Craigslist Graphics Card Buying Advice

[Chaos_Sorcerer]

https://toronto.craigslist.ca/tor/ele/d/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1070-brand/6620113437.html

 

The guy said he would knock it down to $350 CAD (around $260 USD). This is an awesome deal, so I was planning on picking it up soon...do you guys have advice on avoiding getting scammed?

[Daniel Z.]

Ask for him to test it while your watching. Hard to fake that honestly. There was an amazing deal a few months back, 1 G1 Gaming 980Ti for 300 cad or 2 for 550. Still regret not buying.

[Daniel644]

"Opened but never used" ALWAYS bugs me, why not take it back to the store if it's unused?

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

Ask to see it working when you buy it. That's a hell of a deal

[sillypenguin213]

It could be a mining card.

[Daniel Z.]

3 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

"Opened but never used" ALWAYS bugs me, why not take it back to the store if it's unused?

lol true. Some stores don't offer refund as soon as you open it then. And online refunds can be painful af.

[Daniel644]

1 minute ago, Daniel Z. said:

lol true. Some stores don't offer refund as soon as you open it then. And online refunds can be painful af.

when I sold my NEW IN SEALED BOX 1070 it was because it was part of a combo from HTC, they had the Vive combined with a Founder's 1070 for $800 (this is when the Vive was $600 USD by itself so selling the 1070 meant a $200ish "discount" off the Vive in the grand scheme, I never even broke the seals on the packaging, I took photos of the sealed box and that was it, to me once you break the seals you can't call it "NEW" because at that point we are just relying on the guys word that it is unused and so it should be priced as such and like others have stated tested in front of you.

[Carbide X]

Idk how much the gtx 1070 costs in canada but 350 seems like a good deal honestly... I bought a ryzen 1600 x, rx 580, s340, msi x370 gaming pro carbon, 2tb HDD for only 500 euro...

 

[Daniel Z.]

2 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

when I sold my NEW IN SEALED BOX 1070 it was because it was part of a combo from HTC, they had the Vive combined with a Founder's 1070 for $800 (this is when the Vive was $600 USD by itself so selling the 1070 meant a $200ish "discount" off the Vive in the grand scheme, I never even broke the seals on the packaging, I took photos of the sealed box and that was it, to me once you break the seals you can't call it "NEW" because at that point we are just relying on the guys word that it is unused and so it should be priced as such and like others have stated tested in front of you.

Yeah, it's pretty hard to tell how much you've used a GPU unless it starts artifacting or something. My GPU looks physically perfect, but I've been folding on it for around a year.

[aisle9]

17 minutes ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

https://toronto.craigslist.ca/tor/ele/d/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1070-brand/6620113437.html

 

The guy said he would knock it down to $350 CAD (around $260 USD). This is an awesome deal, so I was planning on picking it up soon...do you guys have advice on avoiding getting scammed?

If he won't let you open the anti-static wrap and inspect the card itself, walk away. If he will, make sure that the stickers are correct and the serial number matches what's on the box. Look for any physical damage like scratches, burns, nicks, dings, anything that looks out of place. Spin the fan blades and see if they move freely or if they have some resistance to them. It's unfair to ask someone to test an unused card because that kills the whole "brand new" part of it, but you can tell with your eyes 99% of the time just by looking for the little things that scammers think you won't notice.

 

This looks legit to me, for what it's worth.

 

12 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

"Opened but never used" ALWAYS bugs me, why not take it back to the store if it's unused?

Might be outside of the return window.

10 minutes ago, sillypenguin213 said:

It could be a mining card.

Which means jack shit. Mined does not mean murdered.

[spat55]

To me that looks like a RMA, that seal doesn't look broken, at least to my eyes. IMO he/she probably bought another card while this was away and now they want their money back...

 

Honestly I hate anything other than forums where you can at least gauge how they act and sell with the rest of the community. If someone has been a member for over 5 years with at least 20 different transactions on that account you getting screwed is a fairly small chance.

[sillypenguin213]

12 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

Which means jack shit. Mined does not mean murdered.

Yea, poisoned.

[Chaos_Sorcerer]

Uh...okay...this is kind of weird....

 

He says he's taking payment as PayPal or Crypto only?

 

@Daniel Z. @aisle9

[Daniel644]

3 minutes ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

Uh...okay...this is kind of weird....

 

He says he's taking payment as PayPal or Crypto only...and that he would give me the tracking number and everything else after I've paid him...

 

@Daniel Z. @aisle9

RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

who the hell sells something on craigslist and only takes paypal or crypto then wants to ship the card? Craigslist is for doing CASH deals in person.

[aisle9]

1 hour ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

Uh...okay...this is kind of weird....

 

He says he's taking payment as PayPal or Crypto only?

 

@Daniel Z. @aisle9

Scam. 100% scam. If you can't see the card in person and hand someone cash for it, scam.

[Daniel Z.]

2 hours ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

Uh...okay...this is kind of weird....

 

He says he's taking payment as PayPal or Crypto only?

 

@Daniel Z. @aisle9

This seems pretty shady. I would stay away.

[Mick Naughty]

Seems like you’re new to Craigslist if that didn’t stand out. No reason for local people to ship stuff. 

 

If if they are a dedicated seller, they will show you it working and exchange in person. Doesn’t matter if it was mined on, just a dumb argument at that point. 

[Chaos_Sorcerer]

@Daniel644 @aisle9 @Daniel Z. @Mick Naughty

 

Okay...update: he says I could pick it up and even test it but that I have to pay him via PayPal first.

[Mick Naughty]

3 minutes ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

@Daniel644 @aisle9 @Daniel Z. @Mick Naughty

 

Okay...update: he says I could pick it up and even test it but that I have to pay him via PayPal first.

No, you can pay him on the spot via paypal, its instant. No reason he would need money upfront. 

[Daniel644]

1 hour ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

@Daniel644 @aisle9 @Daniel Z. @Mick Naughty

 

Okay...update: he says I could pick it up and even test it but that I have to pay him via PayPal first.

HELL NO, thats straight up a scam for sure, why would someone want to lose 3% of there asking price to Paypal Fees if they are meeting you in person? also NEVER give anyone money for something you haven't held in your hands first.

 

https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

[aisle9]

2 hours ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

@Daniel644 @aisle9 @Daniel Z. @Mick Naughty

 

Okay...update: he says I could pick it up and even test it but that I have to pay him via PayPal first.

I still wouldn't do it. You can pay him with PayPal while you're standing there.

 

Also, it surprises me when people want PP but not cash. It's like they don't know the 14 different ways you can scam someone on PayPal.

 

26 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

HELL NO, thats straight up a scam for sure, why would someone want to lose 3% of there asking price to Paypal Fees if they are meeting you in person? also NEVER give anyone money for something you haven't held in your hands first.

 

https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

And now I'm going to contradict myself. There are people out there who are not comfortable carrying large sums of cash. There are plenty of homes where a stack of cash is an invitation for a roommate or family member to steal it. I see some shit in my job that'll ruin your faith in humanity, and family fraud is high on the list. For some people, it really is safer or more comfortable to accept PayPal.

 

But wanting payment before the buyer is even allowed to see the item is bullshit. Even if it isn't a scam, someone that paranoid has no business selling locally.

[Daniel644]

2 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

I still wouldn't do it. You can pay him with PayPal while you're standing there.

 

Also, it surprises me when people want PP but not cash. It's like they don't know the 14 different ways you can scam someone on PayPal.

 

And now I'm going to contradict myself. There are people out there who are not comfortable carrying large sums of cash. There are plenty of homes where a stack of cash is an invitation for a roommate or family member to steal it. I see some shit in my job that'll ruin your faith in humanity, and family fraud is high on the list. For some people, it really is safer or more comfortable to accept PayPal.

 

But wanting payment before the buyer is even allowed to see the item is bullshit. Even if it isn't a scam, someone that paranoid has no business selling locally.

maybe so, but first the guy is selling locally but wants paypal payment then he will ship and the best you can talk him down to is meet  in person but send money via Paypal first just screams SCAM not someone worried about carrying the money, this is someone that wants the money without you seeing the product and that is very much a scam.

[aisle9]

6 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

maybe so, but first the guy is selling locally but wants paypal payment then he will ship and the best you can talk him down to is meet  in person but send money via Paypal first just screams SCAM not someone worried about carrying the money, this is someone that wants the money without you seeing the product and that is very much a scam.

Or someone who is paranoid to a level that would impress Dale Gribble. Either way, not someone I'd want to buy from or sell to.

[JoostinOnline]

Insist on a benchmark. A friend of mine just bought what he thought was a 1050. We put it in a system, and while programs like GPU-Z say it's a 1050, it performs like a GTX 460.

[Daniel Z.]

12 hours ago, Chaos_Sorcerer said:

@Daniel644 @aisle9 @Daniel Z. @Mick Naughty

 

Okay...update: he says I could pick it up and even test it but that I have to pay him via PayPal first.

tell him you can PayPal at the spot