, he wanted to look like it's my fault of ordering a wrong item, blaming me for not messaging him first before I buy, I told him "why I message you when you clearly saying in the item description that it has an eSIM, as well as you sell in AU", but eBay put the case on hold for 5 days, and when I contacted them after 5 days, they said that they will need to put the case on hold again for another 3 days and give the seller time, instead of taking an action and force the seller to either send me the return shipping cost or sort out a return label.
Then after the seller finally sent me the money, the parcel took too long in Chinees customs, and when was received finally, I asked eBay to refund me or ask the seller to refund me, they said they will have to pass the case to a secondary team for high value items, which will take 2-3 days, but even after 3 days, I had to contact them again, they asked me to provide a copy of the return receipt, which I did, then again they said no no, we will need a proof of delivery instead of a receipt, I told them it's an express post, it requires a signature on delivery by default, they said that they will pass the case to the secondary team AGAIN for the second time as it's a high value item.
I was tight on time because I used AfterPay, and AfterPay put the next payment on hold, but told me that if the refund won't be processed before the 3rd payment, I will need to pay 2 payments together.
My whole frustration was that I will still need to pay 3 installments for an item that I have returned, as well as I paid for another Xiaomi phone from a local merchant (different model that has eSIM).
That was almost a total of $2300
springyzone
·1 year agoWhat a nightmare.
Keep on it till you get that refund. I guess I don't need to tell you that though!
The main thing to learn from this whole experience is don't buy expensive stuff on ebay and never, never, electronic items from China, no matter how good the ads might look.
It is just far too hard if things go wrong and you have purchased from overseas.
Plus if you're buying from some random seller in China, the odds are you won't be getting the real deal.
There are some things that are just better bought from a local store. It might be a bit dearer but you get a proper warranty.
sugar249
·1 year agoYou have being a member for 15 years, and from all the negative feedback you have left, you don't appear to have read the Ebay money back guarantee or the process of claiming it, you don't deal with the seller, you open a claim.
astronaut_77
OP1 year agoI did, I opened a refund claim/dispute which upset the seller, because he obviously didn't want me to say that the item is not as described, he wanted to look like it's my fault of ordering, blaming me for not messaging him first before I buy, I told him "why I message you when you clearly saying in the item description that it has an eSIM, as well as you sell in AU", but eBay put the case on hold for 5 days, and when I contacted them after 5 days, they said that they will need to put the case on hold again for another 3 days and give the seller time, instead of taking an action and force the seller to either send me the return shipping cost or sort out a return label.
Then after the seller finally sent me the money, the parcel took too long in Chinees customs, and when was received finally, I asked eBay to refund me or ask the seller to refund me, they said they will have to pass the case to a secondary team for high value items, which will take 2-3 days, but even after 3 days, I had to contact them again, they asked me to provide a copy of the return receipt, which I did, then again they said no no, we will need a proof of delivery instead of a receipt, I told them it's an express post, it requires a signature on delivery by default, they said that they will pass the case to the secondary team AGAIN for the second time as it's a high value item.
I was tight on time because I used AfterPay, and AfterPay put the next payment on hold, but told me that if the refund won't be processed before the 3rd payment, I will need to pay 2 payments together.
My whole frustration was that I will still need to pay 3 installments for an item that I have returned, as well as I paid for another Xiaomi phone from a local merchant (different model that has eSIM).
That was almost a total of $2300
countessalmirena
·1 year agoOP, you don’t need a back-and-forth with the seller.
If the item’s not as described, you open a refund claim/dispute, wait the minimum time as per the MBG for seller to agree to refund and to provide return label, and if seller fails to do so within that minimum (3-day) period, then you “ ask eBay to step in”.
astronaut_77
OP1 year agoI did, I opened a refund claim/dispute which upset the seller, because he obviously didn't want me to say that the item is not as described, he wanted to look like it's my fault of ordering, blaming me for not messaging him first before I buy, I told him "why I message you when you clearly saying in the item description that it has an eSIM, as well as you sell in AU", but eBay put the case on hold for 5 days, and when I contacted them after 5 days, they said that they will need to put the case on hold again for another 3 days and give the seller time, instead of taking an action and force the seller to either send me the return shipping cost or sort out a return label.
Then after the seller finally sent me the money, the parcel took too long in Chinees customs, and when was received finally, I asked eBay to refund me or ask the seller to refund me, they said they will have to pass the case to a secondary team for high value items, which will take 2-3 days, but even after 3 days, I had to contact them again, they asked me to provide a copy of the return receipt, which I did, then again they said no no, we will need a proof of delivery instead of a receipt, I told them it's an express post, it requires a signature on delivery by default, they said that they will pass the case to the secondary team AGAIN for the second time as it's a high value item.
I was tight on time because I used AfterPay, and AfterPay put the next payment on hold, but told me that if the refund won't be processed before the 3rd payment, I will need to pay 2 payment together.
My whole frustration was that I will still need to pay 3 installments for an item that I have returned, as well as I paid for another Xiaomi phone from a local merchant (different model that has eSIM).
That was almost a total of $2300
k1ooo-slr-sales
·1 year ago**nothing to see here**
(I should not have made this post)
gutterpunkz05
·1 year agoYou say the returned item was received by the seller on 29th Aug, Thursday. Your post here is dated 1st Sept, Sunday, so a total of 1 business day has elapsed. The seller has 3 days to authorize a refund, and then of course there is ebay and bank processing times to be considered.
Anyway your effort to name and shame the seller will be rendered useless shortly, probably quicker than you receive your refund.
astronaut_77
OP1 year agoSorry, I didn't tell the whole story, eBay and the seller kept going back and forth for a long time, it's not only about the wait time from when the item was delivered, it's as well about when I was advised then they changed that few times.
When the seller argued that the phone has an eSIM and I realized that it's not going anywhere, I opened a refund claim/dispute which upset the seller, because he obviously didn't want me to say that the item is not as described, he wanted to look like it's my fault of ordering, blaming me for not messaging him first before I buy, I told him "why I message you when you clearly saying in the item description that it has an eSIM, as well as you sell in AU", but eBay put the case on hold for 5 days, and when I contacted them after 5 days, they said that they will need to put the case on hold again for another 3 days and give the seller time, instead of taking an action and force the seller to either send me the return shipping cost or sort out a return label.
Then after the seller finally sent me the money, the parcel took too long in Chinees customs, and when was received finally, I asked eBay to refund me or ask the seller to refund me, they said they will have to pass the case to a secondary team for high value items, which will take 2-3 days, but even after 3 days, I had to contact them again, they asked me to provide a copy of the return receipt, which I did, then again they said no no, we will need a proof of delivery instead of a receipt, I told them it's an express post, it requires a signature on delivery by default, they said that they will pass the case to the secondary team AGAIN for the second time as it's a high value item.
I was tight on time because I used AfterPay, and AfterPay put the next payment on hold, but told me that if the refund won't be processed before the 3rd payment, I will need to pay 2 payments together.
My whole frustration was that I will still need to pay 3 installments for an item that I have returned, as well as I paid for another Xiaomi phone from a local merchant (different model that has eSIM).
That was almost a total of $2300
k1ooo-slr-sales
·1 year agosorry, I didn't read all of your post. It hurt my eyes ... being such a large slab of text, devoid of obvious paragraphing (try inserting a blank line between paragraphs).
I'll try again in the morning, although, I fear that moderators will be along to edit out the seller ID in the first bit of your post (that, I did see).
Cheers
astronaut_77
OP1 year agoSorry about that, I was typing on my phone, and you are right, the moderators have removed the seller ID.