Did I just get a used Graphics card?

[G9XFTW]

Im in India and got this ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB MINI. I opened it in the store in front of the seller after purchasing and was not sure of a few things. Since its a retail store I'm also there on CCTV, if that helps.

 

Firstly it did not come in the typical anti static bags almost any GPU comes in. It came in one those HDD anti static bags or something, smooth and transparent and a little blue in colour and two holes punched through it's center clean. Also most absurd thing, there is a "IGABYTE QUALIFIED" yellow tape that sealed the transparent packet. Yes notice the "G" alphabet is missing from the tape for some reason Perfectly torn off where it should have been. There is a small amount of some bronze, brown grease on this packet, in the center.

 

Also, the card had very minute, tiny amount of dust/ rust near one of the chipsets on it. I used a soft brush to brush it away and it moved, but some still remains.

The card upon being smelled, smells like antiseptic solution of some sorts. Its not a strong smell. It doesn't smell used, but it doesn't smell like what a new factory fresh card should be either.

 

The outside of the box had those two round seal sticky tapes. But upon noticing further I see it may have been moved around a bit, or these are the new ones and the old ones were removed. There is a sticky residue in a perfect 180 degree shape one one side of the box. And on the other side it seems to have been scratched away in a manner where the box is not scratches visibly, but hold it under a light at the correct angle and you will see the surface scratches.

The card runs fine, except for on first boot the fans were making a noisy sound, not very badly but I could hear it like its a bit unstable. Has not made any sounds again and hit a max temp of 63 deg C when in R6 siege menu. I have not tried any games on it as pc is formatted cuz of a ryzen upgrade. I could not play a match as the stupid game is giving "update failed" error. Ugh.

 

The ZOTAC branding on the plastic shroud has a peel of plastic. It was already peeled off when I got it in this supposed sealed box. The card is performing well  I guess.

 

I think without fail all these peculiarities should hint at a used card. I have watched unboxings and all the things dont match up. I will try adding images.

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

all gpu shipped in the box + their antistatic bag for gpu  , no hdd static bag on a gpu ect,   if its anything off factory its been messed with

 

Also most absurd thing, there is a "IGABYTE QUALIFIED" yellow tape that sealed the transparent packet.

 

^ this alone shouldnt even make u question its been tampered with

[jj9987]

If you opened up the box in the store and had those issues, you should have filed a complaint immediately while in there. CCTV might not have enough quality to show these issues and shops often do not accept such complaints once you exit the store.

[Tibon]

You might want to write Which store you bought them here, so others can avoid that store. These kinds of stores needs to be avoided at all cost.

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

1 minute ago, Tibon said:

You might want to write Which store you bought them here, so others can avoid that store. These kinds of stores needs to be avoided at all cost.

he said its in india :v i think its common there

[Tibon]

Just now, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

he said its in india :v i think its common there

Dog eat dog world out there huh..

[G9XFTW]

18 hours ago, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

he said its in india :v i think its common there

Its uncommon. This is my first time. Newegg does the same. Humans will do anything for money.

 

Also I have mailed ZOTAC regarding this. And also have applied for registering the serial number. What is that like? will they reject if it has been registered before? or can they tell if it has changed hands prior to registration?

[G9XFTW]

I have a ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB mini. The serial number on the box does not match the one on the sticker. Two digits dont match. The string of numbers followed by the first Alphabet "N" start the same until the 4th number which is different on both and then the last digit which is again different on both. Im already having stress cuz I bought and paid for a new one, but got delivered a used one. Going back to the store and arguing might get nowhere. But if this is a goof up on them then I can do something.    

 

I'll ask my friend in a day or two as well if there is slight variation in SN from box to card sticker on his ZOTAC card too.

So are the serial numbers supposed to be different at all, even by one digit....from box to card?

[Froody129]

Why didn't you just say it there? The shop can just say you did that stuff afterwards

[wONKEyeYEs]

22 minutes ago, G9XFTW said:

So are the serial numbers supposed to be different at all, even by one digit....from box to card?

My uninformed opinion would be no.

Seems to me that a Ser# being a "little" different 

is like being a "little" pregnant.

[G9XFTW]

22 hours ago, Froody129 said:

Why didn't you just say it there? The shop can just say you did that stuff afterwards

I have bought from them before and this bullshit never happened. And after a tiring day I went there in the evening to pick it up. The box had seals on the outside. In the moment I was inconclusive. I have kinda disliked retailers for the trouble they can create for years. I just got the experience now....

[G9XFTW]

On 9/9/2018 at 9:28 AM, G9XFTW said:

I have bought from them before and this bullshit never happened. And after a tiring day I went there in the evening to pick it up. The box had seals on the outside. In the moment I was inconclusive. I have kinda disliked retailers for the trouble they can create for years. I just got the experience now....

Resolution: They did not even argue with me. And offered me a ASUS 1060 MINI 6GB. But that was $18 more, because ASUS has a price premium. Still managed to get him shave off a few $ worth cuz of the inconvenience. I have photos and official mail from ZOTAC themselves saying the condition of the item cannot be new. I shall proceed to share this on reddit maybe. With images and all.

[G9XFTW]

Here you go guys. There is lots to read.

 

There are some image links too.

 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianGaming/comments/9fip41/refurbished_gtx_1060_was_sold_to_me/