eBay "Battery Replacement" Scam?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38331&item=5715035011&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V' target='_blank'>http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ssPageName=WD1V</a><br /><br /></div>I'm searching for a battery for an iPAQ 5450 that I lent to a friend, so naturally I turned to the worlds biggest marketplace: eBay. I found several listings, but the Buy It Now prices seemed painfully high at $90+ USD. I found one for $45 USD, but was confused by the $25 charge for shipping and labour. Once I read the full description I realized what this guy was doing:<br /><br /><i>"This is for a battery replacement service. A brand new battery will be $45.00 plus the $25.00 for labor and shipping costs. This includes the models 5450 and the 5455. It is the buyers responsibility to ship the item to me. I give a 30 day warranty with all of my repairs. If I can not fix the item, I will return the item back to you free of charge and will also give a complete refund."</i><br /><br />Given that the iPAQ 5000 series has a user-replaceable battery that you pop out and pop back in, I can't see this as anything other than a scam to trick confused Pocket PC users into paying for a "service" they don't need. Unbelievable! 8O <br /><br />By the way, if anyone happens to have an iPAQ 5450 battery they'd be willing to sell to me cheap, let me know. ;-)

[duncanhbrown]

It could also be a way to part you from your Pocket PC.

[echo]

not just that, i'd be wary of shipping my ipaq off to some random person. its probably more of a scam to get their hands on ipaqs rather than to "service" it.

edit: yes what duncanhbrown said.

[ale_ers]

Actually, I do. I have upgraded to a 6315 and it has been sitting in my breifcase since.

I'm not sure I could sell it in good faith though. I have used it for some time with no problems, but occasionally I had problems charging it (sometimes it held a charge, sometimes it did not). I would be happy to send it to you and if it works for you great.

PM me and I'll get your address.

[Damion Chaplin]

As a frequent buyer and seller on eBay, I feel I should point out that if the seller honestly describes the entire 'thing' he's selling, whether it be a product or service, it's not a scam. He clearly states in his listing what he's charging for. It's up to you to read it in it's entirety. If someone is selling a 17" LCD display for $100, it's up to you to find out why: the very last line in the listing is probably 'this is a non-fuctional display'.

Sure, the battery is user replacable, but just because the clock on your VCR is able to be changed by you doesn't mean you know how to do it or are interested in learning...

I say if people are willing to pay for it, then by all means charge for it. For better or for worse, that's the capitalistic society we live in...

[RChristian]

Jason,

I recently upgraded from a 5555 tot he hx4700... have an extended capacity battery if your interested. Also for anyone else that may be in the market for 5555 series accessories, I have a Vaja case that I can no longer use. The case is black with a magetic closure and no belt holder.


Roger

[GoldKey]

Also, by pushing the cost to shipping/labor, isn't the seller getting around paying ebay the full commission?

[masseym]

I was looking for a battery for my 4155 but couldnt find anything on eBay except generic batteries. Are those batteris just as good as the ones from HP? I'm always leery of purchasing "generic" substitutes for things I use all day, every day.

[Paragon]

$25 charge for shipping and labour.....................
Given that the iPAQ 5000 series has a user-replaceable battery

25 bucks!! Shoot! Send it to me and I'll do it for 10! ;)

Dave

[mhynek]

I was shaking my head while reading the ebay advertisement, as I'm sure you all did, when I noticed this at the bottom of the page:

Seller's payment instructions
What you are paying for is a brand new battery for the iPAQ 3600 series Pocket PC as well as a $25.00 labor fee for the repair. Included in this fee is the s&h costs for sending the unit back to you via FedEx. It is the buyers responsability to get the ubit to me. If I can not fix the item, the item will be returned to you free of charge and a full refund will be credited.

Hmmm, the title represents the 5000 series, so why is there mention of the 3600 series later in the add? I'll leave that up to someone else to decipher.

[gorkon280]

I wonder if he just cut/pasted his iPaq 3600 ad into his 5400 ad?? It COULD be a honest mistake.

[Fishie]

I was shaking my head while reading the ebay advertisement, as I'm sure you all did, when I noticed this at the bottom of the page:

Seller's payment instructions
What you are paying for is a brand new battery for the iPAQ 3600 series Pocket PC as well as a $25.00 labor fee for the repair. Included in this fee is the s&h costs for sending the unit back to you via FedEx. It is the buyers responsability to get the ubit to me. If I can not fix the item, the item will be returned to you free of charge and a full refund will be credited.

Hmmm, the title represents the 5000 series, so why is there mention of the 3600 series later in the add? I'll leave that up to someone else to decipher.

He provides the service for just about any PDA in existence so prolly just a mishap in his description.
Just check the users other listings.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

While the service sounds a like a terrible deal, it's unfair to label this as any kind of scam.

This seller has an eBay score of over 560 with a rating of 99.3%, including page after page after page of positive feedbacks. He's also been an eBay member for over 2 years and is a labeled "PowerSeller". If he were trying to steal a few PocketPCs, he would eventually get kicked off of eBay and destroy a reputation that's taken 2 years to build.

I've seen a lot of auctions that look like potential scams on eBay, but this is NOT one of them.

[TheZodiac]

I think it has more to do with the seller not knowing what hes talkign about.

Watch out your replacement dosnt explode too. ;-)

[bdcotton]

Jason

You may not need to replace battery. I had a similar problem with 5555 and have just bought a NeuNeo wallet with large battery (2800mah) + CF slot. It is just awesome it goes on and on and on and on. I was less than relaxed before buying and took some time to pluck up courage - but now wish I had bought it earlier

Here is the link:

http://www.neuneo.com/products/iPAQ/2800_feature.asp

Although I actually bought it off eBay
Ben