Product in Australia but sellers are overseas

[murdock468]

I purposely search for Australia Only, I like to buy Australia and like my purchase quickly. Why is it possible then for the product to be located in Sydney (for example) and then be sent from Hong Kong by an overseas seller.? This seems deceitful to me..

Thoughts and answers welcome.

[clarry100]

Yep we use EMS from China very often and can vouch for their promptness. Always on time. Always predictable.

[murdock468]

Recieved my item today that was listed 'item location - Sydney'. The parcel arrived from Hong Kong. To me this is misrepresentation.

[phorum_junkie*]

I have no problem with buying most things from HK or China and if it is something I would prefer to buy from a domestic source I can usually tell from the feedback if the items are coming from further afield. Time certainly doesn't come into it as I often receive parcels from HK & China quicker than from two states away courtesy of Aus Post.

[jameshouseofstyle]

Recieved my item today that was listed 'item location - Sydney'. The parcel arrived from Hong Kong. To me this is misrepresentation.

And what is your point?

You mean same misrepresentation like supermarkets having goods that say Made in Australia, but when you read further you see that the ingredients are Chinese!

Your seller obviously has to resort to stating Sydney - in order to sell more and overcome the predjudice about location - and if there is no hold ups in delivery - what does it matter?

Who cares where  your item came from, you got it and surelly that's the most important thing in any sale.

We buy things - we expect to get them - simple as that.

And - it doesn't look like it took two months to get to you either.

I have never got anything from China or Hong Hong (used to live in Hong Hong ) that took any longer than getting stuff from Victoria or QLD - and don't even want to think about  WA as that takes twice longer than China &HK.

[digital*ghost]

---

@jameshouseofstyle wrote:

Recieved my item today that was listed 'item location - Sydney'. The parcel arrived from Hong Kong. To me this is misrepresentation.

And what is your point?

You mean same misrepresentation like supermarkets having goods that say Made in Australia, but when you read further you see that the ingredients are Chinese!

Your seller obviously has to resort to stating Sydney - in order to sell more and overcome the predjudice about location - and if there is no hold ups in delivery - what does it matter?

Who cares where  your item came from, you got it and surelly that's the most important thing in any sale.

We buy things - we expect to get them - simple as that.

And - it doesn't look like it took two months to get to you either.

I have never got anything from China or Hong Hong (used to live in Hong Hong ) that took any longer than getting stuff from Victoria or QLD - and don't even want to think about  WA as that takes twice longer than China &HK.

---

It's quite obvious there are a lot of things you don't care about... Pro tip, though, is that what buyers care about is important whether it's important to you as a buyer or not.

Mirepresentation of item location is a policy breach, and it one of the ones that makes sense. For a start, it's manipulating search results by stating a false location. Some people decide to purchase products that are meant to be located in Australia for all sorts of different reasons - speed of arrival is only one of them, and it is in no way "prejudice" against other countries to shop according to one's preferences.

[phorum_junkie*]

The unconscionable part of item misrepresentation IMO is the cost of a return. If a seller states an item is in Australia then they should have to provide an Australian address for any returns.

[jameshouseofstyle]

hi digital,

I thought that the Op was complaining about location because of the speed of delivery.

Hence my two replies.

And as for  other concerns, like placement in searches - that is just fine by me - if they can  make it better for themselves, good luck to them. But I doubt that would be the seller's motivation, I susspect the only reason they put Sydney, or anywhere else in Australia, if selling to our market is to overcome this fear and aversion of buying from China.

As the searches are full of Chinese sellers, right up the top - they wouldn't have that problem.

As I generally have very little regard for "rules" in Ebay, don't even know most of them,  I don't ever tend to split hairs about breaches of any of them - all these little things are no big deal - and if it helps anyone (anywhere on the planet) sell more - good luck to them.

Stealing, murder, physical abuse,  - a very different matter!

[digital*ghost]

---

@jameshouseofstyle wrote:

As I generally have very little regard for "rules" in Ebay, don't even know most of them,  I don't ever tend to split hairs about breaches of any of them - all these little things are no big deal 

---

I knew that already - that's what I was commenting on. 

[padi*0409]

It's definitely misleading by the seller.

I had occasion to buy some goods from a seller who said the stock was in Sydney,fair enough I thought since I didn't want to buy from China.

However when the goods started to have problems (major) I opened a dispute with Paypal, won it, then found I'd have to send the items back to China - at around $250 (Sydney would have been about $40)

Yes, it was my fault for not researching the seller enough in the first place.

However the Chinese sellers are fully aware of the postage costs for returns to their country, and know that their buyers, if they have problems, in most cases will accept a low partial refund, to at least get a little of their money back.

Yes, I did make a complaint to eBay and they were not interested enough to stop the seller from doing the misleading advertising (they are still at it...)     

Paypal, though they were very helpful, told me their hands were tied in these cases, and only eBay could stop the practice - fat chance of that.................

Ah well, once bitten twice shy as they say,           

Just shows, even experienced members can get caught out, with little reaction or help from eBay's "Trust and Safety"........

[jameshouseofstyle]

I knew that already - that's what I was commenting on.

Ha, ha, ha, gigling here out loud!

Rules on Ebay, just like anywhere else are on the need to know basis!

No one surelly reads them all and have memorized every one of them! As if.

Oh, I tell a lie!

Used to work with a guy, he wasn't all that good at his job but was like a walking encyclopedia of the company rules, all 100 pages of it - used to quote them to us even with a paragraph numbers!

We were always wandering why  - when none of them even concerned him! Except one, suit  & tie at work, except Fridays!