Got a counterfeit GBA game from eBay.

omster

omster

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So I went against my better judgment and bought a sealed GBA game for about $15. It was from a seller that's located in the US and some feedback. I did look through the feedback a bit and it seemed legit. He had sold other GBA games too, with no negatives.

And so when I got the package, I could tell from the print quality of the box, it a bootleg.

Yes, I know, that if it's too good to be true, it probably is. I decided to accept risking my money in the worst case scenario.

I contacted him and he said that he would give me a refund.

My problem here is I have to go to the post office, pay for shipping, and send him back a fake that he can resale. The last reason bothers me the most, especially since I assume most people don't know that they are being sold a fake.

I'm not sure if it worth the headache to work with him. I wanted to hear some thoughts from fellow CAGs before I decide on what to do.
 
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I dunno if I'd work with him. I'd tell him you want an official copy at the price you won. If he's unable to ship that to you, I'd file a chargeback with PayPal, showing them the game is a fake. (If you go this route, I dunno if you have to return the fake game?)

Then, I'd dig up that piracy email address to Nintendo and fire off an email, letting them know his username and whatnot (and that's he selling fake games).
 
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Thanks for the advice! One thing that's making me hesitant though is the guy has my name and address. Am I being paranoid?
 
[quote name='omster']Thanks for the advice! One thing that's making me hesitant though is the guy has my name and address. Am I being paranoid?[/QUOTE]

yes
 
This happened to me about 4 years ago with the game Zelda the Minish Cap....I bought it from a certain store used, then returned it and gave them the one from Ebay....
 
[quote name='pmm317']This happened to me about 4 years ago with the game Zelda the Minish Cap....I bought it from a certain store used, then returned it and gave them the one from Ebay....[/QUOTE]

#-o
 
[quote name='omster']Thanks for the advice! One thing that's making me hesitant though is the guy has my name and address. Am I being paranoid?[/QUOTE]

Unless he's selling boatloads of fake GBA games, just let it go. He might have picked up one unknowingly.

Here's what you do:

email him and say "Since this is your mistake, I'd like you to send me a return label. selling fake items is prohibited on ebay and you sold me a prohibited item."

hopefully he'll get the hint (never threaten or it'll come back to haunt you) and send you a return label. If he doesn't, then file a complaint with ebay as fake item received.

Or, if you think he's consistently selling fake items, then file a complaint right away and nail his ass.


[quote name='pmm317']This happened to me about 4 years ago with the game Zelda the Minish Cap....I bought it from a certain store used, then returned it and gave them the one from Ebay....[/QUOTE]
[quote name='utopianmachine']#-o[/QUOTE]


I'll say it: you're a dick. You're not better than the dude who sold you the fake one on ebay.
 
[quote name='confoosious']Unless he's selling boatloads of fake GBA games, just let it go. He might have picked up one unknowingly.

Here's what you do:

email him and say "Since this is your mistake, I'd like you to send me a return label. selling fake items is prohibited on ebay and you sold me a prohibited item."

hopefully he'll get the hint (never threaten or it'll come back to haunt you) and send you a return label. If he doesn't, then file a complaint with ebay as fake item received.

Or, if you think he's consistently selling fake items, then file a complaint right away and nail his ass.
[/QUOTE]

His profile now shows other negative feedbacks claiming of fakes. He blamed it on the distributor, which is bull. I told him that I didn't want to go to the post office and pay return shipping and didn't want it go be resold to someone else. He said ok, just keep it and go through eBay's return procedure. I got my refund. Was that too strong of a hint?
 
At least he gave you the refund without needing to return the bootleg, that was decent of him. I got a bootleg once, I thought something was fishy when the "original packaging" I had received with the game hadn't even been folded yet. It was literally a straight-from-the-factory stamped out cardboard for the box. My suspicion was confirmed when I booted the game to see a pirate group logo before the game loaded. I stopped trusting any seller from Hong Kong after that.
 
[quote name='omster']His profile now shows other negative feedbacks claiming of fakes. He blamed it on the distributor, which is bull. I told him that I didn't want to go to the post office and pay return shipping and didn't want it go be resold to someone else. He said ok, just keep it and go through eBay's return procedure. I got my refund. Was that too strong of a hint?[/QUOTE]

sounds like you've been made whole.

Now, if you really want to protect others, you might want to message ebay or report his other sale items.

pjarvi - if it's too good to be true, it is. I never buy from overseas sellers. Everyone is selling mario kart for $30 and someone has it for $20 brand new? Shenanigans. But people are greedy and love a good "deal" so they look the other way. As long as it works, they don't care.
 
[quote name='confoosious']

pjarvi - if it's too good to be true, it is. I never buy from overseas sellers. Everyone is selling mario kart for $30 and someone has it for $20 brand new? Shenanigans. But people are greedy and love a good "deal" so they look the other way. As long as it works, they don't care.[/QUOTE]

Some people (like soccer moms) don't even know the difference between bootlegs and originals. And I've even been spotting bootleg DS games in the glass DS cases at Gamestop stores.
 
Here's my advice whenever you receive a bootleg product:
[quote name='UncleBob']Don't just return it.

First, file a complaint with the USPS of mail fraud.

Next, contact the seller and demand your money back. If he wants you to ship the item back, do it only under the following conditions:

1.) He must refund the full amount to you first.
2.) He must also refund the cost for you to ship the item to him.
3.) The item will be shipped via method other than USPS.

If he complains, A.) He's already shown that he's an untrustworthy seller and B.) Sending bootleg merchandise through the USPS constitutes mail fraud and you don't want to do that.

If he refuses these terms, file a dispute with PayPal. Give them the same info (including any information from the Postal Service regarding the fraud complaint you filed).

If you get no where with PayPal (and you probably won't) call your credit card company and file a chargeback. Provide them with all the relevant information.[/QUOTE]
 
I'd follow Rig's advice. All of these scammers are ruining it for those of us that are selling the real thing from our collections. Screw the scammer...they know what they are doing, they know what they are peddling. Yes, a guy could make a mistake once...but a scammer is a scammer.
 
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