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Looking for a new tablet and seen on some well known auction and resale sites a few tablets and phones being sold with scratched out serial numbers. I was wondering how dodgy this is so I messaged one seller who replied with "Due to the fact that this is a customer return/ex-demo we are unable to confirm as to why the serial number has been scratched off.
Please be advised that we are unable to guarantee that this will still have manufacturer's warranty, however we do provide a 12 month warranty with all purchases."
The last bit about giving 12 months warranty on all purchases shows me at least that they are prepared to back up the sale.
Do you guys think this is dodgy? Or might there be a legitimate reason for the serial number being scratched off?
Scratched off = Stolen.
Buying stolen goods = you don't own the goods.
Pass.
There's always another good deal around the corner.
They’ll be returned and / or failed QC items that have been repaired usually.
You’ll have zero support from the manufacturer if it goes wrong and the eBay (I assume) seller could be less than useless.
But if they’re cheap enough, they’ll probably be worth a punt.
run away!
I assume it’s the same reason CRC scratch the S\Ns off the stuff they sell on the cheap. If it’s a retailer rather than a private seller, it’s because they’ve bought it from somewhere they shouldn’t, according to the manufacturer.
If it’s a private seller, it’s because it’s stolen.
Stolen, walk away
Not necessarily dodgy.
Could well be ex-demo, supplier sample or manufacturer repaired warranty return.
Much of this stuff ends up at jobbers who eBay it or sell through their own auction sites. It's not glamorous, but it's not dodgy either.
As others say, it won't get any manufacturer warranty support. So only buy if you can afford for it to go wrong.
Other thing to watch for is that software and firmware updates may not be available or may behave unpredictably.
If sold by a major jobber, e.g. John Pye, make sure you are getting a really, really good deal as my experience is that they price high, and you are often better off buying reconditioned gear from the brands / retailers own eBay sites e.g. Curry's PC World.
Being sold at £85. Going price on the high street is £200. Seems like good price to me.
If it sounds too good to be true...