Current Events > Got scammed on Ebay

(+) Yeah! (+)

It was a 5 TB external drive by Seagate.

First time plugging this into my PC, it was partitioned into 5 different letter drives by default.

After clearing these, the max memory available was only 500 GBs.

It's worthless though since I can't write to it or even scan for errors.

It's fake counterfeit garbage from Thailand with a lousy hand placed sticker on the box.

I sent him a message with three specific pictures but no response back.

Looking at the sale, there's a no return policy.

Seems like he knew ahead of time that this was fraud.

Is there anything I can do with Ebay or should I just chuck it up as a loss?

File a claim through eBay and you will probably get your money back.

IIRC, I heard eBay almost always side with the customers when filing claims to the point where it's easy to scam legit sellers.

Ebay should still let you return it

Jupiter posted...

IIRC, I heard eBay almost always side with the customers when filing claims to the point where it's easy to scam legit sellers.

Happened to me, dude ordered a 3DS an a buncha games from me and then tried to get me to refund him $180 for some minor cosmetic damage that I mentioned in the posting. I refused and still had to pay shipping to get it back.

I only got scammed once, and it was WAY back maybe 20 years ago. IIRC, eBay automatically insured a few hundred dollars no questions asked, but I didn't get all my money back because I didn't pay for extra insurance.

Has he scammed anyone else? What is his feedback like?

Yea, i find it risky to buy hardware from sites that let random people post listings. Not that you always end up with something bad, but there is a fair chance and the site doesn't always care if the customer gets screwed.

I once bought a used Vita that was sold as fully working. Intended to play around with jailbreak stuff.

Had to record a video showing how fucking broken it was. I think like 20% of the touch screen worked and only X and some directional buttons. Ebay sided with me. (I would have probably closed my ebay account if they didn't lol)

The guy tried to get me to take it apart and 'do a simple fix' he knew would fix it. I told him there is a 0% chance I'm doing a repair to a device sold as fully functional, and that I suspect he would reject my return if I opened it.

He also tried to get me to pay for return shipping but ebay forced him to give me a return label lol.

JustaSandwich posted...

Has he scammed anyone else? What is his feedback like?

His positive feedback is 99% but completely hidden for some reason.

First time I've ever had a complaint on Ebay with about 100 purchases from there.

Error1355 posted...

I once bought a used Vita that was sold as fully working. Intended to play around with jailbreak stuff.

Had to record a video showing how fucking broken it was. I think like 20% of the touch screen worked and only X and some directional buttons. Ebay sided with me. (I would have probably closed my ebay account if they didn't lol)

The guy tried to get me to take it apart and 'do a simple fix' he knew would fix it. I told him there is a 0% chance I'm doing a repair to a device sold as fully functional, and that I suspect he would reject my return if I opened it.

He also tried to get me to pay for return shipping but ebay forced him to give me a return label lol.

I would love to tear this thing apart to see what's inside.

I'm guessing two Dixie cups, some shoe strings, and a dead squirrel. *lol*

Steffenfield posted...

His positive feedback is 99% but completely hidden for some reason.

First time I've ever had a complaint on Ebay with about 100 purchases from there.

Weird that eBay would allow someone to hide their feedback.

Killmonger posted...

Weird that eBay would allow someone to hide their feedback.

Yeah.

Not sure why though. :/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/387811c1.jpg

Steffenfield posted...

Yeah.

Not sure why though. :/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/387811c1.jpg

Not sure what the cause of it is, but Im able to see their feedback. Both desktop and the app.

I ordered some Samsung headphones on there and got ones that were almost identical to the real thing, but they were counterfeit. They were slightly lighter, the indicator light had a weird glow, and the print came off easily.

Sorry this happened, TC. Ebay should have your back if you report it, though. Hope you get your money back soon.

Bass posted...

Sorry this happened, TC. Ebay should have your back if you report it, though. Hope you get your money back soon.

That's very nice of you to say. :)

It's only been a few days now since I messaged the seller.

Guess I'll wait it out for the full week then file a report.

I don't think I can open the drive to see what's inside.

It's a sealed metal case. No rubber cushion thingies that can be pulled off so I could remove any screws.

This would need the Jaws of Life to cut thru.

Maybe I could try with a hammer. *lol*

Yeah, I have had extremely good luck with EBay handling and getting refunds in general.

misterbum posted...

Yeah, I have had extremely good luck with EBay handling and getting refunds in general.

This makes me feel hopeful.

Thanks!

Steffenfield posted...

It was a 5 TB external drive by Seagate.

First time plugging this into my PC, it was partitioned into 5 different letter drives by default.

After clearing these, the max memory available was only 500 GBs.

It's worthless though since I can't write to it or even scan for errors.

It's fake counterfeit garbage from Thailand with a lousy hand placed sticker on the box.

I sent him a message with three specific pictures but no response back.

Looking at the sale, there's a no return policy.

Seems like he knew ahead of time that this was fraud.

Is there anything I can do with Ebay or should I just chuck it up as a loss?

Didnt I read this post on reddit the other day? Was that you?

vycebrand2 posted...

Didnt I read this post on reddit the other day? Was that you?

No.

I did post over on the PC help forum here if that's what you saw.

Killmonger posted...

Not sure what the cause of it is, but Im able to see their feedback. Both desktop and the app.

Same. Was able to find them, and their feedback is showing up for me. Seems they have a habit of not responding to messages, based on other negative feedback

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/75ef1290.jpg

vycebrand2 posted...

Didnt I read this post on reddit the other day? Was that you?

I feel like I've seen that topic somewhere, too, though I thought it was on here. I remember someone saying they'd bought a hard drive with a bunch of different volumes on it and thought it looked fishy when I saw the screenshot.

Whatever the case, I'm 99.999999% sure eBay will cover you on this - I believe you need to get the ball rolling by initiating a return and giving the reason why, though (there may be an option for counterfeit items, or at the very least, you can select an "item not as described" option), and then you have to wait for the seller to respond, where they should either buy and send you a return label (which they probably won't, in this case) or simply give you a refund without asking for it back. If they don't respond within a certain amount of time, eBay will force them to refund you, even if you don't return it. Either way, you should get all of your money back by the time it's over.

Basically, "no returns" on eBay means that you can't return it if you decide you simply don't like it or need it any longer. You can always return something if it's broken, defective, counterfeit, etc., regardless of what the seller says. That being said, seeing this topic makes me wonder if shady sellers rely on people not knowing better and thinking they can't fight back.

AuthenticZac posted...

Same. Was able to find them, and their feedback is showing up for me. Seems they have a habit of not responding to messages, based on other negative feedback

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/75ef1290.jpg

Surprise they got such high feedback

Lazy_Haar posted...

I feel like I've seen that topic somewhere, too, though I thought it was on here. I remember someone saying they'd bought a hard drive with a bunch of different volumes on it and thought it looked fishy when I saw the screenshot.

Oh yeah, that was me.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/400-current-events/80930355

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/db5ccb7c.png

Couldn't get much help from here so I went over to the PC forums since they're always so good to everyone. :)

Item doesnt match description

As the buyer you are well protected here.

Steffenfield posted...

It's only been a few days now since I messaged the seller.

Guess I'll wait it out for the full week then file a report.

With a blatant scam like this, I wouldn't wait and contact Ebay immediately.

Think I might have gotten one of these.

News story that was posted earlier today....

A Heise investigation of used Seagate datacenter-grade hard drives sold as new revealed that they originated from Chinese cryptocurrency mining farms that used them to mine Chia several years ago.

According to the report, these drives many with 15,000 to 50,000 hours of prior use had their internal records altered to appear unused.

Anyway, I'll be filing for a refund tonight with Ebay.

I should be okay on this.

I've gotten really good at learning how to cry online. :D

I assume you don't use eBay much. You are a buyer and have genuinely been scammed. You will 100% get your money back. They always side with buyers

Steffenfield posted...

Looking at the sale, there's a no return policy.

means nothing

ebay policy is what matters

if they don't take return you get your money back and keep the item