Buying From Gearbest

B

Bl1zz4rd

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
650
Reaction score
42
Location
Cape Town
Hi all!

I've recently purchased a phone from Gearbest, and wanted to find out if what I've experienced thus far is normal.

I bought the item on 26 December. I got an email on 4 January to say it had been shipped, and they gave me my Aramex (Middle East Express) tracking number.

If you take a look at the attached imgage, it still says "processing", not "in transit". The only status update is the collection request, on 28 December.

I called Aramex, and they said that on their side, they have no record of it being collected yet, and said as soon as items are collected, they get scanned, and then status updates begin for the tracking number.

I then did some live chats with Gearbest, and they've said that this is normal, and that it can take up to 10 days from the shipping date for the tracking to update online, as it needs to reach its first point along the route first. They more recently said there must be something wrong with Aramex tracking, and they'd use an internal system to query it with Aramex for me. So I've been told to wait and see, essentially. They claim it is already in transit to Cape Town, but can't tell me more than that.

Has anyone else experienced a tracking delay like this?

Thanks in advance! :)
 

Attachments

  • Aramex Tracking.PNG
    Aramex Tracking.PNG
    61.7 KB · Views: 111
Last edited:
Bl1zz4rd said:
Hi all!

I've recently purchased a phone from Gearbest, and wanted to find out if what I've experienced thus far is normal.

I bought the item on 26 December. I got an email on 4 January to say it had been shipped, and they gave me my Aramex (Middle East Express) tracking number.

If you take a look at the attached imgage, it still says "processing", not "in transit". The only status update is the collection request, on 28 December.

I called Aramex, and they said that on their side, they have no record of it being collected yet, and said as soon as items are collected, they get scanned, and then status updates begin for the tracking number.

I then did some live chats with Gearbest, and they've said that this is normal, and that it can take up to 10 days from the shipping date for the tracking to update online, as it needs to reach its first point along the route first. They more recently said there must be something wrong with Aramex tracking, and they'd use an internal system to query it with Aramex for me. So I've been told to wait and see, essentially. They claim it is already in transit to Cape Town, but can't tell me more than that.

Has anyone else experienced a tracking delay like this?

Thanks in advance! :)
Click to expand...
Has the phone arrived yet?
 
Muzi365 said:
Has the phone arrived yet?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately not. It looked like the shipper never had Aramex collect the parcel, despite Gearbest being adamant that it was in transit. After 3 weeks I made enough of a fuss on live chat for them to forward my query to their logistics department. On that day, my parcel finally actually dispatched, and tracking online started.

Gearbest told me you only get a tracking number once the parcel has been shipped, but Aramex said you get one upon setting things up, before anything has been collected.

It was then pretty speedy getting to SA, but then sat since the 17th at Jozi customs. I was told yesterday that it had been cleared and that I'd receive an invoice for payment today. Then delivery in CT around Tuesday next week.
 
Update: just got the invoice from Aramex and made payment. Sent proof and awaiting the next status update.
 
Muzi365 said:
What phone did you buy and how much was customs?
Click to expand...

I got a Pocophone F1. Customs total was ~R1100. There is no duty for phones, but there's an ad valorem "luxury goods" tax for them unfortunately.

After I made the payment, the parcel didn't move for a few days, and only after calling and emailing Aramex multiple times did it turn out that the parcel never actually arrived in SA, but rather got lost between Dubai and SA. And what they charged me was actually pre-clearance for customs (this wasn't mentioned). So the parcel got declared lost, which means Aramex pays Gearbest and I have to get a refund from them, which I'm currently waiting for. They say they're "investigating".

If you ship something from Gearbest, I highly recommend using DHL. They label it as "Expedited Shipping". It's more expensive, but my DHL experience, as far as shipping time and customer service, has been much better. I've read the same from others who've ordered from Gearbest. What are you planning on ordering?
 
Bl1zz4rd said:
Hi all!

I've recently purchased a phone from Gearbest, and wanted to find out if what I've experienced thus far is normal.

I bought the item on 26 December. I got an email on 4 January to say it had been shipped, and they gave me my Aramex (Middle East Express) tracking number.

If you take a look at the attached imgage, it still says "processing", not "in transit". The only status update is the collection request, on 28 December.

I called Aramex, and they said that on their side, they have no record of it being collected yet, and said as soon as items are collected, they get scanned, and then status updates begin for the tracking number.

I then did some live chats with Gearbest, and they've said that this is normal, and that it can take up to 10 days from the shipping date for the tracking to update online, as it needs to reach its first point along the route first. They more recently said there must be something wrong with Aramex tracking, and they'd use an internal system to query it with Aramex for me. So I've been told to wait and see, essentially. They claim it is already in transit to Cape Town, but can't tell me more than that.

Has anyone else experienced a tracking delay like this?

Thanks in advance! :)
Click to expand...
I have! Aramex confirmed that Gearbest created a dummy record on the system which generates a valid waybill number but.. The item wasn't sent to them yet.

You can escalate to aramex and they will check for you
 
TheTwo said:
I have! Aramex confirmed that Gearbest created a dummy record on the system which generates a valid waybill number but.. The item wasn't sent to them yet.

You can escalate to aramex and they will check for you
Click to expand...

Thanks! I discovered this too. I think it's a bit disingenuous for Gearbest to mark the status as "shipped", when in actual fact it hasn't even been collected by the courier yet. In my case for weeks, thanks to a delay, the cause of which I don't know. Every step of the process has been quicker with DHL for me. Days (sometimes hours) vs weeks. Definitely worth the extra in shipping fees.
 
Hi All, Im considering purchasing Redmi Note 7 Pro from gearbest for $329. Can someone please provide breakdown of estimated total payments including customs/import duties & using DHL.

Thanks in advance
 
I also need an estimated amount customs will be for an mi a2. See connecteddevice also sells it for R3800 for an 32GB version. If gearbest can save me a buck then Ill go with them.
 
crocodile dundee said:
I also need an estimated amount customs will be for an mi a2. See connecteddevice also sells it for R3800 for an 32GB version. If gearbest can save me a buck then Ill go with them.
Click to expand...
Cellphones are luxury items according to SARS.
You can work on a total of 30% on the total price + shipping for duties + VAT and then add the customs clearance fee of around R200 for DHL, R300 for Aramex, it might have changed.
So in your case about R1200 for the 64GB model.
But sometimes Gearbest undervalues items then you pay less.
 
Haven't been on Gearbest for a while. Hopped on there today and I would say their site has gone downhill big time. Where did all the delivery options go? Look like EMS (Expedited Shipping) is all they offer now. Prices are better on other sites that offer Aramex and DHL.
 
Hi. I'm looking into buying a phone on Gearbest and reading this thread - any other legit sites I can also check out since you guys feel they are going downhill? I can get the Xiaomi Mi A2 lite (64GB) for R2300, which is not bad, but will it be worthwhile after all the customs, vat etc? Can anybody help?
 
Anirack said:
Hi. I'm looking into buying a phone on Gearbest and reading this thread - any other legit sites I can also check out since you guys feel they are going downhill? I can get the Xiaomi Mi A2 lite (64GB) for R2300, which is not bad, but will it be worthwhile after all the customs, vat etc? Can anybody help?
Click to expand...

Hey! Exciting times, getting a new phone.

I'd say Gearbest is as good as it always was. Which is to say, so long as you're willing to wait a while for the item to arrive (it is shipping from China, through SA customs, after all), and can deal with sub-par customer service for queries (if you need it), then go for it.

My one phone from them that got lost went missing because of Aramex, not Gearbest. The other one I ordered arrived, via DHL. Might be worth nothing that disparity.

For phone imports, SARS will deduct 15% VAT, then a 7% ad valorem (because they consider phones "luxury goods" despite there being no local market to protect). You will also be charged a disbursement fee and a clearance fee. So factor those in when you compare to the price of the same phone on a local site.

Finally, I once ordered a Ulefone, and it had really nasty adware apps (masked as system/Ulefone apps) pre-installed, that would just come back if you managed to remove it. I'm not sure if any Xiaomi phones would be the same. I'm not bashing Chinese manufacturers in general though, as I have a OnePlus as my current daily driver, and it's awesome.

Part of me wants to just recommend that you go the safe and quick route (spending a bit more) and buy one of those new Samsung A-series phones (A10/A20/A30) locally. Easy. Trustworthy. Local returns/servicing.

If you want to order from China though, there's Gearbest, AliExpress, and Banggood that I know of. And they're all very similar. Out of those three, Gearbest has consistently had the best shipping to SA (speed vs price).

Happy to help with any other questions you may have. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X