# FYI: Gearbest abuses your emails



## Corvette (Nov 20, 2005)

Their store is quite popular here and it's a pleasure shopping here when certain people are putting lots of effort in so we get what we want (thank you GJHS, Dora, May, ...). But sadly, Gearbest is passing your emails to third parties, who're using them for spamming purposes. Maybe some other data as well, but I don't have a proof for that.

I used a unique email to register with Gearbest for my latest order. 3 days later I receive spam from Rosewe website to this unique email. It's very unlikely would guess this particular email and it wasn't used anywhere else (see pics). As it turns out, I'm not the only one who figured out their shameful practice: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/176586#comment-2505302

What can you do? Probably one of the best and easiest solutions is to have a separate, lower priority email for web shopping and similar purposes.


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## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

Corvette said:


> What can you do? Probably one of the best and easiest solutions is to have a separate, lower priority email for web shopping and similar purposes.


This is exactly what I'm doing for many years...


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## .40AET (Jun 7, 2007)

I wish that I had used one of my BS accounts for my last order. 

Thanks for the heads up!


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

I signed up for an account to be able to check coupon codes and other things. Nobody at GB knew and I haven't received any junk mail except the sales notices which I unsubscribed to.

Of course with any online seller, caution is important.


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## hankering (Dec 28, 2014)

Also when you try to change an email -- they don't delete the old one, they keep it (and keep selling it)


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Corvette said:


> Gearbest is passing your emails to third parties, who're using them for spamming purposes. Maybe some other data as well, but I don't have a proof for that.


I can't speak for others but I get more than my fair share of spam that somehow makes it past the spam filters. I stopped worrying about that kind of thing years ago. Like was said by the other people, if you don't want to deal with spam on your usual email address you set up another email account.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

Is this the same GB that sold the light with the fake battery cell?
Is this the same GB that supposedly bent over backwards to source us the perfect tint and then sent out random tints?


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## Corvette (Nov 20, 2005)

Can't speak for others, but my view towards QA issues and eventual f.ck-ups is much different than violations of privacy. Personally I'd much rather get an amber tinted light and have this sorted out than seeing my data being passed to third parties. 

Unsurprisingly, their customer department replies "We never give you email address to Rosewe" and "we do not have any relation with Rosewe".

As mentioned above, I am grateful that people there and on our forum went a few extra miles to get us an exceptionally good light for a great price. And they continue to provide other products as well. Does this justify such data practices? Mind you, receiving promotional emails without expressed consent (user's request / opt in) is against the law.


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## hankering (Dec 28, 2014)

> receiving ... is against the law.

I doubt any country has a law against receiving spam -- some countries have laws against sending spam.

As to the denials from customer service, they likely know nothing, nothing.

Some of them promise to remove you from mail lists and yet when asked have no idea how to do that.


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

How many have received extra spam or in the case of a specific, only used once email, have received spam from GearBest? I will bring it up and find out what I can. I don't work for them.

I highly doubt they're selling your info. Facebook does that and you agree to it when you sign up. Ever wonder why every site is trying to get you to link your Facebook account? Everytime you give your email to any company that info is used for marketing and more than likely sold. How do you think you get all that junk mail? They buy lists of information that you give freely. If you truly knew all the trackers on the web, what they collect and what they use that info for, you wouldn't worry about spam.

The Internet and online buying is common, yet be extra extra careful online. Don't let your guard down on any site, including this one.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Likely the people who you talk to at Gearbest's customer service know nothing about selling e-mail info. This is not unusual. Not saying GB is selling the information but if they are the people working for them won't know nothing about it. You also have to consider all the hacking that is being done by the asian countries as well. A lot of that has been reported in the news, particularly in regard to China and N. Korea. From what I've heard they've gotten very good at it so no surprise that some information is being stolen and shared by someone else trying to make a buck($).

Heck, every two years or so my bank informs me that someone has gotten hold of my credit card info. Don't ask me how this happens, it just does. Lots of dishonest people out there trying to steal your personal information. Even when you are careful it still happens. This said be careful where you place the blame because truthfully, you really don't know who to blame. The people who hack this stuff are really good at what they do.

In the mean time I wouldn't worry too much about the spam email because it isn't going to be going away anytime soon. Now if someone starts using your credit card info and starts stealing your identity ..."THAT IS SOMETHING WORTH WORRYING ABOUT".


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## andychrist (Aug 25, 2011)

Not to mention, but your own ISP is probably tracking you with "super cookies" and selling every bit of your personal data it can. Both AT&T and Verizon admitted to this and have promised to offer the option to "opt out." Soon. 

That said, I have no doubt that Rosewe got my email from either GB or KD, by hook or by crook. Eh. Avant moi, le déluge!


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