Ebay and chinese sellers

[wispafish]

This is really starting to bug me now. Why is it so many ebay sellars now are chinese sellers with a business address in China. There always at the start of the searches. Surely this is effecting british businesses as im sure there not paying any tax, some even have fake vat numbers. So how are they doing this? This needs to stop and if you have any ideas how to take this forwards please let me know. I went to order a rocker cover today for a car and the first 12 pages were all chinese sellers so much so that i gave up looking for a british sellar. Ive also had products in the past like a dash cam that just randomly burst into flames as i was driving along after having it in the van for a month. This needs to change. Where are these people storing there goods? Who is shipping the goods for them? Are these people being paid to ship the goods? Any help as i aim to take this forwards.

 

[Mr D]

This is really starting to bug me now. Why is it so many ebay sellars now are chinese sellers with a business address in China. There always at the start of the searches. Surely this is effecting british businesses as im sure there not paying any tax, some even have fake vat numbers. So how are they doing this? This needs to stop and if you have any ideas how to take this forwards please let me know. I went to order a rocker cover today for a car and the first 12 pages were all chinese sellers so much so that i gave up looking for a british sellar. Ive also had products in the past like a dash cam that just randomly burst into flames as i was driving along after having it in the van for a month. This needs to change. Where are these people storing there goods? Who is shipping the goods for them? Are these people being paid to ship the goods? Any help as i aim to take this forwards.

So play the game. Start selling on other ebay sites with a business address in the UK.

Not paying any tax? You cannot know that - surely that is a matter for the Chinese tax authorities?
Not paying any UK tax maybe - what with being foreign based in foreign.
Just like UK businesses selling in other countries only paying UK tax!

You want the Chinese sellers to stop? Make a business case to ebay about changing things. Just don't play the 'better for the consumer' card, that's what they will do.

You know you can filter your searches? Many buyers do. Filter out quite a lot of sellers if you want.

Dash cam burst into flames? Not had that.
Can get bad stock of pretty much anything - some companies catch it by doing regular QA checks, saves the trouble of product recall.

Where people storing goods? Presumably in a warehouse. Could be a spare bedroom for the smaller sellers, just like their UK counterparts.
Some of the smart ones store stuff locally in a fulfilment centre and then have it sent out on a timescale similar to other local people for delivery. Yes they will pay for such a service, a valid business model providing a fulfilment service for businesses.

 

[wispafish]

These are selling with there business address in china but are shipping from the uk. Many using student to dropship for them. Alot of substandard products and products that wouldnt pass any electrical inspection. Why is it always the best results on ebay are the chinese sellers. You cant filter them out of the search you can only select where the product is from such as uk only. Select uk pnly and you will still get all the chinese sellers. This is effecting british sellers and british business so needs to be looked into.

 

[MOIC]

Don't buy any Chinese products from eBay.

What have eBay said when you complained to them?

 

[alan1302]

Don't buy any Chinese products from eBay.

What have eBay said when you complained to them?

If you buy on the eBay UK website they can be hard to avoid - usually you can avoid buying from China as you can just search on UK based sellers but some people now list themselves as being in the UK and then dispatch from China.

 

[MOIC]

Don't buy from eBay.

Most of whats sold there is without certification, whether from a Chinese or UK seller?

People want cheap, they get rubbish (mostly).

 

[alan1302]

Don't buy from eBay.

Most of whats sold there is without certification, whether from a Chinese or UK seller?

People want cheap, they get rubbish (mostly).

That's rubbish - there is lots and lots of very high quality products available on eBay - be that from the UK or China.

 

[MOIC]

My comments are directed at the OP - he seems to have had a couple of problems with Chinese products and the competition.

 

[Mr D]

These are selling with there business address in china but are shipping from the uk. Many using student to dropship for them. Alot of substandard products and products that wouldnt pass any electrical inspection. Why is it always the best results on ebay are the chinese sellers. You cant filter them out of the search you can only select where the product is from such as uk only. Select uk pnly and you will still get all the chinese sellers. This is effecting british sellers and british business so needs to be looked into.

If shipping from the UK and using dropshipping then product could be from anywhere. The dropshipper owns the stock not the seller.


You say it is affecting UK sellers - how?
Been Chinese and other foreign sellers on eBay for a couple of decades. You know what I found in that time? My sales increased - including international sales.

So not seeing the same problems as you.

Persuade eBay using a business case as to why they should change things. Or not persuade them and nothing will get done.

 

[alan1302]

Been Chinese and other foreign sellers on eBay for a couple of decades. You know what I found in that time? My sales increased - including international sales.

Does not mean the two points are related. Your sales may have increased further with less competition.

 

[Alison Moore]

I find it annoying as you search for UK businesses and lots of foreign companies come up, but as they have have a UK presence with a UK tax number so come up as a UK seller. That's fine, until you need to return an item and they say you have to send it back to China! I'm not sure eBay are prioritising their listings, but I do think what we're seeing is so many UK companies have put a hold to their sales due to Covid, but the foreign drop shippers are still drop shipping.

 

[paulears]

I bought some video batteries from ebay today. two different suppliers at similar price same model number. Perfectly happy they 'will fit' and are not JVC originals (or JVC price) I expected them to be from China. Despite both being different seller names, I got two identical posted emails from a company ......... in Germany.

If I buy from ebay, cheaply. I accept that there won't be any warranty, and probably imported. All I really buy this stuff for is convenience and price. Country of origin is immaterial. I really do not see any difference in a UK seller importing from China and selling them on Ebay, or the Chinese source doing the same thing. Price and delivery are the key features.

Tax wise, if goods are under a certain value, the VAT and duty costs more to administer than it's worth, so they just arrive. I don't see what's so problematic? On ebay the only thing I check is delivery date. If it's two or three weeks, I buy from somebody different.

 

[bodgitt&scarperLTD]

The problem is that the Chinese lie through their teeth as regards delivery times, stall like mad regarding faulty items (always asking for photos of a light that doesn't turn on, for example- what's a photo going to show?) and never give VAT receipts.

 

[paulears]

This is rubbish - my experience is that the delivery times are usually OK, but tracking shows they dispatch promptly, then it's hand of the freight companies. They do ask for photos, mainly because google translate is as bad English to Chinese as Chinese to English, so photos work really well. I send my usual suppliers photos, with a volt meter on a 24V point, showing 9.5V with my finger pointing to a discoloured component. Never causes problems for me.

As for a VAT receipt - of course they don't supply one because VAT is generated at the point of import, not by them. They cannot apply a UK tax in an office in China? If VAT is levied, then the delivery service will collect the VAT and charge you handling.

(To be honest, that's not quite accurate, because a freight forwarder in China CAN pre-pay VAT if it's really important, but for lower value items there's no point)

 

[Mr D]

The problem is that the Chinese lie through their teeth as regards delivery times, stall like mad regarding faulty items (always asking for photos of a light that doesn't turn on, for example- what's a photo going to show?) and never give VAT receipts.

Sounds very much like the French, the Germans, the British, the Spanish and so on.

I've not found Chinese lying about delivery times - sometimes I will accept a 6 week delivery time to get a particular item when its the quickest way for that price.

 

[Solly]

One thing which is unfair, is that China gets a HUGE subsidy for it's post. Under UN postal regulations we have to allow post from poor countries at a very low rate. So low in fact that it is cheaper to post something from china to the UK than it is from the UK to the UK. Royal Mail make a loss on these so UK sellers are subsidising the post of Chinese sellers.

The other issue is of course that some items from abroad are downright dangerous. BBC picked this up on fabric car seats sold on eBay and Amazon. Deadly in a crash but being sold in huge volumes. The marketplace should be made responsible for liability otherwise they will never care.

 

[Mr D]

One thing which is unfair, is that China gets a HUGE subsidy for it's post. Under UN postal regulations we have to allow post from poor countries at a very low rate. So low in fact that it is cheaper to post something from china to the UK than it is from the UK to the UK. Royal Mail make a loss on these so UK sellers are subsidising the post of Chinese sellers.

The other issue is of course that some items from abroad are downright dangerous. BBC picked this up on fabric car seats sold on eBay and Amazon. Deadly in a crash but being sold in huge volumes. The marketplace should be made responsible for liability otherwise they will never care.

Perhaps royal mail need a HUGE subsidy too.

You realise we are a group of islands that imports a lot of things from abroad? Usually because its cheaper than making them here.

Why should the marketplace be responsible for liability? Are they going to have a process whereby they exhaustively test each product (at a cost of thousands) before allowing it to be sold, with each different batch of the same product having to have the same testing done?
Do a lot for the seller fees that eh?

Is a local council market going to be liable too? How about someone running a car boot sale or a school having a summer fair?
Oh wait that means no one would bother having any events where items are sold because of the liability issues.

Sometimes people can come up with daft ideas. We already have liability for goods, we can even get insurance for it.

 

[Solly]

Perhaps royal mail need a HUGE subsidy too.

You realise we are a group of islands that imports a lot of things from abroad? Usually because its cheaper than making them here.

Why should the marketplace be responsible for liability? Are they going to have a process whereby they exhaustively test each product (at a cost of thousands) before allowing it to be sold, with each different batch of the same product having to have the same testing done?
Do a lot for the seller fees that eh?

Is a local council market going to be liable too? How about someone running a car boot sale or a school having a summer fair?
Oh wait that means no one would bother having any events where items are sold because of the liability issues.

Sometimes people can come up with daft ideas. We already have liability for goods, we can even get insurance for it.

Simply put it should be a fair and level playing field.
China needs to pay more for post, recognising the rise in its economy.

And market places should be held to the same legal standards as any other seller of items. Buy something from Tesco's and they are liable. It eBay sells something dangerous, they you should be able to sue them, not some seller overseas who you will never be able to claim against.

 

[Mr D]

Simply put it should be a fair and level playing field.
China needs to pay more for post, recognising the rise in its economy.

And market places should be held to the same legal standards as any other seller of items. Buy something from Tesco's and they are liable. It eBay sells something dangerous, they you should be able to sue them, not some seller overseas who you will never be able to claim against.

Why should it be a fair (however you define the term) and level playing field?
You'd give up any advantages you have in order to cost the consumer more? Cannot see any advantage for anyone that way.

China needs to pay more for post? Or other countries need to subsidise their postal services?

Marketplaces are held to same legal standards as any other seller of items. Amazon as a retailer has to meet same standards for goods as you or I. Ebay as a non retailer does not because it is not selling goods.

If something dangerous is sold on ebay then the retailer and the brand owner are responsible. Have been for quite some time.

The place they are selling on isn't liable. You could go to a street corner in Croydon and sell dodgy mobile phone chargers - but Croydon council aren't going to be liable!

 

[alan1302]

And market places should be held to the same legal standards as any other seller of items. Buy something from Tesco's and they are liable. It eBay sells something dangerous, they you should be able to sue them, not some seller overseas who you will never be able to claim against.

Tesco and eBay are not the same.

Tesco sells things, eBay does not.

 

[wispafish]

Could you sue a chinese seller, i very much doubt it. They are taking away buinesses from british businesses and its not right. The uk is receiveing no money for them doing it. No tax, they not employing people. They are producing substandard products and also many copied products. How is this right. Some of you seem to think that they are doing right. Many of these businesses are not contributing anything to the economy. Many of there suppliers are supplying british companies with a product to then have there same design copied and produced cheaper and sold on ebay.

 

[MOIC]

The problem is that the Chinese lie through their teeth as regards delivery times, stall like mad regarding faulty items (always asking for photos of a light that doesn't turn on, for example- what's a photo going to show?) and never give VAT receipts.

The Chinese lie through their teeth about EVERYTHING!

They say (in most part) what they think you want to hear, with little regard if it's the truth or not.

They will never take ownership for mistakes they make either.

 

[MOIC]

One thing which is unfair, is that China gets a HUGE subsidy for it's post. Under UN postal regulations we have to allow post from poor countries at a very low rate. So low in fact that it is cheaper to post something from china to the UK than it is from the UK to the UK. Royal Mail make a loss on these so UK sellers are subsidising the post of Chinese sellers.

Doesn't that also help UK sellers who buy their goods from China?

It's a sad state of affairs that people still buy based on price, which eBay has nurtured, as generally people will start with the 'cheapest'.

We know that many Chinese sellers on eBay should be avoided for many reasons, so just avoid them. It's not difficult.

 

[MOIC]

Simply put it should be a fair and level playing field.
China needs to pay more for post, recognising the rise in its economy.

And market places should be held to the same legal standards as any other seller of items. Buy something from Tesco's and they are liable. It eBay sells something dangerous, they you should be able to sue them, not some seller overseas who you will never be able to claim against.

Maybe the person buying them should ensure compliance. As well as the seller.

Unfortunately there are many instances where the buyer (especially in UK), looks at the price with little regard to anything else.

The consumers (worldwide) have been educated that they can buy cheap.

Buying cheap has consequences.

 

[MOIC]

Could you sue a chinese seller, i very much doubt it. They are taking away buinesses from british businesses and its not right. The uk is receiveing no money for them doing it. No tax, they not employing people. They are producing substandard products and also many copied products. How is this right. Some of you seem to think that they are doing right. Many of these businesses are not contributing anything to the economy. Many of there suppliers are supplying british companies with a product to then have there same design copied and produced cheaper and sold on ebay.

Welcome to the world.

You can always use the courts if you own the IP. Some do, most can't be bothered.

 

[alan1302]

Could you sue a chinese seller, i very much doubt it. They are taking away buinesses from british businesses and its not right. The uk is receiveing no money for them doing it. No tax, they not employing people. They are producing substandard products and also many copied products. How is this right. Some of you seem to think that they are doing right. Many of these businesses are not contributing anything to the economy. Many of there suppliers are supplying british companies with a product to then have there same design copied and produced cheaper and sold on ebay.

Do you think UK businesses should not sell what they produce in China?

 

[SillyBill]

The consumer (i.e us) is to blame. I doubt much will change even post Covid-19. Hearing a lot about people boycotting China but I don't see it; business as usual once the storm passes, they'll pass over the British business offering a gizmo 10p more expensive if a Chinese company can do it for less. So on it will go.

Personally my life improved immeasurably when plastic tat made in China (or anywhere for that matter) stopped crossing my threshold. I had a Eureka moment years ago on moving house and only on seeing the logistical extent of hauling a lifetime's worth of tat did we finally see the light. From that point on far more stuff leaves my house then enters. Almost a rule-of-thumb for something to enter, two things have to leave...I have a lot less stuff now and am far happier for it. I even mend things.

 

[dan19900]

China needs to pay more for post? Or other countries need to subsidise their postal services?

Other countries subsidize China's post, they don't do it themselves. That's what Trump was banging on about for 2 about 2 years.

 

[alan1302]

Almost a rule-of-thumb for something to enter, two things have to leave...I have a lot less stuff now and am far happier for it. I even mend things.

I saw of imagine your house totally bare except for a bed and a single lightbulb! LOL

 

[MOIC]

I saw of imagine your house totally bare except for a bed and a single lightbulb! LOL

Both of those are from China too . . . . . .

 

[MOIC]

Other countries subsidize China's post, they don't do it themselves. That's what Trump was banging on about for 2 about 2 years.

China may well be the current problem.

However, the world (over the last 40 years) has been the cause.

 

[Mr D]

Could you sue a chinese seller, i very much doubt it. They are taking away buinesses from british businesses and its not right. The uk is receiveing no money for them doing it. No tax, they not employing people. They are producing substandard products and also many copied products. How is this right. Some of you seem to think that they are doing right. Many of these businesses are not contributing anything to the economy. Many of there suppliers are supplying british companies with a product to then have there same design copied and produced cheaper and sold on ebay.

Of course they pay no tax, its not payable.
Just like when UK businesses sell overseas.

Substandard products? That's individual businesses and not just a Chinese problem.
Many copied products? Yes that is an issue, not helped by governments.

You don't like what they are doing here? Then join the game and do it elsewhere.
Or up your game and provide superior product and service. Rather than plastic provide wood, rather than wood provide metal. If Chinese sellers are so bad you will easily beat them on quality and service, not to mention speed.


Oh and they contribute quite a bit to the economy or else they don't get sales. Providing what people are willing to pay for.

 

[Mr D]

Other countries subsidize China's post, they don't do it themselves. That's what Trump was banging on about for 2 about 2 years.

How much do these other countries pay the Chinese post office to subsidise the post sent to overseas destinations cheaply?

 

[alan1302]

How much do these other countries pay the Chinese post office to subsidise the post sent to overseas destinations cheaply?

They don't pay the Chinese post office any money.

When letters/parcels get to the UK the money the Royal Mail gets to deliver the letters/parcels is less than they would if the letter/parcel had been sent in the UK and it costs them money to deliver the letter/parcel.

 

[Mr D]

The consumer (i.e us) is to blame. I doubt much will change even post Covid-19. Hearing a lot about people boycotting China but I don't see it; business as usual once the storm passes, they'll pass over the British business offering a gizmo 10p more expensive if a Chinese company can do it for less. So on it will go.

Personally my life improved immeasurably when plastic tat made in China (or anywhere for that matter) stopped crossing my threshold. I had a Eureka moment years ago on moving house and only on seeing the logistical extent of hauling a lifetime's worth of tat did we finally see the light. From that point on far more stuff leaves my house then enters. Almost a rule-of-thumb for something to enter, two things have to leave...I have a lot less stuff now and am far happier for it. I even mend things.

People say they don't want cheap stuff yet the evidence from the supermarkets and the pound shops indicates otherwise over the years. Probably 95 percent plus of my stock is from China, quite a lot of it is cheap stuff - what I can buy in UK for 50p per unit for 500 I can buy from Chinese supplier doing exactly same process and same base material, so same quality - for 10p per unit for 500.
Buy bigger quantities in China the price drops further per unit, have to buy much larger volume in UK to have any drop from 50p. At 4000 units the price drops to 42p here. 8p for 1000 in China.

There is no reason why a UK sold product and a Chinese seller sold product that is the exact same item should be somehow inferior simply because someone is racist about the seller.


My house is the opposite of yours. Quite cluttered on purpose, with stools, cat frames, poles, sturdy boxes, desks, chairs etc. To hold on to or get up with. Over the years have had to make it more cluttered, I loathe having bars fitted to the wall to bash against or to break ribs on.

 

[Mr D]

They don't pay the Chinese post office any money.

When letters/parcels get to the UK the money the Royal Mail gets to deliver the letters/parcels is less than they would if the letter/parcel had been sent in the UK and it costs them money to deliver the letter/parcel.

So they don't subsidise the Chinese post office.
And therefore not affecting how much Chinese sellers get charged to send overseas.

 

[alan1302]

So they don't subsidise the Chinese post office.
And therefore not affecting how much Chinese sellers get charged to send overseas.

Not directly, no.

 

[wispafish]

If a product is bought from china and sold by an english company its the english company that has the issue if there is a problem with the product. They are undercutting english businesses prices just so that they get a sale. They are advertising it as uk stock with a uk address. Does this look like a uk address and fake vat number.
NING BO BAO SHUI QU GUAN ZHI DIAN ZI SHANG WU YOU XIAN GONG SI
和鑫 石
77,HINTON ROAD NORTHAMPTON NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
315000 宁波, 浙江省
中國
Email:[email protected]
VAT number:
GB 286361772


You say avoid them, but its not a simple as that as for instance make a purchase on your smart phone its very difficult to find the business address to check that they are chinese.

Mr D, you say you buy in bulk to get cheaper prices. List me a product you sell and see if the same product is being sold on ebay cheaper by the chinese. Either your chinese yourself or your not understanding what i mean. They are taking business away from you and the british economy.

 

[MOIC]

They are taking business away from you and the british economy.

An old chestnut.

 

[Solly]

Buy a unsafe product from Tesco and you get injured by it, and you can sue Tesco. Buy a product from Amazon or eBay and get injured and Amazon and eBay will say take it up with the seller it's nothing to do with us.

On Amazon it is often not clear what products Amazon sells and which are sold by third parties, but it is not good enough for either to have no responsibility or liability for the goods sold through them.