Fell for eBay Video Card Scam, What Do I Do?
Posted by SimSimTelabim@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 34 comments
I recently purchased a video card on eBay. The seller had 0 feedback and the account was newly created. The pics looked legit and the item wasn't located in China. I realised it was a scam after monitoring similar listings over the next few days. Each day a new seller would pop up with 0 feedback selling these cards.
Should I return the item while it's still in transit? Wait for it to arrive? I don't know what the best course of action would be.
Atma-Darkwolf@reddit
if you CAN, yes, if its inside country and u used UPS, u can often just have it directly sent back to sender, wherever it is, and do a charge back via however u made payment.
And be watchful for these, even amazon has a SLEW of 'video card' sales that end up just being (and i kid you not) a photo of a video card shoved in a cheaply duped 'package' that itself is just photocopied paper taped over a box.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
I have no idea what carrier is being used.
Atma-Darkwolf@reddit
often sites like 17track or similar universal tracking, will tell you. Just try to look up the tracking info on one of those.
And if u still very sure it is scam, can try to reverse charges too(but i would wait till it arrives, take note of the box and weight, etc, and if does not match expected, refuse it, and last resort, video tape as u open it to help with any dispute you need to open later with ebay.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
I'm apprehensive about being jumping on reversing charges too quickly. That's not without its potential problems.
Atma-Darkwolf@reddit
yes, even if u just consider the work it takes to do it, it can be a huge hassle. I wish the best of luck, but ya, record as u open and (if ucan) try to deny package if it will get send back to sender, otherwise, take it, totally unopened, and ship it back yourself with most post offices, just return to sender.
Bison_True@reddit
If you paid with paypal, you can dispute it if it is a scam
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Credit card. I heard PayPal isn't what it used to be.
ATFYF-@reddit
It's just another credit card
vihila@reddit
I had kind of the opposite experience, I bought a video card on eBay, and it got stuck in shipping. After it didn’t show up for 2 weeks, I put in a refund request and the seller refunded it. Two weeks later the card showed up, and it works great! Stuff like that hardly ever happens to me so I was stoked
fray_bentos11@reddit
Hopefully you sent the seller the money, otherwise you essentially stole it.
Elitefuture@reddit
They're gonna stall for as long as possible. Youll likely be out of your money for like a month, but you should get your money back
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Let's hope that's all it is.
Coding_Blink@reddit
Definitely try to cancel the order if u can since it's still in transit. A lot of scam companies will have 0 feedback and "alphabet soup" names that are auto-generated. I built GPU Sniper (https://gpusniper.com) to help avoid situations like this by identifying+blocking these kinds of sellers, and tracking prices and restocks from reliable sources. Made a HUGE difference for me in knowing when to buy without stressing about scams. I managed to score a 5070 for $500 a couple months ago, and it was even a gigabyte aero from Best Buy.
Definitely avoid buying on eBay now that this tracker exists.
Hope this advice helps!
Hejdbejbw@reddit
Can you cancel the order? If not, contact eBay.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
It has shipped already.
RumbleTheCassette@reddit
When it arrives if it's not what you paid for you issue s refund request with eBay. You'll be refunded if you do it asap when it arrives.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Watching the tracking like a hawk.
Vandrok@reddit
Might even want to record video of you opening the package just in case (if something does actually arrive).
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Yep, will definitely be doing that.
Anthr_slfpromotr@reddit
Stop payment with your bank o r credit card now
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
That's the last resort I think. I don't want to get a bad credit rating because eBay or the seller raises an issue.
Imaginary-Highway-19@reddit
A lot of the time, with the way the seller has it setup, it makes it impossible for the buyer to reroute the package, pick it up from an access point and so on. Any type of control that you (the buyer) could have over the package is non existent. It probably won’t ever come, but don’t worry. Just file a claim once the delivery date passes and you’ll get your money back within 2-3 weeks.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Hmm, fair enough, so wait until it's marked as delivered and then raise an issue.
AzureBat@reddit
When the parcel arrives, grab your phone and start recording immediately from before you even pick up the parcel. Then clearly inspect and show the parcel from all angles to see whether it has been tampered with or not. Then finally open the parcel and reveal the contents inside. If there is actually something, immediately install it and see whether it works or not. Make sure that the parcel / GPU is in view all the time throughout the recording and keep it as a single full length video. This makes it nearly impossible to place any blame on you. eBay has buyer protection but it sometimes does need sufficient evidence to actually help you.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
I'll definitely be recording it if it ever arrives.
Imaginary-Highway-19@reddit
Exactly.
PeeB4uGoToBed@reddit
Often, scammers will buy or steal pictures of people's hauls and boxes and use them for fake ebay listings. Ive had a few people message me asking if they could buy high quality photos of my computer parts for the sake of scamming lol
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Wow that's disconcerting.
jonblaze55@reddit
U don't buy that kind of stuff off eBay .... live and u learn
Middcore@reddit
Bought many cards on eBay with no issues... By going to reputable sellers and recognizing obvious red flags like the ones OP ignored.
Toihva@reddit
Hell, I was selling hardware and had buyers sending up red flares to highlight red flags.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
Yer I bought a video card just last year, no issues.
SimSimTelabim@reddit (OP)
I've always bought video cards off ebay in the past without issue.
jonblaze55@reddit
Well lucky ur just now having problems lol