Electrical compliance when selling electrical appliances into Australia

[rock_around_the_block]

Some friendly advice for ebay sellers to the Australian market

Are you aware that it is illegal to sell electrical appliances within Australia that are designed to be plugged into a mains power outlet unless they have an Australian compliant plug correctly fitted to the 240V cable.

Supplying an EU-UK/AUS plug adaptor for Australian consumers is not compliant. If your electrical products are sold bare wired or have an incorrect plug then your company is leaving itself wide open to statutory prosecution and potential litigation if a consumer is injured using an electrically powered product that you sell here.

[lyndal1838]

In that case it could be that the seller has a warehouse here or is using a logistics company to post the items from Australia....maybe even Australia Post themselves.

It still comes back to where the seller is registered.   If the seller is regitered overseas I would be very loath to take the chance that the items will comply with Australian standards.

[audistarelectronics]

As Lyndal has said, you may have struck a seller who has stock held here, but they would be very rare amongst the Chinese sellers. I have noted where a seller will have only some of their more popular items listed as located in AU, then other items located in China. You can always double check these as the local price will be more than the same item listed as in China. Still, prosecuting would be futile as it would still go back to where they are registered, as the local authorities would have no juristiction over an offshore registered company. It comes down to buyer beware. To go off topic a little, there were more illegal fireworks going off on the South Coast last night than the legal displays. Would someone please explain where these are being purchased from? Our laws are way too soft. Surely they are not being purchased from China via ebay, I woud hope not.

[springyzone]

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@mark_3691 wrote:

I ordered the media box on 26 December, the item was sent via Australia Post on 28 December from Sydney and I recieved the item on 29 December so there was no way it came directly to me from China in a day or so.

Obviously came through an importer in Sydney who I thought was the major person who must comply with AS/NZ Standards on electrical equipment before selling it in Australia. Is this the case or am I wrong?

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To me that changes things (or should) if the item was actually located & shipped within Australia. And it most definitely sounds as if it must have been.

I would have thought that any electrical item sold in Australia by any company would have had to comply with Australian standards. And I certainly would expect they could be plugged straight in to use, unless they came with information to the contrary. 

You'd think importers would have to show that their goods were compliant, but I know a lot of things slip through the net.

[padi*0409]

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@springyzone wrote:

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To me that changes things (or should) if the item was actually located & shipped within Australia. And it most definitely sounds as if it must have been.

I would have thought that any electrical item sold in Australia by any company would have had to comply with Australian standards. And I certainly would expect they could be plugged straight in to use, unless they came with information to the contrary. 

You'd think importers would have to show that their goods were compliant, but I know a lot of things slip through the net.

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I'm pretty sure it's this one springy, if so it does say in the description that an EU plug is supplied .

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FREE-KEYBOARD-MXQ-Pro-S905-Smart-TV-Box-Android-4K-Quad-Core-Media-Playe...

 

[mark_3691]

Thanks for that Padi,

I did see that specs info on a few of the other sellers descriptions, some even had pictures of the EU plug, but it definately wasn't on this sellers site. Maybe this has made them add it. But even so it should be more prominent so you can actually see what you are buying.

[lyndal1838]

How much more prominent could it be than in the Item Description?  If you don't read that much how do you know what you are buying?

Maybe you look at the pictures only?

Even if your seller has changed the description you can see exactly what you bought by looking at your order.

[mark_3691]

No offence Lyndal but you do need to get at least some of your facts right before you jump to conclusions.

As stated earlier, the original add description in no way said anything about the item having a NON-COMPLIANT and probably unsafe or faulty overseas plug or adaptor.

I cannot check the original add anymore as it no longer appears in my purchase history in my ebay summary. It has all the other items purchased prior to and since this order but this particular one has been removed from there. Any ideas on where else it might be able to be viewed?

Cheers 

[lyndal1838]

If it has been removed by ebay (and it sounds like it has)) there is nowhere that you can see it.  It means that ebay has decided that it breaks the rules in some way.

You should be able to open a dispute for not as described and get your refund.  Do it through paypal as the transaction does not disappear from there.

[imastawka]

It hasn't been removed, Lyndal

Padi's previous post gave the link to the item.  More people have bought it since.

Not hard to follow the trail when they've given a neg.

[beerandpizzaplz]

For info on requirements you can google

ENERGYSAFE

For your state.

energysafe victoria is here: http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/

Buying safe electrical items: http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/safety-education/consumer-information/buying-safe-electrical-appliances-an...

So NO for pretty much anything that has not been approved for Australian use (which requires correct plug etc.) you cant legally sell it......

Even though there is a bunch of unapproved stuff for sale.