Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

I recently purchased a dress for a wedding I'm attending in 2 weeks. I bought the dress a week ago. It is listed as located in Sydney. I'm in Brisbane. I've waited over a week for the dress to arrive (click and collect at my local Big W) and I'm still waiting. Sydney to Brisbane should be no more than 3, possibly 4 days at the most. I just double checked the listing and when I clicked on the sellers rating it says they're actually located in China! Do I wait and hope the dress arrives or try to find something at my local shopping centre? This is very frustrating as I purchased other clothing items at the same time from 2 different sellers whose location is Sydney and both those items have been delivered (again by click and collect).

Has anyone else had this experience?

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

lyndal1838
Honored Contributor

It is not at all unusual for Chinese sellers to list item location as Australia but then send from China.

You should always look where the seller is registered...it is a lot more telling than the item location in the listing.

 

I would never rely on buying clothing from China for an important event.....it is notoriously unreliable....often badly fitting and garbage material.  I would go to my local shops if I were in your position.

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

go-tazz
Community Member

@bonchar64 wrote:

I recently purchased a dress for a wedding I'm attending in 2 weeks. I bought the dress a week ago. It is listed as located in Sydney. I'm in Brisbane. I've waited over a week for the dress to arrive (click and collect at my local Big W) and I'm still waiting. Sydney to Brisbane should be no more than 3, possibly 4 days at the most. I just double checked the listing and when I clicked on the sellers rating it says they're actually located in China! Do I wait and hope the dress arrives or try to find something at my local shopping centre? This is very frustrating as I purchased other clothing items at the same time from 2 different sellers whose location is Sydney and both those items have been delivered (again by click and collect).

Has anyone else had this experience?


When you get the item and the postage shows that it came from China please report it as Item location

 

misrepresentation as that's the only way sellers will/might be sanctioned.

 

Just go to the report link on the listing and choose: Listing practices in the first drop down box,Other listing

 

practices in the second box and Item location misrepresentation in the third box and then click Continue and

 

follow through from there.

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

I always look where a seller is registered before I buy anything and look at their feedback to avoid this as it is quite common

 

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

Itโ€™s very common, itโ€™s very frustrating, itโ€™s deceptive and misleading, itโ€™s sneaky and dishonest, itโ€™s a sleazy, opportunistic trap, it can be heartbreaking, time consuming and costly for an entrapped buyer. Itโ€™s common denominator is the word โ€˜Chineseโ€™.

 

It makes me irritable and cross that eBay, at every opportunity, purport to be โ€˜taking actionโ€™ of which there is no tangible evidence in the affirmative. Indeed to the contrary, I can tell you from two unsavoury experiences of my own, that โ€˜actionโ€™ by eBay is an oxymoron!

 

I donโ€™t like collaborating with nefarious generalisations, but the one suggesting that eBayโ€™s bank balance would suffer post any punitive measures against Chinese sellers, seems to have a ring of truth to it, and appears well supported by their inaction.

 

The Chinese have very ably developed a reputation for themselves, โ€˜Danger Will Smith, Danger!โ€™

 

Dont buy from them - ever!

 

Melina.

 

 

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

According to the latest Seller Report, ebay is now doing something about it.

Of course, the fact that the ATO now has a stake in the game may have something to do with this sudden activity.

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?


@bonchar64 wrote:

I recently purchased a dress for a wedding I'm attending in 2 weeks. I bought the dress a week ago. It is listed as located in Sydney. I'm in Brisbane. I've waited over a week for the dress to arrive (click and collect at my local Big W) and I'm still waiting. Sydney to Brisbane should be no more than 3, possibly 4 days at the most. I just double checked the listing and when I clicked on the sellers rating it says they're actually located in China! Do I wait and hope the dress arrives or try to find something at my local shopping centre? This is very frustrating as I purchased other clothing items at the same time from 2 different sellers whose location is Sydney and both those items have been delivered (again by click and collect).

Has anyone else had this experience?


if it does come from china give them a big fat neg. if all buyers did this they might wake up to not mislead the items location..if it comes from china that is.

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?


@joztamps wrote:

According to the latest Seller Report, ebay is now doing something about it.

Of course, the fact that the ATO now has a stake in the game may have something to do with this sudden activity.


It actually sounds to me (from the seller release and a post elsewhere by someone who had contacts with eBay, and purely from me reading between the lines with a cynical eye), that what they're really doing is contacting sellers and asking them (nicely) to change the location. 

 

It'll be interesting to see how prevalent the practice is towards the end of the year, after eBay has been (apparently, or allegedly) proactively dealing with this for a while. 

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

You're right, the dress should have been there by now.

 

If the seller lied about their location, that's one thing, but the purchase should have had an estimated arrival date on it.

Go into your purchase history & have a look.

 

Now, the very minute that item ticks past the estimated arrival date, go in and open an item not received claim.

Normally I'd say give the seller a slight bit of leeway but in this case, no.

 

Whatever you do, don't stop the case, no matter what the seller tells you. 

 

If you purchased a week back & it is 2 weeks till the wedding, you purchased in plenty of time.

I wouldn't rush out just yet, but keep in mind even if the dress arrives tomorrow, the fit might not be quite right, so be prepared to head off to a few places by next weekend.

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Why are items listed as local only to have fine print that they are actually overseas?

Added to all the good advice you've received so far, I would stress that you should go out to a shop and buy your dress. Not only will you be disappointed with the quality (and probably colour and fabric) of the Chinese dress, but it is 99% likely to NOT fit, no matter what measurements they put in the listing.

 

I have never had any Chinese bought item of clothing EVER fit and no matter how tempting some items might be, I will NEVER buy Chinese clothes ever again.

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