Hacking Warning to UK customers buying EZ Flash IV carts...

[Ben Ten's Dad]

Just thought I would write this to save anyone else from the UK losing cash. I arranged for a guy in China to send me an EZ Flash cart (it was the only way I could do it via PayPal). It arrived in the UK (Heathrow Distribution Centre) on 28th January. As it is now almost a month it has been sitting there I decided to make a few calls.

The helpful guy on the phone from UK Customs told me it has most likely been seized "Nintendo have asked us to seize all non-Nintendo cartridges". He told me that Nintendo will be contacted to see what they want to do. Obviously they will want the item destroyed. So, that's me out of cash as I didn't buy via a company.

My biggest worry however is that my Paypal account will be cancelled because of this. The chance of finding anyone in the UK stocking these carts is 0% so it looks like my wish to have all my games on one cart is dashed.

Oh well, back to one cart at a time now

 

[FAST6191]

Well this is new. Previously we have only seen those buying in a crate of flash carts/mod chips get troubled.

 

[Monty Kensicle]

Just thought I would write this to save anyone else from the UK losing cash. I arranged for a guy in China to send me an EZ Flash cart (it was the only way I could do it via PayPal). It arrived in the UK (Heathrow Distribution Centre) on 28th January. As it is now almost a month it has been sitting there I decided to make a few calls.

The helpful guy on the phone from UK Customs told me it has most likely been seized "Nintendo have asked us to seize all non-Nintendo cartridges". He told me that Nintendo will be contacted to see what they want to do. Obviously they will want the item destroyed. So, that's me out of cash as I didn't buy via a company.

My biggest worry however is that my Paypal account will be cancelled because of this. The chance of finding anyone in the UK stocking these carts is 0% so it looks like my wish to have all my games on one cart is dashed.

Oh well, back to one cart at a time now

"Most likely"? so he doesn't know, for all he knows the seller didn't declare the correct value for VAT or something. When you called up what did you call the product? I would have said it was a dev unit or just the vague "GBA accessory" that they usually put on the customs declaration.

 

[duwen]

Interesting information regards the Customs/Nintendos stance... but that's mainly just bad luck that your item was stopped and checked/seized - nine times out of ten small parcels would get through without being opened (and the odds decrease further if the item is labelled as a gift).

 

[Ben Ten's Dad]

"Most likely"? so he doesn't know, for all he knows the seller didn't declare the correct value for VAT or something. When you called up what did you call the product? I would have said it was a dev unit or just the vague "GBA accessory" that they usually put on the customs declaration.

He said a number af "carts" have been seized. Lokks like I am a victim of it too. If it was just declaring incorrect VAT etc I don't think it would be sitting there for a month.

Interesting information regards the Customs/Nintendos stance... but that's mainly just bad luck that your item was stopped and checked/seized - nine times out of ten small parcels would get through without being opened (and the odds decrease further if the item is labelled as a gift).

Pretty sure the guy would have listed it as 'gift' but the fact it hasn't moved in a month looks like my cart will be destroyed.

Edit: There's a guy selling them in the UK on Ebay for £44, a bit steep for me tbh - escpecially after already throing away £34. He takes Paypal as payment though - wonder how he is getting away with that?

 

[migles]

"Most likely"? so he doesn't know, for all he knows the seller didn't declare the correct value for VAT or something. When you called up what did you call the product? I would have said it was a dev unit or just the vague "GBA accessory" that they usually put on the customs declaration.

when i purchased my carts it said "adapter" i don't remember exactly, i think it was music adapter or something like that but i do remember seing the word card adapter or something (which in a way is correct)

 

[Localhorst86]

In Germany they usually notify you that an item arrived for you at the customs office. You have to show up at your customs office and open the package yourself, show up with an invoice and only then they will start checking. They usually won't open the package without your presence, presumably unless it is firearms or drugs or similar.

Edit: but yeah. All my flash cards arrived as "SD card adapter"

 

[ozzythedarktrainer]

Just thought I would write this to save anyone else from the UK losing cash. I arranged for a guy in China to send me an EZ Flash cart (it was the only way I could do it via PayPal). It arrived in the UK (Heathrow Distribution Centre) on 28th January. As it is now almost a month it has been sitting there I decided to make a few calls.

The helpful guy on the phone from UK Customs told me it has most likely been seized "Nintendo have asked us to seize all non-Nintendo cartridges". He told me that Nintendo will be contacted to see what they want to do. Obviously they will want the item destroyed. So, that's me out of cash as I didn't buy via a company.

My biggest worry however is that my Paypal account will be cancelled because of this. The chance of finding anyone in the UK stocking these carts is 0% so it looks like my wish to have all my games on one cart is dashed.

Oh well, back to one cart at a time now

That's messed up man, I too live in the UK and was hoping to buy an ez flash IV during the summer, but now i'm having second thoughts o.o

Thanks for the heads up to the fellow people

 

[Ben Ten's Dad]

That's messed up man, I too live in the UK and was hoping to buy an ez flash IV during the summer, but now i'm having second thoughts o.o

Thanks for the heads up to the fellow people

No probs, I still haven't received it so it is either destroyed or some gb'er from customs is enjoying it at my expense. I have given up all hope of having one of these now.

 

[Deleted-355425]

No probs, I still haven't received it so it is either destroyed or some gb'er from customs is enjoying it at my expense. I have given up all hope of having one of these now.

There are uk sites selling them, they don't accept PayPal though.

 

[Ben Ten's Dad]

There are uk sites selling them, they don't accept PayPal though.

That's the problem. I won't pay by card, many of the sites look suspect. Plus...the stock won't be in the UK, meaning it would probably get siezed by customs again.

 

[koziakauzu]

That's the problem. I won't pay by card, many of the sites look suspect. Plus...the stock won't be in the UK, meaning it would probably get siezed by customs again.

One seller on etsy ship them from UK

https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/243348658/ez-flash-iv-for-gameboy-advance

 

[mgrev]

when i purchased my carts it said "adapter" i don't remember exactly, i think it was music adapter or something like that but i do remember seing the word card adapter or something (which in a way is correct)

when i ordered my r4i gold 3ds, it was named "card adapter"

 

[arse]

I bought one from an official reseller on eBay. Was £23, shipped from within the UK a day ago and turned up today.

There's more on eBay too from what I can see.

 

[enarky]

In Germany they usually notify you that an item arrived for you at the customs office. You have to show up at your customs office and open the package yourself, show up with an invoice and only then they will start checking. They usually won't open the package without your presence, presumably unless it is firearms or drugs or similar.

Edit: but yeah. All my flash cards arrived as "SD card adapter"

I had packages opened at customs office, you usually get a neat little green sticker on the package saying it was opened.

Also some German custom offices won't let you import stuff for ridiculous reasons like a missing CE sign. It's a complete joke, their rules are completely arbitrary and wholly dependend on the mood of the custom officer that day.

 

[Localhorst86]

I had packages opened at customs office, you usually get a neat little green sticker on the package saying it was opened.

Also some German custom offices won't let you import stuff for ridiculous reasons like a missing CE sign. It's a complete joke, their rules are completely arbitrary and wholly dependend on the mood of the custom officer that day.

It probably depends on the customs office, then. In Aschaffenburg I have to show up personally at the customs office and open my package. The last two times I had to do that (in the last 9 months) I couldn't get the items.

One was a plush figure that was apparently fake and the second one was a GB Boy color that they refused to hand to me for the reason you mentioned (no CE sign). Two days before I received a Gamebox Advance (GBA clone) from China, also without a CE sign just fine. Just because this was delivered directly to me and customs was not involved no one bothers. So yes, apparently it is just up to the mood of the customs office whether they check your items properly or not.

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[Patxinco]

No problems in Spain so far, and hope i don't get any soon, i ordered a everdrive for GBC and another everdrive for N64. and they just arrived, if the tracing numbers are ok...

 

[Localhorst86]

No problems in Spain so far, and hope i don't get any soon, i ordered a everdrive for GBC and another everdrive for N64. and they just arrived, if the tracing numbers are ok...

It depends which reseller you bought the Ever drives from. If they are shipped from within the EU you're fine. Customs won't touch them. If you ordered from China chances are you'll receive a clone anyways.

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[Patxinco]

It depends which reseller you bought the Ever drives from. If they are shipped from within the EU you're fine. Customs won't touch them. If you ordered from China chances are you'll receive a clone anyways.

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It's a clone for sure, but they cost a third part the price i've seen everywhere, and people who bought it before are happy, so that i expect to be too

 

[Localhorst86]

It's a clone for sure, but they cost a third part the price i've seen everywhere, and people who bought it before are happy, so that i expect to be too

Well, good luck then. My EDGB I ordered from China didn't work at all.

BTW, don't expect to be able to use updated OSes with your clone.

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