Future Gear (eBay) Sold 50+ GPUs during a Recent Sale but Never Had a Single One in Stock

c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 09:05
Last edited 24/01/2018 - 10:40

A little over a week ago eBay started the PCTECH promotion where I purchased a Gigabyte 1080 Windforce from Future Gear, who is an eBay store that was part of the 20% off promotion.

Listing: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gigabyte-Windforce-GeForce-GTX10…

A few days prior to the sale I had bookmarked a few different graphics cards that I was going to try and get once the sale started. I was one of the first people to purchase the 1080 they had in stock out of 37 Gigabyte 1080 cards.

The initial 20 cards sold out quickly and a few hours later the seller added more stock, increased the price and sold another 17. When I purchased the card it was marked as in stock and to be sent with express shipping.

There was a similar number of 1080ti's sold through them on that day also. So ~70ish cards were sold.

Fast forward a week and the card still wasn't marked as shipped, the seller hadn't responded to any of my messages and I was starting to worry.

This morning I finally got a message from them - that they don't have stock and don't expect stock until possibly the 31st of January.

So ~70 people gave Future Gear $700-1200 and they sat on it for a week before informing people that they do not have stock. If this is the way they treat people who just bought things from them, imagine how they would treat people that need to go through warranty claims through them.

Buyer beware of Future Gear on eBay!
stores.ebay.com.au/futuregear

Computing

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Comments

  • steff on 24/01/2018 - 09:17
    +1

    Not much you can do unfortunately.

    I do understand your frustration, but if you give them the benefit of the doubt, a week isn't unrealistic to confirm stock levels across warehouses and suppliers. Especially if they are located overseas.

    If you really want to let them have it, contact ebay and use that reference number to leave negative feedback. Usually the store can't get ebay to remove negative feedback against their name if you've backed it up with evidence.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 09:28
      +1

      I can't give them the benefit of the doubt because looking at their feedback they have a history of doing this and they added more stock + increased the price by $30, 3 hours after the first batch sold out.

      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gigabyte-Windforce-GeForce-GTX10…

      • steff on 24/01/2018 - 09:54

        if the past feedback says they sell in advance without stock then yes, you're right.

        added more stock + increased price could be due to a different supplier. Not trying to justify it for them, but (on the off chance) it is a possibility.

      • KLoNe on 25/01/2018 - 22:20
        +3

        So, from the feedback you had access to, you were well aware that there would be a possibility of them not having any stock, yet you took the gamble, sent them your money and lost.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 09:55
      +8

      Only so much stock? They had 0 stock but sold 37.

      If you have a look at the listing, they didn't even sell any before the sale! The listing was active days before the sale. I was one of the first people to buy the card.

      You may be fine with purchasing something with an expected delivery date of 3 days after purchase, not have any of your messages replied to for over a week and then be told they are out of stock but I am not. I don't think they should be part of the eBay promotions with business practices like that.

    • mmustica on 24/01/2018 - 10:00
      +6

      They were listed as in stock at time of purchase (~37 or so) when the reality is they didn't have any. They have effectively taken 37 pre-orders and I have not received a response from them at all.

  • mmustica on 24/01/2018 - 09:57
    +4

    +1. Currently in the exact same situation, only they haven't yet responded to my messages at all. Very shady practices and another buyer beware warning from me.

    A friend is also in the same boat.

    • steff on 24/01/2018 - 10:04
      +1

      leave feedback people. warning people here is great, but isnt going to do much in the bigger scheme of things

      • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 10:06

        It does because when people search for Future Gear on Google, ozbargain and whirlpool are some of the only results.

        • steff on 24/01/2018 - 10:07

          As I said, it is good. But if you want to have a stronger impact, leave feedback on their page with facts so they can't have it removed

        • Inzo on 25/01/2018 - 21:04

          @steff: But if I recall correctly, you can't flag feedback as negative anymore, right?

        • steff on 25/01/2018 - 23:34

          @Inzo: why not? When leaving feedback you can adjust the number is stars you want to give them

        • Geryatric on 26/01/2018 - 06:42

          Leave negative feedback or they will continue to do this

        • Choc0 on 26/01/2018 - 08:40

          @Inzo: sellers can't leave negative feedback. All the power is with buyers.

  • ausmisc on 24/01/2018 - 10:24
    +2

    Still waiting here, have had no communication from the seller and is looking like going past the latest estimated delivery date. If I don't cancel the orders there'll definitely be some negative feedback. Don't really agree with listing stuff you don't actually have available. If they were relying on stock coming in to fulfill these orders they should have at least increased the estimated delivery time or had some warning IMO.

  • Joku on 24/01/2018 - 11:02
    +1

    I've bought one of these too, have already been chatting to C0balt via pm in recent days.

    The addition of further non-existent stock on the day and the worthless express delivery is what annoys me the most. I was also among the first to order before additional stock was added. I would have bought elsewhere had I been aware of stock status.

    According to multiple comments on forums/reviews/facebook, futuregear is somehow tied to a NZ computer store chain called PB Tech but I can't find any direct/official public link between the two. Their website (www.pbtech.co.nz) is currently showing zero stock of Windforce GTX1080's across all their stores + office + warehouse + supplier, so at least that's consistent with futuregear's response.

    There's a fair few uncomforting reviews about this store, stuff like failure to deliver correct quantity followed by refusal to accept their mistake, multi-week communication delays and complete termination of communication in some problem cases, and claims of opened/used goods being delivered for new item purchases. That said, it seems the vast majority of the time there is no problem. They look like another MSY or Umart to me, a very shady PC store where most of the time they still do the right thing, just gotta cross your fingers and hope you aren't one of the unlucky ones.

  • djkelly69 on 24/01/2018 - 11:19

    Just out of interest, did they say no-one else was sent their card or are you assuming that?

    FWIW I ordered a 1050ti from them on 17/1, and it arrived yesterday.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 11:28
      +2

      It's a safe assumption as 1) multiple people in this thread have commented the same about their 1080 order, 2) no one has left feedback for a 1080 or 1080ti for them, 3) I was one of the first to order and was told a week later no stock after I sent multiple messages over the last week and 4) the 1080 and 1080ti are out of stock pretty much everywhere whereas the 1050, 1050ti and 1060 cards are not out of stock at most places.

      The seller advertised them as in stock and to be sent via express shipping, not as pre-orders with an ETA of 'maybe they will be in stock 2 weeks after you ordered'.

      There were people who left feedback for their 1060 from Future Gear shortly after purchasing. So they had stock (or access to stock) for those but all the evidence is supporting that they didn't have stock of the 1080 and most likely the 1080ti too.

      I hope you got an EVGA 1050ti, because if not and it has a problem then you will be left to deal with Future Gear for the warranty.

      • djkelly69 on 24/01/2018 - 11:42
        +2

        I didn't say that no one received their 1080 from them

        ?? Your thread title literally says:

        Future Gear Sold 50+ GPUs during a Recent Sale but Never Had a Single One in Stock

        The necessary implication of you stating they "never had a single one in stock" is that no-one received their 1080 from them. I am not denying it is a fairly safe assumption based on your reasoning, but it is just that, an assumption, which you are stating as fact.

        The thread title is also misleading because you only state "GPUs" in the title when you are actually only referring to 1080 GPUs.

        • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 11:46

          I didn't say that no one received it, just that they had no stock (as per their email).

          If you are going to be so pedantic then why not request that I write the manufacture and part numbers in the title too? They did sell 50+ GPUs that were not in stock (confirmation of 1080ti's not being shipped in a comment below) so it's still correct.

        • Joku on 24/01/2018 - 12:35

          @c0balt: Don't stress, most of us can comprehend that 50+ GPUs != all GPUs.

    • legendarypoo on 29/01/2018 - 12:25

      I ordered 2 1080ti's, one for mine and one for my wifes pc.
      First ordered on the Thursday of the sale, got it on Wednesday.
      Second ordered on Sunday, got it on Thursday.

      No issues with their delivery.

  • OzAmore on 24/01/2018 - 11:43
    +1

    I placed two orders through them during the recent PCTECH sale.

    First I purchased a GTX 1060 which I ordered on Tuesday 16th and it arrived Monday 22nd. Item was sent from Matraville NSW by Seko Omni Reverse Logistics who appears to be a shipment transportation company which acts as a drop shipper.

    Later I purchased a 1080ti which I have yet to see any shipping confirmation. This card had already seen 95+ sales before I ordered and I kind of already had the feeling I was ordering an out of stock item and would be in for abit of a wait.

    I don't know where all the GPUs they sold will be sent from but its clear that Futuregear has virtually zero stock and instead uses a drop shipping company to fulfill these orders.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 11:52

      Thanks for that. If they are using drop shipping from a logistics company in Australia, does that indicate it’s Australian stock with an Australian warranty?

      • OzAmore on 24/01/2018 - 12:47

        Good question.. I'm not too sure? I think it would still be unlikely. As usually you have to upload the receipt of purchase which would indicate NZ? either that or the serial number would indicate if its AU stock or not..

  • myusername on 24/01/2018 - 12:35
    +1

    this is false advertising

  • daiwai on 24/01/2018 - 13:20

    I've ordered 1xEVGA 1080 SC from them on 19th, they posted it yesterday and now in Asupost's hand, maybe you're just unlucky.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 13:45

      Well there's comments in this thread from 6 people who ordered and how they have not been shipped, so it's you that has got very lucky!

      Could you please link me to the card you bought?

      • daiwai on 24/01/2018 - 14:13

        Were they all gigabyte stock?

        https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/EVGA-GeForce-GTX1080-SC-8GB-GDDR…

        • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 14:25

          Thanks for that.

          The 1080 yes but not the 1080ti - believe it was EVGA but I'm waiting to hear back from another user in a PM to confirm.

        • ausmisc on 24/01/2018 - 20:40

          @c0balt:

          Ordered both gigabyte and EVGA 1080 cards, nothing yet.

      • daiwai on 31/01/2018 - 14:55

        Update: Received the card on 25th and couldn't find any invoice came with it, so I sent a message to them. They came back to me today(31st) with invoice which is indeed PB tech. I think I'll still buy from them but only if the products have international warranty ( like Evga, Evga adviced us deal with them directly with RMA issues).

  • JunkeyJill95 on 24/01/2018 - 17:24
    +1

    Bought 1080 wf and one motherboard in the first hour of the sale.
    No any shipping info but the motherboard arrived last friday which took 2 days to delivery.
    seller not replying any messages about gpu
    I left negative comments already and going to cancel order if no any messages from them until next monday

    • JunkeyJill95 on 31/01/2018 - 12:51

      Staff called me from 0280734634 and saying the stock is fulfilled and do I want the item now?

  • fishball on 24/01/2018 - 18:08
    +1

    I bought a 1080 off them and a Ryzen 1700x. The Ryzen arrived within 3 days but no reply since on the 1080. I was one of the first 15 or so that bought the 1080 initially - not during the 'restock'.

    They seem to be just like Warehouse1, drop ship and massive delays IF they don't hold stock. I am still hoping they pull through and give me the 1080 even if they delay it a few weeks since prices are insane high now.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 18:45
      +1

      Well you might get your wish as they replied to me saying that they could get more stock in a week.

      Throughout the day I've had a change of heart and actually think this might be a blessing in disguise. My 1060 that I got 3 months ago serves me well (2050mhz OC on the core and +500mhz on the memory), and it's only in a few games that I can't run at ultra settings at 1440p 60hz, or Fallout 4 VR on my Vive without tweaking configuration files. If in a couple of months time Nvidia releases their new GPUs and there's a performance difference similar to the 7 series to the 9 series, or the 9 series to the 10 series, then I would be really pissed off that I spent $700 on a 2 year old card that performs the same as a $3-400 card.

      I'm giving them until tomorrow to find some stock and confirm that it's been sent before I start the chargeback through PayPal.

      • xuqi on 25/01/2018 - 22:53

        They're still selling the EVGA so maybe you ask for one of those:

        https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/EVGA-GeForce-GTX1080-SC-8GB-GDDR…?

        • c0balt on 31/01/2018 - 15:25

          It’s a bit of a late reply but I did ask them for that before you posted but had no luck, they would not send that one instead.

          It’s now the date they said they would have more stock but I haven’t heard from them regarding my order since they said no to sending the EVGA card instead.

      • StarvingOat on 26/01/2018 - 10:39

        I got my 1080 Msi Gaming X in the November of 2016 for 899$. Best deal on a gpu ever. Not from this seller tho.

  • fatpizza on 24/01/2018 - 19:51

    I ordered an EVGA 1080ti SC Black Edition on the 18th of Jan and it hasn't been shipped yet. I had to message them twice this week before they responded and they said it should ship today. But it didn't.
    Not particularly pleased.

    • c0balt on 24/01/2018 - 19:54

      Not fully sik, uleh.

      Not big or cheesy, either.

  • jasswolf on 24/01/2018 - 21:47

    I'd suggest given their recent price points that they're a patient buyer from their suppliers and thus something of a drop shipper as a result.

    Given how great their Ryzen 1700x prices are, it might be worth the wait, especially given how everyone else is pricing GPUs.

    Get back to me when you get a Non-ROG ASUS Strix 1060 6GB for $323, only to get automatically refunded after you spend 3 weeks trying to get a replacement processed with them after you've returned the item, when they admitted they had stock.

    Apparently Futu Online/Shopping Express don't test for faults in their store/warehouse, nor listen to simple customer requests or eBay support escalations. Also, apparently they've never heard of Fair Trading NSW, Fair Trading Victoria, and the ACCC.

    Happy to help them out on all counts really.

    • jasswolf on 28/01/2018 - 18:43

      Just as a follow up on this, they did test on-site, but dicked me on the replacement stock because they:

      a) didn't record my replacement request (tried to process refund)
      b) didn't communicate any of this effectively or accurately

      Then they tried to offer me a GTX 1060 with the Founder's Edition cooler design on it… waiting to see what stock they have upcoming but not holding my breath.

  • exit on 25/01/2018 - 00:35

    Futuregear is actually PBTech in New Zealand. If you have problems, you can go straight to PBTech and demand warranty. I'm sure they would be forced to act appropriately then.

    • randomusername2017 on 25/01/2018 - 08:33
      +3

      @least they seem to live up to their name…

  • watty on 25/01/2018 - 09:48

    There was a fair amount of warning around against futuregear in the comments and if you look at the feedback. Before I knew about them I was interested in a graphics card but given their reputation I wouldn't give them a cent.

  • customundo on 25/01/2018 - 10:37
    +2

    I bought an EVGA 1080Ti SC2 for $988 from the PCTECH deal on 19/1 and the card was shipped on 22/1. From the tracking page its been processed by Auspost and is in transit

    I suppose YMMV when it comes to Futuregear. I've had a positive experience and will definitely buy from them again (if it saves me $200+ each time I buy a GPU)

  • whorishmouth on 25/01/2018 - 14:42

    Got mine delivered last week from PCTECH sale. To Perth no probs…very happy, awesome deal.

    • c0balt on 25/01/2018 - 15:02

      You got a gigabyte 1080?

      • whorishmouth on 25/01/2018 - 15:30

        Yes mate

        • c0balt on 25/01/2018 - 16:05

          The Windforce or the G1 gaming card? If it was the Windforce card, could you please tell me what number were you on the list of people who ordered?

        • whorishmouth on 25/01/2018 - 17:16

          @c0balt:
          G1

  • factor on 26/01/2018 - 09:11

    Aren't most 1080Ti cards in global short supply? In which case the store's only "crime" is incorrectly listing them as in stock. If they still deliver, late, all good at cheap price.

    I had to wait 2 months for my 8 * 1080Ti cards (for a server). That was from a US supplier with good acceess to multiple wholesalers.

    • watty on 26/01/2018 - 17:59

      I bought mine locally and it took 3 weeks to come (EVGA 1080ti ftw3)! I was told that due to mining there was a high demand and suppliers couldn't keep up. They previously sold my card for a little under a grand but I had to fork $1200.

  • GhostDC on 26/01/2018 - 14:02

    I bought a 1070Ti from shopping express during the sale and they cancelled my order more then a week later, explaining that they were unable to get stock.

    I was under the impression there is a legal contract between the buyer and seller?

    Am I the only one that got screwed over by Shopping Express?

    • watty on 26/01/2018 - 17:55

      Not much you can do unfortunately. If you take it further (legally) then you will be wasting your time and potentially more money. There should be another eBay sale soon! Good luck.

  • tromboc on 26/01/2018 - 22:20
    -3

    That'll teach you to hand over a fistful of cash to a seller with 126 negative feedback in the last 12mth. Order a refund and treat it as lesson learned.

  • kevst on 29/01/2018 - 13:22

    So,

    the ACC does list this as a possible offence:
    https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/sales-delivery/non-deliver…

    "they know, or should have known, they would not be able to supply the products or services within the timeframe indicated or if no timeframe was provided, within a reasonable time."

    If they list it as in stock and except express delivery as an option then a reasonable time should be very short.

    They may also be in breach of the ACC Misleading Conduct:
    "You should only offer goods or services at a ‘special price’ if they are available in reasonable quantities for a reasonable period, unless you state clearly that the good is in short supply or on sale for a limited time."

    Write a letter/email to them quoting the ACCC /ACL and give them 2 business days to reply. Tell them if they neither contacted you or dispatched the order you will send a formal complaint to the ACCC & state fair trading.

    The fine for false and misleading is very high. Remind them of that.

    Cheers
    K

    • phoenx on 31/01/2018 - 11:27

      Does this apply to international stores (futuregear in NZ) selling products into Australia?

  • Joku on 01/02/2018 - 18:21

    My Windforce 1080 was marked as shipped ~5.30am today

    • c0balt on 06/02/2018 - 10:53

      I received my card. It performs really well, but it's the first card I've had where I now know what people say when they mention 'horrible coil whine'. It really squeals.

      Over the weekend a patch came out for the only game that my 1060 was holding me back in (huge performance increase), and bitcoin/altcoin scene started to crash. So I didn't need to upgrade and if mining continues to see profitability fall then we will soon see a flood of GPUs hit the market for low prices as the sellers scramble to mitigate their losses and have to compete with each other to sell those graphics cards.

      I advertised my 1060 on Gumtree. If I can sell it and make a bit of profit, then it won't sting as much when the 1080 is worth possibly ~$400 in a few months time.

      • Joku on 07/02/2018 - 13:16

        Mine doesn't have coil whine so you may be unlucky there. No major buyer remorse for me, I needed an update and wanted at least a 1070 for higher res gaming. So the price excess for me was in buying a 1080 over a 1070 (which should have some longevity value that I'm dismissing here) and paying elevated price due to abnormal supply/demand. The way I see it I need to cash out ~$250 in crypto net profit over the next couple of years to offset those issues, and at this stage that's still a manageable hurdle. I'm not fussed about a better future purchase time, too much hindsight bias in that thinking.

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