BIG problem with an ebay transaction involving a member of NG.com

[billd420]

First let me preceed this with I'm not going to drop the name of the person involved in this scandal.

Ok so I sold my Marvel VS Capcom 2 naomi cart on ebay. The game was working perfect for me as I played it almost every day until I shipped it off. Approximately 1 month later, I hear from the buyer claiming all of the rom chips were checking out bad in the naomi self test. He said he tested it in multiple motherboards to ensure the MOBo wasn't at fault. I thought it seemed a little odd, but I agreed to refund his money minus shipping. He said since I was so understanding, he was going to give me a free boxed Gameboy Advanced SP, which struck me as odd, seeing as I would have expected him to ask something free of me, not the other way around.

So I get the cart back in the mail yesterday, and to my suprise, it was very very clean, unlike the one I sent out (pics are below). What strikes me as very odd is why would somebody clean a broken cart? I am 99% sure the buyer either cleaned the board and didn't let it completely dry, causing it to short circuit, swapped the guts, or completely swapped the cart. Fortunatley I have the original picture before I sent it (high rez) and what I recieved in the mail yesterday (also high rez).

Here is the evidence:
This is the cart I shipped out PIC

This is the cart I recieved in the mail yesterday PIC

So looking at the pics, the cart i recieved was obviously cleaned very well, or is not even the cart I sent.

What do I do now? Possitive feedback has been left by both parties. I've never had something liek this happen before. As you all can see from my NG.com feedback and ebay feedback, I'm a good seller.

-Bill

 

[slugnoid]

obvious question... but i can't quite read the stickers from the pics... is the Ser# the same?

 

[CarlosZ]

why don't you test it? Maybe it doesn't even work? Iono.

That is weird. Just check it inside out and play it throughly i guess, no?

 

[themisterfalcon]

Strange indeed. I would do as Carlos says and test it on the system you tested it on in the first place, if you haven't sold it yet.

 

[billd420]

@slugnoid - Yes the serials are the same, leading me to the conclusion that the cart was cleaned, killing it after cleaning

@CarlosZ - The cart is definately busted, it won't even boot, it shows the naomi screen, then freezes.

 

[billd420]

The thing that urks me the most is why would one offer and send a free GBA SP.

 

[zapatistab]

The thing that urks me the most is why would one offer and send a free GBA SP.

Since he is a Neo member, he probably feels guilty for messing up the cart...then asking for a refund.

But he should have been honest, and not asked for a refund. It's his fault he ruined the cart. Assuming he messed it up.

You should always make your own shipping and auction terms when you sell items on Ebay. I learned my lesson. Whenever I sell items, I only give refunds if items are physically damaged during shipping. And I make the buyer send the item back first. I never let them send me pictures. Because buyers always want to send pictures.

 

[billd420]

Since he is a Neo member, he probably feels guilty for messing up the cart...then asking for a refund.

But he should have been honest, and not asked for a refund. It's his fault he ruined the cart. Assuming he messed it up.

You should always make your own shipping and auction terms when you sell items on Ebay. I learned my lesson. Whenever I sell items, I only give refunds if items are physically damaged during shipping. And I make the buyer send the item back first. I never let them send me pictures. Because buyers always want to send pictures.

I listed in the auction "Absolutely no refunds since I can not verify installation". I figured I'd go against my selling policy since he was a NG.com member. Bad idea...

 

[RPX]

Sounds like a swap to me. Like someone is extreamly good at pulling the old switcheroo. (AKA: Switching everything that is rememberable from the working copie onto a boken copie and getting a compleat refund for giving back a broken copie. Anyone who has worked at a place that sells used moves or video games, has run into this in more ways than one.

 

[themisterfalcon]

Sounds like a swap to me. Like someone is extreamly good at pulling the old switcheroo. (AKA: Switching everything that is rememberable from the working copie onto a boken copie and getting a compleat refund for giving back a broken copie. Anyone who has worked at a place that sells used moves or video games, or has run into this in more ways than one.

Pulling stickers and all. That was my thought too.

Can you inspect the labeling and see if it was glued at all?

 

[Jedah Doma]

Yep, it looks like he probably made in error in cleaing or installation. The numbers match up, but even looking at the "Rev A" sticker at the bottom left corner, it looks very nice. Almost too nice. I would say almost nicer then when you sent it. Although I give you big ups for keeping T3H DR4M4 between you and that member. You probably have every right to throw the book at the guy, but you're above that. Keep your head up.

 

[norton9478]

I take it this is the auction?
.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3945&item=220001115588

 

[channelmaniac]

Pulling stickers and all. That was my thought too.

Can you inspect the labeling and see if it was glued at all?

If you look closely at the cart you can see a ding at the bottom just to the left of the circle on the edge... It's the same in both pics. Looks like it was cleaned very well... Just makes you wonder if the boards weren't swapped or if it was killed by cleaning.

I always put a secret mark somewhere on something that sells for that much money... This way I can tell if someone tries to swap parts.

RJ

 

[BIG BEAR]

The buyer had no right to contact you after 1 month. At least he never admitted to tampering with it before contacting you about problems.
Since you've already refunded him I would state there's nothing else you can realy do except identify this member which would really be helpful.
-BB


Approximately 1 month later, I hear from the buyer claiming all of the rom chips were checking out bad in the naomi self test.

 

[ironish]

If I happen to get a used game, which I rarely do, I clean it right away and play it after. Usually the game is fine. Matter of fact the only defective game I got was a Dreamcast game. All carts worked fine especially after cleaning (removing oxidation and dirt off of contacts).

I know that arcade stuff can be touchy, but I wouldn't have refunded the money. Who knows, maybe the guy played it on a faulty supergun and fried the board.

 

[Scott]

Ok just so everyone is clear, I was the buyer of the cart, and I am appalled and insulted that I am being accused of scamming someone. Yes, I cleaned the outside of the cart. It was dirty...I wiped the outside of the cart clean before I even tested it, as I was still waiting for my Naomi motherboard to arrive. How can wiping the outside of the cart possible damage anything? I did not swap anything. We had a deal for a partial refund, and I offered the GBA merely as a courtesy that there were no hard feelings for me getting a bad cart. I was just trying to be generous. I can't believe I am being accused of scamming somebody...the cart doesn't work. It didn't work when I got it, and it probably didn't work before I got it.

 

[Scott]

By the way it was nowhere near a month before I contacted the seller saying the cart was broke...it was maybe a little over a week, but thats only because I still didn't have my motherboard, which was bought from another member here. I didn't switch anything...the cart and stickers are clean because I cleaned them...it took me not even two minutes. You can't kill a cart by cleaning the casing...its impossible, You know, if you didn't want to give me a refund, you shouldn't have offered. I clean my game to make it look nice, and all of the sudden I am being labeled as a scammer...wtf?

 

[GeoNeo1]

I have bought two items from billd420, and from my experience, he has been first class. One of the items was Guilty Gear X and the other, Rumble Fish 2. I will in the future buy stuff from him. I just wanted to vouch for his character.

 

[Jedah Doma]

It just looks a little fishy. The cart worked fine when he had it, he ships it to you, and now it doesn't work. I realize things happen in shipping, but I doubt it. I'm still not clear on why you cleaned the cart. If it's not working (so basically worthless) why did you clean it up? It would in no way enhance the value of a broken board in any way. Plus, he's not calling you a liar or a cheat, he's just trying to cover his ass from scammers, again not calling you one. It just is a little fishy, that's all he's saying and I agree.

 

[Scott]

Whats fishy about it? How do you know for a fact that it worked when he had it. I said twice already...I didn't have a m/b until about a week and a half after I got my cart. I cleaned it to make it clean. I don't get how nobody understand why I cleaned the cart. Is cleaning stuff so weird? All of this bullshit because I cleaned something? I supposed from now on I'll be sure to leave everything filthy to cover my ass.

 

[Jedah Doma]

Whats fishy about it? How do you know for a fact that it worked when he had it. I said twice already...I didn't have a m/b until about a week and a half after I got my cart. I cleaned it to make it clean. I don't get how nobody understand why I cleaned the cart. Is cleaning stuff so weird? All of this bullshit because I cleaned something? I supposed from now on I'll be sure to leave everything filthy to cover my ass.

Settle down buddy, no one is "against" you, just a bit suspicious. As far as knowing FOR A FACT that it worked before you got it, no one has that hard evidence. It's your words aganist his. You could also say that we don't know FOR A FACT that you didn't screw up the cart as there is no hard evidence to support that either. From what many board memebrs have said, and by his own feedback here on the boards, he seems like an upstanding guy.

As far as you cleaning the whole thing, I can see you cleaning it before you tested it to make it look nice. In the end, it's between you two. My advice, take it easy. This is all just speculation and none of it is hard cold facts. For someone who is totally innocent in this whole thing, you certainly go ape shit over what should be a simple matter of "he said she said" BS.

 

[Neo Collector]

Maybe, and i say maybe been very generous, the cart is the "original" that bill sold and the buyer was extremely unlucky by having it DOA, that shit can happen. I was an coin up operator for over 5 years and i bought many many used arcade hardware and in conditions most of you here wont believe and i never ever have something DOA. Maybe his new acquired naomi board is faulty and burned the cart, maybe the installation wasnt made correctly, the possibilites are almost infinit and we can talk about all of then for a year.

Bill refund was a great gesture of his part, i understand how you felt and the reason that drove you to do the refund, been a honest guy he would like that, if that kind of shit happens to him, the seller was understandable enough to make something for him, i would have make the same thing you did if i was you.

Anyway, what have been done is already done and theres nothing both of you can do for each other.

 

[Scott]

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm going "apeshit", but the two of us had a deal worked out, now all of a sudden he is backing out and using some lame excuse to get out of giving me a refund. I'm not stupid, I know everyone in this thread seems to think I'm the one who messed it up. The fact is, you don't agree to give someone a refund, then back out for the stupidest reason I have ever heard. I didn't do a thing wrong...why would I post in this thread if I did? Anyway I just wanted to try and defend myself. This whole thing is rediculous.

 

[themisterfalcon]

Bill always sells good stuff. I have purchased over 4 CPS2 boards from him in the past couple months.

I can also understand why you cleaned something even before having the proper hardware to test it. It's kinda like me making Radiant Silvergun cases before even owning an ST-V or that cart...or getting a shockbox ready before the game even came: aesthetic preprations.

Like Jedah says, it's your word against his. You could enlighten us and tell us exactly what you did use to clean the cartridge with, what steps you took, etc. Its pretty damn clean compared to the original. Like REALLY damn clean.

 

[RPX]

"The only guide to man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honor."
- Winston Churchill


Then again this is one of those Donald Rumsfeld moments.

There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist."

-Donald Rumsfeld on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction