Living in Thailand you're better off ordering from Amazon instead of eBay

[FolkGuitar]

3 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

Yes, both eBay and Amazon can be a pain in the a$$ at times or sometimes function quite smoothly.

 

On either one if they want you to prepay for customs clearance using courier delivery  it's a major rip-off.

 

On the rare exception that I'm actually able to find an Amazon shipper who will send to Thailand, and prepay customs duties, I've always gotten a refund for the unused balance of that prepayment, usually 2-3 months later... but it does come!

 

[tweedledee2]

3 hours ago, BigT73 said:

Just becareful with the chinese batteries that are sold as originals as they usually are counterfeits. Once a pc or phone get outdated manufacturers stop making replacement parts. Biggest problem is they have inferior cells that have been known to catch fire when charging.  The most common issue is they dont last long.

The laptop was purchased new in May 2017 and this battery model number is still used in HP production. HP support has a recall notice for defective batteries causing potential fires but my laptop model was not included in the list. So 19 months after purchase, the defective battery which had swollen too twice its original size and now out of warranty was my issue to deal with.  As I stated in my original post the replacement battery was visibly identical to the original defective battery.  Using HP's Support Assistant that is factory installed on my laptop, I ran the "Battery Check" program. It verifies 100% the manufacturer number, serial number, build date, design capacity, cell voltage and other specs of the new battery.  A counterfeit it is not.  

[BigT73]

1 hour ago, tweedledee2 said:

The laptop was purchased new in May 2017 and this battery model number is still used in HP production. HP support has a recall notice for defective batteries causing potential fires but my laptop model was not included in the list. So 19 months after purchase, the defective battery which had swollen too twice its original size and now out of warranty was my issue to deal with.  As I stated in my original post the replacement battery was visibly identical to the original defective battery.  Using HP's Support Assistant that is factory installed on my laptop, I ran the "Battery Check" program. It verifies 100% the manufacturer number, serial number, build date, design capacity, cell voltage and other specs of the new battery.  A counterfeit it is not.  

Most of items sold on ebay coming from china especially Guangzhou are infact counterfiet.  They do have a pretty high skillset when copying items and can copy codes etc easily.

 

A excert from hp "When purchasing a battery, be aware of HP's suggested price. If a battery is sold by HP for $75 or more and you find someone selling one that looks like an HP product for $20 or $30 dollars, you might expect that they are dealing in counterfeit batteries." https://support.hp.com/za-en/document/c05307539

 

Samsung batteries are also notoriously copied and sold on ebay, you wouldnt know the difference by looking at them either. Best case scenario they die before catching fire.   A redflag is usually where a item is coming from. This Includes schengen and Hongkong (items dont really come from Hongkong, they send them there from mainland china and repackage them, the chinese think it makes the items appear more legit).

Goodluck!

[Kerryd]

20 hours ago, tyler28 said:

You are confusing USPS (United States Postal Service) with UPS (a private courier). All your points are valid for UPS but surely not for USPS (the regular mail).

Probably. I though USPS was "US Parcel Service" but yeah, I think it was UPS that stiffed me on the fees. I did get a small parcel sent from WA through the regular mail last month - had to go the Post Office to pick it up (and pay 760 baht in Duties). 

But the laptop battery I ordered through AliExpress was delivered to my door with no extra charges at all.
Had to go to the post office (again) to get a smaller package that was ordered from eBay (and shipped from China) - no extra charges on that one (it wasn't worth a lot). 

I have items in my "cart" right now on eBay and AliExpress and Amazon. The eBay and Amazon items will probably be cancelled due to the crazy shipping charges (unless I use one of those forwarding services).

 

I looked at the 2 forwarding services mentioned and you have to watch out for the "extra" charges as they could easily end up being more than your shipment is worth.

 

Apparently you need to be careful about which warehouse they should ship from as well.

I just did some comparison pricing of a 5lb package valued at $75 shipped from ShipItTo's California and Oregon warehouses.

That "package", shipped by USPS Priority Mail, from California would cost $47.56 in postage.

That same "package", shipped from their Oregon warehouse, would cost $85.69 ! (I've checked it twice now and it's the same each time, $38.13 more if the package is mailed from Oregon instead of California !)

It's even worse if you select the USPS "Express" Mail option. Shipping from California that parcel would cost $72.76. Shipping from Oregon, the same package would cost $114.69 ! Using a courier service (like DHL/FedEx) is also quite a bit more expensive if the parcel is originating from Shipito's Oregon warehouse.

PlanetExpress seems to be able to ship a similar package, through the same mail service, for considerably less (like 25+ % less than the cost of Shipito it seems). The same 5 lb package would only cost $33.33 using USPS Priority or $45.49 using USPS Express.
Their charges for using DHL or FedEx are also considerable less.

 

Might try them for a couple orders and see how it goes. 

 

[Katia]

On 2/24/2019 at 11:03 PM, LivinLOS said:

All of that is user defined. 

Theres a simple checkbox.. new used reconditioned etc.. 

 

Theres also a payment option.. auction, auction with buy it now, fixed. 

 

Baffling how people can struggle with such simple things. 

 

And has it always been that way?  Has the filter always actually worked?  Have people actually categorized stuff correctly?  Because those are things I see even commercial websites struggle with... it's why I rarely use stores' filters.

 

I wouldn't call it a "struggle," though maybe you put more worry into that sort of stuff.  At any rate, you like eBay?  Great.  Keep using it.  I don't, so I don't.  Not that hard.

[ghworker2010]

On 2/24/2019 at 11:07 AM, tyler28 said:

The message you received relates to an individual seller's shipping restrictions. Plenty of third party sellers on Amazon also decline to ship to Thailand. These policies have nothing to do with Ebay or Amazon being "petty," and they are easy to get around.

 

Most expats use shipping forwarders like Shipito or Planet Express (my preference), which provide you with a mailing address in the U.S. and then forward your Ebay or Amazon packages to you in Thailand through a provider of your choosing (USPS, UPS, DHL, etc.). By using USPS and declaring a low value, one can usually save a lot on shipping and customs fees.

 

In short, there is no reason at all for anyone living in Thailand to use Amazon or Ebay direct shipping at all, much less to limit himself to products eligible for such shipping.

can non US citizens use planet express?

[tyler28]

1 hour ago, ghworker2010 said:

can non US citizens use planet express?

 

Yes, companies like this don't ask any citizenship questions. Anyone can just sign up.

[tweedledee2]

17 hours ago, BigT73 said:

 

  A

17 hours ago, BigT73 said:

A excert from hp "When purchasing a battery, be aware of HP's suggested price. If a battery is sold by HP for $75 or more and you find someone selling one that looks like an HP product for $20 or $30 dollars, you might expect that they are dealing in counterfeit batteries." https://support.hp.com/za-en/document/c05307539

 

 

   I read the HP support link you posted and it basically supplied info on how to identify possible non-genuine HP replacement parts.  Sure HP wants you to buy replacements parts from them and not from an outside supplier.  They make more profit on replacement parts just like automotive dealers want you to come back to them for service.  How much do you think a replacement battery that HP sells for $100 actual costs them?  An HP branded battery that is produced in China from Lithium processed in S. Korea as both the original battery and the identical HP replacement I purchased off eBay are.       

    Your logic seems to be that paying $70 more for the same battery from HP would give me peace of mind.  When I purchased my HP Pavilion lap it came with an Intel I7 6500U processor, 12 Gb Ram, 1TB Samsung HDD, HP DVD-RW drive, 15.6 HD Touchscreen, Nvidia 940M graphics, B&O speakers at a price of less than $690 plus tax.  It should make you wonder how they could sell a laptop for that price with a $100 battery inside. 

[Jaggg88]

On 2/25/2019 at 1:19 AM, Kerryd said:

NEVER USE USPS for shipping if possible. The courier companies (like DHL, FedEx and USPS) use 3rd party customs brokers to process the shipments through Customs. Almost every single item I've ever had shipped via DHL or USPS has incurred additional customs and duties, as well as additional "distribution" charges. I've posted before about getting a package delivered by USPS and having to pay almost 70% of the value of the shipment in duties and tariffs and distribution charges.

The customs brokers don't care about the value of the package.
What they will do though is "estimate" the cost of the item (even if it is declared), "estimate" the shipping charges and "estimate" the insurance costs (to ship the item), total that all up and then apply the duties and taxes to it. (And then add their "distribution" charges to it and charge VAT on that as well.)

I agree - I only get stuff sent by standard post and it has so far always arrived without incurring any import charges. Anything I receive via couriers always has charges.

[tyler28]

USPS is the United States Postal Service, i.e., "the standard post."

 

Some on the thread continue to confuse it with UPS.

[attrayant]

On 2/23/2019 at 5:26 PM, ghworker2010 said:

We are sorry, but the item you selected may not be purchased due to seller shipping restrictions or due to country-specific import/export or other relevant restrictions

 

 

In 7-8 years here, with my buying from eBay several times a month on average, I have seen this message only once when I wanted to buy a live-action anime movie.  It was made in Japan but for some reason, warehoused and shipped from Malaysia.  I contacted the seller and he said he has no country-specific shipping restrictions and has sold his DVDs to people in Thailand many times before.

 

*shrug* I gave up trying to figure it out.

[BigT73]

On 2/26/2019 at 5:39 PM, tweedledee2 said:

   I read the HP support link you posted and it basically supplied info on how to identify possible non-genuine HP replacement parts.  Sure HP wants you to buy replacements parts from them and not from an outside supplier.  They make more profit on replacement parts just like automotive dealers want you to come back to them for service.  How much do you think a replacement battery that HP sells for $100 actual costs them?  An HP branded battery that is produced in China from Lithium processed in S. Korea as both the original battery and the identical HP replacement I purchased off eBay are.       

    Your logic seems to be that paying $70 more for the same battery from HP would give me peace of mind.  When I purchased my HP Pavilion lap it came with an Intel I7 6500U processor, 12 Gb Ram, 1TB Samsung HDD, HP DVD-RW drive, 15.6 HD Touchscreen, Nvidia 940M graphics, B&O speakers at a price of less than $690 plus tax.  It should make you wonder how they could sell a laptop for that price with a $100 battery inside. 

I think you may be missing the point of the article, its reference is any HP batteries that are sold way under priced are not authentic.  There is no outside suppliers of genuine parts, Its equivalent to buying a genuine iPhone from a apple store vs buying from a dealer online at less than half price?  You could safely assume its a copy even though it "looks the same". 

 

As stated before holographic stickers or printed labels are easy for them to copy and just by reading them does not make it made in S. Korea.  They obviously would have had originals and copied the stickers. Authenticity codes are easily hacked, as you can buy genuine Microsoft codes on eBay for a couple of dollars.

 

The difference between authentic and copy, is not in HP greed, HP is guaranteeing that whilst its under warranty your laptop will not be affected. Whilst the fake even though it may look the same, its internal components are inferior, untested and even the voltage may be incorrect.  Its same as buying cheap no name batteries compared to say Panasonic etc, or buying those generic printer cartridges that screw up ones printer.

 

In your statement about "my logic", I will correct you in saying my logic is if your battery caught fire whilst you were asleep or whilst you were out, or even worse electrocuted yourself.  How much did you save then???

 

There are aftermarket batteries (like generic car parts) that are not HP branded, that have been tested and come with a warranty from brick and mortar shops, they are ok to buy if you wish to save but even they are not cheaper then 70% of original HP.

 

 

 

[LammyTS1]

On 2/24/2019 at 8:08 AM, Katia said:

I haven't been on eBay in years... I don't understand what it has become.  It started out as a sort of vast online garage sale for people to sell their stuff, and had an auction type format (which, really, is sort of silly-- just price your item and let the first person who sees/wants it buy it, without the auction runaround, but I suppose it was some sort of game people enjoyed playing or something), but then it started becoming inundated with commercial vendors selling new items en masse (and went more and more to fixed-price, not that that was necessarily a bad thing but it wasn't the model eBay was built on), which is when I stopped using it-- I got sick of sorting through new stuff in search of unique items.  If I want new stuff, there are plenty of stores around, both online and "in real life," and all are easier to use than eBay.  These days I imagine it's pretty much all the new-stuff vendors, so I don't even know what its point might be anymore, since it's not different than other sites like Amazon.

Auction type format(sort of silly?) - Why is buying items at a small fraction of their worth and cheaper than anywhere else silly?

 

Sick of sorting though new stuff? - Simply add the word 'used' to your search.

 

Plenty stores around online/real life and easier to use? - Why spend your time & money travelling around numerous shops in the hope of finding what you want? 

 

Not different than other sites like Amazon? - Didn't realise Amazon started using auction style listings enabling people to win an item at a bargain price?

 

[Katia]

On 3/5/2019 at 11:31 PM, LammyTS1 said:

Auction type format(sort of silly?) - Why is buying items at a small fraction of their worth and cheaper than anywhere else silly?

Because they could just put on the price they want for the item to begin with and call it good?  A seller isn't going to set themself up to lose money on the items they sell, so I'm not sure exactly what the bargain is; they're still going to put on their overhead.  The auction format means that people play elaborate games to one-up each other to win the auction (hence why I said for some people it may be a "game" they specifically enjoy), means you have to wait days for an auction to end rather than being able to buy right away, means the seller has to do elaborate things with reserve prices if they start the auction below what they actually want to sell for (and then buyers get the further dance of trying to figure out just what that magic number is), means the seller might do shady things like selling the item for a penny but having shipping cost $50, and adding the "Buy It Now" feature rendered the auction format largely useless if someone can just buy the item out from under you outright when you've been waiting for an auction to end.

 

On 3/5/2019 at 11:31 PM, LammyTS1 said:

Sick of sorting though new stuff? - Simply add the word 'used' to your search.

And then every listing that doesn't specifically contain the word "used"-- and not every seller will explicitly put it in there-- will be excluded.  Also, the point is that when there is little to choose from that is secondhand, why would I waste my time at all?

 

 

On 3/5/2019 at 11:31 PM, LammyTS1 said:

Plenty stores around online/real life and easier to use? - Why spend your time & money travelling around numerous shops in the hope of finding what you want?

 

I don't do this.  Do you? 

 

Online = same as eBay is!  Real life = no paying shipping (which is still well more than my gas to go across town to a store) and being able to see/touch/try on/evaluate the item before purchase.

 

On 3/5/2019 at 11:31 PM, LammyTS1 said:

Not different than other sites like Amazon? - Didn't realise Amazon started using auction style listings enabling people to win an item at a bargain price?

Did I say that?  No.  Read the entirety of my post.  I said that if eBay does away with auctions, then they're not different from Amazon.  And if a seller wants to sell an item at a "bargain price," then yes, they could technically sell it for that same price on Amazon.

 

Anyway, as I told someone else, do whatever you want.  I'll do whatever I want.  Why it bothers you so much that I choose not to use eBay when it affects you not one jot, I haven't a clue.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Katia

[Kerryd]

On 2/26/2019 at 11:12 AM, ghworker2010 said:

can non US citizens use planet express?

Yes. I signed up recently and used them. They don't care where you come from, so long as you can deposit money (via a variety of methods).  Just received the first package I had forwarded by them (3 days ago).

 

[Kerryd]

Another example of the rip-off you might see when using a courier company like DHL or FedEx.

 

I just had a parcel shipped from the US. I'd asked for it to go USPS Priority but they decided to send it FedEx Priority instead. It was sent before I could get ahold of them to change it.

Sure enough, the parcel arrived today and I got hit with a huge fee for Import Taxes and VAT

The item I'd bought was $59.95. They charged me $60.76 to ship it. Total $120.71 US. (Using FedEx's exchange rate of 31.36 that totals 3,785.46 baht plus they added 18.82 baht as the "insurance" charge so the CIF total (Cost/Insurance/Freight) should have been 3,804.28 baht.

 

Except that FedEx decided that the freight charge alone should be 4,672 !!!! ($149 equivalent.) NO reason given for the 245% mark up on the shipping cost ! The actual shipping cost should have been 1,905 baht (approx).

That boost in the freight charge made the CIF total 6,573.26, which they then applied the Import Duties to (1,314.65) then they total the CIF and Import Duties and tax that (VAT) at 7% for another 552.15 baht. (So yes, you are paying tax on the import duties.)

As a result, I ended up paying 1,866.80 whereas it should have only been 1,080 total if they'd used the correct shipping cost. (760.85 Import and 319.55 VAT = 1,080.40) 

And if it had of gone by USPS Priority like I wanted it to, it may not have been taxed at all (or would have been a lot less).

Of course I had the choice of not accepting the shipment, which would have resulted in the parcel eventually returning to the forwarding company and then I'd have to convince them to reship it using another method.

Assuming it didn't get "lost" along the way.

 

Which is what I expect the courier companies anticipate. By the time the item gets to you, you don't want to go through the hassle of not accepting it then waiting for it to get returned and then re-ordering it (and hopefully having it shipped via a different outlet). It's easier (and probably cheaper) to just suck it up and pay the fee.

Not sure what benefit the courier company gets from jacking up the shipping charge though. I doubt they can skim any of the Import Duty or VAT fees. I think I know how it could be used to their benefit but it's not worth speculating on.

 

Just keep in mind that when you ship anything via a courier company - expect to pay through the nose for it (on top of what it actually costs to get here).
 

[LammyTS1]

Did I say that?  No.  Read the entirety of my post.  I said that if eBay does away with auctions, then they're not different from Amazon.  And if a seller wants to sell an item at a "bargain price," then yes, they could technically sell it for that same price on Amazon.

 

Anyway, as I told someone else, do whatever you want.  I'll do whatever I want.  Why it bothers you so much that I choose not to use eBay when it affects you not one jot, I haven't a clue.

 

It doesn’t bother me at all. I simply answered all your statements with the correct information. If your happy purchasing goods at a price set by the seller, that enables them to make a good profit from you, then go ahead. Id much rather buy an item at a price set by what the buyer thinks is fair.

 

I don’t believe that your aware of how eBay works. Selling an item at a bargain price is not decided by the seller, it’s decided by the buyer, so they couldn’t sell it at the same price on amazon as there aren’t any auction type listings.

eBay sellers can most definitely make a loss, hence the thousands of bargains each day. An auction can end at 1p or £1,000,000. Auctions happen all around the world, dating back centuries.

 

eBay have millions of users daily and have been operating for 25 years. If they withdrew auction type listings then yes you are correct, they’d just be like all other online sites and they would also lose most of their customers.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Katia]

On 3/11/2019 at 5:48 AM, LammyTS1 said:

 

It doesn’t bother me at all. I simply answered all your statements with the correct information. If your happy purchasing goods at a price set by the seller, that enables them to make a good profit from you, then go ahead. Id much rather buy an item at a price set by what the buyer thinks is fair.

 

I don’t believe that your aware of how eBay works. Selling an item at a bargain price is not decided by the seller, it’s decided by the buyer, so they couldn’t sell it at the same price on amazon as there aren’t any auction type listings.

eBay sellers can most definitely make a loss, hence the thousands of bargains each day. An auction can end at 1p or £1,000,000. Auctions happen all around the world, dating back centuries.

 

eBay have millions of users daily and have been operating for 25 years. If they withdrew auction type listings then yes you are correct, they’d just be like all other online sites and they would also lose most of their customers.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

The last I knew (unless the rules have changed), sellers set their starting bid price, reserve price, and "buy it now" price (never mind the scam of "cheap item, expensive shipping"), so why do you think they have nothing to do with how much an item sells for?  They have every control over that-- they can even pull and relist an auction if it's not shaping up to make as much as they wanted.

 

Again, nobody's selling things at a loss.  They may not be making as much of an up-front profit as some people (you can bet they're probably finding another place to make it up, though; they don't sell to you cheap out of the goodness of their heart and because it's their act of charity to spend their time and money just so you can buy things cheap), or perhaps the item is of cheaper quality than you could find elsewhere, but trust me, they're selling that item for more than they got it for.

 

Meanwhile, how much are you paying in shipping to make up for that cheaper price?

Edited March 12, 2019 by Katia

[LammyTS1]

The last I knew (unless the rules have changed), sellers set their starting bid price, reserve price, and "buy it now" price (never mind the scam of "cheap item, expensive shipping"), so why do you think they have nothing to do with how much an item sells for?  They have every control over that-- they can even pull and relist an auction if it's not shaping up to make as much as they wanted.
 
Again, nobody's selling things at a loss.  They may not be making as much of an up-front profit as some people (you can bet they're probably finding another place to make it up, though; they don't sell to you cheap out of the goodness of their heart and because it's their act of charity to spend their time and money just so you can buy things cheap), or perhaps the item is of cheaper quality than you could find elsewhere, but trust me, they're selling that item for more than they got it for.
 
Meanwhile, how much are you paying in shipping to make up for that cheaper price?

Postage is capped on eBay. Whichever category the item is listed, it has an appropriate max postage that they can charge.

Nobody’s selling at a loss?
What about the private sellers, listing items at 99p with no reserve? There are more private sellers than business sellers. 2nd hand items that are unwanted? Rare and obsolete items that are unavailable anywhere else in the world, that the sellers list with no reserve as they are unaware of how much the item is worth? The price to be decided by the buyer.

Personally I find and buy items on eBay at half the cost of any shop here in Thailand. Even eBay sellers within Thailand sell their goods cheaper than any shop here.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[ozmeldo]

On 2/25/2019 at 7:51 AM, Jeffrey346 said:

I order from Amazon as their products are real and they get here in 5 or 6 days. Amazon now has a dedicated section of products that do ship to Thailand.

You need to check Lazada as many of the products are fake. I also find Lazada expensive.

My wife likes these new 3 in 1 laundry pods. They sell on Lazada for 250-450B depending on the seller. I buy the identical product on Shopee for B149. Huge difference.

There are tons of fake products on Amazon.

[Jeffrey346]

2 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

There are tons of fake products on Amazon.

Really.. Such as??