Should you buy from China directly for better price?

Should you buy from China directly, either on eBay, Amazon or any online marketplaces?

My answer is Yes and No. I think you would be more interested in my opinion if you know my background.

I grew up in China and studied in the UK for higher education. Now I am living in the UK. I am both a seller and buyer on a few online marketplaces. I import most of my products from China. After all China is the biggest manufacture country in the world.

The biggest reason why people directly buy from China is that their price can not be beaten. Some people may doubt product quality because they think "you get what you pay".  However, they forget that products from China are exactly what you will find in North America or Europe as most products in the world are made in China, probably in the same factories. The money you save is cost of brand marketing, distribution channel, warehousing and so on, NOT cost of better quality.

However, I wouldn't deny there are many risks buying from China directly. This is why you may find many UK buyers would like to pay more than £15 just for buying from a UK seller.

First of all, it may take far too long to arrive. It is common that sellers in China send products (lighter than 2kg) via China post. China post is a very low cost shipping service, but it is extremely slow and there isn't tracking service. Normally product will arrive within 3 - 5 weeks, but it is not uncommon that it will arrive after 6 weeks or even get lost in time. Last time I ordered a few boxes of snacks from Aliexpress (an online marketplace like eBay). It took too long and I completely forgot the whole thing. Two month later, I finally received my snacks. What a surprise...

Second, it is too expensive to refund your products if they are faulty or damaged during international shipping. Returning a 500g parcel to China costs a minimum of £5.10 with Royal Mail and it takes 56 days. No, you didn't read it wrong. 56 days! Or, you can pay £7.45 for a 5 - 7 days delivery. If you want your parcel tracked, the cost will spiral to £54.18. In many cases postage costs may be more than the cost of the item, meaning that exchanging faulty goods is not viable. 

Some buyers think it is OK to buy from a seller with very good feedback rate. Well, it's kind of smart strategy. However, there are plenty big sellers on eBay. A big seller with 99.4% positive feedbacks may have hundreds of negative feedbacks. It means hundreds of buyer had bad experience and  they couldn't make it right for the reasons I mentioned above. Who can guarantee you will not be the next unlucky one? You think you can get refund with the help of eBay and Paypal? Well, you can if you open a case within 45 days after you buy an item, but your item may even not arrive within 45 days...

Thirdly,  some items shipped from China may land you with extra costs. Items bought for less than £15 are not liable for import VAT or customs charges, while the threshold increases to £36 if the item is a gift. Over these limits, VAT and customs duty may be added, along with a ‘handling fee’ from the postal operator that delivers the goods. Import VAT for UK buyers is 20%. Although I heard there is an element of luck over whether you pay the charges, I was charged VAT EVERY time for importing items valued from $50 - $80 and the VAT and handling fee cost me £14 - £18. Any one can advise me how to be the lucky one and not pay VAT and handling fee?

Last but not least, NEVER buy any branding products from China because it is guaranteed they are counterfeits. China is just not the place for you to buy branding items...Now I remember I bought one "smuggled" Louis Vuitton bag in a night market in Hong Kong. No, I was not crazy. I was just very very drunk...

In conclusion, I would recommend directly buying from China if the item value is low, you don't expect a fast delivery and you are a risk taker, while do avoid  buying from China if you buy an expensive item and expect a better buying experience. I hope you find my post fair and useful.

Please feel free to leave any question if you have.

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