Kindle 3 for $45 on eBay. Is it scam or not? - Page 3

BeTePoK · 10-03-2010, 04:37 PM

Makes sense. But as I posted above, there are also few places, where you can find a Kindle for merely $30, if you'll take 1000 or more readers at the same time.
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/34..._Kindle_3.html
So, someone could buy 1000 readers for $30.000 and then sell them all for $45.000, earning $15.000 for nothing (she shipping is on seller's side, but the could work at post offiece or know how to make it cheaper). Something like that.

Barty · 10-03-2010, 04:41 PM

Just to play devil's advocate: aren't kindles made in China? Maybe these fell off the truck on the way from the factory to the shipping yard

BeTePoK · 10-03-2010, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

Just to play devil's advocate: aren't kindles made in China? Maybe these fell off the truck on the way from the factory to the shipping yard

Well, maybe!

rcuadro · 10-03-2010, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

Just to play devil's advocate: aren't kindles made in China? Maybe these fell off the truck on the way from the factory to the shipping yard

My Kindle DXG was assembled in China... as was my iPhone 4

SolRaven · 10-03-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeTePoK

Hey! The seller got first positive feedback on Kindle 3! From the US!
How it could be? Super-fast shipping?

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...ms=positive_30

It was rescinded. She said she gave feedback by accident and that she just ordered it today.

It seems too good to be true. When I found my K2 for $100 on ebay last year I was skeptical. Fortunately, after I bought it, I saw the guy's real name in PayPal so I googled him which led me to his Linkdin & Flickr accounts. Turned out the guy used to work for Amazon and from his photos he had stood online outside of Apple to get the new ipad. I guess he was "upgrading", even though they're clearly 2 dif. types of devices.

Needless to say, I was no longer worried that I was getting a fake. It looked brand new when I got it.

mrzerga · 10-03-2010, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeTePoK

Hey! The seller got first positive feedback on Kindle 3! From the US!
How it could be? Super-fast shipping?

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...ms=positive_30

the first feedback it is not:

*
Follow-up by judieb4 (Oct-03-10 13:54):
I left this feedback in error....just purchased item today.

Solicitous · 10-03-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeTePoK

Hey! The seller got first positive feedback on Kindle 3! From the US!
How it could be? Super-fast shipping?

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...ms=positive_30

Actually if you read the feedback it says;

Quote:

Follow-up by judieb4 (Oct-03-10 13:54):
I left this feedback in error....just purchased item today.

So they have only ordered, not received.

ski_power · 10-03-2010, 07:09 PM

Definitely something fishy (duh)
1. Chinese seller
2. Surprisingly he has an account from August last year.
3. Not even close to the manufacturing costs of the Kindle I'm sure.
4. Also it'll take like weeks to ship from china, you never know what's going to happen.

As a caution, even if it were a fully functional version, expect the 3G radio to be disabled since it most likely would have been blacklisted by Amazon.

(p.s. the real reason I'm replying to this thread is that I'm interested in the updates that people give)

GreenMonkey · 10-03-2010, 07:20 PM

Notice almost all of the feedback on the account...it's over a period of a few months of this year. And it's all jewelry. All of it. Cheap, cheap jewelry. Now suddenly it's selling 80,000 kindles or whatever.

It's just a cut and run. Have fun waiting around to get your money back from paypal.

Think of it this way. Why would they sell kindle 3s for $45 when they could sell them almost as well at $80? Because they want to sell them fast. Why do they want to sell them so fast? Because they're going to take the money and skedaddle!

The only sellers you should trust with this kind of too-good-to-be-true kind of deal should be a well known seller on ebay like buy.com or compgeeks or something.

coolbreeze · 10-03-2010, 09:01 PM

In all fairness, the past feedback is pretty decent.

soondai · 10-03-2010, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeTePoK

Makes sense. But as I posted above, there are also few places, where you can find a Kindle for merely $30, if you'll take 1000 or more readers at the same time.
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/34..._Kindle_3.html

Actually, it says the minimum order is 5 Kindles, not 1000. It says they can do up to 1000.

Does an unregistered Kindle function at all?
It needs to be registered in order to decrypt the DRM, right?

Edit: I think I might hold out for the 100 dollar DX

GA Russell · 10-03-2010, 09:56 PM

I don't know very much about Kindles. I thought that a stolen Kindle could be reported to Amazon, and they would disable it. Isn't that correct?

So if these were stolen, they wouldn't work, right?

Francesco · 10-03-2010, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volwrath

I will say this, if you examine sellers feedback on ebay, hes been selling $0.99 items almost exclusively, possibly to get his feedback up enough to dupe people into buying $45 kindles

If it smells like a scam, walks like a scam, looks like a scam... oh, well, let's see how it all ends!
Thank you brave buyers!

cuteseal · 10-03-2010, 10:16 PM

I can foresee three outcomes:

1. Seller doesn't post the item
Buyer loses $45, or claims it back through ebay/paypal after filing a dispute

2. Item is a fake / clone
The unit just resembles the kindle but is made with alternative parts - maybe lcd instead of E-ink screen, and runs an alternative OS

3. Item is stolen
The unit will not be able to be registered with Amazon, and the buyer will not be able to purchase / download books through Amazon.

With options 2 and 3 you might get a semi-working / non-working e-book reader that you may or may not be able to load books on from the PC from other sites.

Technically you could file a dispute with ebay/paypal in any case if it's not as described but... worth $45?

elmoglick · 10-03-2010, 11:25 PM

Shocking surprise conclusion to thread:

This listing (170548098781) has been removed, or this item is not available.

Nor is the seller (Netshui) an eBay member any more. (Well, at least under that name).

10-03-2010, 04:41 PM	#32
Barty doofus Posts: 2,551 Karma: 13089041 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Just to play devil's advocate: aren't kindles made in China? Maybe these fell off the truck on the way from the factory to the shipping yard Last edited by Barty; 10-03-2010 at 04:50 PM.

10-03-2010, 07:20 PM	#39
GreenMonkey DRM hater Posts: 945 Karma: 2066176 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Michigan Device: Nook ST glow, Kindle Voyage	Notice almost all of the feedback on the account...it's over a period of a few months of this year. And it's all jewelry. All of it. Cheap, cheap jewelry. Now suddenly it's selling 80,000 kindles or whatever. It's just a cut and run. Have fun waiting around to get your money back from paypal. Think of it this way. Why would they sell kindle 3s for $45 when they could sell them almost as well at $80? Because they want to sell them fast. Why do they want to sell them so fast? Because they're going to take the money and skedaddle! The only sellers you should trust with this kind of too-good-to-be-true kind of deal should be a well known seller on ebay like buy.com or compgeeks or something. Last edited by GreenMonkey; 10-03-2010 at 07:26 PM.

10-03-2010, 11:25 PM	#45
elmoglick Groupie Posts: 165 Karma: 206 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Kansas City Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX, Kindle DXG	Shocking surprise conclusion to thread: This listing (170548098781) has been removed, or this item is not available. Nor is the seller (Netshui) an eBay member any more. (Well, at least under that name). Last edited by elmoglick; 10-03-2010 at 11:27 PM.

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10-03-2010, 04:37 PM	#31
BeTePoK Guru Posts: 740 Karma: 12616666 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Republic of Belarus Device: Sony PRS-505	Makes sense. But as I posted above, there are also few places, where you can find a Kindle for merely $30, if you'll take 1000 or more readers at the same time. http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/34..._Kindle_3.html So, someone could buy 1000 readers for $30.000 and then sell them all for $45.000, earning $15.000 for nothing (she shipping is on seller's side, but the could work at post offiece or know how to make it cheaper). Something like that.

10-03-2010, 07:09 PM	#38
ski_power Book eater Posts: 181 Karma: 2068 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle 3 G 3G (<-lol)	Definitely something fishy (duh) 1. Chinese seller 2. Surprisingly he has an account from August last year. 3. Not even close to the manufacturing costs of the Kindle I'm sure. 4. Also it'll take like weeks to ship from china, you never know what's going to happen. As a caution, even if it were a fully functional version, expect the 3G radio to be disabled since it most likely would have been blacklisted by Amazon. (p.s. the real reason I'm replying to this thread is that I'm interested in the updates that people give)

10-03-2010, 09:01 PM	#40
coolbreeze Addict Posts: 214 Karma: 2600 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Nook Color, White 3G K3	In all fairness, the past feedback is pretty decent.

10-03-2010, 09:56 PM	#42
GA Russell What a weekend! Posts: 7,695 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I don't know very much about Kindles. I thought that a stolen Kindle could be reported to Amazon, and they would disable it. Isn't that correct? So if these were stolen, they wouldn't work, right?

10-03-2010, 10:16 PM	#44
cuteseal Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 170 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle 3	I can foresee three outcomes: 1. Seller doesn't post the item Buyer loses $45, or claims it back through ebay/paypal after filing a dispute 2. Item is a fake / clone The unit just resembles the kindle but is made with alternative parts - maybe lcd instead of E-ink screen, and runs an alternative OS 3. Item is stolen The unit will not be able to be registered with Amazon, and the buyer will not be able to purchase / download books through Amazon. With options 2 and 3 you might get a semi-working / non-working e-book reader that you may or may not be able to load books on from the PC from other sites. Technically you could file a dispute with ebay/paypal in any case if it's not as described but... worth $45?

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