I just wanted to pass along some concerns with this dealer.
I ordered a tube amp a couple weeks ago that was shown in stock (actually listed as a discounted customer return). and after 8 days of waiting for a shipping notification I asked about the status and was told it was delayed because the owner had to verify his UPS account. ??? They listed DHL Fedex and UPS as shipping services with 3 - 7 day delivery time for the $595 shipping charge I paid.
Since that response I have asked several times to cancel the order and even thru Paypal communications but am now being ignored. No refund and no shipment. So now it is in Paypal claim and I will be waiting many more days to see a refund.
I too ordered a Wilsenton amp, though a different model from China hi-fi. Their communication was absolutely terrible with me as well. Same issues. However, the amo did arrive as promised though with a heavy delivery fee (about $400 I think). The upside was the amp arrived as promised and even with the high delivery fee, is still an accept I also value and I absolutely love it..
I ordered a Willsenton R8 from China-Hi-Fi in Feb and it was delivered a week or two ago. Just got around to hooking it up, but it appears the BIAS indicator doesn’t work. Stuck at the lowest setting for every tube. I’ve emailed them for help but not going to expect a stellar turn around time. We’ll see what happens.
I knew the risk going in and bought the amp based off other reviews, but the amp is quite useless if I can’t bias the tubes correctly with the indicator. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you get what you pay for.
To be fair, I had similar problems couple of times with American dealers, nothing to do with audio, military and outdoors equipment dealers. I was trying to buy high end flashlights. Paypal did fine for me, yeah it did take a few weeks.
China has all the best technology, all the most highly skilled workers with the cleanest air, best working conditions, greatest benefits and most freedom in the world. No child or forced labor in China, no sir! When China sells a product cheap you can be sure it is because they work so hard to design and build better than anyone else, and not because they stole and copied it. Also you can be assured of the world standard in customer service, China being practically right next door and having all the same high standards of customer care as we do. Probably better even.
I am shocked, shocked to hear of problems with China.
For anyone who missed it above the seller just refunded thru Paypal today. Maybe because they saw this or another post about them.
It was a Willsenton R-800i single ended integrated amp with 300B and 845 tubes. Price shipped was $2k. for the customer return item. I would guess with double box the shipping weight was close to 100lbs. So I figured there was maybe $200 profit in the shipping price.
But as I said I welcome any suggestions on a 300B/845 amp that can be had in USA for $2k. I am still looking for something.
In the end, I never received anything. The Seller’s English was very poor over email, but being the decent human being I am, I thought to not pass judgements. I actually believed that I would receive the unit.
If you like Chinese Hi-Fi (great value for the money) then only buy from reputable sites and brands.
Good brands: Woo Audio HiFiMan Topping Douk Audio
Jesus Christ...$595 for shipping?
What did you order?! Did that amp come with a free elephant?!?🐘
"I agree with the above post. When you think of all the good tube amps you can get that are already stateside, why pay 600.00 shipping for something from China. Hell if you really want a chinese amp, there are plenty of resellers here that will help you out."
The amp was $800 less than buying from the Amazon dealer (including tax). By all means let me know which USA dealer has these products or something equivalent for a similar price?
"Sounds to me like the seller acted in good faith and that the buyer has little to complain about. As noted above, you cannot expect a transaction where neither party is fluent in the other's language to go completely smoothly and efficiently."
The seller acted in good faith by selling an item he did not even have and ignoring messages and delaying a refund for 2 weeks. The sellers english is fine.
Seriously???
Once again I will warn to act with caution if buying from that site.
Sounds to me like the seller acted in good faith and that the buyer has little to complain about. As noted above, you cannot expect a transaction where neither party is fluent in the other's language to go completely smoothly and efficiently.
I agree with the above post. When you think of all the good tube amps you can get that are already stateside, why pay 600.00 shipping for something from China. Hell if you really want a chinese amp, there are plenty of resellers here that will help you out.
Unless the amp was 100.00 and you paid the 600.00 for shipping, this seems like a bad idea. Even at a hundred bucks, still bad idea. Not sure I'd want to plug my speakers into that.
I’m with ebm, why would anyone buy direct from a Chinese reseller today? It’s a great cautionary tale for others on this forum. That’s not racist, just realistic. Thank your lucky stars for Paypal! I hope this all works out for calieng, but a $595 shipping charge. Yikes, my eyes are rolling!
Because the actual items are good for the price. I have a Willsenton R-300B and Muzishare X7 and would recommend both.
There are a lot of good reviews on Youtube from Steve Guttenberg, Zero Fidelity, Thomas and Stereo and others of Chinese gear. But yes I do believe in supporting USA and Europe and others when I can. Have bought Schiit and NAD and others recently too. Just have to be careful which Chinese dealer you use.
Make sure you call a few times and talk to a human about this through PayPal. this works better than just emails, explain how much tou paid, the time wasted and no contact from the seller, etc.
we have had numerous claims through PayPal over the years, they have come through %99 of the time. Keep on top of it with phone calls and emails to the seller about the amount of time which has passed, the no contact, the amount of money already paid, and still no contact. Keep the email messages between you and the seller printed, or let PayPal know to look at your acct, and all the “non reply” of the seller.
Great luck, we hope all works out for you. We know what your going through!,!
Best of luck & Happy Easter.
@calieng
glad to hear the refund came through. Be careful out there. I would never drop 500$ on a shipping charge. But sometimes it’s a necessary evil. Hey I have paid 400+$ for a single LP before, so I know about trust. Luckily I have onl Y been taken advantage of twice in internet sales scams. 😡🤮😁
Never file a claim with PAYPAL if you used a Credit Card. You ALWAYS call your CC Company up and have them credit your account IMMEDIATELY. Your CC Company is more "powerful" than Paypal and Paypal will start some BS investigation without IMMEDIATELY crediting you your money back. Why wait and have the headache waiting for somebody to rule one way or the other. You always win with your CC company. If I was you I would bypass Paypal RIGHT NOW and call up your CC company and have your account credited for the full amount.
It was a customer return at a discounted price that was inspected and certified as in new condition. What this dealer does apparently is not actively update his listings and many items it turns out he does not actually have items in stock ever though he shows on his website that he had 5 of them for example.
Of all the China dealers he is the one mentioned the most on Youtube reviews of Muzishare and Willsenton and others. I had assumed he was safe. I think he is just a lazy liar now.
And yes $595 for shipping. Probably $200 of that or more is profit but the item price was good so it offset the shipping cost.
I previously purchased a Muzishare X7 from TubeAmplfierStore on Amazon and it was quick free shipping from China to me in under a week. Different story with China-Hifi. What makes me angry is that there is an open claim on Paypal and he cannot even bother to just respond to it so I can have my refund. He is being spiteful and delaying the refund on purpose.
What a shame this didn't go well for you. Best of luck concluding this to your eventual satisfaction.
In my business I learned to anticipate the negative to achieve the positive.
Not to overly defend them in your case, or blame the victim, but,
they seem to be a legit source for a lot of good equipment. Every business relies on their reputation.
Perhaps a fresh attempt to solve things to get what you want: assume that they certainly want any/every deal to go smoothly, and are frustrated as you are.
Perhaps they are acting like a broker for the original purchaser (seller), and the seller misled them, or, they re-ship after they receive it from seller who wanted to use his 'old' UPS account. Once they get it they will use their shipping method.
Listing 'in-stock' certainly was wrong of them.
Language differences, reduced staff from covid, ... , poorly communicating with you, probably unable to give answers if used original purchaser is messing up.
IOW, something went wrong, it takes time to solve it, impatience is your enemy when it goes wrong, IF you still want it.
BTW, I had to re-instate my Fed-Ex account, I had not used it in a long time.
Let me get this straight, the dealer is selling an item that is being returned,but they do not have in their possession yet?? Am I understanding this correctly?
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