Buying from China via ebay

I have made contact with 2 business in China which have proposed reducing the declared value on an item for customs/tax/duty purposes, which would save me €400 on the price of the same item delivered from Germany, assuming the item gets through customs. I live in the E.U. so no taxes/duty to worry about when dealing with Germany.

The saving makes it very attractive, but I am hesitant as to what to do. Any advice appreciated from anyone who has purchased goods from China.

 

Go with your gut.

 

I believe eBay has money back guarantee.

 

People do it and it works out. It is a gamble with the possibility of saving yourself $400. Weigh that against the potential loss. Sure, there is the possibility of customs agents taking the time to look it up on the internet and determine the actual value but that's not likely. My bigger issue is service after the sale. A Legit distributor is (or should be) there for you after the sale in case of any issue or need of servicing. If your new equipment arrives dead as door nail or doesn't perform as expected, do you have confidence the company in China is going to be accommodating?

For me it depends on what it is and who you are buying from. A seller willing to commit fraud with international customs might also be fine with shipping counterfeit equipment and then not being able to speaker English when you follow up. And I'm not being anti-china. There are plenty of good business and products from there but there are also a lot of scammers on the internet.

I'd agree with the "go with your gut advice" over "who cares, Ebay will take care of it."

I'd think of it as a $400 dollar condom with a strange women you met online. You many not need it but if you do, its worth $400.

 

Use PayPal when you pay them and you are covered if something goes wrong.
Any legit business should accept PayPal.
I have bought plenty of stuff from China including Topping and Gustard DAC's and a Topping Pre90 with no issues.

 

no issues on ebay or ali express.

 

As with any seller regardless of location have you checked their eBay feedback for similar items?

 

I recently bought from China on AliExpress and all went well. It was $150 NOS DAC and it has far exceeded my expectations. Shipping was DHL Express which was very fast.

 

This ^

x a million


Saving $400 might amount to losing way more if you can’t rely on a manufacturer servicing something , customer service , etc..

I know it sounds tempting, but there are definite concrete risks

 

What exactly are we talking about here? There's a big difference between buying something where the brand and manufacturer are located vs. an off-brand or potentially counterfeit item.

 

All risks you mentioned are on the table.

 

The problem I would have buying anything from a China-based defender is the potential for counterfeit goods, defectives and the potentially huge expense if the vendor demands return of the defective item. I will find other sources, whether it is music, equipment or anything else.

 

Yeah, as others have said, it depends a LOT on what you're buying.

Music? Then the only risks are that it's either counterfeit or not in the condition promised.

If it's electronics--especially major electronics--then after purchase support if defective or if it stops working can be a huge issue. Assume you are buying one way with no support. If it's broken out of the box, you have recourse. If it stops working down the road, it's yours.

 

Yup. You essentially ‘ marry ‘that gear.

 

Thanks for all the opinions, which have given me much food for thought. I have decided to not buy directly from China, as after sales support is really important and China is a bit of a distance if the item ever has to be returned. Indeed the fact that these businesses are prepared essentially to participate in fraud, tells me all I need to know, together with me realising that it is not something that I am prepared to engage in either. I need to be better than that and will. Going to hold off for now and reassess my options and probably go for something manufactured in the E.U. or if not, at least have an E.U. distributor. Thanks again.

 

Counterfeit items are the biggest problem, for decades.

 

I won’t buy from China, Russia, Italy, Greece or Turkey.

Other places too. Obviously I would never buy from the Middle East.

I buy from Argentina cause I love Argentine rock but it’s a crapshoot. Not the most honest sellers.

You have to use common sense. I mean China? Tons of issues with that place. I don’t care how cheap it is…not for me.

 

Hello--

Not to drift too far from the original theme here, but you bring up an interesting point. I just made a first-time purchase through Grailed (it was a sweater; not music-related) and the material is synthetic and not mohair, as was stated by the seller in the ad. I paid through PayPal. Grailed customer service has yet to respond to my request for a return/full refund, sadly. Can I file a claim through PayPal, and are they likely to side with me on an incorrectly-described item (and a rude seller who is telling me to "go away" and stop bothering him)?

Thanks!

 

Yes, just log in to PayPal then click on "Help" (in the top blue banner) and you will see FAQ's and a link to the Resolution Centre.