alpha charlie

Took delivery of an item I bought through Ebay earlier in the week. Now the item was described as NEW and the guy had a reasonable amount of feedback.
So today I opened the parcel and examined my purchase to find that the item serial number has been removed.
I sent a message to the querying the removal and where it left me regards warranty as I'm concerned that the item could be stolen.
They come back with the item isnt stolen and they have the reciept for it, the place they buy from removes the serial number and it hadnt crossed the sellers mind that removing the number could be an issue for their buyers, further to that they add "i'm not scared if you report it to the police or ebay" an odd thing to say as all I had said was they had put me in an awkward position over whether or not I had recieved stolen goods that were unwaranteed.

My options seem to be:

1. Ignore it and use the item anyway
2. Report it to Ebay and therefore the police as suspect stolen goods

What would you do in my position?
AC

cdfracing

mmm seems a bit dodgey doesn't it , can i ask what it is?

chris

alpha charlie

Yes mate, its a Sony headunit
AC

powerman1

if it was cheap and you bought it in good faith save yourself a bit of grief and use it.feedback is a bit dodgy because most sellers wont leave your feedback until you have left theirs..so if you slag them off you will get the same.As for warranty if its a camera or simular then if it goes faulty ayear or so down the line then just bin it and get the latest model...throw away society i'm afraid

fatherpierre

What's the item number?

cdfracing

just asking cause there a few stolen nintendo wii out there...


don't really see the point of removing a serial on a stereo unless they are hiding something,

i would ask the guy if you could have a refund

WRX_Dazza

i agree with CDF. get your money back.... just creates a potential outlet for shifting stolen stereos.
car radios are not as expensive as they used to be, and its good to know its warranteed as well.

once you've got your money back, report him anyway!!! lol

apples24

iTrader: (1)

paypal dispute?

alpha charlie

I'm lead to beleive that its not so easy mate, E-Bay policy states that suspect goods have to be reported to the police to get a crime number before any disputes can be filed. Then its up to the police to act on the info if they feel the need.
AC

apples24

iTrader: (1)

if you paid via paypal do a paypal dispute

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

If you can spare the time be a good Samaritan and report it to the police. Then raise the dispute with eBay. If the seller manages to provide a good reason that allows the item to be described as new, but have no serial number then so be it. The police may not choose to follow up on this though.

Have you had a really good luck at the head unit? If a head unit has been fitted into a car there should be some obvious signs of scratches or wear marks on the side of the chassis where it would be fitted into the dash. I take care of my kit, but inevitably there are going to be some marks on the unit from it being fitted in the dash.

alpha charlie

The unit is defo "BRAND NEW" bar the serial number being removed, everything inside the outer package is still sealed as it was when it left Sony
Cheers
AC

alpha charlie

Just emailed paypal to see if i can do one without reporting it to the police and ebay first off.
Cheers
AC

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

Hmmm, in that case its not a common thief nicking it out of someone's car. More likely they are ones that have fallen off the back of a delivery lorry. I just cannot think of any legitimate reason why they would have their serial numbers removed. Maybe call Sony and see what they say? Ask them if they are missing some units, or can they shed some light on it.

I'd not like to be using stolen goods, as it just puts the price up for us all in the end

alpha charlie

I agree mate, thats why I challanged the seller over it and they cant come up with an excuse other than they bought it like that
AC

fatherpierre

If you report it to the police they "should" take it off you, so you'll lose it and probably your cash too in the long run.

Do you have the name and address of the seller?

Is there no box with it? That should have the serial number on it too.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

First thing I would do is ask the seller for a scan or photo of the receipt ( tell them they can blank off the price if they want ) - if they do actually have one you will be able to tell where it came from, and contact them to ask if they do indeed remove the serials.

I think its very unlikely that the seller does in fact have the receipt though.

Assuming this was sold as new, then ( even if they deny it ) for legal purposes the seller is a business ( basically, they are buying items with the intention of selling them at a profit as opposed to someone who is just clearing out their own personal possessions ) - this means you are covered by the DSR and can return the item for any reason you want, and the seller must give you a refund.

Dont take any notice of any 'no returns' statements they may give you, as this is illegal under the DSR for 99% of new items sold.

Paypal wont even consider refunding you until you actually return the item and have proof it has been returned ( so send by special delivery or parceforce ).

I would tell the seller you are returning the item under the DSR, as is your legal right, send it back by some method that needs a signature, then the seller will have 30 days to issue you a refund. If they dont refund within this time you can report them to trading standards and follow up with paypal or your credit card if necessary.