Battery disconnect -- gotta love China

Wanting to put battery disconnects on a couple of seldom-used vehicles, I ordered two for $5.36 total (must be great, right?) from an eeeBay seller. After a few days, I received an oil-pan gasket for a Gen III 5.7 Chevy V8. I contacted the seller, who first wanted to let me keep the gasket at a discount price (I have no Gen III V8s). I said no, just send me a return label and the correct battery disconnects. China told me I first had to send photos of the gasket. I said I'm technologically inept and couldn't provide a photo. After much screwing around over several days and further insistence that I send photos, I got a grandson to help me with pictures. I also said I was going to ask PayPal for a refund and would leave negative feedback if the problem wasn't corrected quickly -- send me my two disconnects, please. So yesterday I got a package containing two items -- two more 5.7 pan gaskets. So now I have three gaskets worth, according to various websites, about $75 total. Still no disconnects. I contacted China and tried, again, to explain the problem, but I'm tempted to give up and sell the gaskets on C-List.
 
Just order a couple of valve cover gaskets from them.
When they send you a couple of disconnects instead all will be good.
 
That's why I don't order anything from overseas.I will pay a little extra and buy here and go home with what I want.
 
I got into the same thing with a fuel pump for an Allis Chalmers fork lift.

First Ebay order: Sent the wrong part, mis-boxed. Sent a message, explained the problem, wanted the make, model, engine size, and VIN of the vehicle. Explained that it was the right part number, wrong part in the box... Send pictures, so I did, finally got a return authorization. Sent it back.

Second Ebay order: Ordered from another seller. In a few days, here came the exact same mis-boxed pump! I don't know how that happened, because I ordered the same day I put the return in the mail! Same procedure, back and forth messaging, pictures... Finally got a return label, but this time they charged a 20% restock fee.

Third order, this time from Amazon. Waited until I got the part before returning the wrong one this time. Finally got the right part!

And all this was after trying to find one local. Tried several of my sources, all said no longer available.
 
[i:654c4848f0]Just order a couple of valve cover gaskets from them.

When they send you a couple of disconnects instead all will be good.
[/i:654c4848f0]

But they'll charge him $75 for the gaskets!
 
The underlying fact is that you chose to buy Chinese/foreign made products to save yourself a few dollars. Quality gaskets and disconnects are available from most automotive supply stores. Don't blame anyone except yourself.
 
Your unkind criticism overlooks a few issues: 1) People shop online for other reasons besides trying to save a few dollars, such as the convenience of not having to make a trip to a store for a small item; 2) For an uncomplicated item such as a battery disconnect, it shouldn't matter too much where it's made; 3) The item in an auto parts store is not necessarily going to be American made; 4) The problem wasn't that the item was Chinese made, it was that the eBay seller was incompetent. I've gotten incompetent service in an American auto parts store, causing me to have to make several trips to get the matter straightened out. Tell me what I did wrong there.

Stan
 
I've ordered ebay from China and Hong Kong without problems .The shipping just takes longer . They will also correct any problems with the order.
 
Agreed. There have been a couple of times I ordered and didn't pay close enough attention to realize my order was coming "directly" from China. So far, they have arrived perfectly good and as advertised....just took a little bit longer to get here.
 
(quoted from post at 11:57:42 07/21/17) The underlying fact is that you chose to buy Chinese/foreign made products to save yourself a few dollars. Quality gaskets and disconnects are available from most automotive supply stores. Don't blame anyone except yourself.

By the way, I really liked the way you played your part in Grumpy Old Men.
 
That's a lot of work for a $5.36 refund. Why not try one of the other 13.457 ebay sellers selling the same disconnect for under $3 each delivered to your mailbox?
 
File with ebay for a refund because you got wrong items. They usually will treat the buyer right I've been told.
 
Might be worthwhile to buy a chevy v8? you already have extra gaskets. (just order it with battery disconnects)
 
Well, I think I sorta get to put some of the blame on the screwups who should be filling orders correctly. I've looked at disconnects in auto supply stores -- they tend to be made in China or India or other offshore places.
 
Stan, thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate your understanding that it's not always simply about saving a buck.
 

FWIW, I've order stuff directly from China and India. The parts got here in about the same time as ordering from most anywhere else, with a couple of exceptions, and the quality was the same I'd get locally since no one makes the stuff in question in the USA anymore. I'd sure rather be buying things from good old US union workers, but those days are gone.
 
I'll tell you, - I'm very wary of buying online if I'm not familiar with the seller or the selling network.
Buyer beware.
 

Automotive Body clips I buy them by the 100's direct from china for not much more than a song... I got 4 VW wheel center caps for a late model VW for less than 10 bucks OEM run $100... Kang Wang Zhanf Lu has it going on ... Sometimes you roll the dice and suck it up if it goes bad...
 
Walmart sells battery disconnects, They have the ones with the green knobs, located in automotive where they have the battery terminals. & they are probably made in china. Dave F.
 
Often I have ordered cheap items from eBay that are identical to what they want twice as much for at the auto parts store
 
Since its happened [i:654c4848f0]twice[/i:654c4848f0] there's probably an incorrect entry in the computer or a bin in the warehouse that was improperly filled.
 
You might get the same thing on line but buy something online and have it go bad say 9 months down the road and it has a year or 2 year warranty try to get it replaced.
 
(quoted from post at 21:08:51 07/21/17) Since its happened [i:bba037dfd9]twice[/i:bba037dfd9] there's probably an incorrect entry in the computer or a bin in the warehouse that was improperly filled.

That's what I was thinking.

Dusty
 

FWIW- I just ordered and received some replacement nipples for a feeder we use from a well known US dairy supply concern. I KNOW I ordered the right ones, but what I got in the mail was not close to what I ordered. I re-ordered and we'll see if someone screwed up marking the bins or if the on line system is botched up. It happens.
 
I order all my car parts online now. I got tired of the local stores never having what I need in stock. And inexperienced people trying to tell me what parts I need. And after waiting a day or two for the part just to be wrong. I'll just do everything from the comfort of my house.

Carquest used to be good. Very knowledgable people. Always carried the stuff the other stores didn't. There was a woman there that knew more about cars than most men. Advance bought carquest. Now the good staff is gone, they can't find the parts I need, and if they do I have to order it.
 
Holley 4150 Bowl Gasket $13.99
Holley 4150 Metering Block Gasket $15.99
Holley Power Valve 4.5 $14.99

All equals $48.11 after tax at Advance Auto

I bought all the above items (plus a 5.5 PV) for $17.99 shipped from ebay.

I like to shop local and would have if the price was closer, but I cannot pay 2.5 times more.

Aaron
 
I required front Brake Rotors and Pads for a 2009 Dodge Journey. My experience is such, that the Rotors should be changed to a rotor design with drilled VENT Cooling holes and Tangential grooves in the pad "contact area" of the rotors.
I approached to well known Automotive parts suppliers and both suppliers were not interested in assisting me with the parts I requested.
I shopped on line and the parts were on my property in 72 hours.
Wellllllll. The BOX'S stated FRONT Rotors and pads.........however, the contents also stated front Rotors and Pads however all parts were for the REAR BRAKE assembly.
I kept the new Parts for the rear and reordered for the front. The parts arrived in 72 hours and all parts were assembled functioned perfectly.
All parts came from a supply house.... CHICAGO USA....parts manufactured OFF SHORE.

My Neighbour from Washington State was watching my brake upgrade and decided his DODGE VAN also required FRONT ROTORS and PADAS. I explained the above headache I suggested he use a different parts supplier which he did.
When the first box arrived for the REAR of his DODGE VAN the BOX's stated REAR BRAKE ROTORS ...however the contents were for the front... the STICKERS on the ROTORS were incorrect as the stickers said REAR ROTORS.
Parts were delivered from a Distributor in NEVADA.....parts manufactured OFF SHORE.
It gets better.
Down the street friends from Montana were told by a Mechanic the front wobble and shimmying was from overheated front rotors and pads,I concurred that was correct.... 2010 Dodge Journey.
NOW, all of this happened over a two week time frame. I did explain the last eight ROTOR / PAD Chrysler adventures were of such that he may think about not ordering from the last two parts suppliers on line.
When the FRONT Rotors and Pads arrived they WERE NOT exactly CORRECT. One box stated Front ROTOR however, in fact, there was a REAR ROTOR in the box and a set of FRONT brake PADS. The other box had all the correct parts for the front ROTOR and PAD assembly even though the sticker on the ROTOR was incorrect:
Parts came from a supplier out of Tennessee....parts manufactured OFF SHORE:
I had purchased a Torque Wrench and the correct Loctite as per Service Manual.

Both my neighbours asked "what do we owe you Bob"?

My answer was "we are Neighbours" you never charge a Neighbour when we're having so much fun".

Bob...Florence AZ........Winter Snow Bird...
 
Very true, and I have had things go bad, same as from the store, store rarely is helpful with warranty anyhow, however usually online is much cheaper so for most items I will take the chance, often I can buy two for what one cost in the store!
 
Aaron; I generally try to stifle my inclination to be a nit picker, but since this topic is already so far down the page that not many will notice, I'm going to point out what I think was an incorrect usage. I mean absolutely no disparagement by this; I just find it interesting. This is a point of word usage, not math. The three items you listed cost (approximately) two and a half times as much at Advance Auto as the same items from eBay. That means they cost one and a half times more, not two and a half times. Or, you could say they cost two and a half times as much. Now that I see that in print, I realize how truly unimportant it is. I'm going to flip a coin to decide whether I should even bother to post it.

Stan

P.S. I called heads and the coin came up tails, but I decided it was close enough.
 
Bob;

On a driving vacation this March, my wife and I stopped in Florence for a picnic lunch at that little grassy area east of Padilla Park, right behind Florence Fudge. We thought Florence was a beautiful town, but my God it was hot! That was in the spring, though, not winter, so I suppose a certain amount of heat is to be expected. We agreed that it looked interesting and charming, and next time we're in Arizona we'd like to spend some time there. Kind of in the middle of nowhere, though, isn't it? Not that there's anything wrong with that. What do you do in Florence?

Stan
 
On ebay purchases you don't have to guess about the whole transaction.

I had to get a hobby to give me something to do during weather extremes.....passed the ? century mark and weather does become a concern. I went into plastic models of many types of things. Then went on to a couple of full blown model train layouts, and on into classic ships, wood and plastic. In all I have made more than 250 purchases on ebay over the last several years.

Not ONE has been a problem for me from a customer satisfaction point, nor a financial concern. I have only had 3 where I had a problem with the purchase and had to use their system to get satisfaction. In all 3 cases the contact resulted in positive responses from the sellers and I didn't have to package anything up and send it back.

Shipments come from all over the world and overseas shipments take longer. You are provided with an expected receipt date for your product when you buy it. You receive an email with a tracking number, including USPS shipments. ebay satisfaction feedback questionnaire asks the question as to whether or not your item was received in the time specified; was it as represented in the sellers ad; did it perform as specified in the ad and such.

ebay monitors and supplies the opposite side information on the buyer/seller. If you are a buyer, you know the score of your seller and they go out of their way to maintain a 100% customer satisfaction rating. Only as a last resort would you have to ding them and give them something less than than the 5 star rating they need to remain a seller. Most emphatically state that you contact them and work out any problems before you rate them on your purchase experience. No where else have I ever shopped where the seller has been more customer considerate.

Next ebay furnishes a history on the buyer so that a seller knows right off if he/she is dealing with a trustworthy customer or a flim flam type.

First thing is ebay has a place for you the buyer to contact the seller.....through them. Second, they baby sit that occurrence and follow it through to the right conclusion. Third, you are guaranteed satisfaction on your purchase or you will get your money back. Don't knock nor worry about ebay. Management has done their job and I'd just as soon shop them as anywhere and they don't decide on their own to keep your credit card information on file. There is a box to check if YOU want them to keep your CC info.
 
Stan I to ended up there one day last winter and in that town is one of the neatest museums I have ever visited. Seems it was right around the fired department and city owned. If you get back down there be sure and check it out.
 
It's not just China, when working down in Tennessee I needed to get a sewer flow meter working and in the new location for it I did not have access to a chart recorder. I call the vendor and talk to them and they send me a quote for $2,800 dollars far a digital display and pulse counter. I fill out a PO and send it to them, about a week later I get a box from them, it has the digital display and a whole new 6" meter housing (stainless steel) but as I'm checking things out the meter housing has the pulse meter part number and description on the tag. I talk to the vendor and they assure me it's right, until I describe things. He says he'll be buy in a few days. When he shows up he looks it over and tell me I have a new flow meter housing that lists at $4,800, they have been invoiced for a display and pulse counter. We discuss the options, I'm afraid if we order another pulse counter I'll get another meter, quite a deal If I needed a meter but not so much if you really need a pulse counter. The vendor took it back and eventually got me the pulse counter, told me they had quite an argument with the manufacturer before it got cleared up they were American
 
Try amazon never had any problems with them. I use to have several with cable ends on them when I worked at Land Rover came on every car.
 
Make sure when you buy from Amazon that you are buying FROM AMAZON or a reputable affiliate. They have thousands of "affiliates" that sell many of the same items for cheaper, but are the same fly-by-night operations that bolluxed up your eBay order.

Back on that original ebay order, I would just file a claim with Paypal and/or Ebay, and order from somewhere else.

Personally I would just give the gaskets away to someone who could use them.
 
I pay the $99/year to be a Prime member. Free 2-day shipping (most of the time), no hassle returns, etc, etc, etc. It's getting a little tough on them to keep up with everything, but so far I pretty much stick with Amazon Prime purchases. They're usually a couple of dollars more than the cheapest, but when you figure in how much it costs for 2-day shipping, seems like they'd be losing money.
 

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