As suggested here, this thread will be a megathread to ask whether a particular site is legitimate.
Any individual posts will be merged into here, in the future.
Try and let us know the result. It's the ozbargain spirit!!
You really need to ask?
yeah its an amazing site. i just built an entire home gym from it
didn't get the weights but i printed out all the invoices and fake tracking notices and made paper mache replicas
great to work up a sweat with! however they droop after moderate use
Wow thanks guys.. i legitimate thought it MIGHT be ok… 😢 yes I made this account 20 min ago as my friend told me to ask the forum. Some of your comments made me laugh whilst others made me feel sad :(
Don't be sad, be grateful that you're not in Afghanistan
Yes very true. What’s happening in Afghanistan is terrible.
my friend told me to ask the forum.
Your lucky that the issue wasn't about an uninsured accident in a high yielding AMG.
Does anyone have a website they bought some adjustable dumbbells off that were a decent price then? :D
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/2-pack-fortis-24kg-smart-adjust…
$250… but doesn’t ship until 1st Oct 2021
jump onto Amazon / eBay
don't buy anything from kogan
I guess they meant dumb bells, not dumbbells… 😂
Run!
Edit:
Domain vcbzz.top (email address) registered 30/07/21
You can (can't) contact Mr Fang Young (JiangSuSheng, China) if you have any questions.
Wow. Just $9.99 for shipping, better hurry only 87 left.
thanks OP, bought 10.
Plus my pc probably has CCP malware on it now, thanks.
Op asks about a scam site and then posts a link to another one - Kogan.
If you ever want to know a site is legit, check:
- do the prices/products seem too good to be true? That's a red flag
- Have you ever heard of the online retailer? No? Do some digging into who they are.
- Who owns the site / when it was created? Search google for 'WHOIS domain lookup', and then enter the website address into one of the tools - It will tell you who owns it/when it was created. This site was registered ~3 months ago, in China. The phone number on the website is +44 (UK), so they're supposed to be in Europe? These are red flags
- You might want to do a cursory search for reviews, but online reviews are often bogus. Positive reviews probably won't actually tell you much for this reason, but negative reviews will definitely be indicators this isn't a site to be trusted.
Don't let your emotions of finding an amazing deal cloud your judgement. You could honestly stop at step 1 - if it's too good to be true…
also, look at the products themselves. Weird scammy drop-ship style sites like this have a list of maybe 20 different products for sale with zero theme or connection
You may find they will not post to Australia.
Have you any idea how much it would cost to send such weight?! It would be astronomical.
Have a look on eBay… they have plenty, and usually with free shipping.
I ended up ordering these. Definitely felt like a "too good to be true" but was willing to risk $50 to see what happened.
They didn't ship for ~2 weeks. I sent an email to check, and they actually responded saying "it takes a while to update". But, I did actually get a working China Post tracking code eventually. And, AusPost now has that code. Expecting delivery in a few days.
That said, no idea what's going to be in that package. Have heard plenty since that they just sent you a random item instead and either:
So, not holding my breath. If I remember, I'll update this post when the item arrives with whatever it is.
(note: i ordered from vcbzz.top after seeing an ad on IG - but exactly the same looking store, and same product link/product)
in a surprise to absolutely nobody, the item arrived. i was a pair of very cheap knock-off sunglasses.
Entering a dispute with PayPal now.
a quick browse at aliexpress reveals that 20kg dumbbells cost about ~US$30-50 + US$105 shippping from china. it will be interesting to see what you get
I think OzBargain will soon need a separate area for posts similar to "Is xyz.com legit? The prices are too good to be true. What do you guys think?" considering how many are posted daily.
This is forum.
No, this is Patrick
Post on bargain page not allowed , so even asked on forum also not allowed?
This is what forum for.
This is forum.
He yells as he kicks the messenger into the ozbargain pit…
Can you really trust any websites selling digital cats?
Can you really trust any websites selling digital cats?
Purrrhaps.
Picture a Venn diagram if you will. 2 circles, very far apart. In one the text reads "Sites that can be trusted", the other, "Sites found in facebook ads".
What's Facebook?
What's a computer?
so fake
come to my site
totally legit
I can voucher for it, I'm from forum
buy buy buy
Anyone tried this site?
No I haven't I can't speak/read Mandarin so that rules me out on ever using it or finding it. See https://www.facebook.com/DigicatAU/community seems a number of people have had issues.
https://www.darlingpark.com.au/about-building/customer-direc… for the companies in the building for the address they list on their facebook page and I can't see any "Digicat" Is that enough of a red flag for you? Also they have 1 full address and a half address. That is pretty sloppy for a trustworthy business/website and pretty much screams run away we are up to bad things. https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/digicat seems that was their previous incarnation.
Any good?
See above.
Can we trust it?
Isn't that the same question asked again? Can you trust a bad company?
My threshold for trusting a website/company is a lot higher then others this one is a no from me.
When it comes to advertising on Facebook. Don't believe anything you read unless you see it verified somewhere else.
Facebook will always approve any sort of ads even ones where the site has scammed out it's users by thousands of $. Saying "it isn't up to Facebook to review ads or take complaints/action the behalf of unhappy customers in the form of removing or restricting ads by the offending company."
Even ones where the offending site "has drained the user's bank account in full not just didn't supply the items ordered are still deemed to be acceptable."
Which is why I make sure I use an ad blocker whenever I got too Facebook. :)
Short answers
I found this ad on facebook = no don't touch it ever.
If you are unsure then go to the side that says nope.
You aren't going to die if you don't buy cheap imported electronics/other house hold items. :)
digicat-au.com, previous www.digicat.com.au, A SCAM. NEVERY BUY from it.
It is a company registered in Hong Kong. It is not an Australian company.
It targets Australian Chinese community. A lot of victims already.
It does not use Paypal, you know why.
Found this website that has a wallet I'd like to buy for fathers day.
Not sure if it's real? Looks dodgey in some places.
Can anyone confirm?
Fake.
No contact info, no ABN, the domain was only registered on the 17th of July in Kuala Lumpur, scam site IMO…
Stick to legit Aussie sites like:
https://www.timberland.com.au/
https://www.rsea.com.au/timberland-pro
Fake.
The biggest sign is the contact form. Always a simple form and never an address or phone number.
cheers guys
kinda thought it would be :( but was desperate since the wallet was only available on this dodgey website.
only place is from US site and they don't ship internationally. sigh.
Look up mail forwarders? Middle man to ship to Australia if you’re super desperate
Having stock listed that no other shop has is actually a sign that it's a scam. Because they don't send it to you they can claim to have anything.
They will either intentionally list limited products that have sold out everywhere, or carelessly copy a bunch of products off another shop then let it get outdated.
If you need to ask the question it's definitely not legit.
the biggest giveaway is the "proaustralia" in the domain. Whilst not all AU websites use the ".com.au" domain, but 99% of the legitimate ones do.
Something smells off about it, but it’s probably just all the crappy jokes…
You know what they say, if you have to ask…
Has there ever been a thread asking is this site real/legit where the answer wasn't an overwhelming no?
If it looks dodgy it most likely is dodgy!
Hence why I requested this post 😁 cheers ham
Hurray!
Just need some "I had an at fault accident and have no insurance" and "I was totally at fault and copped a fine. How do I get off" mega threads now…
Noticed a deal earlier today from the website 30hz.com.au
I know a few people ordered from them. Deal was removed due to op not being able to provide an abn. (He said theyd just registered and had the abn number but needed to wait for it to update on the govt website).
Anyway looking for some more input
Would you trust hundreds of not thousands of dollars with a vague company? I probably wouldn't.
you should try it and report back.
I know a few people from a deal posted early yeterday bought the case. Hoping i could find the archived comments and dm them
No contacting info what so ever and no ABN, I wouldn't touch them… I don't believe the claim they're waiting for the gov site to update, lol… I don't know how they managed to get the .com.au domain without an ABN?
Has anyone used this site before? Are they trustworthy? Is so I have found a good deal, but is it too good to be true?
Hi,
This is available via eBay.com.au for $231.76 with free freight.
Just dont rock up at their address to pickup the goods or sort out issues, it seems to be a 97 unit residential/resort/AirBNB complex:
https://www.domain.com.au/building-profile/38-enderley-avenu…
https://www.enderleyresort.com.au/apartments
I generally dont trust companies that use dodgy addresses, if they were semi-credible they'd at least include their residential unit number…
On the up side their ABN looks legit and they've been registered for GST for about a year… (assuming the ABN they used to register the site is legit)
https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?id=644296999
They also have another site which is dead, good chance their current site will be dead before your warranty expires… :
https://shopkart.com.au/
Appreciate the reply. Starting to think it might not be worth the risk.
Is Tech Cart (techcart.com.au) legit? Their prices seem really low compared to the competition.
It seems to be a legit company that's been around for a couple of years, registered for GST and such:
https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=62628466106
They have no address or phone number, and it seems they mainly sell grey imports, they call them "Direct Imports", which is probably why their prices are low….
Edit: a bit more info about the guy that runs it:
https://au.linkedin.com/in/elias-briffa-7593881a
Thanks, that's super helpful!
Saw this online today for a good price - wasn't sure if the website was legit and trustworthy. has anyone else used it?
https://www.jackdeal.com.au/bose-qc35-quietcomfort-35-wirele…
Hong Kong dropshipper, so grey imports if genuine at all.
Check out with Paypal, you have the opportunity to claim if you don't receive the item.
The ABN they used to register the .com.au was cancelled earlier in the year, by rights they shouldn't have a .com.au address anymore:
https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?id=21630797992
Hong Kong address and phone number:
Block A 3/F Chuan Yuan Factory Building 342-344 Kwun Tong RD KWUN TONG, HONG KONG
Phone: +852 97340682
I wouldn't touch them but if you do use Paypal and activate "Refunded Returns" first, so if you need to ship them back to HK Paypal will refund the return shipping costs…
wouldn't touch them but if you do use Paypal and activate "Refunded Returns" first, so if you need to ship them back to HK Paypal will refund the return shipping costs…
Sweet. Going to avoid them then. Thanks everyone
Just saw this on Facebook, wondering if it's legit and anyone had experience with these purchase?
I've seen small mystery box from catch before. But haven't come across this.
Would it be worth it?
These pallets contain electronics, toys, daily necessities, household appliances, household products, sports products, tools, gardening accessories,etc.
Yeah on the outside, boxes for those items. Inside, cardboard and polystyrene foam.
Would the electronics even work in Au?
Looks like a scam site, shipping to Aus is too cheap. In America this is a thing and there's a tv show on it where they buy these and resell whatever isn't broken.
This is a popular venture in the US (you can find tons of unpacking videos on YouTube) and you can get plenty of return products with total higher RRP than you paid but that doesn't necessarily mean it's their actual value.
You're not going to resell a used Hamilton Beach coffee maker for it's retail price.
You definitely will NOT be getting Macbooks, iPhones, iPads and other single high value items. That makes zero sense and is misleading.
Cannot verify if that specific link is legit though. Seems too cheap both product and international shipping 2x super large size pallets from Tennessee to Sydney for $12.99…
You'll also need to consider US electronics are 110V and not all products are dual voltage and compatible here. Also, no warranty coverage if anything doesn't work etc.
That's a scam, friend. You think they are going to ship 2 $19.90 pallets to you for free?
That is 100% a scam site
Scam
https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/pduvqe/the_s…
Edit: Reverse image search the first image and there are literally 100 scam websites. lol
100% scam. Have a Google of their address and look at reviews, they are using an address of a real place in the US to look legit but are not associated with that address at all.
As they say if it is too good to be true, it probably is.
Every advert on Facebook is a scam. I am amazed how many people don't understand this.
But it's guaranteed safe? They wouldn't lie to me, would they?
Wanting to organise some Christmas shopping given how stock and delivery time are issues at the moment. These guys look like a one man show Blake from Albert Park Vic. I normally go through Pagnian imports in Brisbane. Great CS. Anyone here had any dealings with gamesgeardirect. Has been around since 2018. The item I'm after isn't cheap so don't want any issues. Also now that I dropped an item in their checkout and didn't close out purchase getting aggressive sms and emails pushing to purchase. More than normal in my opinion. The item price also went from a discount back to RRP, but in stock. Previously when I found the site it had it as out of stock and awaiting stock from supplier. They say in about us they order direct from manufacturer which then sends item to customer.
Thks in advance for opinion
The item I'm after isn't cheap so don't want any issues
Then probably best to go through a reputable store
This store could be reputable. I never bought from Pegnian before and was fine. They do have a bricks and mortar store. If others have had good experience with these GGD I am happy to try them as they are in Melbourne.
I followed a link from a new deal posted today (now unpublished):
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/655867
The deal linked to:
oztoylib.com.au
The site shows clearance prices for bikes. It initially appeared to be a legit site and I thought it was likely to be a pricing error (as ALL bikes were available to buy for $98.99).
The purchase system all seemed legit until after the purchase appeared to be finished it changed to a very different (much more suspicious) looking site asking me to reenter credit card details…
I didn't reenter any details but I'm not concerned about having entered my credit card on the oztoylib.com.au site..
In hindsight it is a too good to be true scenario and I'm on now on hold to my bank to check if I need to put a hold on my card..
and I thought it was likely to be a pricing error (as ALL bikes were available to buy for $98.99).
sigh
I know.
I'm hoping to help others learn from by stupidity.
These scam sites pop up all the time. This one will disappear and another 3 will appear. So on and so forth. It takes 5 mins to create a new Shopify site.
There's millions of these for "cheap" shoes, LEGO, toys, phones, you name it.
If it's too good to be true, it likely is.
I thought it looked a bit suspicious, seemed too good to be true.
Merged from Is This a Legitimate Website? Adjustable Dumbbells from America
Does anyone know if the website is legitimate? To me it seems the price is too good to be true. It is adjustable dumbbells 20kg or 32kg option shipping from America to Australia.
https://www.jrazn.shop/products/1599today-onlyeach-person-is…