You're getting lots of advice, but not all directly addressing your immediate problem!
If the blades you have are A2 steel, as I suspect, then your experience isn't unique. Chipping of new edges with A2 is something that has been complained about on various forums for some time. There is much conjecture as to cause, but there seems to be universal agreement on the cure - grind a mm or so off the blade & all's well. I've bought many blades from what is probably the same factory your blades were made in, to use in the planes I make, & experienced the fracturing edge problem a couple of times. The 'cure' worked for me; the blades were at least as good as anyone else's A2 blades after removing probably less than a mm (& I work with woods that are a severe test for any edge!)
[I know, you shouldn't have to spend an extra 10 or 15 minutes regrinding & honing a brand new blade (& it'll take a heck of a lot longer than that if you do it manually!), but it could be a far simpler & quicker solution to your problem than going through the hassles of returning them. You could be up & planing in far less time than it would take me to drive to the P.O.]
Bear in mind that A2 steel is a chippy beast & does need a steeper bevel than old style tools steels as fitted to the planes of yore, if you want your edges to last a decent time between sharpenings. Most people recommend a minimum working angle of 30 degrees, & quite a few say to take the final bevel to 35 deg. That still leaves you with 10 deg of clearance on a standard pitch, bevel-down plane, which is adequate, but gives you a less acute edge with more penetration resistance (i.e., more work to push through the wood).
In your part of the world, where you are likely working with woods that are far less recalcitrant than I regularly tackle, I reckon you'd do better sticking with O1 steels where you can, such as the blades sold by Ray Iles (no affiliations - Veritas & Hock O1 blades are excellent too!). O1 is a wonderfully forgiving steel that's dead easy to put a fine edge on, yet holds it very well - it's the best compromise in my view, for working 'sensible' woods. The powder-metallurgy blades have a place in my world, too, but they cost a lot more and are a bit more difficult to sharpen to the standard I like...
Cheers,
