How do these scams work? Switch games on eBay

If Nintendo banned people for that than I wouldn't even touch any of there products, surely not? But hey who knows knowing Nintendo

About 6 months ago I was flogging off my Switch stuff on eBay and on my Super Mario Odyssey Physical listing I encountered a buyer who made multiple silly offers of £10, replied to the buyer with 'good luck', then the buyer was bragging about how they saw people selling copies for ridiculous prices of £12-15 and how they 'just bought' one for that price soon afterwards. Safe to say it turned out well for me as I sold my copy for £33, but that was how I became aware of something dodgy going on with Switch games on eBay.

I assume that because most Switch games are region free, and the Switch detects the language of the game then tries to switch the language to the region language (in this case obviously English), scammers are extracting copies from foreign eShop stores to sell for cheap on eBay (kind of like a G2A and Steam code situation).

You have absolutely ZERO protection with these.
It's against Ebays Terms and Conditions for selling/buying digitally delivered content as there is no way to control or even validate the codes that are being purchased.

If you buy one, you do so at your own risk.

If the code doesn't work, Ebay are unable to verify the validity of the code and the seller will simply say something like... "The code worked fine before i sent it but the buyer must have used the code and is trying to claim their money back"

You are unable to disprove this and so Ebay will not cover it.
Stay safe!

CaptainVolvo23/04/2019 14:01

You have absolutely ZERO protection with these.It's against Ebays Terms …You have absolutely ZERO protection with these.It's against Ebays Terms and Conditions for selling/buying digitally delivered content as there is no way to control or even validate the codes that are being purchased.If you buy one, you do so at your own risk.If the code doesn't work, Ebay are unable to verify the validity of the code and the seller will simply say something like... "The code worked fine before i sent it but the buyer must have used the code and is trying to claim their money back"You are unable to disprove this and so Ebay will not cover it. Stay safe!Read lessRead more

Don't worry I wouldn't ever risk it!

I did see someone left positive feedback "This is a scam do not buy"... why would you leave that as positive, not negative? Hmm

I was just curious really, this is interesting to know though. Why are Curry's PC World allowed to sell digital balance cards on eBay like Nintendo eShop if other sellers can't?

andrewworrall123/04/2019 14:13

Don't worry I wouldn't ever risk it!I did see someone left positive …Don't worry I wouldn't ever risk it!I did see someone left positive feedback "This is a scam do not buy"... why would you leave that as positive, not negative? HmmI was just curious really, this is interesting to know though. Why are Curry's PC World allowed to sell digital balance cards on eBay like Nintendo eShop if other sellers can't?Read lessRead more

They are allowed to sell them because they're physically delivered.
It's digital delivery that is not allowed.

With physical postage, you can track the delivery etc and prove that the code has been sent.
It's absolute madness to be honest because you could still sell a fake code and send it in the post...

CaptainVolvo23/04/2019 14:33

They are allowed to sell them because they're physically delivered.It's …They are allowed to sell them because they're physically delivered.It's digital delivery that is not allowed.With physical postage, you can track the delivery etc and prove that the code has been sent. It's absolute madness to be honest because you could still sell a fake code and send it in the post...Read lessRead more

Ah I see.. so I would be allowed to sell a Nintendo eShop card or similar and post it? I probably wouldn't do that anyway but it's handy to know.

andrewworrall123/04/2019 14:37

Ah I see.. so I would be allowed to sell a Nintendo eShop card or similar …Ah I see.. so I would be allowed to sell a Nintendo eShop card or similar and post it? I probably wouldn't do that anyway but it's handy to know.Read lessRead more

Yes, i used to sell Now TV passes but it's hard work because even the buyers can be scammers...
I was sending them in the post (unscratched) until people started saying 'The codes didn't work' and i had to try and prove that they did!
Then i started scratching them off and taking a picture and posting them however they still said the same...
Then i ended up sending them unscratched with an image on them or a small mark/drawing to prove that it's the same card.

I had a guy try and send me back a code however he sent me a different one than i'd sent him!!!!

CaptainVolvo23/04/2019 14:40

Yes, i used to sell Now TV passes but it's hard work because even the …Yes, i used to sell Now TV passes but it's hard work because even the buyers can be scammers...I was sending them in the post (unscratched) until people started saying 'The codes didn't work' and i had to try and prove that they did!Then i started scratching them off and taking a picture and posting them however they still said the same...Then i ended up sending them unscratched with an image on them or a small mark/drawing to prove that it's the same card.I had a guy try and send me back a code however he sent me a different one than i'd sent him!!!!Read lessRead more

Sounds annoying

I thought Sky stopped people selling Now TV Passes, boxes etc now anyway? Apparently they get the listings taken down.

andrewworrall155 s ago

Sounds annoyingI thought Sky stopped people selling Now TV Passes, boxes …Sounds annoyingI thought Sky stopped people selling Now TV Passes, boxes etc now anyway? Apparently they get the listings taken down.Read lessRead more

Yeah, i used to sell them i while ago but it got too much hassle, this was probably about 2-3 years ago but the Ebay rules haven't changed much.

Norseg23/04/2019 12:15

If Nintendo banned people for that than I wouldn't even touch any of there …If Nintendo banned people for that than I wouldn't even touch any of there products, surely not? But hey who knows knowing NintendoRead lessRead more

What banning people for buying stolen good I think that would be a brilliant idea and most thief's would stop as there wouldn't be many customers willing to buy them.

MynameisM23/04/2019 16:58

What banning people for buying stolen good I think that would be a …What banning people for buying stolen good I think that would be a brilliant idea and most thief's would stop as there wouldn't be many customers willing to buy them.Read lessRead more

Most don't know they're stolen, imagine you bought a game and you got banned because apparently the seller used stolen cards to buy it or whatever

Norseg24 m ago

Most don't know they're stolen, imagine you bought a game and you got …Most don't know they're stolen, imagine you bought a game and you got banned because apparently the seller used stolen cards to buy it or whateverRead lessRead more

That would be a bit silly they should ask details of seller and then that way dodgy sellers would be caught. I don't understand this same thing with dodgy Bank accounts why don't the police arrest people . Surely every account within the UK is registered too a real person.