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Cheers to Paypal, Jeers to Zebralight

sarrept

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 22, 2016
Messages
2
I'm in Canada. Bought a light online from the Zebralight site - sc62 or 63 ... can't recall now. Got an email about tracking the light from China via two different sites, neither of which worked. After four frustrating weeks of not getting answers to emails from Zebralight, I went to Paypal. Zebralight then claimed another light was en route and gave me a fake tracking number with no company attached to it! Then they went silent again. Two weeks later I got the refund from Paypal. I really wanted that Zebralight, but what a lame experience. I bought a FENIX and won't go back to Zebralight.
 

emarkd

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 16, 2014
Messages
1,193
Location
Georgia, USA
Wrong section. There's a subforum especially for these types of posts and this isn't it.

But its here, so I'll respond. First I'm sorry you had a bad experience and I don't doubt that you're frustrated. But to claim that a very trusted company is just making up tracking numbers is going a bit far. Chinese shipping services are notoriously unreliable and slow, so I'm not sure why you'd assume your troubles come from anywhere but there. I think we've all had packages out of China that took much longer to arrive than they should, or who's "tracking numbers" don't track. Can't really blame the shipper for what happens after the package leaves their hands.
 

derfyled

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Messages
1,058
Location
Canada
I've ordered parts from zebralight and it has been now 7 weeks and nothing yet. The tracking number shows activity in China and nothing since December 20th. I've contacted ZL and within 1 day they answered. They said if ever the tracking result shows ''returned to sender'' or ''undeliverable'' they would send it again. Otherwise, nothing else than waiting can be done. I'm also in Canada. The problem is clearly China Post, not Zebralight.
 

Ozythemandias

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 4, 2017
Messages
1,417
Is this strictly a Canada thing?

I've ordered lights from Zebralight and it was always shipped from the US via Priority Mail.
 

derfyled

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Messages
1,058
Location
Canada
Is this strictly a Canada thing?

I've ordered lights from Zebralight and it was always shipped from the US via Priority Mail.

From their website:We ship domestically by USPS First-Class Mail Packages and internationally by China Post Air Mail
 

gunga

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
8,080
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
I've been waiting for stuff since November from Asia. It's been trickling in but this wait is super frustrating. It used to be way faster. Sometimes a week. Now it's months. I'm in Canada too.
 

Ozythemandias

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 4, 2017
Messages
1,417
From their website:We ship domestically by USPS First-Class Mail Packages and internationally by China Post Air Mail

I see. Well,that's unfortunate.

My only negative experience with them was with their annodization quality on the SC63W and they claimed its expected (I have many Zebralights, this one was badly done and easily damaged). Then again, its not an easily quantifiable issue so I let it go
 

scs

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
1,803
I see. Well,that's unfortunate.

My only negative experience with them was with their annodization quality on the SC63W and they claimed its expected (I have many Zebralights, this one was badly done and easily damaged). Then again, its not an easily quantifiable issue so I let it go

Interesting. I returned a ZL headlamp with missing ano @ multiple places a while back, and the dealer told me that was to be expected of all ZLs.
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,351
Location
Dust in the Wind
I ordered a product one time and the tracker worked. I happily followed progress a couple times a week until the day it landed in Chicago and started heading west. I'm east of Chicago so I'm thinking it must be an efficiency thing on the shipper.
Then I see it was delivered... half way across the country from my home.
I did the typical wut-the-heck email like anybody would and got no response.
A week later my package arrived.
The tracking number I received in an email ended in 45. The one on my package ended in 54.
Stuff happens.
 
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teak

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Messages
1,416
Location
Missouri
Always a risk you take ordering from over seas. I ordered a tads bi pin adaptor. He is located in Hong Kong. Arrived stateside in a week..then sat in Chicago for over 2 weeks before it even left there. I'm not in Canada but sometimes it takes a while for this stuff to arrive.
 

snowlover91

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
1,670
First of all it's kind of odd that the only two posts from the OP are negative ones towards two different companies, but maybe that's just me.

Having said that, many times the websites used to track China post and similar packages are unreliable at best. I've never had luck with tracking anything that I've ordered from China from Gearbest and other similar sites. Typical wait time to receiving it here in the US is 4-8 weeks but sometimes can be 3 months if it gets held up along the way. I actually think it's a good thing that, at their expense, ZL shipped a second light.

In fact it seems to me they got the raw end of the deal since they're out 2 lights AND via the PayPal dispute they probably had to refund the money as well.
 

tech25

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Messages
1,285
Location
Near the Big Apple
I have only had good experience with Zebralight, one time that I dealt with them- one of my lights was out of warrantee and probably needed a better cleaning of the threads then I gave it but ZL took care of it.

When I had my lights shipped from china it did take a while and there was no tracking until it showed up but that was years ago. Now it was shipped in a timely fashion and was tracked.
 

dennis12

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
7
Location
Belgium and Spain
For me it is Cheers to Zebralight. Have never had any problem and never waited too long.
Cheers to Paypal as well ofcourse. Buyer protection never let me down.
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,351
Location
Dust in the Wind
I have an item on the way from China that has an 18650 in it. Well due to that it's boat shipped. And it's a 50/50 chance the boat goes 9 knots (the giant ones) or 27 knots (not quite the size of an apartment complex).

Now, because of said battery there is a 50/50 chance customs may decide it's a hazard. In that case it may be as much as 33 more days according to my research.
Bottom line, if it arrives by April 1 that'll be amazing.
However there is a 50/50 chance it could be May or June.

Oh... and there's no tracking when it's on a boat.

Lesson? Don't order flashlights from China with lithium batteries if you want it fast.

Another box sent air mail from China flew across the globe and in 4 days was in New York. Almost a month went by before customs sent me an email requesting I fill out a hazardous materials form... the kind you fill out when importing fireworks, poisonous liquids, firearms and what-not. I checked a "no" box, placed my autograph, scanned to pdf and emailed it back. Box was at my house via DHL the next day.

Then there was this other box of lights....
See my point? There are a multitude of things that can occur. More times than not it aint the seller.
 
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ssanasisredna

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 19, 2016
Messages
457
Container ships virtually never travel under 17knots and most travel 20-21 or about 24-25 depending on fuel/speed trade-offs.

If the customs paper work is filled out right, then delays are rare and add a day or two, not weeks. That is on both ends leaving China and entering elsewhere.

Even with post, delays are measured in 1-2 weeks, not more.

Problems generally arise from wrong or inadequate paper work, poor packaging, hand written forms that are hard to read, essentially fraudulent paper work, etc. Add in using the cheapest service, shipper delays to consolidate, etc.

I have mailed stuff myself from China to NA with help of locals and never takes more than 4 weeks.

If your tracking number does not work ... Then it's not a tracking number just a reference (or wrong). Cheapest services are not tracked.
 
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