What does international shipping look like in the world of COVID?

 For the last few years, I have utilized vendors from overseas (China mainly) because most times parts are available for considerably less than domestic sources.  Sure, shipping times are quite a bit longer (in my experience 2-3 weeks is normal) but if you're not in a rush, or you're buying stuff you know will use in the future but not in a huge hurry to get them, it can be a significant cost savings.

 It's becoming more common to receive shipping from overseas; sites like Wish.com, Newegg.com, and Amazon all have some available resources that ship directly from China. It's worth the extra few minutes to verify where your purchases are coming from.  Many times the vendor is a third party (meaning they have a selling agreement with the host, and are not formally part of the core company).  In this case you might have to deal directly with the vendor in case of trouble.

In the wake of COVID-19, I'm beginning to wonder if my strategy is still a solid one.  I'll give you an example.  I bought a small lot of parts on Feb. 14 and began the waiting process...this was when COVID was still not fully engaged here in the Midwest.  After everything that happened in March/April I was hesitant to engage the vendor on my order status, but by May I had waited like 10 weeks for my item. I contacted the seller, and to my surprise they were unaware that I was still waiting to receive my items.   They offered to re-ship, and reassured me that their logistics issues were resolved and should be back to normal.

Here I am today and as of Aug 14, I have still not received the package (or the replacement package for that matter) and it's been 6 months to the day!  When I contacted the customer service (eBay in this case), they pretty much told me that their coverage through their guarantee is only valid for 30 days after the sale, so I'm pretty much out of luck unless the seller decides to step up.  The rep also suggested that I should contact my bank and file a claim with them.

What the rep obviously didn't know is that credit card/debit card protections only apply for 90 and 30 days, respectively.  If you file a claim after that period is up it will be declined automatically.  Always be safe when buying from any vendor, but for now I have to say I'm going to be avoiding online purchases from overseas until some of these issues have been cleared up.

 

Amazon shoppers beware

I just saw a new phishing scam (this time targeting Amazon customers) a couple days ago,  It involved scammers sending out a massive number of emails, claiming to have locked the user's Amazon account due to suspicious activity. It included a link so that users could remove the "lock" directly.

I got a similar contact, this one (supposedly) from our electric utility and came via phone contact. I'm sure they wanted personal or bank/credit card to settle a supposed unpaid bill.

Here is how that works.  They target thousands, even tens of thousands of users.  Sure not all of them will have an amazon account, but that is why they cast a very large net.
If you were to click the link in the message, it will say it's taking you to the Amazon secure log-in screen, but in reality you get dropped off at a website (that belongs to the scammers) that resembles Amazon.  If you try and log in with a user name and password, they will capture your user name/password, and your identity may be stolen; fraudulent purchases or other criminal activity are sure to follow.

What should you do to deal with Phishing attempts?
1) When you see a message, receive a phone call, etc., delete that message (or hang up the phone) and using your browser (NOT a link) log into your account and check the status of your account that way.
If there was an issue you would be the site would advise you when you log in. If you have the customer service number for the site you can also call in to them. 

2) Don't follow links in email messages, especially when they ask for personal information.

3) While you can report this to the site, there are literally dozens of new attacks every day and new schemes to go along with them.  Protect yourself, don't be gullible, and keep your identity and your money safe!

4) Avoid sharing links to web sites as much as possible.  Links are great but they don't always take you where you think you're going.