Lisa B.

Tl; dr: Like other reviewers recommend, DO NOT ORDER FROM DHGATE! If you do, use American Express!

I saw these reviews before I ordered $900 worth of goods from a DHgate vendor. I figured I was safe because 1) I was ordering from an established international vendor and 2) I was smart enough to use my American Express card to order.

I did not receive 10% of my order; I also didn't receive exactly what I ordered (there is a big difference between a chemical that can pass through 300mesh and a chemical that is mainly rock.)

DHgate's resolution process is to first contact the seller and attempt to resolve. If you can't or if there are other problems, escalate to DHgate mediation. So I contacted seller and proposed a full refund with them paying return shipping. They agreed, but also sent a strongly worded email claiming that I was in the wrong and that they were refusing to pay return shipping. So I contacted DHgate customer service, and was told that because seller had agreed to refund proposal they had to abide by all terms of refund proposal, including return shipping. Then the real nightmare began.

I have never purchased this item internationally before, only domestically. I discovered that the product was illegal to ship internationally. The seller had not only shorted my order 10%, but had lied to send it in the first place: they claimed it was salt (which IS legal to ship), and the declaration of composition said it was salt too (hint: I didn't pay $900 for salt!). USmail, USPS and FedEx all refuse to ship the product back to China because of its hazardous nature.

So I contacted DHgate again, explained the problem and provided several images showing the deceitful practice of the vendor. I was assured by no less than 3 different reps that 1) my dispute had been escalated to mediation and that 2) the funds would not be released to vendor until and if mediation found in their favor. Imagine my surprise when I logged in to find out the status of mediation and discover that a) funds HAD been released to vendor and b) DHgate had no record of a dispute!

Thank God I ordered using American Express. I contacted them, explained the situation, and I had a refund within 3 days.

This still isn't fully resolved yet: I just heard back from DHgate mediation that they don't believe me and that more evidence needs to be supplied. Even though their findings show (and I quote verbatim): "For the ingredient it (sic) [if] he write real name, it cannot pass the Customs." I also just heard back from the vendor; they thanked me for full payment.

I am fairly confident that any additional charges DHgate or the vendor might attempt to put through on my American Express card will be denied, but I am being vigilant about this. It's already been 3.5 weeks of back and forth; I expect another 3-4 weeks of problem before this finally goes away.

I hope my experience has deterred you from order anything from DHgate. If not, I really hope you use a credit card for your order. My experiences with getting a refund from Chase Visa has not been as stellar as my experiences with American Express; use Amex if you can.