So I bought a blacklisted Kindle off Craigslist - Page 6

darknessangel · 09-24-2010, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott h

you can always sell it on craigs list

Just kidding...

Best advice in the thread! Do it! I mean... Try being evil more often, it gets easier! =D

ProfCrash · 09-24-2010, 09:48 AM

This is a well known scam. It has been posted about at the Amazon boards, Kindle Boards, and here. Even registering the Kindle when you purchase it does not negate the possibility that it will be shut down later. There have been cases where the Kindle was registered for a day and then went dead. It depends on when the person reports it.

Case in point. My Mom lost her Kindle, it might have been stolen, we don't know. The last time she had it was when she was visiting me. I called home a couple of weeks later when I saw that her Kindle was no longer registered to my account. She told me that she had been looking for it for a week. When I asked her when she last remembered using it, it was on vacation at my house. So she could have had it stolen at an airport or left it on the plane.

I called Amazon as soon as I knew it was lost and reported it lost. They asked a bunch of questions, when did you buy it, when was it lost, and then personal account info only I should have had. After five minutes, they bricked the Kindle.

In this case, someone could have found my Mom's Kindle and been using it for a couple of weeks before it died. Or sold it on EBay or Craigs List and that person then lost the use of the Kindle.

I would not buy a Kindle off of EBay or Craigs List for this very reason. Even if it comes in the original packaging and can be registered it could still be reported stolen later that day. If it comes without the packaging and the charger sold with it, it could be stolen or lost and deactivated at any time. Then you are left with a crippled device.

JSWolf · 09-24-2010, 09:55 AM

If you do not report this stolen Kindle to the police, you could be arrested for knowingly receiving stolen goods.

detayls · 09-24-2010, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kermalou

I know the moral dilemna. Thanks for the refresher. It was brand new in box and the box wasn't even opened.

I wanted to save $20 and wanted the thing today. I am out $120 at the moment since this guy won't pickup. Amazon probably wouldn't touch it with a 18 foot pole.

Now do I have to register this thing?

You don't get it. It doesn't belong to you and you are guilty of receiving stolen goods.

karunaji · 09-24-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Further $120 is not an unreasonably price to pay for a wifi kindle in craigslist, there could be a situation where somebody got it as a gift and would rather sell it and keep the cash.

I agree and the fact is that you may never know the actual situation. It may be a gift to someone who really didn't want it but also didn't want to hurt the feelings of a giver by returning it to Amazon. But he or she may have needed to explain the disappearance of a device, so a tale gets invented how it got stolen. And then the giver dutifully reports the device as stolen.

Or it may be stolen from a mailbox. In either case I wouldn't make this too big of an issue. If Amazon does not want it back then involving police would be spending more public money than those $120. I would learn the lesson and switch off the wireless and use it for reading .mobi e-books. And honestly would give it back when one day somebody comes to claim it as his property.

deferredreward · 09-24-2010, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gargoyle67

Although I bet when kermalou bought the k3 it wasn't at the sellers residence, Which in of it's self would cause me pause.

All other issues aside: when buying an item off craigslist, it's best to meet in public, not at your or their house.

gargoyle67 · 09-24-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deferredreward

All other issues aside: when buying an item off craigslist, it's best to meet in public, not at your or their house.

That's all well and good, But other than a phone number and a name you have no way of knowing who your dealing with, ID's if asked for can be faked and phones can be disposable, At least with a residence it's a bit more permanent and you can forward the address to the police. Other than a phone number and name (prob bogus), What does the OP have ? Nada.

PharaohsVizier · 09-24-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you do not report this stolen Kindle to the police, you could be arrested for knowingly receiving stolen goods.

That is just stupid, and just bad advice. He has a good enough story to just get away with a slap on the wrist.

darknessangel · 09-24-2010, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by detayls

You don't get it. It doesn't belong to you and you are guilty of receiving stolen goods.

And the police is going to send a swat team and catch you and they'll tell you... "You're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air!"

I think you haven't noticed, but OP clearly stoped caring about it some pages ago.

gargoyle67 · 09-24-2010, 12:53 PM

yes only because he's loading his stolen kindle with the pirate warez

Richey79 · 09-24-2010, 03:35 PM

I know it has nothing to do with the ethical arguments, but on a practical level all this would have probably been avoided if Amazon didn't use the very cheapest postage they could find, and at least required a signature on drop off.

The company no doubt weighed up the cost of providing a slightly better postage option on super-saver against the cost of a few losses here and there through theft resulting from packages left on doorsteps etc. It seems the latter was calculated to be a lower overall cost to the business.

desertgrandma · 09-24-2010, 06:04 PM

From the Amazon Kindle support page.

"I found a Kindle.

Please contact us for instructions on how to send us the Kindle you found. We will contact the owner and return the Kindle to them."

Wouldn't this work for a stolen one as well? This page.....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200510540

Robert Minneman · 09-24-2010, 06:23 PM

Here's my two cents:

The OP was trying to save a bit of money and time by trying Craig's list. Good, legal deals occur ALL THE TIME, at least as often as illicit scams, on Craig's list, so it's not totally unreasonable to believe this was indeed a legit deal.

The OP tried to register and found the device bricked (I too wish the cellular industry would practice this sort of policy), contacted Amazon and from the Amazon response posted by the OP, it doesn't appear that Amazon is all that interested in getting the device back.

Also, we're all pretty much in agreement that the original person the black listed Kindle was intended for has received a replacement, so that person no longer figures in any moral equation on what the OP should do.

The OP has stated that he has attempted many times to contact the seller to return to him, and has not received any contact from him. Legally, that's about all he can do in working with the person he bought it from, so that no longer figures into any moral equations.

Many have suggested he contact law enforcement and admit that the prospect of the Kindle being confiscated as evidence is fairly high so the OP just has to eat the 120 bucks spent on the device. Too bad so sad... I guess they're enjoying the view from their high horses now.

Here's my thought:

The OP should in fact report this to the police.

IF the police confiscate the device then all you oh so righteous people should reward the OP by taking up collection amongst yourselves, say 20 bucks a piece, and BUY the OP a new Kindle, or device of his choice.

You get to see "the right thing done", get to practice your "christian (or other preferred form of religious) charity" paying your rent for that moral high ground you're standing on, and then NO ONE has to lose, except possibly the jerk who sold the device if law enforcement actually does anything.

How about it you moral high roaders, willing to put up, or shut up?

PharaohsVizier · 09-24-2010, 07:11 PM

And I hear the crickets chirping. These morons just wanted to spiel about how great they think they are. They have no interest in doing the right thing, and if they found themselves in the same position, I doubt they'd take their own advice.

kermalou · 09-24-2010, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Minneman

How about it you moral high roaders, willing to put up, or shut up?

Love the idea Robert. Wonder if these same people are willing to get me Kindle DX for all my troubles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PharaohsVizier

And I hear the crickets chirping. These morons just wanted to spiel about how great they think they are. They have no interest in doing the right thing, and if they found themselves in the same position, I doubt they'd take their own advice.

And PV, if this happened to them maybe they would feel better at the moment, but $120 lighter in the wallet would hurt them more in the near future.

Been using this thing for two days and having to resort to devious ways to load this thing, I think I will eventually pony up $140 and get this from Amazon so I can do what I wanted to from the beginning, read some new books easily.

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09-24-2010, 09:48 AM	#77
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	This is a well known scam. It has been posted about at the Amazon boards, Kindle Boards, and here. Even registering the Kindle when you purchase it does not negate the possibility that it will be shut down later. There have been cases where the Kindle was registered for a day and then went dead. It depends on when the person reports it. Case in point. My Mom lost her Kindle, it might have been stolen, we don't know. The last time she had it was when she was visiting me. I called home a couple of weeks later when I saw that her Kindle was no longer registered to my account. She told me that she had been looking for it for a week. When I asked her when she last remembered using it, it was on vacation at my house. So she could have had it stolen at an airport or left it on the plane. I called Amazon as soon as I knew it was lost and reported it lost. They asked a bunch of questions, when did you buy it, when was it lost, and then personal account info only I should have had. After five minutes, they bricked the Kindle. In this case, someone could have found my Mom's Kindle and been using it for a couple of weeks before it died. Or sold it on EBay or Craigs List and that person then lost the use of the Kindle. I would not buy a Kindle off of EBay or Craigs List for this very reason. Even if it comes in the original packaging and can be registered it could still be reported stolen later that day. If it comes without the packaging and the charger sold with it, it could be stolen or lost and deactivated at any time. Then you are left with a crippled device.

09-24-2010, 09:55 AM	#78
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,786 Karma: 146391129 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	If you do not report this stolen Kindle to the police, you could be arrested for knowingly receiving stolen goods.

09-24-2010, 12:53 PM	#85
gargoyle67 Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 180249 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kobo Aura	yes only because he's loading his stolen kindle with the pirate warez

09-24-2010, 03:35 PM	#86
Richey79 mrkrgnao Posts: 241 Karma: 237248 Join Date: May 2010 Device: PRS650, K3 Wireless, Galaxy S3, iPad 3.	I know it has nothing to do with the ethical arguments, but on a practical level all this would have probably been avoided if Amazon didn't use the very cheapest postage they could find, and at least required a signature on drop off. The company no doubt weighed up the cost of providing a slightly better postage option on super-saver against the cost of a few losses here and there through theft resulting from packages left on doorsteps etc. It seems the latter was calculated to be a lower overall cost to the business.

09-24-2010, 06:04 PM	#87
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	From the Amazon Kindle support page. "I found a Kindle. Please contact us for instructions on how to send us the Kindle you found. We will contact the owner and return the Kindle to them." Wouldn't this work for a stolen one as well? This page..... http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200510540

09-24-2010, 06:23 PM	#88
Robert Minneman Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 18010 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505	Here's my two cents: The OP was trying to save a bit of money and time by trying Craig's list. Good, legal deals occur ALL THE TIME, at least as often as illicit scams, on Craig's list, so it's not totally unreasonable to believe this was indeed a legit deal. The OP tried to register and found the device bricked (I too wish the cellular industry would practice this sort of policy), contacted Amazon and from the Amazon response posted by the OP, it doesn't appear that Amazon is all that interested in getting the device back. Also, we're all pretty much in agreement that the original person the black listed Kindle was intended for has received a replacement, so that person no longer figures in any moral equation on what the OP should do. The OP has stated that he has attempted many times to contact the seller to return to him, and has not received any contact from him. Legally, that's about all he can do in working with the person he bought it from, so that no longer figures into any moral equations. Many have suggested he contact law enforcement and admit that the prospect of the Kindle being confiscated as evidence is fairly high so the OP just has to eat the 120 bucks spent on the device. Too bad so sad... I guess they're enjoying the view from their high horses now. Here's my thought: The OP should in fact report this to the police. IF the police confiscate the device then all you oh so righteous people should reward the OP by taking up collection amongst yourselves, say 20 bucks a piece, and BUY the OP a new Kindle, or device of his choice. You get to see "the right thing done", get to practice your "christian (or other preferred form of religious) charity" paying your rent for that moral high ground you're standing on, and then NO ONE has to lose, except possibly the jerk who sold the device if law enforcement actually does anything. How about it you moral high roaders, willing to put up, or shut up?

09-24-2010, 07:11 PM	#89
PharaohsVizier Connoisseur Posts: 92 Karma: 510274 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle 3, Kindle DXG, Kindle Fire, Kindle Touch	And I hear the crickets chirping. These morons just wanted to spiel about how great they think they are. They have no interest in doing the right thing, and if they found themselves in the same position, I doubt they'd take their own advice.