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Beware Chinese Drop-Shipping Scams
Summary: La discusión en el foro tiene el tema de advertencia sobre las estafas de drop-shipping chino. Se observa la participación de múltiples usuarios, aunque el contenido de los mensajes de cada participante es "None", lo que sugiere que el detalle de las conversaciones está ausente o no registrado en el sistema. La interacción parece ser extensa, indicando posiblemente una conversación de mucha actividad sobre el tema.
These are everywhere and getting worse. The seller pretends to be in Australia, so that even filtering your search for "Australia only" includes them. Here are some observations on how to spot them. eBay should be doing the same and closing every single account.
1. They are normally "in-yer-face" about being Australian (not always, but commonly). There are Aussie flags and/or Aussie maps in the product pictures that appear in your search. Their name often ends in "_au", as in "ChineseScammer_au".
2. If you search for the same seller name (go to advanced search and select "search by seller", you will often find that the same seller is pulling the same trick in other locations. So, if you suspect that "ChineseScammer_au" is faking their location to be in Australia, try searching for "ChineseScammer_us" and "ChineseScammer_eu" to see if they have global aspirations (the short answer is, yes... yes, they do).
3. The location is often vague, as: "Located: NSW, Australia"
4. When you push them for an actual address, they come up with a real doozy... often involving huge mail centres like Chullora or Botany. A common one looks like this:
"Union Lucky Returns, P O Box 6008 #XXXXXX, CHULLORA New South Wales 1405 AU"
This is used to fake mail locations such that multiple businesses can have an Australian postal address (although if that address doesn't scream "scammer" then you need to read it again).
5. Contact may be revealing. They message in northern-hemisphere-friendly times. Yes, I am not only suggesting that the *item* is not in Australia, but the actual seller is not in Australia either. The replies seem to be partially auto-generated, often starting with "Dear friend".
6. The tracking number won't work with Australia Post. It just won't. Because the Australian item is in China. Try China Post. I guarantee you the tracking number works! And note how the China Post tracking will also be scam-friendly in that it will refer to "Picked up at AU Warehouse" etc. and the origin will be listed as "Australia", with the ever-present Australian flag.
7. When the item arrives (which can sometimes be quite quick, but China Post tracking states it can vary from 7 to 60 days), the packaging is completely non-descript. There is nothing to indicate that it was sent from an Australian facility (because it wasn't). There will be small clues that it was sent from China, but they will not be obvious, just another scam-friendly feature I guess.
8. The seller will absolutely NOT budge. Not a millimetre. They will state that they are in Australia no matter what evidence you throw at them. Even if the item was an $8 thing, they will fight to the end. When things get tough (like you contact eBay), then the "Dear friend" messages start arriving in earnest, attempting to wear you down to the point where you will accept some partial payment that you really don't want to accept but this starts to feel like it will take up the rest of your life so you surrender to it.
PLEASE report all to eBay. If you paid by PayPal, open a dispute. The seller will deny everything. Persist. If your item cost a couple of dollars, do it anyway. PayPal communicate to eBay, so also suggest that the account be closed, and if you found any others where it is clear that the same seller is operating with different IDs (e.g., swapping out "_au" for "_us", searching for the same item description and finding suspiciously identical adverts), let PayPal/eBay know about that as well.
These people have overrun eBay. As a buyer you are being misled. As an honest seller you are having customers funneled away from you. And, quite simply, it is also a breach of eBay policy.
Everything you can do to close them is a Good Thing (TM)!!!
kh-stanley1
·2 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
3.14fingers
·2 years agoYes, and these fake "AU" sellers are not just over running eBay but they are avoiding the GST payments that the Australian Government made eBay agree to which in turn assists the Chinese Government to undermine our economy one bit at a time while undermining our way of life. It's like invasion by stealth.
davewil1964
·2 years agoMost are actually registered in a foreign country and GST will apply to their sales into Australia. At least on eBay.
ybigdd
·2 years agoerrrr whats your point???
All i care for is the item... are the items genuine? Are they faulty??? Who cares where they came from??? were they delivered on time? i read the entire thing... but fail to see the problem???
padi*0409
·2 years agoOne look at the last seller that gave you feedback would have had me hitting the back-button.
Registered in China with terrible feedback - say no more..............
chilligryffin
·2 years agoI have a notice from Australia post saying my parcel has been delivered. No idea who Union Lucky is and what they sell. Aus post tracking number works but the lady at the office has not sighted it and sys it has not been delivered. Have instituted a query through Australia Post and Ebay has not got me buying anything from them.
sandypebbles
·2 years ago'Union Lucky' is not an eBay seller
Have a look on the forum
ie
https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Search/Who-is-union-lucky-returns/qaq-p/2544767
And others
A place of choice for Sellers in China
Possibly the one who has most recently left you feedback
3.14fingers
·3 years agoI'm fed up with these sellers. Had a complaint open with eBay "Help" the other day and they wouldn't come to the party about refunding me their commission due to allowing this to continue. The "Help" member claimed he understood why I was expecting eBay to allow it to continue... why not, no skin off their nose because they still get their commission. Right! The other thing that annoys me is that not only are my items always late but this is another way the Chinese Government are assisting business from a communist country to erode the state of our good, democratic Australian economy. This is because basically eBay are turning a blind eye to the fact that these sellers are, en-masse, successfully avoiding the 10% GST obligations that eBay made with the Australian Government about imported items on their platform. So eBay still get get paid, the Chinese sellers screw us over and genuine Australian businesses get hollowed out by the Chinese. Way to go eBay!
sandypebbles
·3 years agoYou made the informed choice to buy from who you did
Not bothering to check the feedback first is on you alone
You are supporting these sellers and then complaining about it
Just because something is on the site does'nt mean you have to buy it
The seller in China you bought from has feedback that is in the toilet
Many buyers registered here have feedback enough to make anyone run a mile due to drops hipping etc
You don't get to support these seller and then complain you are supporting them
And then blame eBay for letting you buy from dodgy sellers in the first place
You are'nt fed up or you would care who you buy from
And leave negs
You do neither
sugar249
·3 years agoOh the joy of it, You complain about overseas business's, but you yourself are supporting them by purchasing from them.
Just an aside in case you have overlooked at it, even if you decide to stop buying from chinese sellers on Ebay. The majority of products you will buy from Australian sellers be it on Ebay or Bricks and Mortar stores, are made in china, so there you go supporting them again. LOL
davewil1964
·3 years agothey wouldn't come to the party about refunding me their commission
Are you for real?
A buyer doesn't pay eBay any commission.
springyzone
·3 years agoI'm a bit puzzled. I can't see which sellers you mean as you have left no negative feedback.
I am also confused about what you mean about being refunded the commission. As a buyer, you would be refunded the cost of goods and postage. That's it. You didn't pay any commission on the sale, that comes out of the seller's pocket. It's deducted from the the total cost of the item.
The bit that gets me most though is you state that your items from Chinese sellers are always late.
If that is the case, why don't you open an ebay claim for item not received? or leave neg feedback?
I'm not keen on buying from sellers located in China either & I haven't for a while now, mainly because of the longer wait times plus I would rather support an Australian based business, but when I have bought small things from China, those sellers were upfront about their location, the item location and the delivery window. And I always received the goods.
I guess ebay isn't worried too much about which businesses any of us support-Chinese or Australian etc as long as the transactions go smoothly & legally.
You have to remember, ebay itself is an American company.
ant-932920
·3 years agoYou refer to Union Lucky Returns, P O Box 6008 #XXXXXX, CHULLORA New South Wales 1405 " AU "
Yes it is Selling Chinese made product
REOLINK INNOVATION LIMITED
Room B, 4th Floor, Kingway Commercial Building, 171-
173 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
They Make and sell Reolink security cameras . Yes these are made in China
But if you place an order for these cameras in Australia from
Reolink - Reolink Australia Official leading Local Distributor
Order #28396
Ship from New South Wales
VERSION: 1 Camera (White) + 1 Solar Panel 2 (Black)X1AU $ 382.49
skinnyboy999
·3 years agoIf "Lucky Union" is a "fake" address, then what happens to returns sent there?
davewil1964
·3 years agoIf the seller sends you a return label, that's not your problem.
If you haven't opened a relevant case, you will likely do your dough.
The eBay MBG is there to inordinately protect buyers. Use it.
skinnyboy999
·3 years agoBut what happens to things sent to that address if its "fake"
My point is, its obviously not fake, but who owns the PO box? Do items sent there get destroyed or redirected?
sugar249
·3 years agowho cares
padi*0409
·3 years agoYou were asked if you opened an MBG dispute - you didn't answer that question.
IF you have done that then eBay would have provided that address, and it doesn't matter if you think the address is false or not.
000scorpio
·3 years agoI FOUND IT ODD MANY ITEMS LIST AS THEM WHEN IN TRANSIT, But I always get the item, no issues so far and thats many. It seems they act like a shipping agent for Chinese products already in AUS. or a massive sized wholesaler like a big online cheap shop..HAD ONE YESTERDAY, Another listed as coming today by them and with each has different ebay seller name, indicating they act as a distribution agent
sandypebbles
·3 years agoYou have been awfully lucky if you have had no issues
So many of the sellers you choose to buy from are either registered in China, or are registered here, but (going by their feedback) do indeed dropship from China (exactly as you describe, warehouse here where they store their junk)
Most of them have garbage feedback to boot
I certainly would not be choosing to support such sellers
To each their own, but like I say, you have been very, very lucky not to have had any problems from them
signature035
·3 years agoI am so sick of these. I have 3 items purchased in the last 2 weeks that are showing as tracking number provided, but no further information (2 weeks later) How do you report this to eBay, it is impossible to filter them out in search criteria. All showed suburbs in NSW & QLD, one in the suburb next to me, which is why I purchased.
repentatleisure1952
·3 years agoI don't have these problems.
Perhaps it's because I spend 2 seconds clicking on the seller's feedback which shows where they are REGISTERED!
What do you want to report to eBay?
Do you not have the Estimated Delivery Date?
Do you not know how to use the eBay Money Back Guarantee?
springyzone
·3 years agoGo to your 'My ebay' section.
Look at the original ad and see what the expected delivery dates were for those 3 items.
If any of the items are overdue, then open an official ebay claim on them, for a refund. You can do it on the basis that you have not received your product.
Follow through with this claim! Do not let it lapse.
You don't need to contact the seller about it, you don't need to 'report it to ebay' as such. It is automated.
You don't need to put up with any nonsense. If an item doesn't arrive on time, claim!
And don't be tempted to close the claim if the seller starts making excuses or promises.
gutterpunkz05
·3 years agoObviously you dont know much about logistics, be it national or international.
Just a couple of recent instances for you, ordered machinery parts from a B&M distributor in Qld. No worries parts will be overnighted from Sydney warehouse. Next day, sorry parts now on back order from USA. Estimated delivery date, your guess is as good as mine.
Separate purchase 1 pallet of industrial parts, purchased from B&M Distributor with $800 for express freight, normally 3-4 days door to door. 14 days and item has still not left distributor. Issue currently under investigation.
Two weeks ago, went to buy a new vehicle. Vehicle not expected to be available for another 4 months, despite the fact that it is just over 100km away. Unfortunately it is stranded of the eastern seaboard, along with 1000's of others, waiting for port entry due to quarantine delays.
For years international logistics, which also includes drop shipping (completely legal), has operated on a just in time system. Will the system grind to a halt, your guess is as good as mine
countessalmirena
·3 years agoOP, you post this as though it’s new information. However, most of the regular posters here have only posted how to identify Chinese eBay sellers… but they (including me) have done so more exactly and more simply.
There’s no need to go on a comparison hunt. Check the seller’s feedback profile page (accessible by clicking onto their feedback %) and you will see it in black and white.
Registered in China xx/xx/xxx
These sellers are not subject to eBay Australia rules in the same way that sellers registered in eBay Australia are. eBay.com.au and eBay.cn are two different animals. eBay Australia does permit such sellers to list item location as somewhere in Australia, even when it’s not. Do a search on these boards for “just in time fulfilment” - I for one have explained this a few times after another well-respected member first introduced the topic here.
springyzone
·3 years agoUnfortunately some sellers are very misleading both on ebay and elsewhere. The advertising may lead you to suppose they are aussie sellers.
On ebay, I have found the best guide is the delivery date range.
If the end date is outside what you are prepared to put up with, don't buy. It is probably one of these Chinese sellers.
If the delivery date is reasonable but the item doesn't arrive by then, open an item not received claim. With ebay. Get your money back.
As sandy said, you can also check beforehand where the seller is registered and this is worth doing even if it does take an extra click and bit of investigating.
stri_1206
·2 years agoThese scammers are on Kogan also.
I bought a 4g trail cam from Kogan that was supposed to be Sold by and ships from Relink. But the email with the tracking information is saying it's sent by Union Lucky Returns.
stevenhmb130156
·2 years agoI have been sent the wrong car jack it 4in1 and it should have been 5in1 can you send me the right one please Sent to Susan lilley
sandypebbles
·2 years agoNo, other members not involved in the transaction cannot send you anything
You need to contact the seller
If they are not helpful or do not reply, you need to open an item not as described dispute and follow through with it within the time limit
Posting on the member to member forum, on a totally unrelated topic, asking a member to send you something is not going to do anything for your issue
The only recent feedback you have is from a seller in China with utterly horrid feedback - 97%
imastawka
·3 years agoWhat policy, exactly, is it you think they are breaking?
Drop shipping | eBay
maisy_ferret
OP3 years agoIt's called the "policy" of not lying about your product. Part of the "product" is where it is located. There are times when that could be meaningful. For example, buying a product purportedly located in Australia, but being shipped from China changes delivery times. China Post says it can extend up to 60 days. It often doesn't, but that is not the point. The point is that they are misrepresenting the location of themselves and the product. The thing I bought (yeah, I know, I wasn't paying attention) was not as described. That is more likely to be the case when people don't handle the product and send it to. So, there are two reasons. They aren't difficult. I'm surprised you had to ask, considering one involves a small matter of fraud (and discussions with eBay confirm).
*sons_n_daughters*
·3 years agoCheck where the seller is REGISTERED because that's where the item will be coming from, not where the listing says it is. Then you can avoid these issues.
There is no so called fraud. As a buyer, it's up to you know how everything happens, including dropshipping. Learn how ebay works. If that doesn't work for you, threaten to close your account. That always works (yeah right).
springyzone
·3 years agosugar249
·3 years agoI'm confused, last time I checked drop shipping wasnt against any law.
yes being located in china and pretending to be in Australia is dodgy.
But you seem to be implying drop shipping is a scam, there are many business's that legitimately use drop shipping.
I think you have 2 different issues mixed up.
maisy_ferret
OP3 years agoThat's a good point, really. Many legit businesses drop ship (usually from China).
My commentary was about location fraud more than anything. These dropshippers are scammers in the sense that what they work very hard at is to convince the buyer community that they and their products are in a specific country, when that is not true. I think the content stands, but I agree there is some room to be confused. Perhaps the title should have been "Beware Chinese Drop-Shipping Location Scams"... the word "location" should have also been more prominent in the account.
daydreams_12
·3 years agoYou have been a member over 20 years I find it hard to believe that you do not check "where registered & feedback" before undertaking any purchase. Due diligence is the name of the game.
imastawka
·3 years agoJust so you know - ebay don't care.
They get their fees.
It's also why they are called Teflon sellers.
It's much simpler than your rant....just look at their feedback page and it shows where they are registered.
If they are registered in China, then that's most likely where the item is coming from.
After checking where they are registered, JUST DON'T BUY FROM THEM!
If people stopped buying from them, then they would weed themselves out.
maisy_ferret
OP3 years agoActually, the location fraud I am talking about is about faking the location... hence the name... If all you are doing is checking the feedback page then you haven't seen it.
... so my "rant" stands....
... and yours doesn't.
sandypebbles
·3 years agoYes, we have all seen it
And yes, we are all aware that eBay allow sellers to put anywhere as the item location, and that, alone is meaningless
imastawka
·3 years agoFirstly, I wasn't ranting. But you admit you were.
And secondly, you didn't read my post properly -
'Ebay don't care' and 'if they are registered in China, then that's most likely where the item is coming from'.
And thirdly - I just don't care anymore.
loupy31
·3 years agoI have had similar problems, I am in SA, Item was supposed to be in Melbourne,
But Further research, after I purchased it, showed, it was coming from china, After many hours with ebay, I got a full refund, just over a month of waiting, the seller is a total A.Hole,
And yes, Faking the location is Fraud, which ever way you look at it, And is subject to Australian laws
sandypebbles
·3 years agoAll of which could have been avoided by checking who you were buying from before doing so
Would have taken 5 seconds
No need to 'further research' or 'spend hours with ebay'
Yes, the seller is clearly shown as registered in China
Yes, the feedback % is an utter shocker
Even if the seller AND the item really were in Australia , the feedback is still enough to ring alarm bells to avoid avoid avoid
If you are going to use 'Australian consumer law' nonsense, then report it
Such law do not apply to sellers registered in China
No I don't work for eBay'
No, I don't buy from sellers who are as dodgy as the day is long and then complain
No, I don't help such sellers stay in business
Go and report them to the proper authorities 'under Australian consumer law'
countessalmirena
·3 years ago@loupy31, search on these boards for “just in time fulfilment”. I’ve posted about it several times. It explains how an item not in Australia may be considered to be, nonetheless, in Australia, according to eBay policy.
It’s not an ACL issue.
To avoid buying from sellers in China (where the possibility of the item location probably being China is high), check seller location, not item location.
To avoid buying from sellers in Australia who are drop-shipping etc., check feedback comments (filtered to just negatives over last 12 months) to see if the comments state something along those lines.
Rule out unrealistically low prices for items in your searches; this is one of the best ways to weed out the most obvious unbranded Chinese listings.
I would probably put it at under 30 seconds or so to rule out a seller or listing in my searches.
sugar249
·3 years agoMaybe had you spent just 30 seconds of research before you hit the buy button, you would have saved your self the further research and hours to Ebay. The sellers Feedback is rubbish already.
You really only have yourself to blame, you even admit in your feedback that the sellers feedback is bad. Why did you buy??
*sons_n_daughters*
·3 years agoWhy did you buy from this seller when their feedback showed that they were pretty shonky? The onus is on YOU to check out a seller BEFORE you buy.
"FRAUD", the most abused word on the ebay forums. It's not fraud, it's the buyer (you) didn't check the seller out before buying. My guess is, buyer (you) bought because it was the cheapest.
sandypebbles
·3 years agoAll anyone needs to do is look where the seller is registered
The same thing has been posted on the forum hundreds of times
Everyone here knows exactly what 'Chullora' and other suburb code names for sellers registered in China means
And a huge number of buyers still buy from them and then complain
SO easily avoided
Of course, it means pressing one extra button
Better to buy from just anyone and then complain they were 'mislead'
Read the feedback page before you buy
Very very very very simple to do