New and old, more or less innovative Chinese products are advertised on all high-reach European websites. Their names change constantly: A smartwatch that is advertised as “TechWatch” today may be called “eWatch” two weeks later, but it is still the same product. Sophisticated sales concepts put the buyer under pressure: he should buy now, immediately, if possible several copies of the product that is supposed to be in short supply, because otherwise his 50 percent discount will be forfeited. In fact, the products are drastically overpriced, with online advertising usually accounting for most of the cost.
These aggressive sales concepts are operated by people resident in Europe as so-called dropshipping. The profiteers are not Chinese. The dropshippers do not know the products, but often write fanciful stories to describe them, which are freely invented. Since they do not know the products, their product descriptions are often factually incorrect. The products are attributed properties that they do not have. The buyers’ disappointment is pre-programmed.
Dropshipping means: The seller advertises the product and collects the purchase price. Then he triggers the shipment of the product in China. The buyer then waits several weeks for his product. Because of the long waiting time, the buyer’s disappointment begins even before he has received the product.
What can we do against aggressive dropshipping?
From now on, whenever a problematic dropshipping product is advertised in Europe, SoftwareFair will publish a notice about the actual characteristics of the product and either recommend you to avoid the product or offer you a purchase option that meets four criteria:
First, a favourable price. It will usually be about 50 per cent lower than the dropshipper’s retail price.
Secondly: Immediate dispatch from the warehouse in Berlin, Germany. You don’t have to wait weeks for the product. Shipping is done as an insured package and is trackable for you.
Thirdly: Full right of return and compliance with all principles of European consumer protection. Here, the seller refunds the full purchase price in case of cancellation of the purchase and return of the goods. And the seller bears the costs of sending the goods there, while the buyer bears the costs of returning the goods to Berlin in Germany.
Fourth: Two-year guarantee. The seller will supply a replacement free of charge for two years if the product fails for reasons beyond the buyer’s control. The buyer bears the cost of shipping the defective item to Berlin in Germany, while the seller bears the cost of shipping the replacement to the buyer.