So I bought a PS4 on Ebay for $20

[twistedmic]

Given the size and weight of the PS4 plus box, twenty dollars would barely cover even the cheapest domestic shipping costs (within America, assuming you live there) so I think it is nearly impossible that twenty dollars would cover Overseas/Foreign shipping.

 

[Eamar]

located in China.

Good thing it was only $20, eh?

As far as I'm aware, there aren't any PS4s in China.

Except they're manufactured there lol

Yes, but the sale of games consoles has been outlawed in China since forever (they "corrupt the youth", apparently). I think they reversed that very recently though.

 

[Eamar]

I bought a "100% working and fully tested Nintendo DS" on ebay once. Its trigger buttons were apparently not included in the 100% working part or the fully tested part, because they were both broken.

You can buy good electronics on ebay, but you do have to be incredibly careful. I bought my smartphone on there for £100 less than the usual asking price (still pricey though. You're highly unlikely to get an "unbelievable" deal and a legit product). Before bidding, I asked the seller for the IMEI number so I could check it was legit/the actual model advertised/not reported stolen/not tied to a contract etc (not sure if there's anything comparable you can do with consoles though). I also went through every single bit of feedback, plus feedback he'd left for other people, maintained constant contact with the seller and kept a record of everything. Ebay massively favours the buyer, so in the event of anything going wrong I was pretty confident I'd get my money back, but even then I was aware I was taking a slight risk.

Guy had a good 'record' and high approval rating.

The other thing to bear in mind is that in the bizarre ebay world, anything below 99% positive isn't really a "good" approval rating, especially if you're planning on buying an expensive item. Also, only the last year contributes towards approval ratings, so it's worth going through their older feedback and looking for any signs of previous dodgy behaviour.

It's a minefield, but it can be worth it sometimes.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Of course it's a scam. That's how it works. It makes people think "oh, it's only $20. It is worth the risk".

 

[floppylobster]

Was the shipping $300?

 

[hutchy27]

I got my latest phone for a good price from eBay but that was only because it been fixed, what is it called when a product breaks and gets fixed so can't be sold as new again?
Anyways yeah sounds like a scam but I guess you knew the risks doing it.

 

[gigastar]

If it wasnt a scam, then you probably got the years best deal.

If it is a scam, then youre only down $20. Which is little more than pocket change to most in the gaming community.

 

[balladbird]

Am I just... ridiculously poor? I don't think 20 dollars is the insignificant sum people are making it out to be. XD I enjoy wasting money as much as the next guy, but not to the point that I could rationalize buying a scammy PS4 as "oh, it's only 20 bucks"

 

[yamy]

I got my latest phone for a good price from eBay but that was only because it been fixed, what is it called when a product breaks and gets fixed so can't be sold as new again?
Anyways yeah sounds like a scam but I guess you knew the risks doing it.

Refurbished?

Yeah the old saying of 'there's no such thing as a free lunch' applies here I think. I would be interested to find out what eventually applies and seeing the ebay link though.

I've lived in China and there are an unbelievable amount of fake stuff on the market. Given that anything down to eggs and milk can be faked, the chance of a legitimate $20 PS4 offer is incredibly low.

It would be funny if it turns out to be an converted NES emulator or something though, like this fake PSP for example

Spoiler

http://www.gizchina.com/2012/02/07/knock-psp-touch-screen-sale/

 

[Lono Shrugged]

You should have asked the question before you hit buy. But the way you probably saw it is "it's only 20 bucks, not a big risk" If a thousand people think like that, that is a very lucrative little scam. The way you can spot a scam is if it is too good to be true, it usually is.

They will send you some plastic doohicky worth a dollar and because the delivery was honoured you will never get that money back (It's not worth chasing) It is a great way to scam stupid rich people. I'm sorry OP, but it's true.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Am I just... ridiculously poor? I don't think 20 dollars is the insignificant sum people are making it out to be. XD I enjoy wasting money as much as the next guy, but not to the point that I could rationalize buying a scammy PS4 as "oh, it's only 20 bucks"

I think $20 is a lot but then I live in Argentina. Loogans will kill you for $5 alone.

 

[tilmoph]

Am I just... ridiculously poor? I don't think 20 dollars is the insignificant sum people are making it out to be. XD I enjoy wasting money as much as the next guy, but not to the point that I could rationalize buying a scammy PS4 as "oh, it's only 20 bucks"

I was thinking the same thing. $20 isn't break the bank money, but it's still a bit much to toss on an obvious scam.

 

[Eamar]

Am I just... ridiculously poor? I don't think 20 dollars is the insignificant sum people are making it out to be. XD I enjoy wasting money as much as the next guy, but not to the point that I could rationalize buying a scammy PS4 as "oh, it's only 20 bucks"

My family's pretty well off (I'm a student so don't really have full independent status yet), but I still wouldn't throw $20 (which I think is about £12) away like that. I think it's more to do with attitude than income to be honest, but I have to say I'm surprised by how many people seem to think it's nothing. £12 is a couple of hours' work in a minimum wage job :/

 

[Reed Spacer]

Ten buck says you get sent a box of live snakes or something; maybe just the sytem's outer case.

Then you'll be down thirty.

 

[Reed Spacer]

I've lived in China and there are an unbelievable amount of fake stuff on the market. Given that anything down to eggs and milk can be faked, the chance of a legitimate $20 PS4 offer is incredibly low.

How do you fake eggs and milk?

And, having asked that, do I want to know?

 

[Altorin]

Am I just... ridiculously poor? I don't think 20 dollars is the insignificant sum people are making it out to be. XD I enjoy wasting money as much as the next guy, but not to the point that I could rationalize buying a scammy PS4 as "oh, it's only 20 bucks"

I was thinking the same thing. $20 isn't break the bank money, but it's still a bit much to toss on an obvious scam.

don't get us wrong, it was stupid and that 20 dollars certainly could have been better spent elsewhere.

I personally am of the "don't cry over spilt milk" persuasion though, and if the money's already gone, it's already gone. At least we can hope for a funny story by the end of it.

 

[Tassit]

I've lived in China and there are an unbelievable amount of fake stuff on the market. Given that anything down to eggs and milk can be faked, the chance of a legitimate $20 PS4 offer is incredibly low.

How do you fake eggs and milk?

And, having asked that, do I want to know?

It's paint, it's all paint!

 

[MISSGIRLY]

So did you ever receive it? Was it real or just a cheap box?