Any disadvantage to show serial number in ebay listing?

Dangerous_Dave · 1 Sep 2014 at 23:15

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of being scammed on ebay over a 7970 graphics card which was bought fully functioning and the buyer now wishes to return as broken. The buyer is new to ebay with 0 feedback history, and was asking me all sorts of funny questions before I even sent it about whether he could have a picture of the card label, the warranty remaining, and feeding me some BS story about how he wouldn't be able to test it for a week. Now he says he's had a computer technician verify that it's faulty, like you'd actually do that.

Anyway, my question is this: what are the downsides of showing the serial number in photos on ebay listings? This might be a deterrent to people buying working versions of their broken components and trying to 'return' the broken one, as the serial number obviously wouldn't match.

PapaLazaru · 1 Sep 2014 at 23:18

Dangerous_Dave said:
Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of being scammed on ebay over a 7970 graphics card which was bought fully functioning and the buyer now wishes to return as broken. The buyer is new to ebay with 0 feedback history

Sorry to hear, but why on earth did you sell it to someone with 0 feedback?

Dangerous_Dave · 1 Sep 2014 at 23:19

One of the (many) flaws of ebay is that you have very little choice over who you sell items to. When somebody wins the listing and pays, they have a hold over you if you don't send the item in that they can leave you negative feedback but you can't leave them any.

Aedus · 1 Sep 2014 at 23:40

I've not used Ebay to sell, but someone mentioned before you could block certain people from bidding on your items, people with under a certain amount of feedback IIRC.

Here:
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/buyer-requirements.html

Dangerous_Dave · 1 Sep 2014 at 23:41

I have all the blocks it lets me put on. I think it's just people with negative feedback and buyer reports, and maybe people who signed up very recently (regardless of feedback).

gambitt · 2 Sep 2014 at 00:11

He's right - you can't block someone with 0 feedback, only -1 or lower.

Do you have many photos of your original item?

No harm in making the serial number visible in the photos, but you could always add it to the notes in the order information after the buyer has paid (note to buyer section). That way it's on record. Also keep a photograph of the serial number.

Weazle · 2 Sep 2014 at 01:20

Never post/send your serial number to the person who bought it off you .... if the person opens a case against you, phone eBay and deal with eBay direct.

If you want to post pictures in an eBay listing, always blank out the serial number.

As a lesson for the future, take pictures of the serial numbers with your photo ID before posting them off.

Haggisman · 2 Sep 2014 at 08:51

You could always try calling his bluff and mention that you will be checking the SN matches and the security markings you put on the card

(I think if I ever sell anything like that on ebay again I will actually invest in a UV pen to mark my items)

Diagro · 2 Sep 2014 at 09:59

The thing is... If he sends the card back and it is indeed not the same you will allready have the funds removed from your account by ebay.

Its then up to you to fight ebay & Paypal to prove the seller is scamming you and all i can say here is GOOD LUCK

£15 · 2 Sep 2014 at 10:02

How about not answering his questions and simply instructing him to return the item for a full refund?

If it is indeed faulty, then that is all he has to do. He doesn't need any of the other information; that's between you and the retailer/manufacturer.

Deleted member 651465 · 2 Sep 2014 at 10:06

BadMojo said:
How about not answering his questions and simply instructing him to return the item for a full refund?

If it is indeed faulty, then that is all he has to do. He doesn't need any of the other information; that's between you and the retailer/manufacturer.

...because he will send back a card that the OP did not originally send out? :confused:

Richdog · 2 Sep 2014 at 10:09

Dangerous_Dave said:
Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of being scammed on ebay over a 7970 graphics card which was bought fully functioning and the buyer now wishes to return as broken. The buyer is new to ebay with 0 feedback history, and was asking me all sorts of funny questions before I even sent it about whether he could have a picture of the card label, the warranty remaining, and feeding me some BS story about how he wouldn't be able to test it for a week. Now he says he's had a computer technician verify that it's faulty, like you'd actually do that.

Anyway, my question is this: what are the downsides of showing the serial number in photos on ebay listings? This might be a deterrent to people buying working versions of their broken components and trying to 'return' the broken one, as the serial number obviously wouldn't match.

If warning bells started ringing before he bought the actual item, and combined with this he had 0 feedback, then you should simply have blocked him. Trust your instincts, especially when they start asking for things which you are pretty sure must be dodgy.

V-Spec · 2 Sep 2014 at 10:17

Richdog said:
If warning bells started ringing before he bought the actual item, and combined with this he had 0 feedback, then you should simply have blocked him.

You can't block 0 feedback, only -1 I think, the best you can do is delete their bids, but they can keep bidding and still win, afaik..

Heehawdafty · 2 Sep 2014 at 10:35

Get on to Ebay and tell them what the crack is, and unless he opens a dispute neither Paypal or Ebay will refund him, plus if he isn't Paypal verified then there not likely to refund him and you do not have to sell to anybody you don't want to after all its you're gear your selling, you can always go to Ebay and tell them you think somethings dodgy
i had a geezer give me his address as kensington palace needless to say i called ebay and they told him to do one.

cainer · 2 Sep 2014 at 10:48

Richdog · 2 Sep 2014 at 11:45

V-Spec said:
You can't block 0 feedback, only -1 I think, the best you can do is delete their bids, but they can keep bidding and still win, afaik..

Hmm I thought you could block specific Ebay usernames... maybe rules have changed since I last saw it.

V-Spec · 2 Sep 2014 at 12:28

Richdog said:
Hmm I thought you could block specific Ebay usernames... maybe rules have changed since I last saw it.

I think you used to be able to, but they changed the policy to people with -1, presumably because new users were having a hard time bidding on things worth more than 99p.

I had a guy from china with 0 feedback I tried to block from bidding on something expensive, I added his username to the block-list but it didn't do anything, all I could do was delete bids, in the end he didn't win but there's no way i'd have sent something worth £1000, to a zero-feedback bidder in china lol..

bloodiedathame · 2 Sep 2014 at 12:30

I wouldn't show serial numbers in my listing. Someone could tamper with it, or swap the label between products.

Best thing to do is not use ebay.

mx0range · 2 Sep 2014 at 12:42

bloodiedathame said:
I wouldn't show serial numbers in my listing. Someone could tamper with it, or swap the label between products.

Best thing to do is not use ebay.

whats to stop them doing this any way once the item has been received? personally i cant see it being a bad thing to show the serial in all its untampered with glory. i usually put a mark on any item or take a pic of anything distinctive

FoxEye · 2 Sep 2014 at 12:45

Showing a pic of the serial number or quoting it in the ad is not really going to protect you.

You could always have taken the photo from a working card and instead sent a faulty one.

Logically the buyer could use that as a defence even if you did in fact send a working card with the shown serial number.

In any case, eBay will always side with the buyer.

Any disadvantage to show serial number in ebay listing?

Deleted member 651465

Deleted member 651465