E-bay non deliveries

[Petrochemist]

I've been using e-bay to buy adapters etc. from the far east for around 10 years, with previously good if slow results. This year I've seen a sudden increase in the number of items ordered that never arrive. So far this year I've had 15 items fail to arrive many of these with 6+ week expected delivery periods, so it's frequently 2 months after I've paid for it that I get a refund.

In previous years there would probably only have been 1 or 2 items that didn't arrive, my purchases MAY have gone up in volume but certainly not by a factor of ten.

Am I the only one who's experienced this increase in failed deliveries? (It's not down to my local postie as I have a fair few items sent to work rather than home & both are affected)
The 'tracking' for these items nearly always stops with the number being issued, and doesn't show as much as collection (with received deliveries it often fails on leaving the initial country)

 

[JohnX]

Non-photographic, but my wife has had virtually 100% failure on items from the far east ordered through Amazon. Like you, really only this year.

I too have had failures on both eBay and Amazon orders, but not such high volumes.

 

[russellsnr]

Hi, Paid for two replacment covers for my Yongnuo flash and after 2 months not received and requested refund and got it then the seller wanted me to change the feedback from Negative and tried to blame the postal service I now have ordered from another seller the same covers and paid on the 1st October with a at the latest delivery 27th November they even gave a none trackable postal number, what I don't get is why it should take so long in postal time? I wait with hope because I cannot source the covers anywhere else. Russ.

 

[hunnymonster]

what I don't get is why it should take so long in postal time?.

China Post is not like Royal Mail... A letter from Shanghai to Beijing can take a week easily. For international mail, add in Chinese exit customs checks. Add in that China Post typically don't ship until the airmail container is full (and if you're getting something shipped from a backwater part of China that could take a while). Add in that while the Langley Heathrow World Delivery Centre (which handles all of UK post) can process the mail in under 30 minutes (except if it goes for a UK customs check, which can take up to six weeks!!!) and then 2-3 days Royal Mail transit time within the UK and it's more of a miracle that anything ever arrives!

 

[hunnymonster]

Added to the above - China Post is the gold standard - when the seller starts using WinIT or ID - those are discounted by Chinese standards and typically even slower and less tracked.

 

[4wd]

Same here 3 or 4 items of modest value either didn't arrive - or arrived much slower than stated and I'd already had a refund agreed.
My feeling is it's to do with the Hong Kong disruption as a lot of Chinese exports actually leave through there at least from nearby Shenzen.
In the past they have seemed good although it usually takes at least two weeks.
Larger sellers like Banggood seem to be managing OK.

 

[Nod]

Ordered several identical single items (single item was free P&P, multiples were charged it...) and after 8 weeks got refunded through Amazon. Two days later the bloody things started arriving! Contacted the seller who thanked me for keeping them informed and told me to keep the items. Surprised they survived the trip TBH - GU10 mount lamps in individual packs in jiffy bags...

 

[Petrochemist]

Same here 3 or 4 items of modest value either didn't arrive - or arrived much slower than stated and I'd already had a refund agreed.
My feeling is it's to do with the Hong Kong disruption as a lot of Chinese exports actually leave through there at least from nearby Shenzen.
In the past they have seemed good although it usually takes at least two weeks.
Larger sellers like Banggood seem to be managing OK.

I guess that might be reasonable explaination, but I've not had anything arrive late. One of my orders was placed at the end of January & still not arrived so I suspect it's more than just a delay.

 

[sirch]

Interesting to hear people's experiences. in the past I have ordered loads of stuff from China and never had a problem and not specifically noticed any problems this year but I haven't bought very much especially in the second half of the year. I have had at least one item direct from China in the last month and it took the usual month or so by surface mail.

Probably not relevant but years ago I worked with a lass from NZ who came into the office one morning in early December and said "No Christmas presents for us this year" I asked why not and she explained that the NZ Postal Service had put the last surface mail containers for the UK before Christmas on the wrong ship and all the parcels were heading in the wrong direction.