Ebay allowing sellers to misrepresent item location

[mechatronics_wa]

Let's have a chat about the elephant in the room which is sellers that are based in CHINA and have every single item for sale described as Located in Australia, usually with something like "Free Express Post from Sydney, Australia"

Ebay has a very clear policy on MISREPRESENTING ITEM LOCATION

https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/item-location.html

NOT ALLOWED "Giving an incorrect item location. For example, indicating that the item is in the U.S. when it is actually being shipped from China."

Shipping. 3 WEEKS. Item not correct? Go to return it and you get A CHINESE ADDRESS. No english any way shape or form. You go to message the seller for an Australian return address and it says in a big red messsage "THIS SELLER IS REGISTERED ON ANOTHER EBAY AND MAY NOT SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE".

Ebay's official responce? I have it right here. This is a snippet from an email exchange.

Ebay:

"I understand your concern regarding this transaction especially that the seller is registered in a different country. Please know that there are seller's who's registration address in another country but has a warehouse of supplier in Australia. Based on the listing description, the item is located in Sydney. Further as per tracking number, the delivery was processed by Australia Post and they've received it on the 18th of October."

EBAY is allowing sellers based 100% in CHINA with NO BUSINESS in Australia, including being REGISTERED in another country - other than SHIPPING THERE FROM CHINA. 

And ebay defend it by saying "oh but theres a warehouse supplier in Australia". Certainly not of anything I've ever ordered. Then they try and make it out like it DID come from within Australia - because it used Australia Post! WELL THE CHINESE POSTMAN ISNT GOING TO CATCH A PLANE HERE AND DELIVER IT, IS HE?

By the way, my response to that reply was: "Ordered and paid for on the 7th of October. SORTED through Australia post on the 18th (tho my tracking shows sorted on the 21st)  - but let's use the 18th. That is still a bit more than 2 days handling time as stated in the ad."

ANOTHER SELLER has thousands of positive feedback (96%) but into the THOUSANDS of neutral and negative. Every second item, if it wasnt about the poor quality, is that item location was LIED ABOUT. Mine said free express post from Sydney. Another user said his ad said free express post from Victoria. In every single negative/neutral feedback that mentions it - even a LOAD of the positive ones - the seller says "oh we do actually ship from australia, a lot." Clearly not.

When is ebay going to STOP ALLOWING chinese sellers to LIE about item location? Probably never.

Today some chinese seller said "sorry for inconvinience (lying to you about item lcoation) - ill give $1 for you to revise feedback" I got my dollar back and revised the feedback. I revised it with follow up to make it clear the seller lies about item location. lmfao I am glad Amazon is here and I hope they take a big chunk out of the HOLE ebay has become. I'm happy to buy cheap **bleep**. But I need a lot of stuff faster than 3 weeks. And when I get it and its wrong, get a chinese return address? Then point out to ebay thier own policy and they say that that its okay, only SOME stuff they send is from china.

Ebay has been riding this wave for too long and I cant wait for it to crash - soon

[kopenhagen5]

I am involved in many different industries and groups meaning collectively we have influence and buying power.

Sometime ago it was decided most of us would boycott (for reasons I won't go into) products from China and anyone online that appears to be Chinese regardless of stated location

One of the reasons is the total disregard for rules and regs by the Chinese.

My suggestion to anyone reading this, don't keep giving funds to the Chinese, most only care for lining their own pockets and DO NOT care about you.

And to the OP, keep checking feedback then just back page if you see anything looking like Chinese.

Pay more and have it invested in Australia's future.

[*tippy*toes*]

This topic has been done to death. Nothing is going to change. If these sellers with thousands of feedback and only 96% have thousands of complaints about items coming from overseas, why do you keep buying from them? Stop buying from them and you won't have any problems. Feedback is freely available to everyone to see, especially where a seller is registered. I suggest you try looking at it before buying.

Most of these sellers sell cheap junk. If you want cheap junk, go to your local $2 shop. Every town has one. Yes, they are usually run by Asians, but at least they live here, shop here, pay taxes here, so you are supporting the Australian economy.

Edit: Stop yelling at us, especially in red. We didn't do it. It's up to you to do your own homework, don't scream at us when you jump the gun.

[m6110r]

False advertising is false advertiseing and can be reported to the ACCC, which is exacty what I intend to do if EBAY will not act on these lying sellers. To stick your head in the sand and just say oh you should have know, you should do your home work is a joke and if your response to breaking the law it that every time well good help us. Against the law is exactly that and should be stopped and if EBAY choses to do nothing then they are aiding these lyers and are just as guilty.

[lyndal1838]

This is one problem the ACCC will not touch.

By your own admission your problem is with Chinese sellers.....the ACCC has no jurisdiction over overseas sellers.  They deal with problems with registred Australian businesses.

[m6110r]

They do over EBAY Australia I am already in descussions with them as this is a long on going issue the Ebay Aust had decided to allow to continue. They have a oblication to make sure there sellers are not misleading the public. Its like most things if you make a big enough deal about it things can and will change, sticking your head in the sand is not helpful.

[kopenhagen5]

The eBay site is on a trust basis with members expected to conform with the rules.

However eBay can and probably do say the site belongs to it's members and that eBay have little control of what their members do on the site. And can only act after the fact, even then eBay will claim it is near impossible to prove reports, allegations etc.

But good on you for pursuing it and you may become responsible for new implementations that improve the site or how business is conducted generally online.

[tennis_dot]

yeah they have item shipped from sydney which is ebay true

item sent from china to sydney and then sent from the sydney by another business like a courier

[the_hunter04]

I flat out refuse to buy anything from any seller that is based overseas which includes "China, Hong Kong or Malyasia" due to the many problems that it brings!

[kwv42]

With information on their eBay seller information, that claiming they are based in Australia like posting from Sydney and have Au as part of their eBay seller name.

What research can you do if any, to check if they are actually in Australia?

As I bought a phone thinking the seller was based in Australia, based on above.

But the Redmi note 5A didn't come with a Australia charger, come with instructions that wasn't in English and setting up the phone Australia and New Zealand wasn't in the region list even the phone was supposed to be a International version.

Comments from others think what happened to me and I say others is ok and I have to live with it as they assured I bought the phone from China even those from the seller details I assume I was buying the phone in Australia.

But would they be ok if they bought a phone from say Telstra and it didn't come with all or the right accessories?