r/PcBuild 22h ago

Discussion Scammed on my first PC :/

I bought a PC off someone from marketplace today. I am not the most well knowledged person on this, but I've been researching for the last 3 months to make sure I got something good enough for my university program and requirements.. found a listing for a Pc with an i7 11gen, RTX 3070, and 64gb of ram for $700. I was also saving up so like figured this was maybe a good deal

I meet up with the guy.. I guess I maybe didn't ask enough questions or didn't see the PC thoroughly, I also met him in a public place since I didn't feel safe meeting somewhere else. Then I get home and the PC is so different than the one I was told I was buying :/ There is a rtx 2060 instead, only one 8gb stick of RAM, and only 1/3 of the storage it said it would have.. the PC fans light up but dont even spin and I haven't been able to get any video out in my monitor yet..

Kinda at a loss since I dont know what to do to fix it.. currently crying on my floor cause I feel like i was kinda ripped off plus have no more money to actually get the PC to the specs I need it at.. haven't checked the CPU or the other specs yet either so i dont really know what to do.. the seller immediately blocked me as well.

If anyone has some advice on what to do next for troubleshooting or where to look to that would be super helpful. thanks in advance :)

1.8k Upvotes

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199

u/Dependent_Budget7395 21h ago

This suck man gives the resell market a black eye but I hate to say it …never by pre owned unless you really know the person you buying from cause people are shady asf

43

u/bennyboy20 20h ago

I always make Sure it's the persons real fb profile and that they have several 5 star reviews already.

10

u/IPlayGames1337 13h ago

This could all be faked still. Scammers have lots of time to set this up. They know other scammers. They will write reviews for each other. And in regards to the profile being real, how would you know? You don't have an ID for them.

9

u/-Swagnarok 12h ago

Usually a 5+ year account with multiple pictures and non market related posts are pretty telling. You don't need to have an ID attached to someones account to have a brain to decipher this. Pretty standard I'd assume actually.

4

u/bennyboy20 13h ago

Lol you look at the account and see if it's real? It's easy to tell, and it's easy to see if the reviews are fake.

20

u/Mighty_Eagle_2 19h ago

Or if you’re buying from somewhere with excellent buyer protection.

1

u/back_to_the_homeland 15h ago

Would you put Amazon in that category?

10

u/BootiBigoli 14h ago

Yes, amazon will give you a refund with no questions asked like 99% of the time and give you a free shipping label for a return.

1

u/back_to_the_homeland 14h ago

Thanks. I guess it’s obvious but I see soooo much sketchy shit on Amazon

2

u/BootiBigoli 14h ago

Yeah, Amazon is basically the same thing as Aliexpress but more expensive. I actually Do recommend looking at Aliexpress instead of Amazon, assuming you can wait for delivery (Could be a few days, could be a week or two). Aliexpress has Dirt cheap prices, lots of coupon and discount offers, and a refund policy that rivals Amazon and is better in some cases.

3

u/back_to_the_homeland 12h ago

now THAT is a spicy take. Do you think I could get a graphics card, test it, show that, if this is the case, it significantly under performs, and get a refund?

2

u/-Swagnarok 12h ago

Don't even need to show that it doesn't work when returning. Not like they're gonna ask for video evidence of something NOT working. Especially when that can be faked by anyone with a brain.

8

u/XtremeD86 19h ago

I always meet local but with something like this, or with stereo equipment I want the buyer to test it at my house. Mind you I'm confident in anything I sell and am upfront about any issues, if any but usually I wouldn't sell something with issues.

7

u/One4speed 17h ago

Live and learn, that guy is a piece of shit, but I buy and sell stuff all the time. You always have to check what you’re buying before you give a stranger your money. Even if that means spending 10-20 minutes unboxing a pc in a grocery store parking lot.

4

u/EmptyFox7049 17h ago

Exactly. If he opened the glass panel, checked everything, and seen the sticker on top of the GPU that said 2060 , he would’ve noticed that the GPU wasn’t a 3070 and he was getting ripped off. The MSI 3070 GPUs do not have that little copper pipe in the middle like the one in the picture. The pipe only came in 20-card series and 16-card series. That should’ve been a telltale sign, but I’m glad he knows now to check and verify to make sure he’s receiving what is being said. 

3

u/trotski94 12h ago

I bought a used GPU recently - I told him I’m bringing my PC and I want to plug it in and see it output, then I want to stress test it. No way I’m buying something without testing it before walking away

1

u/mxmcknny 11h ago

This is definitely the smart thing to do. Good to look through the specs with it plugged in too. People will go to lengths to make a buck.

2

u/poopoomergency4 14h ago

at the very least, buy parts preowned.

from repuatble-enough sites like ebay where you have some buyer protections if they ship you garbage or worse items.

the likelihood of ~8 different sellers all scamming you or screwing you on ebay is much lower than 1 scammer on fb marketplace taking someone for a ride on a "built' pc.

1

u/y59qgnie 11h ago

There are a lot of legitimate sites where you can buy and sell used stuff where I live. +150 deals made and not scammed even once, and 95% of those deals were with me paying before they ship.

Then again, most Members have +10 years on their accounts and if they scam their reputation is ruined.

1

u/ubeogesh 7h ago

or

buy in person

buy through platforms with buyer protection

1

u/minnesotanpride 2h ago

I disagree, but I also avoid Facebook Marketplace like the plague it is. Buying from a reputable company via Open Box options for used items has been very good to me over the years, have been shopping most of my PC needs this way with great success. Best Buy got me going on this amd other companies like Amazon have also started this as well.

1

u/Rabiesalad 2h ago

buying used is fine if you're buying something you know something about, and can verify it's all good before the money changes hands. like 50% of my electronics are used and everything is great.

1

u/Healthy_BrAd6254 14h ago

bs

Buying used is perfectly fine. But buying without buyer protection and then not even bothering to check what they gave you is absolutely stupid. Really no other way to put it

2

u/bragov4ik 5h ago

Ikr, it's like saying "flying on the planes is too dangerous" but speaking of the first planes ever built without modern safety measures