WDB
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Post by WDB on Oct 22, 2018 18:42:14 GMT
A couple of weeks ago I ordered, amongst some other odds and ends from Amazon, two tiny thread adaptors. 49p each, with free — albeit slow — delivery. They arrived today, and they were slow because they’d come from Tbilisi, Georgia. My 98p bought not only the two little screws but a padded envelope and carriage along what must be one of the longest imaginable straight lines in Europe.
So who is making any money out of this? I simply can’t see why anyone would do this, except perhaps as a desperate move to secure a place in a western marketplace; lose money today, make it back tomorrow.
Or perhaps it’s just Caucasian gangsters raiding Amazon for credit card numbers. Any other ideas?
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Oct 22, 2018 21:01:41 GMT
I've ordered some things from eBay that came from China. I have no idea how they make money.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2018 7:50:45 GMT
I have Chinese tenants who sell on eBay and Amazon. They have warehouses in the UK stuffed full of small items already packaged in padded envelopes. When an order arrives into eBay or Amazon to a Chinese company, the item is 95% certain to be in the UK already. They simply stick an address label and stamp on it and post it out.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Oct 23, 2018 8:38:42 GMT
The example I gave did come from China - postage was from China.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Oct 23, 2018 9:03:41 GMT
Yes, and mine from Georgia. But even if it had been in the UK, I can’t see how my 98p would have covered the costs, let alone providing any margin.
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Post by tyrednexited on Oct 23, 2018 9:35:43 GMT
...if in doubt, I always put it down to money-laundering.......
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2018 17:33:59 GMT
Very true
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2018 17:40:14 GMT
I don't know, and I have looked.
I think it is down to piracy. Seriously.
A factory is paid for to work for 100 hours for a paying, probably western supplier. In fact only 95hrs are spent on the customer's work, the other 5hr is spent on "homies". Ditto materials, workmen, electricity etc. etc.
A Shipper is paid to ship 100kg of a customer's goods including import duties, taxation storage etc. etc. In fact only 95kg of customer's goods are shipped.....
etc. etc. etc.
Essentially the overheads, logistics and manufacturing costs are somewhere between f. low and zero.
I can see no other possible explanation.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2018 18:35:25 GMT
Similar to the fashion industry. Espadrille worked in it years ago.
Major fashion label designs a product and have it made at a factory in Asia. They want 5000 pieces. Factory has enough material to make 5500. They make 5500, ship 5000 to the customer and sell the remaining 500 into the black market at cost plus say 100%.
This has mostly stopped now as the labels supply the materials and audit their use. But the factories can make copies from inferior materials.
The Strangeways area of Manchester (aka Khyber Pass), is a hotbed of 'knock-offs', especially football shirts.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Oct 23, 2018 20:16:06 GMT
The item I ordered from eBay (that turned out to come from China) was a travel shower attachment (suction) for use when travelling. You rarely get a shower head holder in Greece. But the first item sent was a blue digital egg timer... Once I'd sent proof of what they'd sent they then sent the right item.
So in fact they posted two items. I still have the blue plastic timer because they didn't want to get it back.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2018 5:16:42 GMT
Ooh. If you don't want it, I could do with it....
Pretty please...
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Oct 24, 2018 7:32:00 GMT
Nobody has too many timers. Or even enough.
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Post by tyrednexited on Oct 24, 2018 7:38:37 GMT
....I do wonder where one gets blue digital eggs, though.........
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Oct 24, 2018 8:14:56 GMT
Plenty of eggs are blue — ducks are famous for them — but there’s usually no need to put your fingers anywhere unorthodox. 😱
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Oct 24, 2018 9:22:21 GMT
You can buy blue chicken eggs in most supermarkets these days.
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