Lazada's imaginary sellers

[BenStark]

Why does Lazada knowingly deceive and waste customers time by having many, probably hundreds if not thousands, of fake listings on their platform?

 

I am in the market for a set of gas strut replacements for my pick-up trunk lid.

 

They are available on AliExpress, but of course then you need to pay up front and hope it ever arrives.

 

Then I found that the same sellers are available on Lazada, with COD, so I ordered a set. The seller had, at the time of my order, a 100% shipping on time rating, joined 2+ years ago and has hundreds of articles listed

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i4408189365-s17582364359.html?

 

So it started. After 3 days the item was still listed as seller to pack. I made a call to Lazada customer support, and explained this was obvious a fake seller.

 

10 minutes after my call the order was marked as "packed". The next day the order page said, seller needs more time, but will ship out tomorrow, and there was a tracking number.

 

2 days later the order was cancelled by the system because the seller failed to ship. So I called Lazada again, and they told me to order again, because obvious the seller needed some more time.

 

So I waited a week and then ordered the same item again.

 

Now the seller had a 50% ship on time rating, and a 50% cancellation rate, but still a 100% seller rating, which today has changed to 88%. Same scenario as the previous order of course.

 

So again on the phone with Lazada, and asked them straight away why they keep fake sellers on their platform, which they failed to answer, but suggested I order from another seller. They send me the usual email with lame excuses and fake promises to improve their service, to which I replied a few times, without any answers.

 

So I did some more research and found multiple sellers having this item. All of them being AliExpress sellers, with hundreds of articles, and all joined 3 to 5 years ago.

 

What became obvious however, was that NONE of them had sold a single item in those 3 to 5 years. A few had 1 follower, most of them none, and most also had no ratings at all. Really sellers active for 5 years, with hundreds of articles, not making a single sale?

 

So I only can assume that what I discovered is only the tip of the iceberg, and there are hundreds or thousands of this fake sellers listed on their platform.

 

So why do they waste their "valued customers", as they like to call it in their emails, time with those fake listings?

 

Take also note, that if you use some of your previously earned cashback to order the item, and the expiry date of the cashback passes before the order is cancelled by the system, you lose your cashback.

 

A warned man is worth .............................

 

 

 

 

[JeffersLos]

17 minutes ago, BenStark said:

deceive and waste customers time

 

18 minutes ago, BenStark said:

I made a call to Lazada customer support,

 

18 minutes ago, BenStark said:

So I called Lazada again

 

18 minutes ago, BenStark said:

So again on the phone with Lazada

 

19 minutes ago, BenStark said:

the usual email with lame excuses and fake promises to improve their service, to which I replied a few times, without any answers.

 

19 minutes ago, BenStark said:

valued customer

 

19 minutes ago, BenStark said:

if you use some of your previously earned cashback to order the item, and the expiry date of the cashback passes before the order is cancelled by the system, you lose your cashback.

 

Relax, Karen. 

[dddave]

Don't be surprised if you start receiving some low value CODs you never ordered.  That happened to me after a similar scenario.  They count on a small number of people who cant resist paying to see what it is or maybe believe it's something another family member ordered.

[keith101]

Who do you think owns a majority in Lazada and why so much of it comes from overseas

Edited June 22, 2023 by keith101

[Gaccha]

10 minutes ago, dddave said:

Don't be surprised if you start receiving some low value CODs you never ordered

I think you might have nailed it.

 

Also, when you make the order you reveal your name, your address and your desire for a certain purchase. This might be used by selling on the information.

 

I have used Lazada for years and I never use COD and I've never have had any serious problems. There are some major advantages in paying in advance.

 

For example, if I get sent the wrong items, at the moment of leaving the item at the parcel office to return to the seller, Lazada instantly gives me a refund, not even giving the seller the opportunity to agree or appeal. Lazada sent a message to me saying they want to refund quickly because I was a loyal customer.

 

I can only presume that I receive a rating which must be very high and so Lazada takes feedback from me seriously.

 

If you follow the rules, you win.

[keith101]

i always paid up front until 2 of my orders where logged as delivered by the same courier company but i never got them or any satisfaction from Lazada or the delivery company so i now only pay cash so if he wants to steal another order he will have to pay for it

[VinnieK]

Some are listing items that are out of stock I suspect.

Then, they dash to procure them, which causes delays.

I ordered an item 2 days ago.....still at 'seller to pack' stage..

[BenStark]

7 minutes ago, VinnieK said:

Some are listing items that are out of stock I suspect.

Then, they dash to procure them, which causes delays.

I ordered an item 2 days ago.....still at 'seller to pack' stage..

Yes I believe that is possible, but when you see sellers who joined 3 years ago, and have a 100% seller rating, while it is obvious they never shipped any of the hundreds of articles they list, then there is a red flag.

 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, BenStark said:

Why does Lazada knowingly deceive and waste customers time by having many, probably hundreds if not thousands, of fake listings on their platform?

Just because one seller couldn't deliver does not give you grounds to allege that Lazada has thousands of "fake" or "imaginary" [sic] sellers.  Why would Lazada be party to that, anyway, (even if it was true) what benefit would it give them?

Edited June 22, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, BenStark said:

So I only can assume that what I discovered is only the tip of the iceberg, and there are hundreds or thousands of this fake sellers listed on their platform.

"...there are hundreds or thousands of this fake sellers..."

Why should you only assume that?

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, BenStark said:

They are available on AliExpress, but of course then you need to pay up front and hope it ever arrives.

Why wouldn't they arrive?  Ali is pretty efficient with deliveries.

[transam]

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

Who do you think owns a majority in Lazada and why so much of it comes from overseas

Does it matter...?

[Liverpool Lou]

40 minutes ago, BenStark said:

but when you see sellers who joined 3 years ago, and have a 100% seller rating, while it is obvious they never shipped any of the hundreds of articles they list, then there is a red flag.

What evidence do you have that those sellers have "never shipped any of the hundreds of articles they list"?  None.  

[BritManToo]

59 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

I have used Lazada for years and I never use COD and I've never have had any serious problems. There are some major advantages in paying in advance.

I have used Lazada for many years and I always use COD and I've never had any problems.

There are some serious advantages to using OD.

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I have used Lazada for many years and I always use COD and I've never had any problems.

There are some serious advantages to using OD.

Apart from not having to pay up front, what are the other "serious advantages" of COD?

[Furioso]

I'm not positive but trying to buy "gas strut replacements for pick-up trunk lid" for an older vehicle might be more difficult than other, more commonly ordered items on Lazada. 

 

Sure, the item you want is listed and looks legit but the seller simply may not be able to get that item anymore. For an item like this it might be a good idea to contact the seller first, before going ahead and making purchase. 

[proton]

17 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apart from not having to pay up front, what are the other "serious advantages" of COD?

More likely to get what you ordered 

[BenStark]

8 minutes ago, Furioso said:

I'm not positive but trying to buy "gas strut replacements for pick-up trunk lid" for an older vehicle might be more difficult than other, more commonly ordered items on Lazada. 

 

Sure, the item you want is listed and looks legit but the seller simply may not be able to get that item anymore. For an item like this it might be a good idea to contact the seller first, before going ahead and making purchase. 

If the item is not available any more, it should b delisted.
 

I did contact the seller, and Lazada told me they also contacted him after the first cancellation, but he doesn't respond. His chat response rating is then also non existent.

 

What is more, the first order got a packed status including a tracking number, before it was cancelled by the system for failing to ship.

 

The second order only went as far as packed, but didn't get a tracking number

 

Edit to add : When an order gets the packed status, it can not be cancelled any more by the buyer, and cancel tab will be greyed out.

With both orders it could still be cancelled after the packed status, which should have been another red flag

Edited June 22, 2023 by BenStark

[Furioso]

5 minutes ago, BenStark said:

I did contact the seller.. but he doesn't respond. 

This is a red flag. Maybe try to find a legit seller. 

[BenStark]

1 minute ago, Furioso said:

This is a red flag. Maybe try to find a legit seller. 

That is the problem because ALL sellers who offer this item, and joined Lazada 3 > 5 years ago, have a ZERO chat rating.

I also i'm sending chat messages to another seller regarding a suitcase, and they also go unanswered for 3 days already.

[Furioso]

Just now, BenStark said:

That is the problem because ALL sellers who offer this item, and joined Lazada 3 > 5 years ago, have a ZERO chat rating.

I understand, I have a similar problem finding an obscure replacement item. Since Lazada seems to be a bust, would you consider contacting AliExpress(or some other website, or even a local car dealer) to see if they respond? 

[BritManToo]

44 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apart from not having to pay up front, what are the other "serious advantages" of COD?

If it t doesn't arrive, I don't have to claim my money back. 

If they don't send it promptly, I don't need to accept delivery. 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

47 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apart from not having to pay up front, what are the other "serious advantages" of COD?

If it t doesn't arrive, I don't have to claim my money back. 

If they don't send it promptly, I don't need to accept delivery. 

"If it t doesn't arrive, I don't have to claim my money back".

That's just the "not having to pay up front" advantage.

 

"If they don't send it promptly, I don't need to accept delivery". 

So just one small advantage, then!

[BritManToo]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

"If it t doesn't arrive, I don't have to claim my money back".

That's just the "not having to pay up front" advantage.

 

"If they don't send it promptly, I don't need to accept delivery". 

So just one small advantage, then!

If the package isn't the right shape and size I can just say no. 

I once was sent an envelope instead of 3x 20kg solar panels. 

[ezzra]

Foolish to expect that in such huge selling site with 10's of thousands of merchants that there will not be problems with shoddy, less than honest sellers, after all this is Thailand and in Thailand you should expect for things Not to go smooth.

[Sigma6]

2 hours ago, BenStark said:

Why does Lazada knowingly deceive and waste customers time by having many, probably hundreds if not thousands, of fake listings on their platform?

 

I am in the market for a set of gas strut replacements for my pick-up trunk lid.

 

They are available on AliExpress, but of course then you need to pay up front and hope it ever arrives.

 

Then I found that the same sellers are available on Lazada, with COD, so I ordered a set. The seller had, at the time of my order, a 100% shipping on time rating, joined 2+ years ago and has hundreds of articles listed

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i4408189365-s17582364359.html?

From your link I would've never ordered this item - they have never sold any, no ratings, no reviews, and the red writing says no stock.

I order from Lazada frequently, pay upfront, but always from local sellers with lots of reviews on the item.  Of course Lazada has a lot of fake reviews, but usually you can pick out real ones, and filter out the spam sellers.

Its a very niche item, probably not really what Lazada is good for.

 

 

 

[phitsanulokjohn]

Been using Lazada for years,always paying C.O.D and never experienced a problem.I do acknowledge however,that there are tons of fakes ranging from phones to watches.The low price usually confirms this,also when you look in the product description if it's a fake it will normally state no brand but give the OEMs name if it is genuine.I too don't understand fakes being allowed on Lazada,if the selling of fakes gets discovered on eBay,your account gets closed and you get kicked off the platform.Quite right too.

[biggles45]

Even more annoying to me are the sellers who list a real bargain price (often tv etc) then when you contact them they want you to pay them directly, bypassing Lazada. Good luck getting the goods then! 

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apart from not having to pay up front, what are the other "serious advantages" of COD?

The biggest is not having to claim a refund when order cancelled.

A couple of years ago I tried to buy a 22 inch TV but apparently there was a shortage of a component in China for that particular size. Sellers were advertising stock that they thought was coming from China, but wasn't. I was chasing non existant stock and had 6 orders cancelled on me before I found out why, a lot of money in the system if not COD.

In the end I bought a model made in Thailand, no problem.

[rwill]

Ordering stuff that comes from china is more problematic than ever.  Lots of sellers there are sending completely different/worthless items than what you ordered.

The last thing that happened to me was I ordered 3 bags of siliphos.  They only sent one.  I told Lazada.  They said I needed to return it to get credit.  I returned it.  Then Lazada only gave me credit for the 1 bag because that is all I returned.  I had to get ahold of them again and explain that I can not return something that was never sent to me.  Finally they are giving me a refund back on the other 2 bags.