Gaming I'm starting to regret buying this cheap DSi XL

[Harsky]

Got "lucky" on eBay last June and saw a reasonably priced DSi XL console with the only warning being that it has some scratches on the outside. Took the risk and bought it.

If there's one thing I regret, it's not taking the picture to show that the touchscreen has got some serious screen problem because it has a dark border round the edges. Seller refuses to take it back as a return so I did the only thing and bought a replacement screen and installed it myself. What really annoyed me even more was that while I was replacing it, I saw some rust on the touchscreen which suggests that this was indeed a water damaged console but not enough to fry the motherboard.

Now it gets worse. This week, I let the console charge for hours and when I play it, I get 45 minutes play before it flashes red. Turns out the battery was also a 3rd party chinese one so more money spent buying an original Nintendo one in the hope of getting it working again.

I still love the DSi XL and yes, the money spent on the consoles and spare parts could've gone towards a DS Two for my 3DS XL but sometimes I feel like selling it and getting a perfect one this time.

Long story short, screw you eBay seller.

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

Its a shame that these things happen but I spose at this point what can you do

 

[Chocolina]

Salvage what you can on your investment by in turn, relisting on eBay. Just because theres no return policy, doesn't mean you can't just sell it again. Make it someone else's problem.

 

[vayanui8]

Salvage what you can on your investment by in turn, relisting on eBay. Just because theres no return policy, doesn't mean you can't just sell it again. Make it someone else's problem.

Why would he want to dump those problems on someone else. if he kept that attitude all that would ever happen is people getting pissed off at their ebay purchases and nobody would ever get anything decent because everything is overloaded with broken crap

 

[FencingFoxFTW]

AFAIK, a Paypal ruling can go over a "No return" listing if your claim can prove there was no full disclosure of the damages. Now, if the listing said "Sold as-is" "untested beyond turning on" or something along those lines, then it's a gamble you took and there's nothing to be done about it. You live and you learn.

 

[Chocolina]

Why would he want to dump those problems on someone else.

Because a jacked up DS isn't worthless. Alot of broken things we own still have value.

Theres no rules against listing broken or damaged shit on eBay, and as long as he lists the complications on the listing, then it's the buyer's responsibility to bare.

As if there's anything wrong with pushing your problem on another and salvaging some fraction of your investment. If you can get 50-70% of the value you spent, then the loss isn't as near as great as he might think.

Speaking of pushing problems onto others, you should buy my phone: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111233176904
It runs DraSTic exceptionally well.

 

[vayanui8]

Because a jacked up DS isn't worthless. Alot of broken things we own still have value.

Theres no rules against listing broken or damaged shit on eBay, and as long as he lists the complications on the listing, then it's the buyer's responsibility to bare.

As if there's anything wrong with pushing your problem on another and salvaging some fraction of your investment. If you can get 50-70% of the value you spent, then the loss isn't as near as great as he might think.

Speaking of pushing problems onto others, you should buy my phone: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111233176904
It runs DraSTic exceptionally well.

Aww my bad there. I thought you meant and give out rather poor information like the original seller

 

[migles]

Salvage what you can on your investment by in turn, relisting on eBay. Just because theres no return policy, doesn't mean you can't just sell it again. Make it someone else's problem.

is people like you that makes this planet a big shit...

(this is not personal, but lots of people actually do that and think like that.. its a shame...)

 

[elgarta]

AFAIK, a Paypal ruling can go over a "No return" listing if your claim can prove there was no full disclosure of the damages. Now, if the listing said "Sold as-is" "untested beyond turning on" or something along those lines, then it's a gamble you took and there's nothing to be done about it. You live and you learn.

This. If the listing only stated that there were scratches on the outside and nothing else, you could have tried to go down the paypal dispute route as they can overrule in these cases. A "no return" policy means nothing if there were inaccuracies in the items listing. I know this as I bought an MP3 player from someone that didn't work upon arrival, although the seller was happy to work through the issue with me for 2 months before eventually giving a refund. Still got positive feedback

Now this means nothing since you said it was last June (2012?), you can either try to pay someone to get the unit repaired and sell it as a refurbished unit or keep it, or you can sell it "as-is" or "for parts/not working" so someone else can try to repair it. A non-working games unit is a great buy for repairers. They can often get something cheap and then throw a fix on it and sell it again to make back money. You just would likely not get 70+% back on the price, unless it was really cheap.

 

[Harsky]

And a quick update. I ordered a used battery that originally came from a DSi XL because I wasn't too sure about buying a third party chinese one. Surprise surprise, the thing refuses to charge properly because it keeps giving a constant flashing orange light. I had a look at the water indicator sticker and yes, my initial fears were confirmed. It has turned red. Thankfully the eBayer seller accepted the battery return so I'm not too much out of pocket.

If there's a way to describe the console, it's working but with a messed up battery charge as long as you don't mind playing with it connected to a wall. Obviously if I do decide to sell it, I will be honest and upfront with the problems but for now, I'm considering this a lesson.

 

[PityOnU]

And a quick update. I ordered a used battery that originally came from a DSi XL because I wasn't too sure about buying a third party chinese one. Surprise surprise, the thing refuses to charge properly because it keeps giving a constant flashing orange light. I had a look at the water indicator sticker and yes, my initial fears were confirmed. It has turned red. Thankfully the eBayer seller accepted the battery return so I'm not too much out of pocket.

If there's a way to describe the console, it's working but with a messed up battery charge as long as you don't mind playing with it connected to a wall. Obviously if I do decide to sell it, I will be honest and upfront with the problems but for now, I'm considering this a lesson.

I never bought used consoles before my PS3 Slim and Wii U. The PS3 Slim works well (after an initial cock-up with some system files), but the Wii U came with a third-party power brick and was scratched to hell. It also didn't even boot (luckily Nintendo is awesome and fixed it free of charge even though I bought it used!).

Long story short, I have learned that buying used consoles is a HUGE gamble, and in the vast majority of cases you are far better off just spending the extra money and getting one new so that it looks pretty and has all the OEM accessories.

 

[Chocolina]

is people like you that makes this planet a big shit...

(this is not personal, but lots of people actually do that and think like that.. its a shame...)

If you dont like it, then read an item's description before you blindly throw money at it or don't shop online at all.

I can't tell you how many idiots that bid or buy listings marked under "For Parts Not Working" and then get mad because they received exactly what the seller was describing.
And we sell broken devices because to people that repair things, buying broken shit and fixing it yourself is far cheaper than buying used shit. If some un-read oaf steps into that territory and joins a bid on a broken item, then its not the seller's responsibility. A useless x to me, isn't a useless x to another you know... So I'm going to put faith in the buyer recognizing that the hardware/parts in a broken device aren't worthless and still have value. Thats why a broken Samsung S4 can still go for $250-$300 online. Because some savvy people know a screen replacement can make all the difference.

I for one, for Amazon or eBay, consider all the factors before I commit my benjamins to something. I consider feedback, positive and negative, pricing, shipping prices, where the item is shipping from, the condition the item is listed under as, and above all, the actual description of the item itself, with or without pictures. Do your research before you buy something online and you'll be rarely disappointed. I've only bought 2 or 3 things tops I hated, and they were so cheap that the shipping itself cost more than the item was worth so I just kept it.

You say "is people like you that makes this planet a big shit..." well I think it's people like you instead. People should be aware of their risks and gambles of not only buying stuff online, but buying something in a store, and should pay the consequences for their bad choices.

 

[Harsky]

Another update. I got super lucky on ebay and found a listing for a working and good condition DSi XL that I thought, "can't hurt to try and bid". Got it for cheap because it closed in the middle of the night. Arrived a few days ago and unlike the previous one, ACTUALLY holds a battery charge.

So now I'm going to actually sell my old faulty one. What is a decent price to ask for it? It has had the bottom touch screen replaced, the condition on the plate around the buttons are worn and it only really works when you plug it into a power charger which means the portability is crippled. I know I'll never get top bucks for this but I thought it can't hurt to check what's the best asking price.

 

[Pleng]

You say "is people like you that makes this planet a big shit..." well I think it's people like you instead. People should be aware of their risks and gambles of not only buying stuff online, but buying something in a store, and should pay the consequences for their bad choices.

To be fair, you did say "make it somebody else's problem" which kind kind of suggests that you were advising him to not disclose the problems with the device

 

[dragonblood9999]

the last time i sold some thing on online, i sold a white dsi that would turn off 2 or 3 times before it would stay on(i wrote that in the discription and was selling it as defected) but everything else was fine.
i sent it to the buyer with a tracking number and the buyer got it after 2 days. a week later he started to complan saying that he did not receive the dsi, he complained to the site that i sold it on and they forced me to return his money or they would contact the police with my information, i told them that ii sent it tracked and that he received it but they did not care.

so i tend to stay away from selling thing online, i would rather sell my games to gamestop/ebgames or to a pawn shop then sell online now.

 

[Harsky]

the last time i sold some thing on online, i sold a white dsi that would turn off 2 or 3 times before it would stay on(i wrote that in the discription and was selling it as defected) but everything else was fine.
i sent it to the buyer with a tracking number and the buyer got it after 2 days. a week later he started to complan saying that he did not receive the dsi, he complained to the site that i sold it on and they forced me to return his money or they would contact the police with my information, i told them that ii sent it tracked and that he received it but they did not care.

so i tend to stay away from selling thing online, i would rather sell my games to gamestop/ebgames or to a pawn shop then sell online now.

Thanks for reminding me why eBay isn't the best place to go. Gonna try local and sell to work colleagues or friends. I would try a pawn shop but the one I go to insists on testing everything so I highly doubt this thing will be taken off my hands.

 

[Chocolina]

To be fair, you did say "make it somebody else's problem" which kind kind of suggests that you were advising him to not disclose the problems with the device

It should be considered common sense that if you falsify or neglect to share critical information on what you sell, ebay/paypal can and will take back funds given to you by another.
They put a 2-4 week hold on any transferred funds after the ebay listing to keep you from using those funds in case something goes wrong.
Ive always listed in my descriptions the cons before I push my problem on another. It shouldn't be my fault the buyer didn't read or understand the yellow caution tape and stop signs I place on my listings.

Example of me making my problems, someone else's: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111236340958

 

[Another World]

listing something as "no returns accepted' means absolutely nothing, i am assuming that is what this seller did based on what i read here. you have to list an old electronic device as "as-is" to protect yourself at all. after that it comes down to how you word the item description. if you say it is fully working with only a few scratches on the housing, then you misrepresented the item. in that case you only need to send a few emails back and forth to the seller to prove that they are dodging the point. after that the paypal buyer protection will kick in and you have a very high chance of them ruling in your favor. rulings can go so far as to allow you to keep the item but you will get a full paypal refund (including shipping).

after that i would leave this seller a negative. i worked for a local shop a few years back and built their online business up to a gold level top-rated status. i was shipping out more than 130 packages a week. during all that time i never once received a negative feedback. sellers who lie, cheat, or package poorly need to be made an example of so other buyers can avoid them. sadly, the negative feedback is your only weapon. i hate leaving them myself, but every so often you need to do what is right to protect the ebay community and to let the seller know it is time to shape up.

-another world

 

[Nathan Drake]

Thanks for reminding me why eBay isn't the best place to go. Gonna try local and sell to work colleagues or friends. I would try a pawn shop but the one I go to insists on testing everything so I highly doubt this thing will be taken off my hands.

eBay is fine. They do have buyer and seller protection, and if you use PayPal, unless the buyer can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you screwed them, PayPal will generally side with the seller. I've sold five or six items on there now without incident, and the one time I paid through PayPal for an item I didn't receive, PayPal got me my money back. You just have to be careful on eBay when it comes to big ticket items (several hundred dollars and up). That's when the creative scammers come out to play to try to fleece people.

 

[Pleng]

Example of me making my problems, someone else's: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111236340958

Really, it's not "making your problem somebody else's" if you're listing it as damaged. If you're listing it as damaged then the buyer should be aware he is buying a damaged unit, ergo not a problem. It only becomes a problem if the buyer wasn't expecting it to be damaged.