For goodness' sake...!
I don't have an agenda here. My only wish is to try to help you; you deserve a full refund if this item is not as described. There is no trap.
I'm not a seller and I'm not trying to out-compete Chinese sellers.
The place of manufacture becomes important if the item is not made under contract to a legitimate and respected company/brand to specifications. THAT is why "unbranded" is a problem, and why Chinese-made (or other-low-wage-country-made) may be a problem.
If an eBay seller is registered in China, they are in China. They are not an Australian business. You have no enforceable warranty in respect of a purchase from them, and Australian Consumer Legislation doesn't apply to them. You're buying from an overseas seller with all of the concomitant risks.
From a previous post in another thread:
@countessalmirena wrote:
I won't buy on the basis of the item being the cheapest. I buy on the basis of best value for money, and part of that value (for me) is that the item be genuine and that I can have confidence that it was made to the brand's specifications, both in manufacturing details and in materials used. This is something I can't over-stress, but it's difficult to convey how important this is. The difference can literally be that between life and death when it comes to electrical goods/electronics, because lower quality components are not fit for purpose. The least that could happen is that the item fails; the worst is that someone dies. Almost as bad is the possibility of fire damage, destruction of connected devices, etc., and the certainty that one's insurance won't cover that.
❝All electrical professionals should be conscious of the law of ‘subrogation’, which enables insurance companies to recoup money they have paid out on insurance claims from other parties who can be identified as being partially or fully responsible for the cause of the claim. So if you knowingly or unknowingly supply, install or specify counterfeit electrical goods that are found to have contributed to an insurance claim (e.g. fire or electrocution) because of being sub-standard or unsafe, you could be held liable for personal damages and possibly face imprisonment.❞ – Does It Comply? an initiative of NECA
I posted a reply on another thread, touching on "just in time fulfillment" among other things. [...]
In another thread, I've explained why "made in China" under contract to a brand is completely different to "made in China" without any quality control, faking capability and quality and brand, with the components not even being fit for purpose.
Raw materials are actually the costliest aspect of manufacturing in China, which is why these factories that churn out unbranded/fake/fraudulent items will skimp on the raw materials for the components. The intention is to make something/sell something that looks - ON THE OUTSIDE - very much like the expensive name-brand quality items that are made under contract and must meet certain standards, but which are revealed as the cheap made-to-fail rubbish they are once you look "under the hood", or try to use the item to the capacity/function/etc which is stated. It may work for a while, but it will not work to the extent or for as long or to the acceptable safety standard that the genuine item which it's imitating will work... and it is a safety hazard. It's a risk. It's not worth it.
In yet another thread, I touch briefly on the Regulatory Compliance Mark. You must be aware of the RCM requirement. I'll quote a bit from that thread here as well:
“There are regulations that apply to the supply of electrical equipment and appliances. The requirements set out in the regulations must be followed. A failure to do so is a criminal offence.”
“Regulations and Standards apply to all electrical equipment sold or offered for supply in Australia. Certain types of equipment are classified as prescribed. These pieces of equipment must go through a certification process which ensures the equipment is compliant to the relevant safety standards before being offered for supply in Australia.”
“Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM)
Prescribed electrical products must have an RCM on the appliance or an Australian approval number to show that the product has been certified.
This mark is currently recognised by all States and Territories of Australia.”
If all you want to do is get back a few dollars from the seller, go ahead and try to do that.* You might have luck by contact Live Chat. You won't get it by threatening a Chinese-registered seller (if indeed the seller is registered in China) with ACL; they'd simply snigger, particularly if they'd strung you along for long enough that it's now too late for you to open up a claim under eBay's MBG.
However, if I read correctly that you have not negotiated this partial refund through eBay's MBG, you do still have the option to open a claim through PayPal Buyer Protection. If you need any advice initiating that, post here and one of us will be able to walk you through it.
* I'd still be going for a full refund were I you. A partial refund on a fake item...? Not acceptable in my view.
