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Drop-Shipping

  • 08-07-2014 01:18PM
    #1
    Braggadocio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭


    I recently ordered a camera from eBay (a site I use quite often) and received the order a week later in an Amazon box. The order was exactly as requested, but I was totally confused as to why it was shipped from Amazon and NOT eBay. Needles to say, I Googled the 'experience' and learned, for the very first time, about a process called "Drop-Shipping" which sounds like a cool way to make some €€€ on the side without carrying huge inventory.
    Anybody have any positive/negative opinions on this business practice. It appears to be perfectly legal, but what if I had any problems with the camera . . .

    Thanx in advance


Comments

  • #2
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Any problems with the camera would be between you and the eBay seller.

    Drop-shipping is around since Old God's time and perfectly legit.


  • #3
    Braggadocio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭Braggadocio


    Many thanks for the info. You live and learn. I'm just relieved I don't have to return the item for any reasons so far.
    One of the odd things about eBay is that, even though a seller may declare that his/her location is in the UK, sometimes when the item is shipped it can originate from as far away as Hong Kong and that can cause problems with customs & Excise on these shores.

    Thanks again . . .


  • #4
    Celeron Media
    Closed Accounts Posts: 222 ✭✭Celeron Media


    Don't drop ship, it can go wrong so easy. Drop shippers have no knowledge of the quality or availability of the items there pawning off because it not from their stock and they buy the cheapest items from random sellers. There's no control over QA and drop shippers are more likely to generate more negative feedback than the average seller.


  • #5
    noisenotmusic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 414 ✭✭noisenotmusic


    There is no central eBay seller like Amazon, you likely bought off someone that just reused an Amazon box they had lying around. I know ive done it. Amazon have nothing to with dropshipping as its dodgy territory on the internet these days.


  • #6
    noisenotmusic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 414 ✭✭noisenotmusic


    Braggadocio wrote: »
    Many thanks for the info. You live and learn. I'm just relieved I don't have to return the item for any reasons so far.
    One of the odd things about eBay is that, even though a seller may declare that his/her location is in the UK, sometimes when the item is shipped it can originate from as far away as Hong Kong and that can cause problems with customs & Excise on these shores.

    Thanks again . . .

    I just noticed you bought a camera, pretty much all the new cameras on eBay are from Hong Kong sellers as they have much lower taxes on electronics there. They usually have a small office on the UK for returns but will ship from HK. Most people don't realise there is import duty due on any cameras that come in or that it's even coming from HK, they just see the cheap price.


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  • #7
    goz83
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,035 ✭✭✭goz83


    Braggadocio wrote: »
    Many thanks for the info. You live and learn. I'm just relieved I don't have to return the item for any reasons so far.
    One of the odd things about eBay is that, even though a seller may declare that his/her location is in the UK, sometimes when the item is shipped it can originate from as far away as Hong Kong and that can cause problems with customs & Excise on these shores.

    Thanks again . . .

    I am never interested in the sellers location, but I always check the item location. I once ordered a phone car charger from ebay. Item location was listed as Ireland and I paid three times the price of other seller listings, because I was not willing to wait for delivery from HK. 1 week later and the item hadn't arrived, so I emailed the seller about the delay and he inadvertently admitted that the item was coming from HK, but lists items in Ireland and the UK for search purposes. The price difference was not mentioned when I asked about it.

    I was fuming, because the price difference and the long wait. I asked for a refund, but seller was refusing to refund more than 50%. I reported seller to ebay and got refunded by PayPal. Seller was banned from Ebay and I received the item 3 weeks after I ordered it :mad:

    I had purchased another one locally anyway, because I needed it. I kept the ebay one too, because the seller was unwilling to cover the cost of postage back to HK :pac:


  • #8
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    noisenotmusic wrote: »
    There is no central eBay seller like Amazon, you likely bought off someone that just reused an Amazon box they had lying around. I know ive done it. Amazon have nothing to with dropshipping as its dodgy territory on the internet these days.

    There's nothing to stop an eBay seller using Amazon to fill an order and nothing wrong with the practice.


  • #9
    Braggadocio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭Braggadocio


    Some theories . . .

    Does Amazon know when they're being used by drop-shippers, or do they even care?
    If Amazon knows, then it's a perfect opportunity for them to send the eBay buyer a repacked/returned item (from an actual Amazon customer) after cleaning it up nicely. I noticed, after gently peeling off the glossy circular label on my camera box, that the inner seal seemed to have been broken. The camera was in perfect condition - no smudges, pizza crumbs, saliva streaks, etc. So, the drop-shipper 'exploits' Amazon's services, and Amazon 'exploits' drop-shippers' 'blind' transactions.
    Just a theory.

    Is there any way to know if an eBay seller is a drop-shipper? I think not. I doubt that they are even required to make such a declaration on the eBay website.


  • #10
    rubadub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,388 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    There's nothing to stop an eBay seller using Amazon to fill an order and nothing wrong with the practice.

    I agree there is nothing wrong, the thing to watch for is pissing off the customer. dealextreme do discreet dropshipping, the person does not see dealextreme anywhere on the packaging.

    IN a recent thread someone was complaining about getting stuff via amazon on ebay. I think they were more annoyed as they specifically did not want to deal with amazon and so did not want to give them business.


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