Ordering items from china/hong kong/etc...

[Meeko5]

Yay or nay?

I am looking for some Pokemon items for Halloween/Christmas for my kids but have never ordered from overseas on Ebay or other sites. My concern is the picture will not be at ALL what I receive, and paying shipping to return would be silly and expensive. Yes some of the things are WAY cheaper, but if it's junk I'd rather just save my money.

Like this - almost all the listings for this item on Ebay are the same photo so I'm extra skeptical. I can find a similar product on Etsy here in the states but for 4-5x the cost.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-sale-ki...hash=item3d1bd34a49:m:m7V-_R5QmSZVmLFQwHN0V6A

thoughts? Experiences with this type of thing?

 

[pryncess527]

I've ordered a few things from China before and have not had a problem. It's usually cheap/non-risky stuff. A DVD set of a TV show for my sister. A charger for my Jawbone bracelet.

Shipping takes forever, but I've always gotten what i expected. You do have to read the listings very carefully, and I'm sure there are scams out there -- but it's not all bad.

ETA -- I looked at that auction and I'd probably take the risk.

 

[Meeko5]

I've ordered a few things from China before and have not had a problem. It's usually cheap/non-risky stuff. A DVD set of a TV show for my sister. A charger for my Jawbone bracelet.

Shipping takes forever, but I've always gotten what i expected. You do have to read the listings very carefully, and I'm sure there are scams out there -- but it's not all bad.

ETA -- I looked at that auction and I'd probably take the risk.

Thank you for your input - I dont know anyone that has risked buying stuff like that on Ebay so I wasn't sure

I'll give it a go - and use a CC I don't normally use so if I have issues I'll be able to track it more closely

 

[wilkeliza]

I usually order things from overseas if it is listed on Amazon. I don't really trust Ebay but Amazon has a pretty good customer satisfactory program even for their third party sales.

Edited to add that many of these are already in an Amazon warehouse so you can get them with Prime shipping and not have to wait for them to go through customs. I found the pokemon ones with Next Day shipping to NYC even. Also lots of reviews and photos on each one.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

How cute! My dd had a wolf costume when she was little.

I would risk it.

 

[phorsenuf]

My husband orders a lot through China, mostly electronics for the guitar pedals he builds. it's just so much cheaper. I'm talking pennies for components! He has never had any issues with anything he has ordered. Shipping is hit or miss. Sometimes it's quick and sometimes it's not. He just makes sure to order well in advance just in case.

 

[Meeko5]

I went ahead and ordered one - found a seller with no recent negative reviews, and the material listed as velvet instead of flannel or fleece. I'll be shocked if it ends up being the same as the picture but if it's anything close it was worth it. The Pikachu costumes in stores are pretty horrendous or cheesy! My 7yo will be going as Ash so he needs his pika

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I do it for charms and stuff that they are known for, usually ebay is full of overseas sellers using the same factories for cheap stuff that looks nothing like the quality shown when it comes to clothing. I wouldn't take the risk.

 

[jevs]

I've ordered from China/Hong Kong before, I wouldn't touch the clothing though!

 

[Meeko5]

I've ordered from China/Hong Kong before, I wouldn't touch the clothing though!

Well lets hope this costume comes in a decent enough quality to wash once and wear once. Now I'm nervous!

 

[Cantw8]

Just be leery of clothing..Chinese sizing is much smaller than American. As someone else mentioned, it can take quite awhile to receive your package. I have ordered numerous things that come from China and for the most part have been satisfied. I just received a large shipment of baby toys that were so inexpensive, I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, the talking toys speak in Chinese The are also very cheap looking and way smaller than I had pictured. However, you get what you pay for

 

[wilkeliza]

Not sure if it matters on clothing but I know toys and jewlery for kids is usually not the best choice unless it is a well known company due to lead. I can't imagine it would be an issue on the cosplay pjs.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am waiting on a pencil case from Japan for my dd. We have ordered a few things from Japan in the past.

 

[aprilgail]

Well lets hope this costume comes in a decent enough quality to wash once and wear once. Now I'm nervous!

My daughter orders clothing all the time from China- she is small and clothes made in America are always to big on her. She wants cute clothes that a 16/17 year old would wear but she has the body for 12 year old kids clothes which are not cute! Clothes made in china has the older teens styles in sizes that actually fit her well. Most of it is just fine and well made- a couple times things were still to big and we ended up having to get them altered but most of the time they are great.

 

[bcla]

I've done it once. It was a fairly unique component - a coax (barrel) adapter for a wall-wart power supply. It's just a coax receptacle on one end and a plug on the other, connected with a short cable. It was meant to adapt from a more common and thicker plug (and I have a bunch of them that came with electronics) to a special battery charger that took a thinner barrel plug. It cost less than $2 with shipping from China and came as advertised.

The key was that I made the purchase through PayPal, so there was no way the seller had my credit card info. I'm not sure how he made any money on it. It was sent from Shenzhen, China in a padded envelope. It did seem a bit odd that the outside said it was "gift" which I suppose was because duties might need to be paid otherwise

 

[Princesca]

I haven't ordered anything direct from China, but I once got an Amazon misshipment from there that they told me to just keep, and I have to say, the quality of the item was extremely poor. I hope you have a better experience!

 

[scrapquitler]

Yay or nay?

I am looking for some Pokemon items for Halloween/Christmas for my kids but have never ordered from overseas on Ebay or other sites. My concern is the picture will not be at ALL what I receive, and paying shipping to return would be silly and expensive. Yes some of the things are WAY cheaper, but if it's junk I'd rather just save my money.

Like this - almost all the listings for this item on Ebay are the same photo so I'm extra skeptical. I can find a similar product on Etsy here in the states but for 4-5x the cost.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-sale-ki...hash=item3d1bd34a49:m:m7V-_R5QmSZVmLFQwHN0V6A

thoughts? Experiences with this type of thing?

We have ordered lots of stuff (cheap earbuds, figrines l, mostly inexpensive items, but I also ordered a custom made piece of clothing once). It's usually super-cheap, and we've never had a problem. Sometimes shipping is suprisingly fast, and other times its very slow. I pay with Pay Pal and I feel confident that if there were a problem, that Pay Pal would back me up (They usually side with the buyer from what I've read). And really, if I buy a $5 item that turns out to be junk, I'm not going to be that upset. And if it were an Amazon thing that I didn't use pay pal for, I'm confident that Amazon would back me up, since they have fabulous customer service.

 

[Disney Doll]

Did it once with a dress. It was cheaply made. Wouldn't do it again.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

We have a few times.Ordered using a prepaid card we got at the bank so no issues. My husband and son got fake Oakleys- actually good quality, hard case and interchangeable lenses. Both my sons have ordered baseball jerseys, all look nice and wash up well. One is over a year old. Sizes were normal and didn't run small. I know they don't order from cheapest place, there is a site they use that I don't recall right now. A couple times it has taken a month to arrive. Last time a week! Must have hit when they were doing a shipment.

 

[lynxstch]

Use paypal and pay by credit card so you have recourse if something happens. If ebay can't fix it, then paypal will. I have only gotten a few things from China, mostly off Amazon and nothing expensive, but never had any problems with them