Stories of online buying

[CherubHorse]

A few months ago I bought a Nintendo DS online, apple green in color, and I received it....it turns out that it was a F-A-K-E and hundreds of fake accounts had given the seller positive feedback, and even for the fake DS's......Gosh, I was SOOO angry! The seller was Chinese and they had terrible grammar so explaining to them that I wanted a full refund was not easy to get across. When they figured out what I was saying, they started yelling at me and telling me I was threatening them, and told me they would give me a $7 refund if I sent it back....yeah, right. Well, it's pretty much the same thing as a real DS, just really, really crappy sound quality, and the touch screen isn't as sensitive. Oh, and the buttons aren't too sensitive either. Cheap piece of garbage is what I got...and I wasted $125.

https://www.1up.com/news/ebay-sold-fake-ds

This website shows the same exact fake DS that I got....with the same mistakes that the manufacturer made.

Nowadays I'm ALWAYS careful about buying things on Ebay....first, make sure the seller isn't Asian, because they tend to have clever knockoffs (NO OFFENSE TO ASIANS!!!!). Second, make sure that the seller doesn't sell things in HUGE bulk. Next, make sure that the picture of the advertised item is of the actual item, not a picture pulled off of Google. Last, cross your fingers and prepare to be disappointed if things go wrong.

I hope nobody else gets scammed. That was a really horrible thing that happened to me. And a word of warning, a DS should never be bought off of Ebay....only from actual stores like GameStop or Target.

 

[bluegreen]

A few months ago I bought a Nintendo DS online, apple green in color, and I received it....it turns out that it was a F-A-K-E and hundreds of fake accounts had given the seller positive feedback, and even for the fake DS's......Gosh, I was SOOO angry! The seller was Chinese and they had terrible grammar so explaining to them that I wanted a full refund was not easy to get across. When they figured out what I was saying, they started yelling at me and telling me I was threatening them, and told me they would give me a $7 refund if I sent it back....yeah, right. Well, it's pretty much the same thing as a real DS, just really, really crappy sound quality, and the touch screen isn't as sensitive. Oh, and the buttons aren't too sensitive either. Cheap piece of garbage is what I got...and I wasted $125.

https://www.1up.com/n...ay-sold-fake-ds

This website shows the same exact fake DS that I got....with the same mistakes that the manufacturer made.

Nowadays I'm ALWAYS careful about buying things on Ebay....first, make sure the seller isn't Asian, because they tend to have clever knockoffs (NO OFFENSE TO ASIANS!!!!). Second, make sure that the seller doesn't sell things in HUGE bulk. Next, make sure that the picture of the advertised item is of the actual item, not a picture pulled off of Google. Last, cross your fingers and prepare to be disappointed if things go wrong.

I hope nobody else gets scammed. That was a really horrible thing that happened to me. And a word of warning, a DS should never be bought off of Ebay....only from actual stores like GameStop or Target.

Actually people of any race will rip you off, making sure they aren't Asian won't mean you won't get ripped off. I know you don't mean to offend Asians but there are honest Asians out there you know.

 

[purpurn]

A few months ago I bought a Nintendo DS online, apple green in color, and I received it....it turns out that it was a F-A-K-E and hundreds of fake accounts had given the seller positive feedback, and even for the fake DS's......Gosh, I was SOOO angry! The seller was Chinese and they had terrible grammar so explaining to them that I wanted a full refund was not easy to get across. When they figured out what I was saying, they started yelling at me and telling me I was threatening them, and told me they would give me a $7 refund if I sent it back....yeah, right. Well, it's pretty much the same thing as a real DS, just really, really crappy sound quality, and the touch screen isn't as sensitive. Oh, and the buttons aren't too sensitive either. Cheap piece of garbage is what I got...and I wasted $125.

https://www.1up.com/n...ay-sold-fake-ds

This website shows the same exact fake DS that I got....with the same mistakes that the manufacturer made.

Nowadays I'm ALWAYS careful about buying things on Ebay....first, make sure the seller isn't Asian, because they tend to have clever knockoffs (NO OFFENSE TO ASIANS!!!!). Second, make sure that the seller doesn't sell things in HUGE bulk. Next, make sure that the picture of the advertised item is of the actual item, not a picture pulled off of Google. Last, cross your fingers and prepare to be disappointed if things go wrong.

I hope nobody else gets scammed. That was a really horrible thing that happened to me. And a word of warning, a DS should never be bought off of Ebay....only from actual stores like GameStop or Target.

Open a ticket with ebay and explain to them that they are holding you by the balls - pardon the phrase, but they are actually threatening you by saying that they will only give you $7 back for it if you return it. They still have to be held to ebays standards. Explain that the item is a knock off (probably a Hong Kong knock off... ) and explain that you will send the item back for a FULL refund if that is what is required.

I mean - I have gotten ripped off by American sellers in the past selling bootleg DS games before - so it doesn't matter where the person is in the world, but ebay still has to fix issues with things like that.

-Purn

 

[LittleChocoWolf]

A few months ago I bought a Nintendo DS online, apple green in color, and I received it....it turns out that it was a F-A-K-E and hundreds of fake accounts had given the seller positive feedback, and even for the fake DS's......Gosh, I was SOOO angry! The seller was Chinese and they had terrible grammar so explaining to them that I wanted a full refund was not easy to get across. When they figured out what I was saying, they started yelling at me and telling me I was threatening them, and told me they would give me a $7 refund if I sent it back....yeah, right. Well, it's pretty much the same thing as a real DS, just really, really crappy sound quality, and the touch screen isn't as sensitive. Oh, and the buttons aren't too sensitive either. Cheap piece of garbage is what I got...and I wasted $125.

https://www.1up.com/n...ay-sold-fake-ds

This website shows the same exact fake DS that I got....with the same mistakes that the manufacturer made.

Nowadays I'm ALWAYS careful about buying things on Ebay....first, make sure the seller isn't Asian, because they tend to have clever knockoffs (NO OFFENSE TO ASIANS!!!!). Second, make sure that the seller doesn't sell things in HUGE bulk. Next, make sure that the picture of the advertised item is of the actual item, not a picture pulled off of Google. Last, cross your fingers and prepare to be disappointed if things go wrong.

I hope nobody else gets scammed. That was a really horrible thing that happened to me. And a word of warning, a DS should never be bought off of Ebay....only from actual stores like GameStop or Target.

LOL. I'm sorry, about I found this funny.

I don't think I have EVER IN MY LIFE have seen an "apple green" DS, that should of been your red flag, RIGHT there..

 

[CherubHorse]

LOL. I'm sorry, about I found this funny.

I don't think I have EVER IN MY LIFE have seen an "apple green" DS, that should of been your red flag, RIGHT there..

Well they actually do exist. They come in a "set" that includes "Personal Trainer: Cooking" as a gift package I guess.

Actually people of any race will rip you off, making sure they aren't Asian won't mean you won't get ripped off. I know you don't mean to offend Asians but there are honest Asians out there you know.

I know many, many honest Asians. Too many to count xD My new high school is a boarding school and it consists of about 25% Asians. I have visited the school many times before (I'll be a Freshman this year) and I've met people of every race. But on Ebay most of the bulk sellers that are Asian usually have many red flags on their pages that will literally scream at you that you're gonna get ripped off (ahem-- price), and I've been warned of this, but...

Also I looked it up and most people said that the DS is probably a discarded DS from the factory that wasn't up to par, and there is a warehouse in Hong Kong or wherever it is, and they just refurbish them. New case (hence the weird random bumps on the case from pushing in a screw too tightly), etc....well it was explained online but I suppose I wasn't completely ripped off, because I don't think anyone would take the pains to completely remake a DS as a copy of Nintendo.

It really does play DS games and Gameboy games perfectly like a normal DS though.

I'm glas it works, though.

 

[purpurn]

Well they actually do exist. They come in a "set" that includes "Personal Trainer: Cooking" as a gift package I guess.

I know many, many honest Asians. Too many to count xD My new high school is a boarding school and it consists of about 25% Asians. I have visited the school many times before (I'll be a Freshman this year) and I've met people of every race. But on Ebay most of the bulk sellers that are Asian usually have many red flags on their pages that will literally scream at you that you're gonna get ripped off (ahem-- price), and I've been warned of this, but...

Also I looked it up and most people said that the DS is probably a discarded DS from the factory that wasn't up to par, and there is a warehouse in Hong Kong or wherever it is, and they just refurbish them. New case (hence the weird random bumps on the case from pushing in a screw too tightly), etc....well it was explained online but I suppose I wasn't completely ripped off, because I don't think anyone would take the pains to completely remake a DS as a copy of Nintendo.

It really does play DS games and Gameboy games perfectly like a normal DS though.

I'm glas it works, though.

Just so you know - Hong Kong is like it's own state of sorts if I remember correctly. So what that means is that they don't have to comply with the same standards for certain items as say the rest of China. I don't remember exactly where or when I read that (researching Tamas and Tama like v-pets at one time....), but that basically means that even though it looks like a real original it might not be. I mean if the DS works then all good I guess LOL, but I do a lot of checking and research before buying something from a seller in Hong Kong especially when it doesn't have any packaging. There are actually people who collect Hong Kong knock offs cause they tend to be pretty funny and weird LOL

-Purn

 

[LittleChocoWolf]

Yeah, i try to never buy anything from Hong Kong >u< I dunno, most people I know seem to have issues from them, but I've boughten a few things from there and it seems okay.

 

[StenoTim]

You're more likely to get ripped off from a Chinese source because they don't have the same laws and accountability we have. You see it all the time with international copyright infringements; the offenders are simply never prosecuted because China makes tons of money selling knock-offs to Europe, the U.S., and within the country itself. Why would their government want to put a stop to that?

 

[bluegreen]

You're more likely to get ripped off from a Chinese source because they don't have the same laws and accountability we have. You see it all the time with international copyright infringements; the offenders are simply never prosecuted because China makes tons of money selling knock-offs to Europe, the U.S., and within the country itself. Why would their government want to put a stop to that?

So we should never buy Chinese stuff from ebay ever again?

 

[bluegreen]

So we should never buy Chinese stuff from ebay ever again?

Sorry for double posting but I forgot to add something: I'm really sorry if I offended lots of people, I didn't mean to sound racist. I just asked a question.

 

[purpurn]

Sorry for double posting but I forgot to add something: I'm really sorry if I offended lots of people, I didn't mean to sound racist. I just asked a question.

Well, it's not that buying from China automatically means that the item is fake. Hong Kong is like a huge center for creating "fakes". In all honesty from what I understand most people don't consider Hong Kong to be like the rest of China - like it's its own like "state" and has different standards from the rest of China.

In general it's a good rule of thumb to check up and learn as much about the items on the internet before purchase to help you discern fakes from genuine merchandise. Learn tell tales and if you aren't sure, ask questions or possibly for more photographs. You can buy fakes from ANYWHERE - singling out a particular country or area is not a good way of conducting business. Single out bad sellers who either A ) sell fakes trying to pass them off as real or B )refuse to accept that they know nothing about the items that they sell and just sell them cause they think they are real.

The bottom line is to be cautious of buying online from anyone anywhere. Even sellers with the best intentions occasionally sell fakes by accident, but a good seller willing to answer questions and give more info or pics is a seller worth their weight in gold.

-Purn

 

[SailorRosette]

Sorry for moving your posts guys. Lets keep the stories in here. Instead of where they were.

 

[Hardcore Tama]

I once paid for a learn japanese book online off of a website I don't even remember, we sent them our money through snail mail, but I never received the book and they never emailed us back OTL; ever since that I do all my online shopping using paypal and my mom stay's out of it (she NEVER buys anything online after that)

 

[StenoTim]

So we should never buy Chinese stuff from ebay ever again?

Oh no, that's not what I meant. I was just trying to shed some light on why knock-offs and copyright infringements have been so rife in China; the situation is being cracked down on more and more, though. I just have some experience with this because I dealt with some copyright issues when designing knitting patterns.

I had to sign away my copyright to a major yarn label, only to find that you can't copyright a knitting pattern, merely the pattern layout and the printed/designed document which has the pattern on it (such as a paper patternbook or webpage). This led me into the world of copyright laws, knockoffs, and the IP situation in the fashion industry. But I learned a lot about the situation in China in the process.

 

[Mamapatchi]

I bought a Mario Kart DS cartridge from eBay once.

Just let me say- I've never used eBay since...

 

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

LOL. I'm sorry, about I found this funny.

I don't think I have EVER IN MY LIFE have seen an "apple green" DS, that should of been your red flag, RIGHT there..

I once saw an Apple Green Nintendo DS Lite in the game shop a couple years ago.

Anyway, I ordered a purple 15th Anniversary iD L from Japan Trend Shop, which was supposedly reliable, but got sent a NORMAL purple iD L.

Also, with online grocery shopping, particularily Woolworths, you'll see that many people complain about squashed bread, spoiled milk, and broken eggs.

 

[bluegreen]

I once saw an Apple Green Nintendo DS Lite in the game shop a couple years ago.

Anyway, I ordered a purple 15th Anniversary iD L from Japan Trend Shop, which was supposedly reliable, but got sent a NORMAL purple iD L.

Also, with online grocery shopping, particularily Woolworths, you'll see that many people complain about squashed bread, spoiled milk, and broken eggs.

That's sad but at least what you got wasn't damaged or fake, right? And...online grocery shopping? Never heard of it. I'd rather buy from the local supermarket anyway.

 

[kuchipatchi.is.blue55]

I do agree with you, CherubHorse; in China, there are loads of fakes everywhere. I would say that they're sort of infamous for fakes.

I have spent a lot of time around Chinese/Asian people (almost all of my friends are Asian) and I have to say most of them also look out carefully for fakes as well. I do agree that really, anybody can produce fakes; maybe Asian people want to sell real stuff these days to drop that reputation.

To me, regardless of what country the seller or item is from, if you check the item carefully, compare it to others, the price is good, you can afford it, buy it. Don't discriminate because of one bad experience with a seller, or because of race or country of origin. I understand why you're hesitant about getting stuff from China, though; I've come to be a little cautious too over the years. I remember buying a fake Dinkie Dino numerous times, only to have it break after 5 minutes (although that was from a dollar store).

But let's get off that.

I've bought stuff from eBay (only iD L's, I'm afraid), and both have been pretty good experiences. One was shipped to me by a Caucasian man living in Japan, one was shipped via a Japanese person. Both were real, worked perfectly, and one broke because I was a teeny bit abusive (moral: never carry Tamagotchis in your hoodie pockets).

So far, my online buying experience has been very good, and to be honest, if I couldn't use eBay, I'd be pretty annoyed.

 

[superdonut]

I've only had one bad experience with buying online, but it was so minor, it's not even really worth mentioning. I had bought an ipod case from Ebay, and the seller was in HongKong... With my experience of buying figures and models, I'm aware that there are alot of bootleg ones, mainly coming from HongKong. But I thought, since this wasn't a figure, I'd go ahead and purchase it... besides, it was super cheap~ When I got it... it was so terrible.. the stitching was so bad, and didn't fit nicely over the ipod... it was just kind of a mess, so I just tossed it. It was cheap, and so I didn't bother getting my money back or anything...

But, I buy aloooot online... and so far, it's all been pretty good~ You just have to be smart about it~