To be fed up of ordering stuff that turns out to be sent from China

[MrsCipo]

I have noticed in the last few months that a huge majority of things that I order on eBay are being dispatched from China. Even when I select 'Item location: UK only' - sellers are obviously saying they are in the UK when they are not. It seems incredibly inefficient and wasteful for individual items to be flown halfway across the world in small quantities so I want to avoid this, but it seems to be getting harder. It's not just eBay - I have ordered stuff from other UK websites, with UK addresses, only for it to turn up 2 weeks later having come from China.

But then, if it is all being produced in China in the first place, it has got to be flown over sooner or later - then trucked to a warehouse then to a shop then dispatched from there. So does it really matter? Is it really less efficient to buy direct from China? I can't decide if it actually matters.

AIBU to not want to buy items direct from China?

I had this happen to me so many times on Ebay. Order from UK sellers who are in China but have warehouses in the UK so can claim to be in the UK. Then the item comes 2 weeks later (out of stock in its UK warehouse), complain to Ebay about sellers misrepresenting themselves as being in the UK means I get the item faster, Ebay says they are not doing anything wrong, stopped using Ebay

Yep had this over christmas. ordered stocking fillers. Supposedly delivering from Uk London. Due 4th Dec. Seller said item had been posted, gave tracking number (which was fake) . Sent garbled messgae that item out of stock and full refund sent on 22nd december. Now seller cancels order so I cant even leave feedback to warn others.

Another thing I read recently

Item listed for 1p but postage say £5

They then don’t send it and only refund the cost of the item - not postage - be warned

Another thing I read recently Item listed for 1p but postage say £5

I ordered 2 bluetooth earpieces at a penny each last year. Annoyingly they had to be paid for separately (and thus double P&P) but even then the pair arrived for less than £5.

That said,l thanks for the heads up. Be curious to know what the law says about that ?

I hate this too and have also noticed it recently on eBay. They lie and say they’re in the UK so they still come up on a UK only search, frustrating.

They then don’t send it and only refund the cost of the item - not postage - be warned
Wow how shit.
Thank you for the warning.

You can usually tell by a combination of seller name, listing wording and the photos/captions. And if its clothing, the sizing gives it away too, as Chinese frames are much slighter than us western heifers.

But its is annoying when they deliberately lie about item location.

Yes, I had this with some peppa pig figures. It definitely said UK and delivery was free and 4-5 days. Which was fine. They were cheaper than in shops but I assumed old stock. They took longer to arrive and came from China. And are clearly knock-offs.

I don't care if it originally comes from overseas but when I buy I want to be buying with it already in my country, at the place I'm purchasing because then I know I'll get it in a few days.

It's nothing to do with the referendum. This problem is getting worse in every country - it's to do with China having more economic power, cheap shipping options, better internet infrastructure and so on.

I am extremely picky when shopping online now. My best check is to look for a brand of high street shop and find a brand sold there, then look for that specific brand on amazon. Or if I like the look of something on amazon but I haven't heard of it before, google the brand. If the first page of results doesn't come up with a reasonable product website, it's a no go. Also check the pictures, Chinese products often have slightly "off" pictures, and/or poor English in the captions.

I definitely care if I'm buying stuff from inside the EU because our safety standards are so much better. Particularly if it's something intended for the DC or something electrical.

While I agree that the instances of it happening have nothing to do with the referendum, Brexit will surely affect you in this way anyway. With the UK outside of the EU it's sure that they'll start putting customs fees on stuff like this from China, together with handling fees that'll make the item suddenly very expensive when you thought it was coming from inside the UK.

Have to admit I am also concerned about the standard of things dropping once brexit happens too, due to leaving the EU's stringent rules and regulations on such things, but willing to sit on that concern until it actually happens.

Item listed for 1p but postage say £5 ... They then don’t send it and only refund the cost of the item - not postage - be warned

Did a bit of digging (well asked a lawyer friend).

Delivery must be refunded too. Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Regulation 34(2).

I have pretty much given up on Amazon for this reason. V hard to have confidence buying from there. I've switched back to ordering from big brands and local businesses. If Amazon don't get it under control I think the retail side could start failing

Delivery must be refunded too. Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Regulation 34(2)

I think you misunderstood - they say it was posted only it doesn’t show up. Not the same as a cancelled order!

Look at the first line - pic says they don’t have to refund postage