Sold a Vega 56 on eBay and the buyer wants to return -- what should I ask for?

[Snowy]

Has anyone sold computer hardware on ebay before? And, if the buyer has requested a return, how did you handle it?

I recently sold a Vega 56 on eBay (it was delivered to buyer March 14) and I got a return request for the item today, stating:
"This gpu runs for at most 10 mins then will give a over temp error and shut down my system. Card has a hardware error"

I find this difficult to believe because I used this GPU for gaming up until its replacement, then it simply sat on a shelf for a few months before I sold it. Could having the GPU sit on a shelf in a closet somehow impact its ability to dissipate heat? In the included picture from the seller, the card looks like it has significantly more dust than when shipped. (Also in the picture appears to be a second Vega 56 on an industrial rack, making me think this is used for a mining operation or something.)

Any advice as to what I should do to get the buyer to verify the card is actually defective?
I am thinking to have the buyer provide details around:

*System specs
*Driver version
*Actual system error
*Run a stress test (the one integrated in Radeon drivers?)
*Is there anything that can show the serial number of the card? I'd love to verify that the card running is ACTUALLY the one I sold?

I'm obviously a little skeptical here given the state of GPUs today. I just want to make sure that if it is defective, it's actually the card I sold that is defective.

Thanks for your help!


On a slight aside -- I will never sell on eBay again. They have huge fees, their UI/UX is from 1997, they have limited payout options, etc.

 

[Brian_B]

Any chance you have the serial number?

 

[Snowy]

Any chance you have the serial number?

I have pictures of the card which visibly has the S/N printed on it

 

[Brian_B]

I have pictures of the card which visibly has the S/N printed on it

Think that simplifies things. I’d provisionally accept the return stating that the serial number must match what you have recorded as shipping

 

[Snowy]

Yes, I will do that but from what I’m reading in the internet I’m basically going to have no choice but to accept the returns. And, even if the card is returned in perfect order (perhaps the buyer just has remorse) given that the price of video cards are falling, I’m going to lose some money on this if I want to resell it afterwards. I will have to pay the shipping to get it back to me (~$20) and I’m sure the eBay fees won’t be refunded (~$60). I’m going to push hard for a video showing the card running and overheating (inclusive of S/N) but even then there’s no guarantee that the card was delivered in working order and the buyer tried to do a crazy overclock, put their own thermal paste on it (incorrectly), etc.
Lesson learned here is that is probably not worth the headache and fees. eBay apparently almost exclusively sides with buyers in these cases.

 

[Brian_B]

Lesson learned here is that is probably not worth the headache and fees. eBay apparently almost exclusively sides with buyers in these cases.

Not the first time I've heard this.

I stopped using Ebay a long time ago, as convenient as it was, it wasn't worth the downsides.

 

[Brian_B]

Also, found this for you - to show serial number in Windows

Where is the serial number for my gpu

Where is my graphics card serial number located at on my gpu the gpu is a gtx 960 geforce acx 2.0

forums.tomshardware.com

Probably the easiest way to get at it
Run the following command from command line (I tried it on my PC, did not require Admin access)
wmic PATH Win32_VideoController GET Description,PNPDeviceID

Have him screenshot the output of that or include in the video you have him shoot. If you don't tell him it's serial number he would most likely never know it's inside the output string

For you, once you get the screenshot:
Looking at the PNPDeviceID value, break it up by "\". The first piece it the bus type. For me, it is PCI. The second section describes the card. There's a vendor code, model number, etc. The last section contains a number separated by ampersands. The serial number is the second number in that list, formatted in hex.

 

[Burticus]

I will have to pay the shipping to get it back to me (~$20) and I’m sure the eBay fees won’t be refunded (~$60).

Lesson learned here is that is probably not worth the headache and fees. eBay apparently almost exclusively sides with buyers in these cases.

#1 Ebay will/should refund the fees if you are forced to do a refund.
#2 Yeah Ebay has basically become a hostile selling environment. The buyer is always right, and can always demand a refund. I always listed my stuff like AS IS and NO REFUNDS but Ebay pays no attention to such things.

Make sure you double check that serial number when you get it back... if it's a different SN maybe, just maybe, you can convince Ebay that it was a scam.

I used to sell on Ebay all the time but it became scammers paradise. So much BS I dealt with. I will never list anything worth more than $50 on there ever again.

 

[Snowy]

Also, found this for you - to show serial number in Windows

http://[URL]https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/where-is-the-serial-number-for-my-gpu.2573829/

[/URL]

Probably the easiest way to get at it
Run the following command from command line (I tried it on my PC, did not require Admin access)
wmic PATH Win32_VideoController GET Description,PNPDeviceID

Have him screenshot the output of that or include in the video you have him shoot. If you don't tell him it's serial number he would most likely never know it's inside the output string

For you, once you get the screenshot:
Looking at the PNPDeviceID value, break it up by "\". The first piece it the bus type. For me, it is PCI. The second section describes the card. There's a vendor code, model number, etc. The last section contains a number separated by ampersands. The serial number is the second number in that list, formatted in hex.

Thanks for that!
I sent a reply asking to take a video of the card running a stress test (suggesting the stress test built into the AMD drivers) with the command output clearly visible in the video. We'll see what the response is...

 

[Snowy]

#1 Ebay will/should refund the fees if you are forced to do a refund.
#2 Yeah Ebay has basically become a hostile selling environment. The buyer is always right, and can always demand a refund. I always listed my stuff like AS IS and NO REFUNDS but Ebay pays no attention to such things.

Make sure you double check that serial number when you get it back... if it's a different SN maybe, just maybe, you can convince Ebay that it was a scam.

I used to sell on Ebay all the time but it became scammers paradise. So much BS I dealt with. I will never list anything worth more than $50 on there ever again.

Well good to know that eBay SHOULD refund the selling fees. I've yet to see see that in their FAQ, but here's to hoping.
And yeah -- What is the point of having a "No Refund" policy if the buyer can always request a refund anyway? I don't see any reason the buyer couldn't just be having buyers remorse and claim the card is defective. Though I've requested the buyer verify that the card is defective, I suppose there is absolutely zero recourse for him to actually do so.

 

[Snowy]

To wrap this up -- Yesterday I sent a lengthy message to the buyer with specific instructions on how to test the card for failure. Got a response today that the buyer purchased 2 cards and accidentally opened a return on the wrong one. Perhaps it was an honest mistake

Still never selling anything of value on eBay again though.