Crappy deal and Paypal question

darag2358 · 07-22-2007, 02:00 AM

I'm working on my first carputer. I'll be putting a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in to it, not to mention money. I don't want to my work get ripped off, and I hate to hear when others get their cars broken in to and get their stuff ripped off. Thieves are low-lifes.

My issue is that I bought a used Lilliput touchscreen off of Ebay. Got it, turned it on, pushed the buttons, everything looked good, turned it off (never hooked it up to a PC because mine I wasn't at that point in the build yet), and left the guy positive feedback. Now I'm getting to that point where I can start installing OS, software, etc. I took the TS out of the box again and I saw that the serial number is completely and intentionally scratched off.

I sent the guy an email. Basically he just says sorry. I emailed him again. I'm a little ticked off and I'm figuring I have 3 scenarios: 1) just say "screw it" and just use the thing and avoid the hassle, 2) report it to the police and ebay and possibly have to turn it in to the police and I would be out of the cash I paid, 3) just demanding a refund and sending it back to him and let him handle it. My guess is that the guy didn't realize that the serial number was scratched off, but it is. I gave him the option of refunding the money including shipping and I would send it back and let him deal with it how he chooses, or refunding a portion of the money to avoid the hassle for both of us and just saying "screw it". He comes back and tells me it sounds like a case of buyers remorse and he's not going to do anything about it.

So I email again and explain to him that it is a federal crime to sell something with the serial numbers scratched out and sited the section in ebay that deals with that scenario and I just want the refund now. The more I think about it, the more I don't want this in my car and I should have just asked for the refund to begin with. I'd actually like to see the person whom this was stolen from get his screen back. He never responds.

So, I call American Express and tell them the situation (I paid with my Amex Blue via Paypal). They put in a case and tell me I shouldn't be liable for the charge. They will try to get this guy's address, and if I send it back, I won't be responsible to pay them. I love Amex. They also suggest notifying Ebay, Paypal, and the police as well to report it.

I put in a Paypal complaint and again ask for a refund. I know how far that will get me though.

But what will Amex do exactly? Will they try to reverse the charge? Or will they just eat it and tell me I don't have to pay? If they try to reverse it, will Paypal try and take it from another card on file or from my bank?

Should I report this to the police? Whose - mine or his?

His Ebay name is traygen_tx by the way. Don't buy from this douchebag.

2k1Toaster · 07-22-2007, 02:39 AM

It works right? So get off the guys back. You bought something used off of eBay perhaps stolen but I doubt it. Not too many thieves go after and sell a lilliput. They arent common enough to be notable. They rip it out get confused and trash it probably because what they thought was a radio, turned out to be some screen.

If it works, shut yer yap. And it is used anyways, so more than 1 owner meaning any warranty the thing would have had, is null and void too. Many many things come with serials number intentionally scratched off or written over. Example, I bought a refurb netgear 802.11g usb dongle from woot.com during a wootoff. When I got it the serials were all written over with big black permanent marker. Because some times when you register a product with your info, the website uses that serial to log you in not a username/password so you can get the previous owners name/address. In my case the thing is crap anyways and barely gets a signal but for $5 with $5 shipping, it was worth a try!

Chris31 · 07-22-2007, 02:47 AM

Stop buying 2nd hand stuff from some private seller then, you know they could be stollen. You remind of those who buy DVDs from some guy who walk around the carpark for cheap and then complains its a pirate copy.

As for the serial number, he could have peeled it off, would that make you feel any better? I used to work for IT fixing laptops and serial numbers get swapped about. I may fix/refurbish a laptop with a smashed case, a new case wouldnt have a serial number on it. You could have bought that laptop 2nd hand on ebay.

Next time save yourself the hassle, ask the seller first if its stollen or not. Even better just get your cash out and buy a new item from a legitimate seller, you got nothing to worry about then (in theory)

Chris31 · 07-22-2007, 03:07 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by darag2358

Should I report this to the police? Whose - mine or his?

You could have re-sold that screen yourself on ebay and not noticed the serial number was rubbed off? Does that mean we can now report you to the police for selling stolen item without serial number?

Probably something you dont wanna hear, but if I were you I woudnt bother. But then its up to you, tell him you be reporting it to the police. What if he bought that screen off someone? not knowing it was stollen?

He knows your address right? someones might give you a surprise one of these days. If hes a criminal, you dont really know who you dealing with, it aint worth it for a bit of screen, trust me.

There you have it, you know what to do now...

edrex · 07-22-2007, 02:17 PM

Just let Amex deal with it. End of story.

EsKALad · 07-22-2007, 10:32 PM

why are you getting mad at this dude who sold you the screen? in my opinion you should have checked EVERYTHING once you recieved it. Doesnt matter what step in the install you are in. This way you can make sure everything is okay. Dont get mad after all this time and demand your money back. Stop whining and install the screen in your car. You know, people swap out cases on lilliput screens all the time while doing custom installs. I had atleast 4 different cases on my 8 inch lilli and sold it working perfectly when i gave up my project. Lay off this guy and just install the screen.

Chris31 · 07-22-2007, 11:00 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by EsKALad

Dont get mad after all this time and demand your money back. Stop whining and install the screen in your car.

I think he changed his mind and just want his money back. He probably found a better screen for cheap.

darag2358 whats your ebay username? We wanna ban you from bidding from us in the future.

MatrixPC · 07-23-2007, 04:17 PM

Does Lilliput SN worth any pennies?
I bought my brand new and there isn't a darn serial number on it.
If the unit work without any problem, just shut up and enjoy a great deal you just got.
Warranty? Once you crack open the case, it's over. Even if not, do you want to sent it to china to get fix?

darag2358 · 07-23-2007, 11:02 PM

Wierd. Didn't expect that response. Buying a touchscreen on eBay is like buying pirated DVDs from some guy in a park? Really? Am I the only one who follows rules - like don't steal and don't sell stolen stuff? I've bought and sold hundreds of things on the net and ebay, and I'll tell you with 100% honesty that if the roles were switched, I'd give a refund even if I didn't do anything wrong. It was only about a week and a half later when I noticed, not months or anything. I haven't even gotten the Amex bill yet.

And I didn't say anything about a warranty. I expected a used screen. Even if it was new, I wouldn't expect a warranty given what I'm about to do to the thing.

But, fair enough. I asked, and I got my answer.

Bugbyte · 07-24-2007, 02:11 PM

No, you're not the only one who follows the rules. Its a little unsettling to think that maybe you bought some stolen goods and are financing crime somehow.

The thing is, though, you just have an idea that it is stolen. You don't know if that is true or not. The only 'problem' I see here is that the seller failed to follow eBay rules. If you want to go after him for that, I say you are within your rights.

Everthing else is conjecture and you don't know one way or the other if this guy is honest or not. Unless you have a pretty good idea that these are stolen goods, I wouldn't think it is proper to put the cops on him.

In the future, you can avoid this issue by purchasing name brand parts from dealers. The forum store is a good place to do that!

Gunmaster · 07-25-2007, 04:09 PM

You got your item and it works and by the sound of things its in good shape. Whats your problem really? I buy and sell on ebay and I get burned from time to time. It doesnt bother me. Life is not perfect and you shouldnt get worked up on a little thing like a messed up serial number.

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