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5-Day Free Ship from Shanghai: Conspiracy? — Parallax Forums

5-Day Free Ship from Shanghai: Conspiracy?

ercoerco Posts: 20,256
edited 2014-01-15 16:46 in General Discussion
I have a growing collection of talking clocks & watches. My latest arrived in just 5 calendar days, ordered Jan 8, arrived today, Jan 13. Free ship, with tracking. Postmarked from Shanghai, I live near Los Angeles. That's a new record. How is that even possible? That's faster than I get some first class mail from the east coast. I'm sure that if I returned it, the cheapest international postage would exceed my purchase price of $7.48. This is a sizeable package, a 4-inch cube.

I've heard speculation that the Chinese government is subsidizing small businesses. And now "the experts" warn that even LED lights can be spying on us. Is the Chinese government filling my house cheaply & quickly with spy gear disguised as cheap goodies?

http://blogs.computerworld.com/19447/yes_virginia_even_the_led_lights_might_be_listening

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271265986512

Comments

  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2014-01-13 21:20
    Sometimes it happened to me too, but same seller, same product, never the same delivery time :)

    And certain my orders placed on 4-5 december, still haven't arrived from china...
  • Peter JakackiPeter Jakacki Posts: 10,193
    edited 2014-01-14 00:25
    erco wrote: »
    I have a growing collection of talking clocks & watches. My latest arrived in just 5 calendar days, ordered Jan 8, arrived today, Jan 13. Free ship, with tracking. Postmarked from Shanghai, I live near Los Angeles. That's a new record. How is that even possible? That's faster than I get some first class mail from the east coast. I'm sure that if I returned it, the cheapest international postage would exceed my purchase price of $7.48. This is a sizeable package, a 4-inch cube.

    I've heard speculation that the Chinese government is subsidizing small businesses. And now "the experts" warn that even LED lights can be spying on us. Is the Chinese government filling my house cheaply & quickly with spy gear disguised as cheap goodies?

    http://blogs.computerworld.com/19447/yes_virginia_even_the_led_lights_might_be_listening

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/271265986512

    I've been doing some research into how the international postal system works as I can't see how it is possible that postage can be "free" from China as Australia Post here charges a small fortune just to ship across the country. Since they are involved in the handling and delivery end here in Australia which involves "shipping across the country" I wondered how they get compensated for "free" postage. There is this UPU terminal dues thing that looks at tonnage and compensates for that annually but that rate must be a mere fraction of what AP charges me, so in effect I reckon that China is being subsidized by every other country, and what does China have to worry about as who gets to ship to China?

    I would become an international supplier myself if I could get these same "free" rates as China.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2014-01-14 00:26
    Yeah, the Chinese is subsidising the export business.

    If you want to do something about it, order lots of very cheap products(less than $2) in single quantities, and from as many different sellers as possible.
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2014-01-14 03:51
    If LED lights can be used for audio snooping, why isn't there write here, on the RPi forumas, or in the arduino forums? OR did the Chinese invent a new form of physics? More likely the author of the article invented something.
  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2014-01-14 04:37
    Recently I needed this product:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/390584461771?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

    Ordered it from 10 different sellers.
    To my surprise, paypal payment went to two persons, for 10 these purchases.

    So many ebay stores are clones of each other, operated by same person...
  • Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
    edited 2014-01-14 07:02
    erco wrote: »
    I have a growing collection of talking clocks & watches. My latest arrived in just 5 calendar days, ordered Jan 8, arrived today, Jan 13. Free ship, with tracking. Postmarked from Shanghai, I live near Los Angeles. That's a new record. How is that even possible? That's faster than I get some first class mail from the east coast. ...

    I still haven't gotten my LED arrays I ordered on Dec 27. The tracking info says they passed thru Chicago on Jan 4.

    Takes longer from Chicago to Louisville than from China to Chicago!!
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2014-01-14 08:34
    When looking for something on eBay you can filter results to show only items from the U.S. These will almost always be the same exact item, but the shipping will be a little more. This is what I usually do in order to not assist in undermining the U.S. economy. It doesn't help with the fake/ripped off sub-standard parts issue, but it's better than nothing.

    If you're worried about being spied on, better look more at Google than LEDs. They are now going to try and infiltrate our homes using innocuous devices such as thermostats and smoke alarms.


    http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2014/01/14/5-reasons-nest-sold-to-google/
  • Tracy AllenTracy Allen Posts: 6,664
    edited 2014-01-14 12:28
    Shipping charges are not a level playing field, that's for sure.

    I had to ship a package to China a couple of weeks ago. I used DHL, because it is a valuable package, and I want it to get there for sure.
    $38 basic charge one kilo weight.
    $6 fuel surcharge
    $21 insurance for $2000 value
    $28 remote area surcharge
    Total US$93
    The remote area surcharge was not obvious at the outset, so it came as a surprise in the bill a week later. That said, I often have sticker shock when sending domestic packages via UPS ground. As a small business, I feel like I'm subsidizing Amazon free shipping (which I do enjoy too!).

    Off topic, I was in Shanghai a few weeks ago and took this photo, looking across the Huangpu River toward the new Pudong part of the city. The Huangpu is the major tributary of the Yangtze, which made Shanghai a major trading port back in the days of big ships.

    Huangpu.jpg
    Huangpu.jpg
    1024 x 768 - 90K
  • MoskogMoskog Posts: 554
    edited 2014-01-14 12:51
    Tracy Allen wrote: »
    Last edited by Tracy Allen; Today at 09:30 PM. Reason: Oh wow! My 5 star post!

    Congrats on your post #5000!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-01-14 14:51
    Yes, congrats Tracy! Any one of your 5000 posts is more useful & informative than all 11K+ of mine combined! :)
  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2014-01-15 01:21
    Around 2008, I needed dual sim phones, which were rarity in U.S. then, but common in China. So I asked a friend in Shenzhen to buy 4 such phones and send me them via DHL. She purchased them, took to nearest DHL office and sent. Cost was $65 if I believe properly. She also scanned and sent me DHL invoice, saying which goods and in which quantity were sent. 4 days later, package arrived, but when I opened it, there were only 3 phones. I asked DHL, where's the 4th one? They checked the included leaflet and it was clearly showing that 3 phones were sent! So in China, even DHL steals :)
  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2014-01-15 07:02
    Processed Through Sort Facility
    Dec-29-13, 11:17 AM, SHENZHEN EMS
    Depart USPS Sort Facility
    Jan-14-14, 00:00 AM, BROOKLYN, NY 11256



    Same item, from same seller, 3 months ago took 7 days to arrive at my address.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-01-15 08:42
    I just ordered a second one from the same seller. No I'm not hoarding, this is a scientific test of shipping time!
  • Tracy AllenTracy Allen Posts: 6,664
    edited 2014-01-15 09:38
    Erco, about my *'s, thank you, but surely you have tongue-in-cheek. You're trying to give me an inch to make me think I'm a ruler. Trying to demean all your *'s so that you can continue inching along, thinking no one will notice what you're up to. Well, you won't get away with it! World domination. I'm sure of it.

    On topic, this shipping subject does come up on the ebay forums. Theories mostly. Not definitive. Here is link into particular comment on a thread, about how bulk shipping works...
    I-have-a-question-how-do-chinese-people-sell-stuff-so-cheap
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-01-15 16:46
    Speaking of conspiracies, if this was a talking Doomsday clock, I'll get one to add to my collection. :)

    http://news.yahoo.com/doomsday-clock-set-5-39-til-midnight-231118389.html
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