SCAM - Chinese sellers misrepresenting item location - Equick

[offroad7400]

So here is the latest 'SCAM' many Chinese sellers are now using in their listings to convince you to buy from them as their stock is supposedly located in Australia and you will get the goods quicker.

'AU STOCK' is big and bold in their listing heading.

In fact the item is in China and they use a re-fullfilment service called Equick.cn who consolidate many sellers parcels on a daily basis and ship them to Sydney. Equick then despatch them using Australia Post from their warehouse in Botany.

Around 4-5 days after you make your purchase you finally receive the tracking advice from Australia Post, which makes you think the items are in Australia, but in fact they have not even left China.  Around 10-14 days later you finally receive the goods.

This activity is clearly misleading and a breach of eBay's 'misrepresenting item location' rules and needs to be stopped.

[woodduck*2012]

Under 2cm thick you can use regular letters at a cost of $2-$3, as i do with alot of smaller items i sell but you forgo the tracking side of things, Australian sellers will always be more than double the price of china due to our postal system being so expensive.

[letscleanupmycupboards]

Catspjs who needs recourse under oz law?

Most Chinese sellers are that afraid of one negative comment they will bend over so far backwards to rectify that you'd swear it was a contortionist act.

I negged one after receiving a very substandard quality product compared to the listing and getting no response for a week and a half. All of a sudden they want to send a replacement but want me to revise feedback. I said I would once I got the replacement item. A day before the cutoff to revise they were begging me every few hours to revise, still hadn't got the replacement at that point. Next I know I've got a full refund and a message saying they refunded and to keep the original and replacement and please please please revise the feedback.

[sat_underground]

Currently in the same boat. It said item was in Sydney and would arrive by Friday at the latest. Still waiting. 

I have worked out that UBI Logistics(Australia) Pty Ltd is also in Port Botany and the same as offroad7400 mentioned.

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Equick.cn who consolidate many sellers parcels on a daily basis and ship them to Sydney. Equick then despatch them using Australia Post from their warehouse in Botany.

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When I eventually get it, I will give neg comment and put that I was scammed on location and the item was likely not originally in Australia.

[davewil1964]

Why would cats be interested after several years?

We all know Chinese sellers are a law unto themselves. We also know the eBay OZ can't or won't do anything about them.

Caveat emptor.

[freddysbook2014]

I don't respond to begging.

If I leave negative feedback it's a true record of my experiences with a seller and it is permanent.

I too have had predominantly Chinese-based sellers offer me all sorts of inducements to revise feedback. Why would I do that? It's untruthful.

[chr15t1an1978]

This can be actually be an illegal practice as the seller has now removed your unrevokable right and protection by AU consumer standards.

Also, most of this drop ships do not have ABN yet can be classfied as buisnesses by the sheer number and variety of their listings. This would require them to have an ABN. Therefore legally, if they represent themselves as AU sellers, they are commiting fraud. Not only that but also tax evasion.

May just dragged eBay down with them if eBay doesn't rectify this issue....

[lyndal1838]

If they are Chinese registered sellers you have no Australian Consumer protection at all and they do not have to adhere to any Australian rules.  All they are guilty of is telling porkies about the item location.

You only have consumer protection when the seller is a registered Australian business.

How do you work out that drop shippers are evading tax?  How do you know what tax they are paying or what their business arrangements are?

[rachy_loulou]

There seem to be and more of them and it frustrates me. I wanted an HDMI adapter for my WII and took a lot of effort to try to ensure the seller was in Australia. I even searched those nearest to me. But no, I have not got my goods and I don't really want to wait a month to get them.

This is misleading anf deceptive conduct which is illegal under Australuan Law. So why can't we stop this? And if Ebay won't how can we? We need to check feedback and if it does happen to you - give megative feedback no matter how nice they were. Report the items - if you have time go through every item they sell. Surely Ebay get all those teports and it would create a headache for them if they got every item reported. Don't support these people - we need them off Ebay!

[rachy_loulou]

From Choice - "Australia's consumer protection laws provide recourse for online shoppers irrespective of whether the seller is based in Australia or overseas," we argued. "[It's just that] the enforcement of these laws may be more difficult to pursue when the seller is located overseas."

[chr15t1an1978]

Exactly. AUS businesses are required to have ABN and pay their GST.

The so called 'porkies' about item location is tantamount to fraud as you're "Australian Consumer Protection" is non existent as to which any 'reasonable' person would assume to exist if the item is marked as in AU and you are selling as a business. Just ;liek you pointed out

Tax evasion is when they say they act like an AU business but they are not. Hence not paying GST.

So either they are guilty of FRAUD which is a criminal offence or Tax Evasion whre there are penalties that applies.