Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains answers to a number of common order questions.

Before Ordering

Does etemall.com match competitors pricing?

Although it is not always possible to match the prices offered by our competitors, we would like the opportunity to win your business.

On the product pages, there is a "report a lower price" link. Simply click on the link and enter the lower price you saw, and the source for the price then send it to us. We will try to match the price and update the price displayed on our site.

Prices considered for Price Match must be for IN STOCK products and available as a NEW item at a retail web based store, with full e-commerce functionality, a valid SSL certificate and credit card verification. Exact brands, packaging, items, model numbers and part numbers must match to qualify for Price Match requests. Most computer products are sold as Retail, OEM or Promotional products, and while they are often similar products, we cannot match prices on items with different packaging.

As verification of competitors' pricing is done manually, please allow 3-7 business days for the Price Match process.

Is it safe to shop on-line at etemall.com?

At etemall.com, we guarantee your privacy and on-line shopping safety.

We are secured by a Geotrust Premium SSL certificate to ensure that your personal information is encrypted and secure when you communicate with etemall.com. We do not store any credit card information. All billing information is processed by PayPal.com, an online bank owned by eBay considered trustworthy today. PayPal is secured by multiple industrial security technologies including solutions from VeriSign.

We occasionally send out email promotions and newsletters to our customers. These e-mail are sent very sparingly (approximately 1 per month). You can opt-in and opt-out at any time.

We will never share your personal and private information with anyone, and any personal information collected by us is only used to properly process and deliver your order.

What are the available shipping methods?

etemall offers regular air mail post and registered airmail post shipping methods for free. For larger or urgent orders, customers are welcome to choose EMS Express for faster delivery of products for a nominal upgrade fee to cover cost. The EMS upgrade option and fee information are available via a selection box on the shopping cart page before you checkout.

We automatically upgrade larger orders to EMS Express for faster delivery. You may check the shipping option in your shopping cart for the words "EMS: free upgrade".

For countries not served by EMS, DHL International Express will be used instead. In general DHL costs more than EMS so there may be additional express shipment charges. In those senarios you will be contacted by a Customer Service agent about the charge.

How fast is EMS Express?

While it generally takes 7 to 14 business days for air mail delivery, EMS takes about 3 to 5 business days for most countries (including the US). Please note that processing and packaging time still apply (see the processing schedule below).

Do you offer any shipping discount on multiple products purchased?

Etemall offers site-wide free shipping so you pay nothing on shipping at all. We do offer free EMS upgrades for larger orders for faster delivery.

Is there any discount for bulk/volume purchases?

Etemall provides two methods for you to get bulk/volume purchase discounts:

1. For most customers our bulk rates is the best option to use. To see the volume discounts for a product, simply click the "Buy Multiple and Save (from 3+)" tab on the product's page. To enable bulk discounts, use coupon code: BULKRATE during checkout.

Please note the bulk rate discounts are based on the original prices of each item. That means during promotions, discounts are applied against original prices, not against sale prices. When the bulk rate coupon code is used, bulk discounts will be displayed just above your grand total in the shopping cart. A $1.70 package tracking fee will be applied to your shopping cart to ensure safe delivery of bulk orders.

1. For larger orders, please visit VolumeRate - our dedicated wholesale team. As a wholesale customer, VolumeRate staffs will provide all the flexibility and customized service you need.

Does etemall.com handle International orders?

Yes, we ship worldwide at no additional charge.

How are Tax and Customs duties handled?

Because Etemall sends products from Hong Kong (a free port), there is no sales tax or duties imposed by the Hong Kong government. Customers do not have to pay any sales tax or export duties when they purchase from Etemall.

Statistically, well less than 1% percentage of all Etemall orders have ever got opened by the Customs in customers' countries. If the package is checked by their country's customs office when the item arrives in their country, however, customers are responsible for import duties, tariffs, and taxes.

Although the chance of packages being Customs assessed is small, Etemall strongly encourages all customers to check with their local Customs office for any potential import taxes, duties, and tariffs. In addition, some products may require special licenses or permits to import (such as high powered lasers). Etemall is not responsible for products being confiscated by the Customs in customers' countries.

Can I change my delivery address after I have placed my order?

You can change your shipping address by going here: http://www.etemall.com/accounts/ and enter your PayPal's e-mail address and your order number. Address and recipients can be changed when the order status is Order Pending or Waiting for Supplier. When it is showing 'Packing/Processing', please contact us as soon as possible to change your address. We will do our best to have your delivery details changed. Note that in some circumstances the package may be already left our warehouse before your request is processed and thus address cannot be changed.

If you cannot change the address using the order tracking page, contact us at http://www.etemall.com/feedback/leave.php and select Question Type 'Change Shipping Address'.

If I chose to use free shipping, can I trace the order with the tracking number?

If you have a tracking number starting with a 'R' or 'CP', your free shipping package's departure status can be checked at the Hong Kong Post website using the tracking number displayed in order tracking. Hong Kong Post's track and trace service is available at http://app3.hongkongpost.com/CGI/mt/enquiry.jsp. Customers from the following countries and regions can receive the live arrival status of their orders online, when the packages arrive at their countries and regions. Here are some of the sites for tracking arrival information (visit http://app3.hongkongpost.com/CGI/mt/enquiry.jsp for a complete list):

United State of America: http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm

United Kingdoms: http://track.royalmail.com/portal/rm/track?catId=500185&mediaId=22700601&keyname=track_home

Canada: https://obc.canadapost.ca/emo/basicPin.do?language=en

South Korea: http://service.epost.go.kr/iservice/ems/ems_eng.jsp

Singapore: http://www.singpost.com/ra/ra_article_status.asp

Visit http://app3.hongkongpost.com/CGI/mt/enquiry.jsp and use the drop down menu on that page for a complete listing.

Do you ship to APO address or PO box?

DHL and EMS couldn't ship to APO address or PO box while the HK air mail do.If you choose the DHL and EMS shipping method while the address you provide is APO address or PO box,we will ask you to provide with us an normative address to make the shipment.

Why should I buy via Paypal?

PayPal is an eBay owned company. The advantage of using PayPal, as a customer, is that the merchant never gets to see any of your financial information.

When you checkout on a merchant's site directly, the merchant will receive your billing address, credit card number, expiry date, CVV/CVV2 codes, personal phone number, and other private information. This means regardless of how secure the site is, somebody will eventually get their hands on your personal and financial data.

When you checkout via PayPal, Etemall only sees the shipping address you specified in PayPal and optionally a telephone that you explicitly wish to share with us.

How can I contact PayPal by phone?

+1-888-221-1161 (US & Canada Toll Free) +1-888-215-5506 (US & Canada Toll Free) +1-402-935-7733 (International) +1-402-935-2050 (International)

These phone numbers are also found on the Internet. PayPal may change the numbers without noticing us. For the latest phone numbers and other contact methods, please visit http://www.paypal.com/.

What do I need to checkout via PayPal and/or open a free PayPal account?

There is no special license or requirements to send/receive money through Paypal. Here is all you need to open a free account and pay via PayPal:

1. a valid email address, and 2. a valid credit card or bank account.

What payment methods do you accept?

To protect customers' privacy (see Why should I buy via Paypal, above), Etemall only accepts PayPal payment methods. With PayPal, you may pay via Credit Card, Debit Card, and Bank Accounts via EFT. These are all automatically performed by PayPal. You do not need to do any extra work. The checkout process is familiar and industrial standard.

Why is my credit card payment failed?

Payment with credit card may fail because of bank authorization and fraud prevention systems. If you are having trouble making a payment via Credit Card, you may contact your card issuing bank or PayPal directly. Here are PayPal's phone numbers:

+1-888-221-1161 (US & Canada Toll Free) +1-888-215-5506 (US & Canada Toll Free) +1-402-935-7733 (International) +1-402-935-2050 (International)

After Ordering

My order is shipped, why isn't there any tracking information available for the registered Airmail/EMS package?

Live tracking is only available after the carriers have a chance to initially scan the package. Between the time the item leaves Etemall and the time it is scanned, tracking numbers may not show any results. For Express packages (sent via EMS/UPS), the delay is about 24 to 48 hours. For Airmail and Registered Airmail packages, it takes 3 to 5 working days for postal tracking to show online.

What is my order status? And how long will it take to process my order?

Once an order request has been received by us, you will receive periodic e-mails from us regarding the processing of your order. Within 24 hours of your order being shipped, you will receive an e-mail that contains the carrier tracking number (when available) for your order.

You can obtain your order status directly at the Etemall Account Manager with your order number (or transaction ID) and e-mail address.

Your order goes through several steps before reaching your door. Here are those steps:


*Tracking Note: Live tracking is only available after the carriers have a chance to initially scan the package. Between the time the item leaves Etemall and the time it is scanned, tracking numbers may not show any results. For Express packages (sent via EMS/UPS), the delay is about 24 to 48 hours. For Airmail and Registered Airmail packages, it takes 3 to 5 working days for postal tracking to show online.

How Etemall handle the EMS order? Why I get my partial shipment with Registered Airmail Service even though I have paid EMS fee for the order?

If you have upgraded your order with EMS service, please be aware that the EMS fee listed is only available for one shipment. We will send all the items in one package via EMS service as possible as we can. But if some products are sold out during fulfilling process and partial shipment is needed, the available items will be shipped out firstly via EMS service and the rest items will be sent through Registered Airmail Service later.

Should you prefer all items shipped by one EMS package even some items need extra time, you may contact us through our Customer Service Express Service as soon as you place the order on us.

How do I cancel my order?

Not satisfied with a product or shipment?

A. If you order has not been shipped, you may cancel it for a full refund, by using order tracking and selecting the "Cancel Order" option.

B. If your order has already been shipped, you may return the item in it's original condition (unused and unopened) to us postmarked within 30 calendar days of delivery (*see definition below). In that case we will refund you the payment excluding actual shipping fees already incurred. Actual shipping fees incurred are determined by the weight of each returned product and by the way it was sent (e.g. EMS, DHL, Regular/Registered Airmail, etc).

When returning an unwanted product for refund, it is recommended for customers to use a method of shipment with tracking number, as Etemall cannot be responsible for items lost due to its carrier while in transit.

C. If your item is defective, please see the replacement policy and instructions instead.

*Definition of delivery date: for EMS/DHL and some registered airmail packages, the delivery date is displayed on the courier's tracking site. For orders that do not have online delivery dates provided by the courier, the delivery date is assumed to be 21 calendar days after shipment.

Here is a quick checklist if you are returning unused and unopened products for refunding (applicable to return type B above):

1. The items must be unused and unopened.
2. Contact us via this link, indicating you want to return a product: http://www.etemall.com
3. A customer service staff will inform you the actual shipping costs incurred (the non-refundable portion).
4. Proceed and send the returning items to the following address. Note that the returning package must be postmarked within 30 calendar days of delivery (*see above for definition of delivery date):

When your items arrive at our return office, a staff will check the product and proceed with the refund (or store credit at your discretion). Please allow 2 to 4 weeks for processing after your item is delivered at the product return office.

Please do not request cancellation of an order by e-mail. Refunds are sent to your payment account with a PayPal refund transaction ID.

How to apply my store credit?

For refunds, 98% of the time instant paypal refund is offered. However under certain circumstances instant refunds are not permitted by PayPal (e.g. over time limit, payer account issues, etc). In those cases store credit is offered.

As stated in the apply store credit page, you first place an order of something (thus your order starts processing immediately). Then, submit your new order number together with the order where the credit came from, and we will send you the store credit via paypal refund to the new order.

Please contact us at this once you have placed a new order to apply the store credit.

How long can I receive your refund?

Refunds are processed within 1-5 business days after you received our confirmation on the cancelation, and the paypal refund can be seen in your PayPal account right away once it is processed. Once processed, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from PayPal. You may also call PayPal to verify your refund. Their USA toll free phone number is 1-888-221-1161.

How long does it take for back ordered items to get sent?

Items that are unavailable will be placed on back order, and the remainder of your order will be shipped. Please check our web site for the back ordered item's estimated time of arrival. Please note that these dates are estimates and not guaranteed to arrive on that date.

For items that are backordered, you will receive periodic reminders of back ordered items and you may cancel any outstanding back orders with us.

Where possible, we will make every effort to alert customers of potential delays, or possible substitutions to the originally ordered item (such as batteries or memory cards with similar specifications). These notes are posted on the product pages.

How is the replacement policy? How do I get an Return Merchandise Authorization (RMAs) from etemall.com?

Etemall gadgets, especially small electronics and accessories, are produced by manufacturers all over the place. While we strive to provide you with quality gadgets at a bargain, a product might not perform as expected by the time it's delivered. In such cases, you may ask for a replacement, and on return of the product, you will be shipped a replacement.


For customers in the US, a reimbursement for return shipping fees is available provided that you ship the items back by First Class Airmail (with Delivery Confirmation) or by USPS Priority Mail Flat-rate Envelope to our Miami return address, whichevers fee is lower. For customers from other countries, please contact us for reimbursement details.

After 30 days from delivery the return shipping costs (both ways) will be the sole responsibility of the customer. We will still try to exchange your defective products for a brand new one where possible.

Can I use the etemall receipt, obtained from online tracking, for product warranties?

etemall receipts are good for all manufacturer warranties. You can get a copy at http://www.etemall.com/accounts.

When will a replacement be sent?

Replacements are treated the same way as that of new orders -- they typically arrive in 10 to 13 days. If a product needs to be returned for replacement, the replacement is sent after receiving the returned item.

How are warranties handled?

Repairs on defective merchandise are handled by the manufacturers and not by etemall, unless otherwise indicated.

If any item arrives damaged due to shipping, immediately contact the carrier. Keep all shipping materials and contact us immediately.

Why don't I receive an order confirmation email after my paypal payment is completed?

We send confirmation email to your primary paypal email address, or the e-mail address you have specified if you used the "PayPal Express Checkout" method. Make sure that you have a Etemall account registered under your PayPal account's primary e-mail address.

In rare circumstances, a technical bug confirmed by PayPal can get in the way.If you do not receive any information at all, and your order does not appear in your Etemall account, please contact us and send us your order details. You may use this link to contact us: http://www.etemall.com/feedback/leave.phpttx.cgi

Please select "Order not showing in Etemall account" as the question type.

Why am I charged additional shipping fee even after I have paid EMS Express Upgrade before checking out?

The cost of EMS Express upgrade depends on countries and regions. The upgrade fee calculated by the shopping cart is only applicable to certain regions, listed in the notes area on the shopping cart page.

In some regions, the EMS sevice itself is not available altogether (this countries include, but not limited to, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, etc). For these regions we will use DHL for express shipments. DHL, however, carries a higher shipping rate and thus our staffs will send email to the customers for this extra cost after. We send e-mail only after we have packed your order as any additional charges will be based on actual shipping weight, and it saves customers from over-paying on shipping.

Can I add an item to my order?

Yes, but you need to add it before your order is being packaged for shipment, and the order may be delayed by 1 or 2 days for adding the new items. To add an item to your order after placing an order, send us a ticket and we will do it for you.

In the meantime, since shipping is free, placing a separate order may have more benefits for you.

If I do not receive my order number, what should I do?

Please contact us by the e-mail addresses shown immediately below this question.

As soon as your payment is cleared, you should receive an email automatically from our server confirming the order with an order tracking number. If you're not receiving order confirmation or status emails from etemall, your ISP or email software might be blocking etemall's emails, thinking (mistakenly!) that our email is spam. In this case please check your SPAM/JUNK e-mail folders.

Why don't I receive an order confirmation email after my paypal payment is completed?

We send confirmation email to your primary paypal email address, or the e-mail address you have specified if you used the "PayPal Express Checkout" method. Make sure that you have a Etemall account registered under your PayPal account's primary e-mail address.

In rare circumstances, a technical bug confirmed by PayPal can get in the way.If you do not receive any information at all, and your order does not appear in your Etemall account, please contact us and send us your order details. You may use this link to contact us: http://www.etemall.com/feedback/leave.phpttx.cgi

Please select "Order not showing in Etemall account" as the question type.

Why am I charged additional shipping fee even after I have paid EMS Express Upgrade before checking out?

The cost of EMS Express upgrade depends on countries and regions. The upgrade fee calculated by the shopping cart is only applicable to certain regions, listed in the notes area on the shopping cart page.

In some regions, the EMS sevice itself is not available altogether (these countries include but not limited to: the Netherlands, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, etc). For these regions DHL express will be used instead. DHL, however, carries a higher shipping rate and thus staffs will send email to customers for this extra cost. We send e-mail only after we have packed your order so additional charges are solely based on the actual shipping weight, and it saves customers from over-paying on shipping.

What should I do if an item is missing from my order?

If there was a partial note/bookmark in your package and no more shipments were made 1 week after you have received your package, please go to the following page:

My order is shipped. Why am I unable to track my order on the Hong Kong Post page?

Please ensure that the tracking number you got is in the format of RXXXXXXXXXXHK, and your order is over $15 total. Here are the reasons for delays of tracking information:

1, Because orders with tracking numbers are sent via registered Airmail, all packages need to be scanned and recorded by staffs at Hong Kong Post and this process takes 48 hours to complete. After the package is processed online tracking will appear on the site.

2, On very rare occasiones, Hong Kong Post may change the tracking number sticker on a package because the sticker is blurred, damaged, or otherwise faulty rendering it un-scannable. In this case please contact us via http://services.etemall.com/ for order tracking.

This page opens a CS Express ticket for you and you will hear a response within 24-48 working hours (Mon-Fri). Remeber to follow instructions on the page and attach a picture of the partial note/bookmark as instructed.

If there isn't a partial shipment note/bookmark and something is missing, carefully follow instructions on the page and attach pictures showing the front and back of your received package(s). Your pictures show clearly show any labels or stickers on the packages, whether ther are on the front and back of the packages. A staff reply will be sent to you within 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays).

How to contact etemall?

You can contact us directly via our Support Ticket Helpdesk: http://www.etemall.com/feedback/leave.php. Please avoid sending duplicate requests as it will only slow down responses to you.

For urgent matters, you may also reach us live by calling (+86) 1353-0080-484 ^new!. Our office hour is between 9am to 6pm HKT/GMT+8 (lunch break between 11:45AM and 1:15PM), Monday through Saturday except public and statutory holidays.

Etemall Local Time (HKT/GMT+8):