buying from china

Strapped

The main problem with buying from China is that if what arrives is not what you were expecting, then it can be expensive/difficult to return the item with proof of delivery to claim a refund. Also, items can (but not always) take very long to arrive, putting them outside of ebay / PayPal protection deadlines.

I've had a few OK items, but also have ordered jewellery for Christmas presents, and what arrived was something completely different (ie plastic bracelet instead of metal necklace) but not worth sending back for the cost of doing so.

Flyonthewall

gld73 wrote: »

I wouldn't buy from China again - but that's just from personal experience. First was a mask for a Xmas party (in 2012) - never arrived, and seller didn't reply to my emails. Second was a cable for a printer, which arrived, but didn't work, and sending it back for a refund was more expense than the cable was worth. So 2 bad transactions with no refunds.

Neither were expensive purchases, so I didn't raise formal ebay action or anything ... just wrote it off to experience.

Both sellers had feedback in the thousands, of which a couple of percent or so was negative.

Why? I can't understand why people say that. You could have got your money back and spent it on something else rather than some rubbish seller having your money for doing nothing. Imagine if everyone did that how many useless rich sellers there would be. It's not hard to open up a case.

It doesn't matter what their feedback is, especially if there's others doing the same as you did, you had a bad experience and should have got a refund and left negative.

andydiysaver

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Not just about homework but comparing the various EU safety marks and legislation, it's there for a reason.

typing a few months later from my perfectly pristine, enormous far eastern monitor which has not electrocuted , maimed , or otherwise harmed me, I cannot help but think you're representing the fat UK companies whose margins are hit by my showing some get up and go and ordering in what remains to be a beautifully presented, quality import for less than half the price!

Flyonthewall

andydiysaver wrote: »

typing a few months later from my perfectly pristine, enormous far eastern monitor which has not electrocuted , maimed , or otherwise harmed me, I cannot help but think you're representing the fat UK companies whose margins are hit by my showing some get up and go and ordering in what remains to be a beautifully presented, quality import for less than half the price!

Just because you have one good item or know how to get quality items does not mean everyone does. So for their safety it's best they know about safety marks and everything as theonlywayisup says. Or would you prefer people take a risk and just buy anything, get it wrong and possibly get seriously injured or worse?

The end decision is theirs but it makes sense to be smart and at least read up on that and it's good advice.

No idea how long you've the monitor but just because it's fine so far doesn't mean it'll be fine in months to come, nor that certain situations couldn't potentially lead to a terrible incident because of it. If it doesn't follow the safety standard we have here then who is to say other monitors of the same are fine? They might not be checked as well and you could just be lucky it hasn't gone wrong.

paddyrg

SAFETY! If Curry's imports chargers/items from China, they do all the safety and fire tests for them, they ensure they're not going to burn your house down and are rated correctly, they ensure the plug fittings are legal for the UK (eg the earth pin isn't shrouded, is capable of carrying the specified current without blowing, lots of things people don't understand is a real danger). If you import direct goodness knows what you're getting. I had a security camera power supply (supposed to be left unattended for months at a time) which melted and exposed live electrics. Luckily it did it whilst I was still testing the unit. I have seen RCD breakers that look pukka on the outside but inside are just a bit of steel wire - that could/would easily kill someone, as can knock-off brake pads etc. On site, we had a batch of Chinese 'hard hats' which were entirely completely useless if anything fell on you.

I seriously advise against buying anything that uses mains voltage or is safety related.

andydiysaver

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Just because you have one good item or know how to get quality items does not mean everyone does. So for their safety it's best they know about safety marks and everything as theonlywayisup says. Or would you prefer people take a risk and just buy anything, get it wrong and possibly get seriously injured or worse?

The end decision is theirs but it makes sense to be smart and at least read up on that and it's good advice.

No idea how long you've the monitor but just because it's fine so far doesn't mean it'll be fine in months to come, nor that certain situations couldn't potentially lead to a terrible incident because of it. If it doesn't follow the safety standard we have here then who is to say other monitors of the same are fine? They might not be checked as well and you could just be lucky it hasn't gone wrong.

its a bit crap though isn't it - a bit poor form to suggest that everything that comes from China is sub standard or dangerous......


often yes, often, no!!!


do the maths do the research build the risk into your knock down price and import - and I maintain my purchase is STILL working absolutely fine and it must be about a year now. Just because apple didn't get the chance to buy it, stick their silly monopoly logo on it and mark it up 3 times, does not affect performance one jot. There are bargains to be had for those who do their sums!

Flyonthewall

andydiysaver wrote: »

its a bit crap though isn't it - a bit poor form to suggest that everything that comes from China is sub standard or dangerous......


often yes, often, no!!!


do the maths do the research build the risk into your knock down price and import - and I maintain my purchase is STILL working absolutely fine and it must be about a year now. Just because apple didn't get the chance to buy it, stick their silly monopoly logo on it and mark it up 3 times, does not affect performance one jot. There are bargains to be had for those who do their sums!

I never suggested that everything that comes from China is bad.

There's a chance, more so with some items than others and more so with some places, that an item from China will be bad. Some people know good places, others don't and are simply thinking "good price, I'll get it" without doing any research or thinking they may not be up to standard.

No price is worth the risk of something being dangerous. Sure if you do the research and know for sure it's up to standard than fair enough. Otherwise no matter how cheap it is it's just not worth it in my opinion. No use saving money if the item you buy could kill or seriously injure you (or others).

Not everything from China is bad, but buyers should always research the item and the supplier and make sure it'll be safe.

gellerbing

I buy most of my nail art supplies from china simply because theyre cheaper than uk, ive never had any problems except items take upto 3 weeks or longer to arrive but thats not the sellers fault its just the way the post is.
my sister on the other hand bought a dvd boxset from an online shop based in china and they turned out to be pirate copies

mrcol1000

andydiysaver wrote: »

its a bit crap though isn't it - a bit poor form to suggest that everything that comes from China is sub standard or dangerous......


often yes, often, no!!!


do the maths do the research build the risk into your knock down price and import - and I maintain my purchase is STILL working absolutely fine and it must be about a year now. Just because apple didn't get the chance to buy it, stick their silly monopoly logo on it and mark it up 3 times, does not affect performance one jot. There are bargains to be had for those who do their sums!

All of the cheap crap on Ebay was originally made in China. You are just paying extra for the privilege of having it shipped from the UK. So it doesn't really matter where you buy it from.

I brought a phone charger from a UK seller (but made in China) for a few quid. Worked fine for a few days then sparks started flying out of it and chucked it in the bin. Brought one for a bit more money from UK seller (but again made in China) and it has worked fine the last year or so.

I will quite happily to buy stuff from China if I don't mind waiting for a while. You can get things for a pound or two with free postage that you would pay double if you brought it in the UK. Yet I am very careful over electronic stuff.

MoneyMate

mrcol1000 wrote: »

All of the cheap crap on Ebay was originally made in China. You are just paying extra for the privilege of having it shipped from the UK. So it doesn't really matter where you buy it from.

I brought a phone charger from a UK seller (but made in China) for a few quid. Worked fine for a few days then sparks started flying out of it and chucked it in the bin. Brought one for a bit more money from UK seller (but again made in China) and it has worked fine the last year or so.

I will quite happily to buy stuff from China if I don't mind waiting for a while. You can get things for a pound or two with free postage that you would pay double if you brought it in the UK. Yet I am very careful over electronic stuff.

Time is the number 1 problem buying from China for me but if you are prepared to wait weeks instead of day's you can save £'s for the same item cutting out the middle man :beer: