Demo DX buyers: BEWARE of this eBay seller

[craziskata]

I know a fully working DX for cheap sounds great, but buying from this guy isn't worth the gamble. Seller is banggss. He's got hundreds of demos apparently.

The description makes you expect just a few scratches, normal wear and tear, right? And where are actual pictures of what he's selling? Well, there's a reason there are none, even if you ask for them.

The Kindles are pretty rough/terrible, but the icing on the cake is the shipping method:

A bare Kindle in a simple bubble wrapped envelope! WTF?!?! Of course, the screen is cracked & useless.

Other issues to expect if you pull the trigger:

* Damaged casing (mine was pulled upward, see pic)

* Serial info on back is erased (buffed/scratched off)

* Major black sticky residue

* Tons of scratches and scuff marks, even on the screen

* Questionable battery health because they haven't been charged in forever

Seller will only offer to replace, but after this, I really do not trust him or the condition of his other DXs.

[Shopaholic]

File a claim with eBay for Item Not As Described! He doesn't have a choice but to refund you. You do have to ship it back with Delivery Confirmation though as proof you sent it and they received it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

File a claim with eBay for Item Not As Described! He doesn't have a choice but to refund you. You do have to ship it back with Delivery Confirmation though as proof you sent it and they received it.

Last time I had an issue, I went to PayPal and they refunded my money (including shipping) and I was able to keep the item I got. No need to send it back.

[Shopaholic]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Last time I had an issue, I went to PayPal and they refunded my money (including shipping) and I was able to keep the item I got. No need to send it back.

How long ago was that? Things have changed greatly. If you buy something on eBay they now handle the claims process.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

File a claim with eBay for Item Not As Described! He doesn't have a choice but to refund you. You do have to ship it back with Delivery Confirmation though as proof you sent it and they received it.

Agreed. Be sure to leave negative feedback as well. Let others know how it is shipped and such.

[craziskata]

I posted mainly to warn other MR users, because 8 other people have purchased from this same seller. Who else would knowingly buy a crippled DX?

I'll be sure to follow ebay's steps. I really just want to leave negative feedback to warn others, but a part of me is hoping that I'd get a better replacement.

[SolRaven]

Wow! That's unreal. I'm selling my Kindle 2 on ebay which doesn't even have fingerprints on it it's so clean, but then I noticed that I used a labeler to put a name and number on the back and worried that the sticker will leave residue that will be hard to come off. I'm not going to worry about that anymore.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

Wow! That's unreal. I'm selling my Kindle 2 on ebay which doesn't even have fingerprints on it it's so clean, but then I noticed that I used a labeler to put a name and number on the back and worried that the sticker will leave residue that will be hard to come off. I'm not going to worry about that anymore.

Rubbing Alcohol and qtips will take care of the residue.
This is a tip I learned years ago for removing sticker residue from paperbacks. It really works. It takes a little patience but well worth it.

[Shopaholic]

Originally Posted by craziskata

I posted mainly to warn other MR users, because 8 other people have purchased from this same seller. Who else would knowingly buy a crippled DX?

I'll be sure to follow ebay's steps. I really just want to leave negative feedback to warn others, but a part of me is hoping that I'd get a better replacement.

I doubt you're going to get a better one. From what I read in the listing he's selling them for parts to do whatever you want with it. Generally that means they're not working. It's NO excuse for him to just plop it in a bubble envelope without even any cardboard but you're taking a gamble. It's your money but I wouldn't do it.

On top of that, you only get one go around with the eBay claims process. His listing says no returns so I don't think he's going to play nice which means you deal with eBay to make him. I'd go for getting my money back and learn a lesson. Don't buy stuff like that unless you're playing with money you're able & willing to lose!!!

After reading his listing, I wouldn't touch his stuff with the proverbial 10 foot pole. All of his pictures are stock photos, not the actual thing. His feedback is peppered with comments of lousy product. He tells you up front they're demo units from stores, some have boxes, some don't, some have cords, some don't, glue on the back. I like my odds at a blackjack table better than buying something like that. *shrugs*

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Rubbing Alcohol and qtips will take care of the residue.
This is a tip I learned years ago for removing sticker residue from paperbacks. It really works. It takes a little patience but well worth it.

The residue in the photo looks like GLUE, as though the demo was glued to some sort of stand for display. The glue may have pulled off some of the eink, rather than it being sratched off (from what appears in the photo).

Depending on how the stand was removed, it could easily have broken the glass by flexing while prying the DX off its stand. And you cannot see broken glass substrate damage until you power it up and display new screen contents.

The scratches that extend over the bezel onto the glass may be from many kindles being tossed into a large bin or box, probably damaging many of the screens.

I was very close to buying one to use its screen in my damaged DX, but now it looks like they may be broken BEFORE shipping.

Risky purchase. It would be nice to hear if anybody received unbroken screens on their units (only visible after power-on).

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

The residue in the photo looks like GLUE, as though the demo was glued to some sort of stand for display.

I was referring to SolRaven's label sticker she put on her K2.
I have no clue if it would work on glue.

[Iznogood]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Rubbing Alcohol and qtips will take care of the residue.
This is a tip I learned years ago for removing sticker residue from paperbacks. It really works. It takes a little patience but well worth it.

No need to waste alcohol like that. Vinegear can do the same job

[JoHunt]

Originally Posted by craziskata

I posted mainly to warn other MR users, because 8 other people have purchased from this same seller. Who else would knowingly buy a crippled DX?

I'll be sure to follow ebay's steps. I really just want to leave negative feedback to warn others, but a part of me is hoping that I'd get a better replacement.

You are not going to get a working DX for $99. The seller has made it very clear that he is selling the units for parts only and that the buyer should understand exactly what he is buying. This is eBay speak for "I am selling junk". If these units worked, they would be sold for $250+. Sorry, but you were being a bit naive to expect that the seller would send you a good unit for 40% of the price of a working Kindle DX. Of course there is no excuse for the sloppy shipping, but the seller might have thought that since the screen is already broken, the casing is damaged, etc., there was no need for careful packaging.

This seller probably bought a huge lot of these from salvage for a few dollars each (perhaps they were put in demo mode before being sent to salvage). It would be a miracle if even one worked.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200-PCS-OF-K...item19d4183fc7

Your best bet is to apply for a refund and chalk it up to experience and the lesson "if the price is too good to be true ..."

[fratermus]

Originally Posted by joehunt

The seller has made it very clear that he is selling the units for parts only and that the buyer should understand exactly what he is buying.

I looked at the auction and that was my take, too.

Originally Posted by joehunt

Sorry, but you were being a bit naive to expect that the seller would send you a good unit for 40% of the price of a working Kindle DX.

It is possible to catch deals as good as that when the seller mislists (typos, poor/incomplete/inaccurate title) or has an unlucky choice of end time, etc. Particularly if one is playing the long game with saved searches and sniping groups. But it is difficult to come out ahead without paying close attention.

{Edited to add: spent about 10mins searching through completed auctions using $1-$100 and the string
"kindle dx -(for,cable,battery,screen,fits,case,cover,adapter, light,ebooks,charger,skin,demo)"


It appears this never-used DX was listed by a new seller Buy It Now == $95 and purchased in just over 2 minutes of listing by an ebayer with 18k feedbacks. No neg/neutral feedback to the seller has appeared and the actual product photo looks believable. }


BN: it will be hard to say this without sounding catty, but another tipoff is sellers who use ALL CAPS and write as if barely literate. IME these traits are associated with sub-par feedback. And check out the toolhaus negs for the seller. Due diligence, my brothers and sisters.

[Begemot]

The seller bangss appears to be a relatively young one (judging by his rather limited language or maybe it is just Brooklyn, the only place in US were I have been cursed at by a store owner for calling them up and asking about a product) selling various items bought at surplus auctions. Kindles are pretty much his only electronic devices rest are pool supplies, toys, etc.

I too am awaiting with worry the arrival of Demo Kindle DX from him. He promised that the screen was fine. However, he might be a bit naive/inexperienced in shipping them out with substandard packing.

In any case, it will be "interesting" to see the shape the screen will be when it arrives here in Europe...