Recent ebay laptop experience

So........I listed a small laptop as used / boots to bios recently and after a week or two got a buyer. In the ad I stated "right portion of windows COA is partially torn, full COA legible". I shipped it off to the buyer and after getting the laptop he requests a return a few days later as 'not as described' - stating that the screen was showing pink and green instead of the correct colors.

I tried to troubleshoot it, and he had installed a 20GB SSD in it and installed Windows. He stated the screen was faulty and he wanted to return it. I paid insurance on the laptop so figured I would approve the return to see what had happened to the laptop. The buyer returned the laptop in really crappy packing material (almost like he wanted it broken), but I booted the laptop up and find out that he has left his SSD in the laptop and that the other part of the COA has been torn off. He sends me a message saying that 'Thank you for understanding, as a gesture of understanding I left my SSD in the machine.'

I now have a laptop that:
1) I sent to the buyer
2) He says not as described, screen bad
3) Sent back to me with a SSD that isn't mine
4) Does not have a valid COA anymore

I appealed to Ebay stating that the item was returned with damage to the COA sticker that lowered the value of the laptop, and that the problem described by the buyer has not been replicated after multiple tests run. Ebay is quick to award the decision to the buyer and refunds him all the money (I also had to pay return shipping).


Does anyone have a way to handle this that can turn it into a positive situation?

You got a ssd drive for free? Those aren't cheap. I don't even go by COA stickers anymore. 9 out of 10 times the number never works for me anyhow.

I have had people ship back completely different laptops... Unfortunately, eBay sides with the buyer 99% of the time because it is hard to prove what you received. Before I ship items out I take pictures of the bottom and top of the item. On computers use Belarc Advisor to inventory the specs and serial numbers of the laptop and hard drive. Also if you shipped with USPS, you can file a fraud complaint with the Postal Inspection Service.

'Thank you for understanding, as a gesture of understanding I left my SSD in the machine.'

That message he sent should be proof enough for ebay customer service that he modified the machine. You have to call and plead your case. Good luck

I wouldn't bother with trying to sort it out with ebay. You got a customer that's an idiot. Never argue with an idiot .... it's a sin. Best thing is to is to not waste any more time with him and move on to something profitable to do.

You didn't mention which operating system it was using. If it's Vista or earlier it's not worth bothering with. If it's win 8 the COA is more likely stored in BIOS so all you have to do is install a fresh ISO of the OS and it will automatically activate. easy peasy.

If it's a version of win 7 you probably got screwed over. The more likely reason the COA was scratched out is because he transferred it to another machine.

How to salvage the situation: ( assuming win 7 )

1: The SSD isn't worth much because of it's 20 gb size. The operating system needs about 12 - 15 gb to install. It will get up and running but with a little bit of use quickly run out of disc space.

2: If the operating system is working download & install Magic Jellybean key finder. The COA should be stored in an encrypted file somewhere on the SSD if he tried to activate it. The key finder will locate & decrypt it for you in a couple of easy steps. (Write it down. )

3: Next .... wipe the drive and do a clean install of the version of the correct operating system for the COA. Activate it through Microsoft and that should force the COA back to the original machine. If it gives you any grief about activating give Microsoft a call and explain the situation.

He might get a surprise the next time he logs on with the machine that he pirated the COA to. >:)

Edited to add:

Okay, the first three steps were how to even the score. Next, take a look at the machine. If it's got a core i 3 processor or higher and at least 4 gb DDR 3 ram proceed forward. (Otherwise, don't waste any more time with it.)

If you pull the CD / DVD unit and install a traditional hard drive in it's place you would actually have an okay machine there. It would give you the speed of a solid state drive coupled with the storage of a traditional drive. Additionally, by putting the pagefile on the HDD you would get around the virtual memory problems you run into with SSD's.

Even if he can find the key through software, if the COA isn't valid, it can't be refurbished with Windows (Legally). A 20GB SSD is worth around $20-30. I'd sell it, and get what you can. Now, takinig revenge with the COA issue is another story.

Was this a laptop with a COA on a door or removable panel? If so, I'd check to make sure the panel wasn't swapped. If it was, you may have a case there. If not, you're probably out of luck with eBay.

The good news is that if it's a slightly older model, selling it again with an SSD (Or selling the SSD separately) may yield you not too much of a loss.

Point well made .... revenge is a useless waste of time. It takes you off track. Better to take the loss and move on to something where you're making profit.

There is a possibility: It might that he activated the copy of windows on that SSD and that's as far as it went. The grand idea of using a 20 gb didn't work out and so he claimed a bad screen in order to reclaim some of what he had into it.

He could do a clean install onto a larger hard drive and activate the COA that rightfully belongs with the unique serial number on that motherboard. Then there's no question of legality.

It could play so many different ways. Hard to know till you get into it and see what's there.

I was actually advocating revenge o:)

If it's a common model, people may still buy it with a bad COA (For a little less). My assumption is that they illegally switch COAs, but it may live on as a Linux machine. I figure once it's sold, they can do whatever they want with it....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 4barrel

after getting the laptop he requests a return a few days later as 'not as described' - stating that the screen was showing pink and green instead of the correct colors.

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You didn't mention whether or not the screen was actually bad. Was it?

Scrappah: It's an i5 Samsung notebook, so it does still have value, but now I won't be able to list it with a valid win7 COA. He password protected his Windows install, which I can reset with a CD, but since this is a micro notebook I have to find my usb dvd drive to boot off of. I'm thinking I'll reset the password and just sell it on craigslist locally.

Matador: The COA is stuck on the main body of the laptop so it wasn't switched, I think he used the COA on another laptop and then tore off the part of the label so I can't use it.

billygoat: I have rebooted 10+ times, moved the screen around, tilted it at different angles trying to replicate what he was saying, and from what I can tell the screen is in perfect condition. Ebay gives not a **** whether the issue is true or not.

If i could offer a suggestion:

I think you can log on as an administrator with the help of a win 7 boot disc. You could retrieve the the product key that way ?

It would be a good idea to do do a clean install on a drive that's been wiped w/ a three pass overwrite. There's just no way of knowing what he might have used the machine for before shipping it back to you. There could be some personal stuff or criminal activity on the drive. If it's not done by the numbers it could violate client confidentiality or make you an accomplice.

The win 7 ISO's are still freely available. Personally i've found that the software that comes directly from Microsoft is a lot easier to work with than the Mfgr's bloatware version.

It's super easy to upgrade to win 10 that way too.

Kinda does Microsoft a favor because they really need to get a lot of machines changed over to continue with their business model. It would be a shame to see it not work out and have them go under.

Afterthought:

Just remembered ... i believe there's a new way of doing things coming up in the next month or so. Was reading about it in a Forbes article the other day.

In order to smooth out the upgrade process Microsoft is going to begin allowing fresh Win 10 ISO installations with any valid win 7 or win 8 product key. ( No more wasting time with upgrades. )

That should help make things easier on everybody and help them reach their goal of having win 10 installed on a billion machines by the end of their free upgrade offer.

I will say this...I have fought Ebay (ie appealed their decision) and won. I also have an EXTENSIVE TOS on my listings. I have had to fight with 3 people on EBAY and won every time because of my complete description, pics and TOS.

I would load Win7 or 10 on it and sell as a laptop...i5's are certainly good enough for just about anyone.

documentation is everything. I won the last return based on a VIDEO I took, unboxed unit, showing package was not damaged, package was from buyer. Then test it on same video, the video on my phone embeds the time stamp data into the metatag portion...so no need to get crazy showing todays newspaper etc. Anyways, usually upon much loser inspection I will find a missing internal part, ribbon cable, adapter...etc...ive also opened up a screen to find the buyer swapped a bad screen into it...

Ebay is starting to decline as a result of BUYER abuse, less sellers want to risk their hard earned reputations on ebay. Totally understandable in my eyes.