Cornell Finch

The PS3 eBay Rip Off

Having had a conversation about people pre-selling PS3 consoles on eBay I thought I’d go for a wander round and see what I could find.

Three minutes and two pages searching turned up this little gem.

I don’t know who’s more stupid, the people that have so far bid the $900 US + postage for the item (there’s 18 bids so far) or the wanker that’s offering a buy it now for $2,000 US.

Now, let’s get this straight. All he’s selling, in effect is a piece of paper. Yes, it says that he’s paid an amount for pre-order of a PS3, but that’s no guarantee that he or the retailer will get the item. From the auction:

See the picture below for my reservation ticket. Even though I will most likely receive this PS3 on 11/17/06, I can not guarantee a shipment of 11/17/06 because Gamestop/EBGames can not guarantee this because of the nature of this distribution. It is very likely that I will have this in hand on November 17th (launch date subject to change) because I have this one pre-ordered and also work at a retail shop that I can secure another one (or two) PS3’s. If I do not receive the Gamestop/EBGames PS3 on 11/17/06 I will ship you one of the others that I secure. Please understand that I can not guarantee the date of the shipment, but it will be shipped as soon as I have a PS3 in hand.

The last line of the main description made me laugh out loud:

All original receipts will be supplied and returns/exchanges can be handled through your local Gamestop/EBGames for retail price.

So, you pay two thousand dollars for the unit and then return it to the store for a nine hundred dollar refund. Hmm.

Let’s take this one step further. In the UK if you pay by credit card (for ANYTHING) and then want a refund, the refund can only be put on your credit card. I don’t know if it’s the same in the US, but I am damned sure I won’t be winning this auction.

The last thing: If people are that desperate/stupid to want the PS3 that much then why the hell don’t they just get their arses to the retailer and pre-order just like this rip-off merchant has???