Buying Smartphone on ebay-china based seller.

roxy28

China based seller but says items are london located, good reviews etc. Can anyone explain any pitfalls or advice, and is it just a case of delivering from the london location or something else.

NathalieNeal

Most new goods coming from China on eBay are coming from dropshippers. You could most likely get the same phone, with the same delivery wait and customs charges, from AliExpress.

roxy28

So the ebay phone would cost say £xxx plus custom charges, even though it states london as the location for items.

Flyonthewall

If it says location is London they probably have a warehouse there. If the item is in stock it'll be shipped from there. If not, you may find they send it from China.

As for any other pitfalls, just be sure you know what you're actually buying and that the phone is safe as not all electronics from China are. Plus be aware that if there is an issue you'd probably be expected to return it to China and not London.

roxy28

Flyonthewall wrote: »

If it says location is London they probably have a warehouse there. If the item is in stock it'll be shipped from there. If not, you may find they send it from China.

As for any other pitfalls, just be sure you know what you're actually buying and that the phone is safe as not all electronics from China are. Plus be aware that if there is an issue you'd probably be expected to return it to China and not London.

Right ok thanks. If the item was in stock the payment at checkout would have no delivery charges if it states free delivery, and could not change?. Assuming they have a london warehouse.

soolin

roxy28 wrote: »

Right ok thanks. If the item was in stock the payment at checkout would have no delivery charges if it states free delivery, and could not change?. Assuming they have a london warehouse.

Is there anything in the feedback that suggests issues with delivery ? Also, as. Business their address needs to be displayed on all listings, so what address is shown?

roxy28

soolin wrote: »

Is there anything in the feedback that suggests issues with delivery ? Also, as. Business their address needs to be displayed on all listings, so what address is shown?

No issues i can see. http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/wedo-bestdeal?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

soolin

Right, I thought we were talking high end phone- as long as you are buying a cheap basic phone then there isn't really an issue. I suspect you will get a cheap lookalike, but for around £40 if it lasts a year then it probably isn't a bad deal.

These phones can be bought on places like AliExpress for around the £20 mark, but paying a premium on buying one already in the UK is not a bad idea.

roxy28

soolin wrote: »

Right, I thought we were talking high end phone- as long as you are buying a cheap basic phone then there isn't really an issue. I suspect you will get a cheap lookalike, but for around £40 if it lasts a year then it probably isn't a bad deal.

These phones can be bought on places like AliExpress for around the £20 mark, but paying a premium on buying one already in the UK is not a bad idea.

Ok thanks for the input i will take it onboard, yes its only a basic phone

shaun_from_Africa

One thing I would recommend is that if the phone comes with a cheapie far east made mains charger, replace this with a good quality compatible one that is approved for sale in the EU (or charge it using a USB lead from a computer).

Fires from substandard chargers are all too common and your cheap phone could end up costing far more than you bargained for.

ballisticbrian

When the sales were on, I got my basic phone half price for £9 in Sainsburys. Hardly seems worth the bother risking a Chinese supplier.