Online shopping safety
So it’s been exactly 1 month since I last posted, and while I have been busy with final exams/projects/papers and what not, I’ve also done an immense amount of online shopping, and damn, talk about lessons learned:
-
Be VERY skeptical about sellers from China
Yeah, shit from China are damn cheap, and that’s always tempting, but I’d rather spend twice the money at a legit US (or any other non Chinese for that matter) store and rest in peace knowing that I’ll actually get what I’m buying. Avoid places like wholesale-dress.net and iOffer like the plague unless you want to end up with dresses with different sized armholes1 or have your mailman deliver a box of knock-off D&G necktie & cuffs instead of the phone you bought2
-
If you pay through Paypal, make sure you use your credit card
That’s because Paypal, to my disappointment, doesn’t do shit for you unless you buy through Ebay. So unless your package never got delivered, your money is pretty much gone. This is why scammers will send you empty packages or ones filled with random items: neckties, cuffs, buddha figurines (I’m not shitting you on this one), anything but what you ordered. This way, they have a tracking code to prove that they “shipped” your goods and are off the hook, since Paypal will only protect buyers against goods not shipped. Credit card companies, on the other hand, are much more aggressive when it comes to these sort of scams, and 99% of the time you can count on them to get your money back.
-
Take some action!
There are many consumer protection agencies/groups out there, both national and international. DO report the sellers and the sites where the transaction took place. Even though there’s no guarantee anything will happen, at least you’re taking action. And if you can get any sort of phone numbers, CALL. It’s a lot more effective than emailing, that’s for damn sure. Also, if possible, send back the fake packages to the post office and have it marked as “return to sender”. Don’t settle for some random-ass shit instead of what you paid for.
-
Do a LOT of research beforehand
This one should be pretty obvious, but I was obviously being stupid and totally ignored the golden rule. Look at reviews and sellers’ ratings to make sure you find someone truly legit. There are some decent sellers out there that are trying to do good business, you just need to weed out the scammers first.
- This happened at wholesale-dress.net. It was obscene to say the least, and the worst part is they refuse to refund my money. Good thing I know how to bitch fluently in Chinese, so I called them through Skype and gave them my 2-cents worth. Now they’re “investigating” my order. What’s to investigate? Your dress has fucking different sized arm holes! ↩
- This happened to me at iOffer.com, and I had to chase down the mailman and make him take back the package, which I marked “return to sender”. ↩
Ai~ says:
Thanks for this info about comment Paypal not lifting a finger if the customer pays through any other means but a credit card! That IS rather alarming. I’d rather buy from a legit store, too. Better safe than sorry!
Jenny says:
Yeah, I’ve learned my lesson now. I’d rather pay more at a legit shop than at a shady site.
Catherine says:
Thanks for the info on wholesale dress. I was actuallywondering whether to buy from them but was suspicious (it’s a little too cheap) I guess they really are as dodgy as they seem ^^
Jenny says:
Well if you’re lucky, you might get a couple nice pieces (I actually did), but you’re pretty much screwed if you get something ugly
Sapphire says:
AHAHA omggg this post applies to my MOM ;o; sellers from china really suck! my mom got this bracelet that was CRAP (looked nice online, of coursE) and so obviously, she would give a bad rating. BUT THEN! this seller emails her asking her to CHANGE THE RATING and is willing to PAY for the product back! wtheck? seriously -.-
welcome back btw! one month is a long time xD
Jenny says:
Wow, at least the seller is willing to pay for the product back? But would your mom have to pay for the shipping? That’s what I find messed up – you sold me a bad product, so you should be the one paying for the return shipping, not me!
Veronica says:
Thank you for that info. I had no idea pay pal was so lenient. That’s so not cool. Make me think twice before I buy something via paypal.
Jenny says:
Yeah, I had no idea until now either. I called them and they even told me themselves that it’d be better if I paid with a credit card instead, because CC companies are more aggressive when it comes to getting our money back.
Cat says:
Nice tips! I’ve also noticed a lot of China sellers use the same preview photos as other sellers, which is a sign that they’re probably not selling what they’re advertising. I always look at reviews for sellers I’ve never heard of before. That’s unfortunate for new sellers who are legit since they don’t start with many reviews XD;;
Jenny says:
Exactly! And when I ask for more pictures, they steal some more from other sellers or sources and try to pass it off as their own. MAD sketchy -_-
Katy says:
I’m guilty of being super lax when shopping online because I do it so much and haven’t been scammed before but I know my luck might run out soon. =P Great tips though! I try to avoid buying anything from China because I’d rather not have to deal with the anxiety of the quality or authenticity of the items.
Jenny says:
Yeah…I used to be like that before, since I never ran into any major problems as well, and when I did, my credit card company usually took care of that for me. I’m never shopping without my trust Amex again.
Delia says:
Thanks for the advice. I didn’t know PayPal was like that. I’ve never bought anything from China, but I’ll be sure to avoid from doing so.
Jenny says:
If you buy from a legit seller, you can get some pretty good deals from China. Just make sure you pay with a credit card so you know you can get your money back if anything happens.
Risa says:
Oh wow I didn’t know paypal was that bad,I guess its in the experience though,I’ve only sent money through them..Still thanks for the tips.
Lord knows I’m not going to the 2 sites you mentioned..if I got a fake package after doing payments I’d be in kill-mode
Jenny says:
I was totally in kill mode after getting that package. I even tracked down the company and their phone number and tried to call them, but the dude actually YELLED at me and hung up. And then they cussed me out in an email saying that I didn’t pay. Imagine my wrath after all that -_-
Anna says:
YES! There’s way too many of those wholesale sites out there. The clothes look so nice on the pic, but they are such horrible quality in real life!
Now I never knew about the Paypal credit card thing. So it’s not that safe if I pay through Paypal with a linked bank account? Or is it the same?
Jenny says:
My Paypal is linked to my bank account too, and the most you can do in that case is file a dispute through your bank account, but the dispute would be against Paypal, not the seller. Your best bet would still be to pay through a credit card, they’re a LOT more aggressive when it comes to getting your money back.
Krystal says:
I wanted to buy from whole sale dresses before but then I heard about bad reviews. You generally don’t get the items like they are in the photos. Sometimes it’s different colours, really big or looks nothing like the photos.
I didn’t know about the credit card thing on Paypal. I use paypal online to buy online. But I only buy online from trusted website where I know other’s have made purchases and the transaction was smooth.
Jenny says:
Paypal is safe in general, and I’ve never had to dispute anything until now. I’ll still keep using it, but just in trusted store only. -_-
Oridusartic says:
Thanks for the tips, it should help me to be at least more careful about online shopping.
Never really had experienced with it coz I still think that the online payment system is complicated.