Gearbest.com - Any good?

Would be possibly keen to try Gearbest again but the South African Post Office is in such a shambles that I am not convinced that it would actually arrive.

I'm still fighting with SAPO regarding a R1500 parcel sent by EMS that they admitted was "missing" (i.e. stolen) sometime after it arrived in Customs on the 25th Jan 2018. And when I say fighting, that is what it feels like as it is almost impossible to even get anyone there to respond to emails or answer a phone. I have submitted a claim but they have not responded in any manner, the only correspondence I've received was to say that the matter is being investigated by "EMS Security and Investigations". That was 6 weeks ago.

3 other parcels are on their way (I think/hope) but tracking just shows "Handed over to carrier/ left for destination" and absolutely nothing further. Are other people receiving their shipped parcels?

Are other methods of shipping reliable? The options are "Middle East Express" for $8.73 or DHL for $61.23 (for a $100 item so increasing the cost substantially)?
 
MEIOT said:
Thank you for the update.

Can you perhaps shed some light on Aramex being flagged by NRCS? I just need to know for future gearbest orders as I would prefer not dealing with Aramex if they are specifically flagged - I'd rather pay more for shipping and save the time wasted
Click to expand...

When I researched the NRCS, there were hellopeter complaints against them for DHL packages as well but that was over a year old. According to Aramex, they only stop 2-3 packages a month at random for inspection. Most do not meet the requirements and are released. Since it is a government organization, Aramex has to follow their rules.

It is a bit of a bad situation with bad luck I assume.
 
pardus said:
Would be possibly keen to try Gearbest again but the South African Post Office is in such a shambles that I am not convinced that it would actually arrive.

I'm still fighting with SAPO regarding a R1500 parcel sent by EMS that they admitted was "missing" (i.e. stolen) sometime after it arrived in Customs on the 25th Jan 2018. And when I say fighting, that is what it feels like as it is almost impossible to even get anyone there to respond to emails or answer a phone. I have submitted a claim but they have not responded in any manner, the only correspondence I've received was to say that the matter is being investigated by "EMS Security and Investigations". That was 6 weeks ago.

3 other parcels are on their way (I think/hope) but tracking just shows "Handed over to carrier/ left for destination" and absolutely nothing further. Are other people receiving their shipped parcels?

Are other methods of shipping reliable? The options are "Middle East Express" for $8.73 or DHL for $61.23 (for a $100 item so increasing the cost substantially)?
Click to expand...

I use Middle East Express (Aramex) quite often. If you have not used it before, PM me your suburb and postal code. I will advise what to use to ensure no issues.

Aramex works well. They currently handle 3000+ package for GearBest to South Africa. If the postal code is not issues, most packages come in no problems. Time frame is normally 2-3 weeks from payment till delivery. There can be some small issues like lost packages but it is a small percentage and it mainly just wastes time. Should still be quicker then Airmail (SAPO).
 
pardus said:
Would be possibly keen to try Gearbest again but the South African Post Office is in such a shambles that I am not convinced that it would actually arrive.

I'm still fighting with SAPO regarding a R1500 parcel sent by EMS that they admitted was "missing" (i.e. stolen) sometime after it arrived in Customs on the 25th Jan 2018. And when I say fighting, that is what it feels like as it is almost impossible to even get anyone there to respond to emails or answer a phone. I have submitted a claim but they have not responded in any manner, the only correspondence I've received was to say that the matter is being investigated by "EMS Security and Investigations". That was 6 weeks ago.

3 other parcels are on their way (I think/hope) but tracking just shows "Handed over to carrier/ left for destination" and absolutely nothing further. Are other people receiving their shipped parcels?

Are other methods of shipping reliable? The options are "Middle East Express" for $8.73 or DHL for $61.23 (for a $100 item so increasing the cost substantially)?
Click to expand...
Middle East Express is Aramex. The package doesn't go anywhere near SAPO. Based on other feedback and having just received my own first package from Gearbest using Aramex, it typically takes anywhere from 10-25 days to arrive depending on stock availability and how long customs decides to keep your package.
 
Unfortunately the packages go through SAPO Customs which is where some low-life staff member helped themselves to my last package.
 
Ah, is the Johannesburg International Mail Centre Customs department not part of the SA Post Office?
 
I ordered 3 quick charge 3.0 chargers and 1 quick charge 3.0 car plug from Gearbest. 5 working days from date of order to delivery in my hand by Aramex in Centurion. I'm impressed.
 
Dalvesrocha said:
Do not buy from gearbest, I bought a mi mix2, I checked with them (have proof that they said my delivery would come to me), then they up and cancelled because of a system bug on their side 2 weeks later, I even asked the lady are you sure, can I order a cellphone case and she said yes, and so I did. YET THEY CANCELED MY ORDER but won't cancel the my cellphone accessories order. AFTER THEY SAID IT WOULD COME. No I have a phone case coming but no phone. CAN YOU F**KING believe this company. NO help, no service and still have the nerve to tell me they can't do anything cuz they shipped the cellphone case order, BLOODY B*STARDS. I have tried every means of contacting them to sort this out and I get SH*T all in response, "I can't do anything about it sir, blah blah blah, YET YOU COULD CANCLE THE PHONE I ORDERED. EVEN THOUGH I WAS PROMISED IT WOULD BE SHIPPED. THEY ARE NO HELP AT ALL AND HAVE TO WAIT A DAY FOR EACH REPLY.

You are liars, theives, I bought 2 phones, but even if there was a system error you could have at least sent my only one phone for the original special price i paid or $24 for mi mix2, But you don't, you cancel it, tell me lies before you cancel that I should buy the cellphone case, then never respond or try to help, I PAID FOR IT< ORDER WENT THROUGH (China consumer law (2014) says once its paid(in your cart) it must by rights be delivered.) Stuff them> AND MY COMPANY will no longer be using your services which amounts to $4K a year you will loose out on.
Click to expand...

Great first post mate, hope you feeling better now.
 
I will say this - my first order with Gearbest has been absolutely horrible to say the least. ordered a phone (Maze Alpha X) which is never getting to me because of certain compliance documentation require by the NRCS. Service from Aramex around requirements and complete lack of communications etc has been atrocious.

ONLY saving grace is the Gearbest rep we have on this forum. He acts as an intermediary and in my case has promised a refund.

I think it might be prudent pointing out that if you do order a device from Gearbest and it doesn't have any SAN/ISO documents as required by customs/NRCS your device will never get to you.

According to NRCS the item is either destroyed or auctioned off - or more commonly referred to as pocketed by the staff.

Before ordering it might be a good idea to check with the Gearbest rep on here to see if the device you want has the correct compliance documents. It will save you a world of frustration.
 
What's the reason for Aramex shipping being $5 on a smartphone but $15 on a cheap pair of earphones?
 
abdul89 said:
What's the reason for Aramex shipping being $5 on a smartphone but $15 on a cheap pair of earphones?
Click to expand...

Think about it. They're making a Dollar or 2 on the earphones, MANY more Dollars on the phone. They are subsidising shipping from profit in the phone.
 
MEIOT said:
I will say this - my first order with Gearbest has been absolutely horrible to say the least. ordered a phone (Maze Alpha X) which is never getting to me because of certain compliance documentation require by the NRCS. Service from Aramex around requirements and complete lack of communications etc has been atrocious.

ONLY saving grace is the Gearbest rep we have on this forum. He acts as an intermediary and in my case has promised a refund.

I think it might be prudent pointing out that if you do order a device from Gearbest and it doesn't have any SAN/ISO documents as required by customs/NRCS your device will never get to you.

According to NRCS the item is either destroyed or auctioned off - or more commonly referred to as pocketed by the staff.

Before ordering it might be a good idea to check with the Gearbest rep on here to see if the device you want has the correct compliance documents. It will save you a world of frustration.
Click to expand...

Valid feedback. I have been importing for around 16 years and have never run into them before. Had ICASA issues when I brought in to many mobile phones (more then 5 in one package). The NRCS seem to be a new thing and as usual, they make our lives a living hell while they ask for stupid requirements for items we import for ourselves and not for resale. According to Aramex, they only pull over 3-4 package a month so most people won't have issues. Just that when a device is stopped, it is a bit of a process to try resolve the issue. Out of the 3 packages stopped, most have been resolved as Xiaomi devices all have IEC reports for their chargers and we released with no charge from the NRCS.

We are currently working on a solution to get your refund and to see if GearBest can push their shipping company to pull the device back to them at their expense. Trying to see the options and then can arrange the refund. It is a bit of a process though and might take some time. Please bare with me on the time side.

I have a feeling that the issue with NRCS is just starting and they are going to start stopping more packages over time. It does mean that anything with a plug has a potential issue of being stopped for inspection. That is a major issue as the suppliers overseas sees the package being stopped at "customs" which the NRCS is a separate organization. Due to customs being the responsibility of the buyer, if the buyer does not arrange to do the customs clearance, it is not insured or covered. International sellers will not know NRCS or know the difference but the fact that the NRCS require more money then the item itself to test and clear makes no sense for a single item order list 99% of our orders. I worry that if the international sellers have this issue, the clients are going to complain and orders will have issues. Most suppliers don't ship to South Africa and it might get worse if the NRCS keeps stopping items.
 
satanboy said:
Requirements to stop?
Click to expand...

As far as I know, it is random. According to Aramex, they choose a few every month and if the package has a charger that requires certification, they will ask for it. If not, they will release stating that everything within the package is complaint. They also stop packages from DHL so believe they stop from all the shipping companies. Maybe a bit less for the smaller guys.
 
FlashSA said:
Think about it. They're making a Dollar or 2 on the earphones, MANY more Dollars on the phone. They are subsidising shipping from profit in the phone.
Click to expand...
Ah ok. Makes sense. Didn't realise Gearbest subsidises shipping on higher priced items.

Thanks
 
MEIOT said:
...

According to NRCS the item is either destroyed or auctioned off - or more commonly referred to as pocketed by the staff.

...
Click to expand...

You should be careful about making allegations without proof. Or do you have and when did you report it to the police?
 
GearBestZA said:
As far as I know, it is random. According to Aramex, they choose a few every month and if the package has a charger that requires certification, they will ask for it. If not, they will release stating that everything within the package is complaint. They also stop packages from DHL so believe they stop from all the shipping companies. Maybe a bit less for the smaller guys.
Click to expand...

What about a wall socket soldering iron? Or a battery powered multimeter?

Do you think they care about the plug types as well? I.e. if they ship with some sort of international plug?
 
crysis said:
What about a wall socket soldering iron? Or a battery powered multimeter?

Do you think they care about the plug types as well? I.e. if they ship with some sort of international plug?
Click to expand...

Think they care only about the transformer. As far as the documentation goes and what info I could get online, seems they only care about a transformer and ensuring it meets requirements and does not blow up or cause power issues.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X