@pburn wrote:
From Merriam-Webster:
Definition of bait and switch
1: a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one
Can you describe the details of the two bait-and-switch scams you've encountered?
Well, I've been using that phrase incorrectly. Oops!
Btw, sorry for the late reply. I've been busy the past few weeks.
Knowing the correct definition, I'm sure we all know Chinese sellers do FREQUENTLY use the 'variation' options to do bait and switch, but that is not the problem I'm having. Now I'm not quite sure what to call it.
The items I received were SNAD in both instances. By SNAD I don't mean the build quality was bad, I mean they didn't even come close to matching measurements/specifications laid out clear as day in the listing. In one of the two items I was shorted on quantity as well.
I had placed two other orders that shipped Speed Pak before I ran into these issues, which have since arrived. In one, while the item I did receive is perfectly usable, I was shorted on quantity again: ordered three, got one. In the fourth, amazingly, all was well.
And so out of four items I've purchased that came through Speed Pak, three are screw-ups. Five more Speed Pak packages I know of between my friends, and three have similar issues.
I buy basically disposable goods from China a few times a month. Based on my experience it is statistically impossible that 6/9 packages were the usual problems, and it is very unlikely the gap can be justified by mistakes.
I now feel quite confident in saying that some unscrupulous Chinese sellers have been emboldened by USPS delivery confirmation and are trying to scam buyers using more than just cheap manufacturing standards.
As to the requirement of return postage, unless ebay's policy has changed very recently, I am correct that Chinese sellers are not required to pay return postage for SNAD cases. Sellers from every other country on Earth are required to either supply a return shipping label or refund the item without return, but Chinese sellers are given special exception, for reasons that can only be explained by some well-greased palms.
Look into it yourself if you don't believe me - the forum archives hold no shortage of buyer complaints on the subject. According to those forums, Chinese sellers also have a reputation for claiming a return was never received if the buyer actually sends a return but doesn't pay for tracking.
