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Big Clive and Copper-Clad Wire

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magic:
So what exactly is he doing if not importing it? ::)
(Maybe you would have a point in case of AliExpress or Amazon and their European warehouses, but not direct from China.)


I don't think it's feasible to put this on trade platforms. It's not their product, they have no control over it whatsoever. All they could do is demand paperwork from sellers of certain items in certain categories. Of course, the paperwork will be fake, and good luck going legally after someone outside EU jurisdiction for violating EU regulations. If you ban their account, they will set up a new shell company and sign up for a new one. Good luck having auction sites play detective in faraway countries to figure it out. And who will pay for testing these products to find out that the seller needs banning in the first place?

Besides, as long as greed rules the world, trade sites have no motivation whatsoever to spend money and effort on reducing their sales volume. They quietly permit a lot of unethical shit already, and they will continue.

Education and Darwin are about the only effective solutions. Don't buy dangerous shit from places with zero ethics, simple as that.


(In related news, damn it, reading such posts reminds he of how fucking relieved I am that Brexit went through >:D)

AndyBeez:
A guy purchased a large quantity of brass screws. I pointed out these were attracted to a magnetic screwdriver? He stated brass is magnetic, which is why it is used in compasses. So off he went to the boat yard and fitted these 'brassic' screws to his beloved day boat. A year later, and after drilling out each rusted screw head, he admitted only Chinese brass is magnetic.

Other examples of metal plated turds: Chinese stainless steel and Chinese solid nickel battery links.

Zero999:

--- Quote from: magic on October 20, 2023, 09:33:22 am ---So what exactly is he doing if not importing it? ::)
--- End quote ---
It isn't as though the buyer is going to China, and bringing the item into the country with him. The seller is exporting it to him.


--- Quote ---(Maybe you would have a point in case of AliExpress or Amazon and their European warehouses, but not direct from China.)


I don't think it's feasible to put this on trade platforms. It's not their product, they have no control over it whatsoever. All they could do is demand paperwork from sellers of certain items in certain categories. Of course, the paperwork will be fake, and good luck going legally after someone outside EU jurisdiction for violating EU regulations. If you ban their account, they will set up a new shell company and sign up for a new one. Good luck having auction sites play detective in faraway countries to figure it out. And who will pay for testing these products to find out that the seller needs banning in the first place?

Besides, as long as greed rules the world, trade sites have no motivation whatsoever to spend money and effort on reducing their sales volume. They quietly permit a lot of unethical shit already, and they will continue.

Education and Darwin are about the only effective solutions. Don't buy dangerous shit from places with zero ethics, simple as that.


(In related news, damn it, reading such posts reminds he of how fucking relieved I am that Brexit went through >:D)

--- End quote ---
There is no way for the buyer to know and it's impossible to educate everyone about what's safe and what isn't. This is why there are product safety standards.

Expecting the platform to take responsibility is the only sensible option. I doubt they would get away with allowing listings for guns and stealth knives to countries where they're prohibited. Why should dangerous electrical items be any different? Heck, I've heard stories about eBay de-listing items because they're deemed to be offensive. I would rather they spent the time on things which can kill people: no one ever died from hurt feelings.

switchabl:

--- Quote from: soldar on October 16, 2023, 10:24:12 am ---Here is the thing though: It is the importer into the EU (or UK) who is responsible for the product meeting safety standards. It is not the job of the Chinese seller. If you buy a single item from China you are responsible for the safety. If you are not sure then better buy only from accredited importers (and pay the premium).

--- End quote ---

I think there is a misunderstanding there. Buying a single item for end use doesn't make you an "importer" in the context of EU regulation. You only become an importer by "placing it on the EU market".

[If you are actually interested in the details, look at the "Blue Guide". It does not make for light reading: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52022XC0629(04) ]

So it is technically the job of the Chinese seller (and technically for some product categories they are actually obligated to have a representative in the EU). This does at least put it into the purview of market surveillance, so if a product is found to be dangerous and the seller does not cooperate, they can at least order platforms like Amazon or eBay to remove the listing.

Clearly everyone (including the European Commission) knows that this is not a particularly effective solution in practice.

wraper:

--- Quote from: soldar on October 19, 2023, 10:36:30 am ---This guy bought a cheap charger and it wrecked his expensive camera.

--- End quote ---
Not a charger but PSU that replaces battery. Also it wasn't that cheap, £40 ($49) for low power PSU is not cheap.

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