Support NeoGAF

[kendrid]

eBay almost always sides with the buyer, even with proof. Every time I "have" to sell an expensive item on eBay (usually camera gear) I am terrified of getting ripped off. I take multiple photos of the serial number, item, etc, just in case things go wrong.

 

[robochimp]

But since PayPal must have had your bank info saved in it, how were they not able to just withdraw it? I'm pretty sure they can automatically re-add funds into the account from whatever source you saved.

PayPal can not reach in to your other accounts and take money with out you initiating the transfer.

 

[Lemstar]

fwiw, I've sold something like 1800 items over four years and I think I've had zero people try to pull a fast one on me (and that includes a few dozen consoles and other items in the three digit range)

there are certainly dumb buyers out there and eBay's resolution process has definitely shafted me a couple of times because of it, but I'm pretty certain that I've won cases that would have hosed me were they A-Z claims

by the way, you can't just cancel completed sales because the buyer has no feedback; either you're lying by misrepresenting the cancellation as a problem on the buyer's end, or you're incurring a defect on your account

Does this work? Buyer on ebay basically has no recourse if you simply state "as is"?

no lol

 

[CrustyBritches]

Sorry man, you're in a hard place without proof of the serial number. Hard lesson learned. I've sold all sorts of components on Ebay and never had an issue because I thoroughly document every aspect of the item I'm selling as well as taking 20-30 product shots and blurring the serial.

If you don't do much selling and the unit is out of warranty I would go as far as opening the unit and putting some sort reference number on the inside and documenting it.

Good luck.

 

[nel e nel]

Doesn't eBay have a time limit where either party can file a claim? After which there is no recourse for either party?

 

[ChrisD]

I've sold an original PS3 on ebay, but made sure to always have serial numbers and alot of pics during auction. Only once did a scammer try to pull the wools over my eyes, by saying he nwvwr received the package (it was a game collectors edition). I sent it with tracking which I always do and had proof it arrived and he signed off. Managed to get my money and paypal ruled in my favour. As long as you have proof, tons of auction pics, paypal won't side blindly with the buyer if its a scam

Had the same deal with a 3DS XL I sold for $150 years back. Sold it to pay off another purchase.

Seeing a >100 in the negative PayPal balance was frightening. Not knowing if eBay would actually side with all of the evidence.

Wishing you luck, OP, but if all goes badly at least take this much away for the future:

Always write down the Serial Number.
Always use Tracking.
Always use Signature Confirmation on higher-ticket items.

 

[Am_I_Evil]

i had someone try to pull this kind of scam on me locally (craigslist) but the idiot made the mistake of telling me he had a broken PS4 so when he texted me about how mine wasn't working i knew it was bullshit

 

[coughlanio]

i had someone try to pull this kind of scam on me locally (craigslist) but the idiot made the mistake of telling me he had a broken PS4 so when he texted me about how mine wasn't working i knew it was bullshit

I mean, I would never refund a cash transaction anyway. I always test everything before I sell, and really, caveat emptor. Everything I sell, is sold as-is, and that's that. Might be an asshole thing to do, but that's the way it is.

 

[Švejk]

I feel ya. I sold an OG 60GB PS3 a few years back for a good price. I had the current firmware and serial number listed in the auction. Guy bought it then kept asking if it had certain firmware, which i told him exactly what it was, as listed. (I know he was fishing for the firmware that was hackable at the time). He then proceeded to file a complaint that i sold him the wrong one, which was total BS. BUT, he had that ebay buyer protection, so they refunded him immediately and they ended up billing me the cost back. I got the same ps3 back and resold immediately, but i REFUSED to pay ebay for that crap. I fought it so hard! They suspended my account. Good.. Never using them again. Fuck that dude and ebay in it's stupid asses.

 

[SlickVic]

i had someone try to pull this kind of scam on me locally (craigslist) but the idiot made the mistake of telling me he had a broken PS4 so when he texted me about how mine wasn't working i knew it was bullshit

Craigslist almost has the opposite problem of eBay where the buyer can be pretty much SOL with a broken product. Assuming you don't meet at the seller's house, it can be pretty difficult to track them down after the transaction is complete. If it's a cash transaction probably near impossible unless you happen to run into them by chance somewhere. Texts, calls, and emails can pretty easily be ignored.

Everything there is basically sold 'as is' and the buyer is assuming that risk after the transaction is complete.

 

[arturo2666]

I mean, I would never refund a cash transaction anyway. I always test everything before I sell, and really, caveat emptor. Everything I sell, is sold as-is, and that's that. Might be an asshole thing to do, but that's the way it is.

Yeah, if someone buys a console off craigslist without testing first, they're doing it wrong.

 

[Wuthering_Heights]

And this is why you Gamestop.

It's worth the convenience tax and no-idiot tax.

 

[Ivory Samoan]

I'm currently selling my PS4 on Trademe (New Zealand's eBay competitor) and hadn't taken a photo of the serial or anything....this thread has prompted me to do so right now!

I didn't even think this was a thing, console scams for banned ones: learn something new every day: hope OP gets to keep his $

 

[Dash Kappei]

fwiw, I've sold something like 1800 items over four years and I think I've had zero people try to pull a fast one on me (and that includes a few dozen consoles and other items in the three digit range)

there are certainly dumb buyers out there and eBay's resolution process has definitely shafted me a couple of times because of it, but I'm pretty certain that I've won cases that would have hosed me were they A-Z claims

by the way, you can't just cancel completed sales because the buyer has no feedback; either you're lying by misrepresenting the cancellation as a problem on the buyer's end, or you're incurring a defect on your account


no lol

When you say A-Z claims you mean as an Amazon Seller I take it? Their "A-Z Customer's Warranty" or whatever it's called? Because yeah, I found Amazon's even worse than eBay in always siding with the customer whatever my evidence was: if the customer sends the item back, doesn't matter if it's a different item or they've broken it or used as long as it's what they claim it to be ("I paid for SMario3DW and the seller gave me Mario Party 10 instead"... -no I didn't you lying motherfuckin switcharoo scammer-), you can be 99.9% sure that Amazon will refund them the money you were owed for the sale and to add insult to injury most of the time even the shipping costs on top of it.

 

[Persona7]

Does this work? Buyer on ebay basically has no recourse if you simply state "as is"?

No. Typing that or "no refunds" literally means nothing because ebay can force a refund.

At that point you can refuse to refund if you receive a different console/item though, since you have documented video proof. Not to mention you can easily file a police report with that much evidence.

Yeah, I've heard of people buying items and then using them for a while and then deciding to get a refund.

 

[Varg]

Never use eBay. I learned the hard way. No protection for the seller at all. The buyer is usually right to them

 

[Cleve]

God's speed OP. This is why I only sell face to face and in a very public place. Like I accidentally bought two SSDs so I sold one on Craigslist. I met the guy at a gas station in the middle of the day. He seemed as nervous as me. Too many horror stories out there.

Lots of police stations will let and even suggest you meet up there. It keeps people safe and saves them time.

 

[ZeroX03]

I'm currently selling my PS4 on Trademe (New Zealand's eBay competitor) and hadn't taken a photo of the serial or anything....this thread has prompted me to do so right now!

I didn't even think this was a thing, console scams for banned ones: learn something new every day: hope OP gets to keep his $

Scamming is far less prevalent on TradeMe.

Just for general insurance and warranty purposes you should always have your serial numbers anyway.

 

[cube001]

What if the buyer is a gaffer and now he knows the plan!

 

[Aztechnology]

I will never deal with Ebay ever again, the majority of all my sales on ebay ended up with people trying to scam me. I learned to take note of every little detail of my sold item, so when they sent it back I could nail them. Only sell on Amazon and Craigslist now.

 

[///PATRIOT]

I got scammed a couple weeks ago regarding my Xbox ONE. Nigerian Prince got me. Shouldn't have been so greedy.

lol

 

[gate stormer]

There's quite a bit of scammers on craigslist as well. If someone contacts you extremely quickly on a craigslist item that isn't rare or highly sought after, they will offer to pay your asking price but are likely to be out of state or some shit like that.

 

[LifEndz]

I will never deal with Ebay ever again, the majority of all my sales on ebay ended up with people trying to scam me. I learned to take note of every little detail of my sold item, so when they sent it back I could nail them. Only sell on Amazon and Craigslist now.

This is me, except it's only amazon. I like that I receive payment as soon as I confirm shipping, as opposed to eBay making me wait for whatever period of time after I ship the item, and I like that I can use a zero refund policy.

But OP's story has me a bit shook. I might just trade my PS4 in to Qmqzon for a gift card just to be safe.

 

[Hesh]

And this is why you Gamestop.

It's worth the convenience tax and no-idiot tax.

Aren't PS4's only worth like $80-90 cash at GameStop now? I'm not sure if the convenience is worth less than 50% of what you could get by selling it yourself. Yeah, eBay sucks, but there's still a chance you won't get scammed or you can use other avenues like Amazon Marketplace, Gumtree, Craigslist, and others.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

He won't care. Ebay will side with him regardless. They only care about tracking numbers and proof of delivery. They'll enforce the full refund as long as the buyer has proof of delivery. Once someone files a claim on a transaction you can't even leave negative feedback so this guy can pull this shit on the next seller.

Ebay only works because the buyer protection is so strong. I buy things on Ebay, but I'd never in a million years try and sell anything that way.

Isn't it time that trading standards or some other entity looked into this from a audit perspective? How can eBay just always side with buyer?

 

[Nephilim]

Look OP, just give me my money back man!

 

[nekkid]

I'd be very surprised if Sony support couldn't tell you the serial number based on your user and security information. They'd also be able to confirm whether it's been banned or not - if you're lucky they might send you confirmation of that you can pass on.

 

[minkymuskyslyoldstoaty]

Nothing to add but good luck, OP.

 

[vonStirlitz]

[Redacted as the member no longer wishes to be associated with this website, and the reputational damage and distress caused by association with this website. In addition, the user considers that the action of the management, and the nature of the site and members of its community, renders the original terms and conditions of this site void, and it unconscionable for either side to be bound to them. The user reasserts their IP rights in all content and does not give any authority for its continued usage on this website. Despite requesting that the user's account be deleted, in accordance with data protection rules which apply to this website over multiple jurisdictions, the admin team have failed to delete this account, requiring the user to take its own steps to ensure the valid deletion of data.]

 

[lifeexpectancy]

Never sell anything on eBay unless you want to get scammed.

Also never sell anything on Craigslist unless you want to get shot.

I generally only sell things to friends and people I personally know. If no one I know wants to buy it, I just won't sell it. People are scum.

Lol EVERY time I see someone saying that about craigslist I laugh. I have sold dozens of items on craigslist, probably over 100 at least, to include a motorcycle once. I've never been shot/stabbed/raped/robbed/ etc. You meet in a public place. Banks are great if selling a vehicle because you can get the bill of sale notorized and get them to buy a cashier's check so you dont get scammed. Walmart for small ticket items works and they will let you use their bill marker to make sure the $20/50 bills are legit.

Craigslist is slower for selling than ebay, but it's 100% scam free if you weren't born yesterday.

 

[captainraincoat]

Just wanna point out its very easy to swap the shell with the serial number on it and there would be no way to tell....best way to mark your console is to take out the hdd and engrave the actual steel board....you can do this without voiding warranty

 

[N30RYU]

Can't you access your router loggin info... isn't the MAC like a serial number? that way you'll know if they send you a replaced ps4.

 

[Nocturno999]

What if the op is the scammer? His avatar speaks volumes. (J/K and good luck)

 

[Compsiox]

Couldn't you ask Sony support if the console you had was banned and then use that as proof in the PayPal dispute?

 

[Backlogger]

Threads like this make me never want to use eBay again. I already use it a lot less because of fees

 

[Compsiox]

I'd be very surprised if Sony support couldn't tell you the serial number based on your user and security information. They'd also be able to confirm whether it's been banned or not - if you're lucky they might send you confirmation of that you can pass on.

Yeah OP go for it

 

[RenditMan]

Tell the guy to send the serial number of the console before sending the console back and tell them you have written and photographic proof from sony of the correct one. Tell them the returned console will also be checked with Sony to confirm if you were the previous owner.

Then mention any attempt to fraudulently swap consoles with one that wasn't yours will have all evidence handed over to the authorities.

See what they do.

 

[baconcow]

Aren't PS4's only worth like $80-90 cash at GameStop now? I'm not sure if the convenience is worth less than 50% of what you could get by selling it yourself. Yeah, eBay sucks, but there's still a chance you won't get scammed or you can use other avenues like Amazon Marketplace, Gumtree, Craigslist, and others.

Depends on where you are. In Canada, at the Pro launch, I got $175 basic for PS4 +$35 bonus on PS4 Pro when trading OG PS4 +$50 price reduction for trading towards a PS4 Pro. $260 tax-free credit is a lot better than any eBay risk. Brought the cost from $500 to $240, before taxes.

 

[StromboliProtocol]

Pretty simple; take a picture of one of your friend PS4 serial. Use it as a proof. He is screwed.

He'll know that you're lying but he won't be able to prove it.

 

[pizzapizza64]

It's a shame to see what eBay has become.

 

[lifeexpectancy]

I'm not sure how the laws may work in the UK, but you could try filing some sort of complaint with your local police department and maybe contact any other government agency that handles internet crimes. For instance, in the US you could file a police complaint regarding this if you shipped with USPS (And maybe the others) you can file a complaint with the FBI for mail fraud. Once eBay gets the police complaint they send it to the buyer as well and that would perhaps scare them into backing off.

With as much crime they deal with for significantly larger offenses, petty theft of a $300 game console vis ebay scamming will get aproximately zero police time after they hand you the form to filea report. This seems like wasted effort. Unless you mean to do it merly so you can send a copy of your complaint as 'evidence', which means very little since ebay almost always sides with the buyer.

 

[Symphonia]

Vashetti, as you know, I had my own issue with eBay when selling my phone. We all know how that turned out. They will - 100% of the time - side with the buyer. That's why the prince of Nigeria ended up walking away with both my iPhone and £350.

 

[benny_a]

Can't you access your router loggin info... isn't the MAC like a serial number? that way you'll know if they send you a replaced ps4.

Smart thinking!

 

[Lemstar]

When you say A-Z claims you mean as an Amazon Seller I take it? Their "A-Z Customer's Warranty" or whatever it's called?

Yeah.

I will never deal with Ebay ever again, the majority of all my sales on ebay ended up with people trying to scam me. I learned to take note of every little detail of my sold item, so when they sent it back I could nail them. Only sell on Amazon and Craigslist now.

lol

Have you ever bought something off Amazon and had it go wrong, and customer service bent over backwards to make it up to you? Imagine what it's like being the seller in one of those cases when the buyer's trying to pull something fishy. The only difference between Amazon and eBay when it comes to shit like OP's troubles is that you're even less likely to win if it happens on Amazon.

And don't even get me started on...

But OP's story has me a bit shook. I might just trade my PS4 in to Qmqzon for a gift card just to be safe.

trading things in at Amazon. I can guarantee that a bunch of the people here who traded in PS4s recently and took the instant credit are going to regret it.

 

[SlickShoes]

Like everyone has already said eBay will side with the buyer.

I sold no man's sky on eBay near release and the guy said it was broken physically when he received it. eBay auto refunded him, I had no refunds policy but that doesn't matter to eBay. He then posted me back an empty envelope. It took me three weeks and two appeals to get eBay to side with me.

That buyer is still on eBay and still scamming people I get messages all the time form other sellers asking why eBay removed my feedback on his account and amazingly he's still going and scamming others.

I've sold some big items on eBay but due to seeing first hand how much they favour the buyer and obvious scammer I'll probably never bother again.

 

[Vamp]

Pretty simple; take a picture of one of your friend PS4 serial. Use it as a proof. He is screwed.

He'll know that you're lying but he won't be able to prove it.

Thats smart.

 

[SlipperyFishes]

Is there a way to call sony and see when the console was banned?



How easy is it to swap serial numbers on one?

Hard. Once you boot the device up you can see it listed in the settings.

 

[RedFox85]

I have sold over 100 items on Ebay of various prices from retro consoles to current day tech and toys. I have had 3 attempts at scamming over the years and was able to work with ebay to foil these attempts every time. Those saying they always side with the buyer are mistaken. In my experience this is the case when you have a burden of proof on yourself and can't provide anything to back up your claims. As a seller we have to take extra precautions and unfortunately this is a lesson many of us learn the hard way.

The first time I was scammed on ebay it was over a 100 dollar purchase, the person who bought the item left me positive feedback everything was cool and then a week later they attempted a refund through paypal. It took awhile but I was able to get my money and they sided with me. The second time it was to a man who claimed he never got the package, I had to do some SERIOUS digging on this person and even though I had no paid for signature confirmation (stupid) I was able to get the post office to give me a copy of a signature proving that the man used a third party "agent" to sign for and forward his package. In that case eBay sided with me. The final time was just a week ago, a case that I won yesterday in which AGAIN the buyer pulled some shenanigans and says he did not receive his package. This time the package said "delivered to Agent" but I had tracking and I showed ebay that it did in-fact say delivered to his address so they sided with me 100% stating that the items tracking says it got there.

I need to ship a New Nintendo 3ds model on monday that I sold and this thread has got me nervous, especially coming off of a fresh scam. I will be sure to take more photos and jot down my serial numbers after reading this. I am sorry for what you are going through OP, people are absolute scum.

 

[DragoonKain]

"'Trust me', I'm a martial arts expert and I was in the military" Whoops.... Wait.... "I was in the military, KID!"

Spoiler

sorry dude, this is just silly

OP - this is the silliest most cringe-worthy thing you could do. DO NOT THREATEN ANYTHING.

If you want to call his bluff, simply say you called Sony and they say your serial number isn't banned and you are reporting him to eBay and cut off all contact. IMMEDIATELY report this issue first to eBay, as well, don't wait.

Then patiently wait 300 years for a response.

That may very well also work, but what if the console was legitimately banned? There is a small outside possibility that the buyer is an idiot and did something unknowingly and got it banned or something of the sort. Or Sony screwed up and banned the console without the OP knowing. Then the OP just flat out lied to the guy, and if there is the outside chance the buyer is telling the truth, he will leave OP a negative feedback, file a SNAD case and he will win.

I'm trying to cover him on both instances, and this isn't necessarily a direct threat. It still promises to take care of him on the outside he is telling the truth, but also scares him in the event that he isn't.

Even though he's a small private seller and not a big corporation, I still think buyers should be respected and them at least partly taken at their word.

Yes, it's highly probable the buyer is lying, but I've sold things before a few times where the buyer claimed something totally outrageous happened, and I wanted to call him a scammer and write him off or lie to him to call his bluff, but I found out later they were telling the truth.

But if OP wants to be less aggressive, that can work too. I just wanted him to scare the living hell out of him to show he means business, but also at the same time show compassion that you will take care of him if he's telling the truth. I was just throwing a rough blueprint out there to what he could say.

 

[V1LÆM]

try put the fear in him. say you have recorded the serial number and secret/unique marks so that you will know straight away it is the console you sent. he'll either A) send it back and there is genuinely something wrong with the console or B) email you "it's ok it's working now".

as already said contact amazon/sony and see what they can do to help you out. i believe Amazon now record the serial/imei of all electronic devices just FYI.

Amazon's got you covered

To protect your device if it's lost or stolen and ensure that it will be returned to you if found by police, we will automatically take these actions for all devices dispatched from, and sold by Amazon, without sharing any of your personal information:

• Register its serial number on the National Mobile Property Register used by the UK Police forces, so the police can help you get it back.

• Register its serial number on CheckMEND, a database used by over 9,000 2nd hand traders, pawnbrokers and recyclers making it easy to locate in case it's ever resold.

not sure when they started it. other than that i don't know what else to do. it seems ebay/paypal care more about the buyer than seller. best of luck.