Shopee's 'Ships from Taiwan' Label Misleading? 'Two Shipping Origins' May Deliver Counterfeit or Mainland Goods, Official Responds

Consumers shopping on Shopee often select sellers labeled as 'ships from Taiwan' to shorten delivery times. Recently, a user's post on Threads sparked widespread discussion, claiming that listings showing Lu-zhu District, Taoyuan City as the shipping origin have a high chance of being shipped from mainland China—potentially delivering counterfeit or imitation goods.

On the 28th, a netizen posted on Threads that if a Shopee seller's shipping location is listed as Lu-zhu District, Taoyuan City, there's a significant probability the goods are shipped directly from mainland China, and they might even receive the wrong item (buying product A but receiving B). The user reported a past incident where they received a different item and only secured a full refund after dispute resolution, leading them to now skip any seller based in Lu-zhu.

Other users chimed in with similar experiences: 'I skip both Dayuan and Lu-zhu,' 'Lu-zhu +1, that’s why I always choose fast shipping to prove I’m not from the mainland,' and 'No wonder they say self-pickup is inconvenient—now I get it.'

Some shared tips to avoid such sellers: if the shipping location is in 'Lu-zhu or Dayuan' and the preparation time is listed as 7–15 days or 'longer preparation,' the seller likely ships directly from Taobao or mainland China. Others reported receiving wrong items, empty packages, or fake goods.

However, logistics workers and local sellers pushed back, clarifying that the shipping address does not necessarily reflect the product's origin. Lu-zhu and Dayuan are key logistics hubs where thousands of air and sea freight packages clear customs daily before being sorted to convenience stores or Shopee delivery carts. Thus, seeing these areas as shipping origins is normal.

Local sellers in Lu-zhu and Dayuan expressed frustration. Taoyuan is a major concentration zone for central warehouses, brand importers, and manufacturing plants. Many official brand flagship stores and Shopee Mall sellers ship from here. Some local in-stock sellers emphasized they offer same-day or next-day delivery but are unfairly skipped due to their location.

How to distinguish local in-stock sellers from cross-border dropshippers?

In a YouTube episode of 'Qiangzhe Wo Pengyou,' e-commerce expert Li Zhong-ru, founder of Lianjia Shop, explained how to identify suspicious sellers. He noted that some sellers listing Taoyuan’s Lu-zhu or Dayuan—or large furniture sellers in Taichung—are not truly local but appear to operate under Taiwanese-named accounts. Goods are first shipped from mainland China via air freight, then cleared and relabeled at customs or consolidation centers in Taiwan before dispatch.

Li added that many so-called local sellers strictly refuse self-pickup or face-to-face transactions. If product images are stolen from Taobao, designs are oversaturated, or reviews contain robotic, unnatural language, the seller is highly likely a cross-border dropshipper.

Additionally, previous reports by Storm Media revealed that when buyers asked sellers marked 'ships from Taiwan,' some replied: 'We ship from Taiwan, but our logistics partner uses sea freight,' or 'We kindly ask for your patience.' If customer service replies mix traditional and simplified Chinese characters and use certain tone particles (e.g., 'oh,' 'ne'), the seller may be based in mainland China.

For large furniture listed as shipped from Taichung, if buyers are later charged high domestic shipping or floor delivery fees, it’s a common red flag for overseas consolidation schemes. Consumers are advised to use Taobao’s image search to compare prices.

Shopee’s Response: Real-name Verification, Violation Removal, and Counterfeit Return Policy

Regarding concerns about counterfeit or non-compliant goods on the platform, Shopee stated that all sellers must complete real-name verification before opening a store. According to reports from China Times News Network, Shopee emphasized that once violations are detected or reported, the platform immediately removes the listings and penalizes or restricts the accounts and stores accordingly.

Shopee further stated that it complies with third-party payment regulations, requiring sellers to legally sell compliant products and take responsibility for their sales. The platform has also established close cooperation with prosecutors, police, and regulatory authorities, and will report and handle any illegal activities in accordance with the law.