Bad eBay Experience, Any New Options for Buying a Steam Deck?

Lgfbread on 06/07/2023 - 22:27
Last edited 06/07/2023 - 22:35

Hi all,

First forum post so apologies for any mistakes.

I recently bought a 'new, sealed' Steam Deck 64gb from an eBay sale, it was a good price and I'd been watching it for a bit. Used some discounts, and some gift cards to be able to afford it.

Eventually it arrived, but it'd been opened previously, with the security seal being broken with some weird cuts on it. I'm sure it was fine but I'm pretty broke, couldn't afford a new device any time soon, and didn't feel knowledgable enough to suss out if it had been tampered with.

I returned it, they said they'd give a replacement if it's in stock etc. Instead they refunded me with no contact, meaning I couldn't re-purchase for the price, and had a couple of larger eBay gift cards meant for the Deck.

I asked if they'd sell the 64gb models they were still selling as 'in stock' for the price I bought it at, they said no, I still don't know why.

I'm wanting to buy an affordable Steam Deck, but almost all the eBay sellers in a reasonable price range seem to be owned by the same company (Sky Phonez) making me worried this will just happen again.

I'm keeping an eye on sales in most major other platforms and have considered importing, but value the warranty and wouldn't want to pay to ship it to US every time something messes up.

I just wanted to reach out and ask if anyone has found a better method to getting one in Australia?
Or should I just sit tight and wait for a decent platform to get cheaper/a different ebay store?

Thanks for your time!

Edit: The seller was three.sons on eBay.

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Comments

  • akanub on 06/07/2023 - 22:38

    name of seller?

    • gfbread on 06/07/2023 - 22:41

      three.sons, sorry edited into the post.

      • Loubon on 06/07/2023 - 22:46
        +1

        I bought mine from the recent three sons ebaybplus deal.

        Arrived quickly and was new sealed unit. No problems.

        Pretty sure heaps of Ozbargainers pulled the trigger on that deal.

        Sorry you had a bad experience.

        • gfbread on 06/07/2023 - 22:57

          thanks! good to know, might be worth trying again with one of the sellers at least.

      • Mikefr on 07/07/2023 - 12:17

        Larry,Curly, & Moe…

  • jenovax1 on 06/07/2023 - 23:53
    +2

    Damm sorry to hear that mate.

    I got mine from three sons aswell. 64gb and the seal was intact but there were specks of dust on the screen. It didn't bother and i did a ssd swap straight away and the internals were new with no signs of tampering.

    They will likely be more deals around the same price or lower due to the recent discount in the states.

  • richrichie on 07/07/2023 - 12:02
    +1

    Got one from three.sons too, and the unit was fine. Comms with the seller felt a bit weird, but at the end, they provided me what I requested (tax invoice, shipping updates, etc).
    The box on the outside looked suspicious, but once i opened it, it was fine inside.
    Everything was still wrapped, valve security tag on the case (that has the deck inside) is still intact.
    Booted it on, and everything seems like brand new.

  • SimonM on 22/08/2023 - 12:22
    +1

    Checkout Elgato.. Seen them being sold by several retailers

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