https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/list_of_buying_sites
Disclaimer
This list is not in any way a recommendation, sanction or endorsement by Ozbargain, its members or its affiliates. This list is provided for information purposes only. Sites on this list have not gone through verification. Also the quality of products bought from these sites is often hit-and-miss: You get what you pay for.
List Description
Here is a list of various Online sites for buying direct from Hong Kong/China.
The List
Marketplaces:
Larger/Well-Known/Older Stores (NO ENDORSEMENT IMPLIED!):
- www.dx.com (see also: http://aud.dx.com with some products available to ship direct from Australia at higher cost)
- www.pandawill.com (mainly mobile phones/tablets)
- www.tvc-mall.com (mainly mobile phones parts)
Alphabetical order of the rest:
Price Comparison
These sites do price comparison for the Chinese buying sites:
Tips and Advice
- As stated above, OzBargain, its members or its affiliates cannot be held responsible by for any shops listed here. If you do decide to use these sites, they are not sanctioned or recommended by Ozbargain.
- Products bought from here are often much cheaper than a similar product at a retail store, but this often comes at the cost of quality.
- The products are mostly advertised in USD and often include free shipping
- Shipping varies widely between stores, but generally expect anything from 15-60 days.
- Large numbers of products in a single order may cause your order to be delayed, as sellers tend to wait till all items are instock before shipping.
- DHL/EMS are usually good options for faster postage at higher cost.
- Try searching for coupons for a site before checking out; often you can save around 5% with a simple google search.
- Most of the stores listed above have been used by ozbargain members – try searching the forums before trying a store.
- Some of the above listings are marketplaces for sellers (like eBay), so you need to verify the quality of the seller as well as the quality of the marketplace.
- Some sites may appear to be missing from this list – some have been banned on ozbargain for spam, sockpuppeting or other major issues, if you notice one missing, try searching the forum first or ask a mod.
- Many sites have Affiliate Programs, where you can get a commission on sales. Do not abuse this on ozbargain, you will be banned. See Posting Referral Links for more info.
Prudent Warnings
- Use your judgement – if its too good to be true, it probably is.
- NEVER pay via credit card to avoid credit card fraud.
- Pay with PayPal where possible to benefit from PayPal buyer protection.
- It is YOUR responsibility to avoid importing illegal and dangerous products. Stay away from imitation weapons, lasers, fireworks, telecom/radio equipment that operates in illegal frequencies. Customs will pick it up and you will be fined $$$. Don't trust the sellers specs on lasers – if Customs tests it and it is mislabelled, YOU will be held responsible.
- Consider your safety: cheap make-up products from china may contain very dangerous/toxic chemicals!!
- You will get what you paid for – if its cheap, don't expect high quality or precise manufacturing, build quality or reliability.
- It is common for popular products to be 'cloned' by a different manufacturer at a lower price, often at a cost of lower quality. It is even common for clone products to be cloned! (e.g. SJ4000 action camera) Often these stores can be a good way to buy high-quality products designed for the China market, but cloning is rampant so be careful.
- Do not be fooled by the photos, do your own research.
- Some are well-known stores others are not. Do your own research on google and search the ozbargain forums.
- These are international stores. Don't expect them to honour price errors or Australian consumer laws.
- If a product seems substantially cheaper than elsewhere ask – how yourself: could they have cut corners manufacturing this product? Will it perform to the same standard and am I happy to accept this if not?
Warranty and Faulty Products
- Being polite and patient in communication is the best way to get help and support from these businesses.
- Never threaten, or get abusive or rude – the person you are dealing for support with has nothing to do with the quality of the product.
- Send a photo of the issue to the seller.
- For lower value items, typically the seller will issue a refund or ship a replacement to you.
- For higher-value items, you will be responsible for return postage costs – this can be costly so consider warranty costs before purchasing.
- Generally warranty service can be difficult to obtain beyond 6 months after purchase, the policies vary from seller to seller.
