Nintendo Switch eBay scammer sells almost 500 consoles for ultra-low price of £230 – but they never arrive
Customers have been charged for the gadgets and the seller has cut off all contact
ALMOST 500 people fear they've been scammed after buying Nintendo Switch consoles on eBay for up to £230 which never arrived.
Buyers say they've already been charged for the gadget, but the consoles have not been dispatched and the seller has cut off all contact.
The consoles - which retail for £280 new - were sold by eBay shop Gtrade2015 for £230 each.
They were snapped up by bargain hunters after being named "deal of the day" on deals website last week.
They sold out in less than a day after buyers realised the seller was accepting offers of £210, with some using vouchers and codes to bag the gadgets for less than £200.
But now they fear they've been scammed as they've been charged - but the gadgets haven't been dispatched.
They were due to arrive by Thursday, March 14 and the seller even provided a tracking number.
But the numbers were fake and didn't match up to any parcel in the postal system.
An extra 150 customers who paid money for Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus phones worth up to £800 say they've also been ripped off.
Money has left their account, they said - but they never received the phones in the post.
Scams on eBay are not uncommon and there are signs to look out for so you can avoid them.
But buyers said they were duped because the seller appeared to be legitimate.
But the scheme excludes some listings, including: vehicles, real estate, businesses for sale, and digitally delivered goods or service.
If you paid as a guest on PayPal, you also can't use the scheme.
But you will still be covered by - so you'll have to contact PayPal instead for your refund.
A spokesman for hotukdeals.com even admitted that the deal had met the website's standards.
Gtrade2015 is a Manchester-based registered company selling electronics, collectables and clothing.
It's run by a 26-year-old businessman called Gvidas Svederauskas, public records show.
The shop has been trading for four years and has .
Before last week, it also had a positive feedback rating of more than 99 per cent on eBay and was classed as a "top-rated seller".
Now buyers are flooding eBay with negative reviews for the shop - calling it a "big scam".
Gtrade2015 has deleted all listings from its eBay shop and isn't replying to messages from customers.
When The Sun tried to call, we heard the phone disconnect tone.
We have made several attempts to connect Mr Svederauskas over the last few days, but we've had no response.
'I hope eBay and PayPal can refund my money quickly'
We spoke to one customer who spent more than £400 on two Nintendo Switch consoles from Gtrade2015 - one for himself, and one for a friend.
The buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, is still waiting a week later to be refunded by eBay after paying via PayPal.
He said: "The price seemed suspiciously cheap but I was reassured by the fact that the deal was 'deal of the day' on hotukdeals.com and the seller was a 'eBay top-rated seller' and had been trading for four years."
He added: "I am upset to have been scammed.
"I hope that eBay and PayPal can refund my money quickly and can launch criminal proceedings against the person responsible for this."
A spokesman for eBay said it is aware of the situation and is investigating.
It assured buyers that they will get their money back, if eligible under its money back guarantee scheme.
How to avoid eBay scams as a buyer
Auction website eBay has listed the signs to look out for to avoid scams as a buyer:
Check feedback
- Always check a seller’s Feedback Profile prior to making a purchase – their detailed seller ratings (stars) show the level of service you can expect
- Be more cautious if they’ve received negative Feedback recently
- Check feedback they’ve received for items similar to the one you’re interested in
Pay securely
- When possible, choose PayPal – you are likely to be protected by eBay Money Back Guarantee if your transaction is eligible.
- Don’t be fooled by sellers who claim their PayPal account isn’t working
- Don’t be fooled by ads or sellers who ask for down-payments to 'reserve' an item (particularly cars) – fraudsters have no intention of returning your down-payment
- Be cautious if the seller is asking you to send money via bank transfer for a high-priced item such as a vehicle that you haven't inspected in person
- Never send money via Western Union, MoneyGram or other less secure methods
- Always complete your transaction on the eBay site – otherwise, sellers can operate outside of eBay rules and policies and you won't be eligible under eBay Money Back Guarantee.
Check listings
- Watch out for under-priced items and expensive items where the seller offers free delivery – if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is
- Be extra cautious with pre-sale items – check the seller’s feedback and selling history before purchasing and don’t leave feedback until you actually receive your purchase
- Watch out for strange item descriptions – they’re often an indicator of a fraudulent listing. Common warning signs are:
- Differences between the location of the item on the listing page and in the item description
- The item description language differing from the seller’s country
- The item description reading as if it’s been translated by an automated translator
Delivery tracker
- Some services provide information on the delivery progress of your item – if you choose this type of service, the seller should provide a tracking number so you can check this
A spokesman said: "As you can imagine, the vast majority of purchases made through eBay’s marketplace go through with no problems at all.
"However in this case, if any issues are found, the buyers involved will receive a full refund through our money back guarantee which covers billions of pounds a year."
Customers said they've been told they'll have to wait eight days at least to get their money back.
They are now leaving furious messages on Gtrade2015's eBay shop.
One said: "No item, no reply to dispute, no refund. Escalated to eBay."
Another wrote: "Liar, took the money, no answer - no phone. I hope I'll get the money back."
A user added: "Scammed!!! Beware. Phone never arrived, fake tracking number given, dispute open."
The only way legitimate way to pay on eBay is via PayPal - but a spokesman for PayPal said complaints would have to be raised with eBay.
A spokesman for hotukdeals.com said: "We are aware of the issue identified and the thread where the product was posted has been updated.
"All deals posted to the hotukdeals community are checked by editors to ensure that the merchant or marketplace seller meets our standards.
"This includes reviewing previous feedback, sales history and that there are clear channels of communications if buyers have any questions about their transaction.
"We would advise anyone who has made a purchase and is awaiting delivery of their item to contact customer service, in this case through the eBay customer service page to report the issue and if necessary arrange a refund through their escalation process."
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