The Ebay/Gamestop/Craiglist/Amazon/Goodwill/etc rant thread

[Tabonga | 2,318]

A frustrating update - I had another switch game package coming that said out for delivery today - at 4:22 it was changed to unable to deliver due to "lack of access to delivery location" - my mail box is right on the street where it always has been.  This is just getting ridiculous.  And of course no regular mail yet again. Are we headed to once a week mail delivery?

[Tanooki | 4,934]

Hah wow... today no surprise 1of2 showed up, the other is still at the post office around 3mi from here just sitting there for yet another day.  They suck, no reason for this level of incompetence so it must be laziness, apathy, or both.

[Tabonga | 2,318]

Later yesterday I got the same lack of access non delivery message onone of the other packages which previously showed the waiting for pickup - didn't even get the being delivered message.   This is just pathetic.

[Tabonga | 2,318]

A pleasant surprise for a change - the post office did a most unusual Sunday delivery - so I gor my regular mail, two switch games and a book. (The three packages were in awaiting pickup status.)

[Tanooki | 4,934]

My delayed for no reason game showed up too, along wth another that didn't delay -- go figure.  I have two outstanding still, but also I had this order for a few anime movies, not sure what the hell happened there.

[Lynda Monica | 350]

This isn't really a rant, but a crazy thing happened on eBay a few days ago.

I ordered an expensive Wii U game from somebody, (over $100) and it had been five days without it being shipped. The guy suddenly messaged me and apologized for it taking so long, and said he was very backed up with orders due to a family emergency. He said he was going to take a whole whack of parcels to the post office in two more days, and send them all at once so he'd get caught up.

I was frustrated, but I wasn't going to complain about a family emergency delaying things.

THREE days go by and I'm getting kind of worried, and out of the blue the guy messages me again. This time he said that he had planned to send all of the parcels while going home from work, but in his own words, "I stupidly left them all stacked on the passenger seat."

He then showed a picture of his passenger window completely smashed open! He had already issued a refund before he sent the message, so I said it was all good and wished him the best.

I just got the refund today and ordered a replacement copy, so hopefully this one actually makes it to the post office.

[Tanooki | 4,934]

Wow, he learned a valuable lesson, a few.  Don't be lazy, don't procrastinate, and don't be an idiot and leave things in your car in plain sight.  OUCH

[Lynda Monica | 350]

Okay, this time I'm frustrated.

I sent a pretty silly offer on a Hyrule Warriors strategy guide, and the person actually accepted it! It's been quite some time now, but yesterday it was out for delivery... in a different city.

The seller messaged me as soon as they saw the tracking was listed as "redirected to recipient's new address", and told me to update them if it manages to get to my house. According to them, eBay sent the wrong address entirely for the shipping label.

Stranger things have happened to me on eBay, so I genuinely believe it wasn't their fault. It's certainly a first though, which is never fun as I have no idea how this will play out.

The best-worst case scenario is the that it doesn't show up and I get a refund, but that's hardly comforting considering the price I got it for. I'm pretty much counting it out, as I have very little faith it will make it to me now.

It's only been one day since the error though, so hopefully things will turn around. The seller told me there was a return address on the parcel should it come to that, so there's still a chance it makes it here.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

 

great condition. Excellent condition. messages have not been responded to so far. 

Edit: Responded and offered 50% refund. Gonna do that and get the disc resurfaced and hope for the best.

Edited August 15, 2022 by CodysGameRoom

[Tabonga | 2,318]

This is a new one - early in July I ordered a switch game off of ebay.  Tracking was provided and showed that it got to the Denver distribution center on July 8th.  And according to the tracking it has not moved.  I did go to the post office and asked them - they supposedly called the distribution center and said there was a problem with the address - which if true I could have provided the right one.  I think they just couldn't be bothered to deal with it.

I did email the seller and ask them to try track it from the origin post office.  The only response I got was that tracking showed it was still being delivered.  I recently notified ebay that I still hadn't gotten it - the seller then responded again that the tracking showed it was being delivered.   

So I escalated it and asked ebay to step in.   I am sure the seller would just like me to accept the idea it is in transit until the point is reached where I can't get a refund - no thanks!!!!

Update - this was quick - I posted this right after I notified ebay and they issued me a refund!

Edited August 24, 2022 by Tabonga

[Tabonga | 2,318]

On 8/3/2022 at 6:19 PM, Lynda Monica said:

Okay, this time I'm frustrated.

I sent a pretty silly offer on a Hyrule Warriors strategy guide, and the person actually accepted it! It's been quite some time now, but yesterday it was out for delivery... in a different city.

The seller messaged me as soon as they saw the tracking was listed as "redirected to recipient's new address", and told me to update them if it manages to get to my house. According to them, eBay sent the wrong address entirely for the shipping label.

Stranger things have happened to me on eBay, so I genuinely believe it wasn't their fault. It's certainly a first though, which is never fun as I have no idea how this will play out.

The best-worst case scenario is the that it doesn't show up and I get a refund, but that's hardly comforting considering the price I got it for. I'm pretty much counting it out, as I have very little faith it will make it to me now.

It's only been one day since the error though, so hopefully things will turn around. The seller told me there was a return address on the parcel should it come to that, so there's still a chance it makes it here.

I once had a package that didn't show up (this was in the days before tracking was widely used)  - I got an email reply from the seller saying that his (i assume former by that time) girlfriend was supposed to be taking the packages to the post office - he gave her the shipping costs.   I did get a refund but I wonder what the hell the miscreant was doing with the packages.   And a seller once had a stack of packages stolen while he was carrying part of them into the post office - didn't get his window smashed since he had conveniently left the door unlocked.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

1 hour ago, Tabonga said:

This is a new one - early in July I ordered a switch game off of ebay.  Tracking was provided and showed that it got to the Denver distribution center on July 8th.  And according to the tracking it has not moved.  I did go to the post office and asked them - they supposedly called the distribution center and said there was a problem with the address - which if true I could have provided the right one.  I think they just couldn't be bothered to deal with it.

I did email the seller and ask them to try track it from the origin post office.  The only response I got was that tracking showed it was still being delivered.  I recently notified ebay that I still hadn't gotten it - the seller then responded again that the tracking showed it was being delivered.   

So I escalated it and asked ebay to step in.   I am sure the seller would just like me to accept the idea it is in transit until the point is reached where I can't get a refund - no thanks!!!!

Update - this was quick - I posted this right after I notified ebay and they issued me a refund!

This thing happens to me on occasion particularly with items sellers like to ship media mail (strategy guides). Theres a thing to fill out on the usps website called “wheres my package” or something like that. It usually gets the item moving again.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

3 hours ago, Simple1500 said:

Just got a set of SIngstar microphones and one of the games recently. The microphones were sold to me through the seller's offer at $15 with free shipping. Got both mics, plus the dongle. However, the mics have a smoke smell on them that the seller didn't list, but it's not too overbearing and I am not sure if I should return it. I managed to get the scent down by rubbing them with alcohol. It's mostly the stem of the cord and the inside of one of the mics that's most affected. The dongle didn't really have that scent. Thought about using the baking soda trick but I don't want the mics to get the powder inside, though I could get it on the exterior parts. Any advice?

Ive never actively tried to remove smell smell. It seems to dissipate pretty quickly to me. Id say just wrap it in a dryer sheet and let it air out. Don’t try to contain it or it will take longer

[fcgamer | 4,725]

Reallly screwy stuff going on with a semi-local guy in Changhua County. He purchased a Famiclone from me off a local auction site. I gave him my bank account details (it's weird, but here in Taiwan everyone just pays via deposit into the other person's account). Flash forward to a few hours later, he then proceeds to purchase a second (broken, yet rare) machine from me on the same site. About $180 worth of stuff. Sent me an image that shows my bank account, with the amount listed to be transferred. The only problem is that I didn't receive the money it seems. 

That account is a burner account where I keep my "play" money for buying games and what not, so although I don't have online banking with it, I know what's in there, and let's just say that the $180 never made it in. I am sure of this about 99%, to confirm 100% I'd need to piss away my lunch break some day through the week, something I really don't want to do.

So a few days later the guy messages me, well he puts in a request to cancel the order, under the reason of "Purchased the wrong item". Furthermore, after examining things a bit closer, I noticed that the guy didn't even complete the site's "check out" form, wherein one would enter the time he or she paid, the amount, etc. Literally, the only proof that he "paid" was a screenshot. So I cancelled the order, at this point I just want to be done with the transaction. I have too much stuff to worry about, my colleague and several students at the school got covid earlier this week, now I've got it too, my Taiwanese snack box company's got orders suddenly out the gazoo, it's a bad situation, and I'm just forced to sit at home and twiddle my thumbs.

Aside from not seeing the money in my account and the whole weirdness of the situation, another HUGE red flag for me was that the guy has a Vietnamese or Thai-sounding name, and he lives in Changhua County, a quite rural (and poor) part of Taiwan. I am not trying to be racist or anything but chances are the guy is a factory worker, and knowing the sort of wages to be made, I don't think a rare, broken Famiclone for $150 plus another working one for $30 is something a person in this situation would go for - even for the local Taiwanese to pay my $150 asking price is a bit of a stretch, but I figured it would allow some room for negotiation (as Taiwanese LOVE to negotiate). 

Anyways, tonight after the whole transaction has been cancelled, he messages me and asks if I had received anything (I guess by that he means money). I responded that I received nothing, but by now I really wish the guy would just disappear and let me alone, as I feel there is definitely something dodgy going on, and I honestly don't want any trouble. 

[TDIRunner | 2,741]

30 minutes ago, Multiplat Cat said:

I've stopped buying many things on Amazon and even some games on eBay. Basically, Amazon Prime ships fast but has a serious problem sending damaged, poorly packed items. 

I've noticed that Amazon packaging leaves a lot to be desired, but it could be worse.

 

My new PS5 just arrived!!!

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by TDIRunner

[austin532 | 467]

Ok, I sold a Gamecube but this seems really suspicious:

"Has a pop-up that says it has a glitch and to refer to the manual. Didn't come with a manual. Doesn't work. Please send a full refund. Thank you.

Please email a return label, system won't let me print one unless I submit a picture, which I don't have."

The glitch the person is referring to is usually caused by bad caps. I tested the system for an hour and from a cold boot up and it worked fine. So either this person swapped systems or I guess the caps did go bad from the very short amount of time it left my hands. What's your opinion?

Edited October 11, 2022 by austin532

[Tanooki | 4,934]

 I think odds are they're playing games, the change the caps got toasty and bulgy in the mail in that exact few days is pretty slim.  I'd say he needs to prove it, maybe roll the dice, say that before mailing it you tested, opened the system and serviced it, and when in there you took very specific pictures, pictures that would have part numbers or something so you'll know if you got back something that was not yours.  See if they quit responding or double down.  Feel it out.

[austin532 | 467]

They could also be using discs that are scratched to hell. This does seem like a scam though.

Edited October 12, 2022 by austin532

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

On 10/11/2022 at 4:06 PM, austin532 said:

Ok, I sold a Gamecube but this seems really suspicious:

"Has a pop-up that says it has a glitch and to refer to the manual. Didn't come with a manual. Doesn't work. Please send a full refund. Thank you.

Please email a return label, system won't let me print one unless I submit a picture, which I don't have."

The glitch the person is referring to is usually caused by bad caps. I tested the system for an hour and from a cold boot up and it worked fine. So either this person swapped systems or I guess the caps did go bad from the very short amount of time it left my hands. What's your opinion?

If you didn’t already, for the future, grab a picture of a serial number to help fight these kind if things

[austin532 | 467]

I take pictures of all sides including the serial #. It's not that hard to open a Gamecube though and someone could easily swap the insides.

[austin532 | 467]

Another follow up from the buyer:

"Brand new discs. Item says it has a glitch, does not work."

I asked the seller if the discs were scratched and that's what they replied with. The very brief reply seems suspicious though. If it truly didn't work, they would be more angry about it or at least give more details.

[Tanooki | 4,934]

That makes no sense how the game can says it has a glitch, they don't tell you hey I'm glitching, especially if they're new.  And if it's saying it has a glitch, how can it not work?  Must work, if it says it glitches, and if you opened a new product, it's no longer new and you lose.

[twiztor | 851]

have you asked for a picture of the error message? i agree that it seems suspicious all around.

[RH | 4,905]

Ugh…. Has eBay broken anyone else’s saved searches?

I have about 50 saved searches and probably 3/4 of them send me an email if anything pops up under that search.  Some of these items are semi-common and I’m either waiting for a cheap deal OR I do it to hunt rare variants.  Other saved searches are for those super-rare items that pop up once a year or less.

Well starting a couple of days ago I went from getting an average of about 8-10 eBay emails a day to 15-20.  Glancing at the results, my search results went from returning a typical 1-5 items to some of them returning 20-100!  What happened? Well it looks like eBay converted their matching process from an exact match to fuzzy-search logic.

I didn’t ask for this.  Most of my searches are now useless.  I kid you not, there are some searches for rare items that would return a bit about once every 2-3 months, and this one specific one has over 100 hits a day.  That’s because the unique word is about 3 characters away from a common word. So frustrating.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

3 hours ago, RH said:

Ugh…. Has eBay broken anyone else’s saved searches?

I have about 50 saved searches and probably 3/4 of them send me an email if anything pops up under that search.  Some of these items are semi-common and I’m either waiting for a cheap deal OR I do it to hunt rare variants.  Other saved searches are for those super-rare items that pop up once a year or less.

Well starting a couple of days ago I went from getting an average of about 8-10 eBay emails a day to 15-20.  Glancing at the results, my search results went from returning a typical 1-5 items to some of them returning 20-100!  What happened? Well it looks like eBay converted their matching process from an exact match to fuzzy-search logic.

I didn’t ask for this.  Most of my searches are now useless.  I kid you not, there are some searches for rare items that would return a bit about once every 2-3 months, and this one specific one has over 100 hits a day.  That’s because the unique word is about 3 characters away from a common word. So frustrating.

Havnt had that issue. But I have noticed that I used to get emails at 9:30 am every day for my saved searches. Now I get half at 9:30am and the second half after noon sometime