"It's a nice deck" "excellent condition"
[Tuesday 2017-10-24 edit]
Saw this on Facebook. Did not buy.
"Good condition"
[/Tuesday 2017-10-24 edit]
*sigh
https://imgur.com/a/hldeI
"excellent condition"
"nice deck"
I knew the name of this Mercari seller was familiar somehow. Now I recall that I've seen him selling on Facebook in the "Nintendo Trade and Collectors" group.
My eyesight is poor and I didn't try to look very closely at the pictures in the Mercari phone app. He sells lots of game stuff and described this Jungle Green N64 as "excellent condition." Because he accepts offers, I offered $5 less than his asking price of $65. I wanted to hurry up and buy something, and even $60 was more than I would typically pay without closer inspection or a matching controller and/or expansion pak. I thought he'd immediately accept the offer (or he should have disabled the option to make an offer at all).
His response said: "price is firm. It's a nice deck"
OK. So he doesn't want to take $5 off the price. He emphasizes that the condition is "nice." That's really all I needed to know. I was specifically looking for a clean system this time so I wouldn't need to spend a lot of time cleaning it before my brother and I add UltraHDMI. I immediately purchased it with $6 shipping and paid $71.
The package arrived. I noticed immediately that it was very dirty, cracked, scratched, chipped, and gouged all over. I recorded the unpacking, but I didn't take any good pictures of the exterior dirt before I started brushing it off.
The customer service number label on the back was pure white (how?).
(many of these pics were taken 1 or 2 weeks later)
Doesn't matter. We all know it's 1-800-255-3700, right?
I turned it over to look at the bottom. One rubber foot was mangled and the other was missing.
I could also see that the metal mounting pieces were missing and one of the exterior screws was barely hanging on. Someone had clearly been inside this N64 and left some things out. Those missing bits still wouldn't be a big deal if the overall condition was as described.
Even the AV cord was filthy and had been chewed through.
He probably noticed that and wondered if an untested cord would work at all. There was an extra composite AV cord in the box (also filthy). I don't want those anyway since I was expecting to install UltraHDMI.
The power supply was dirty. Blades on the end tarnished. There's some white paint splashed on the end.
I don't really care about any of that if the price or description was right. I personally would have made some effort to brush the dirt off before selling to someone.
The Mercari seller had pressured me for a rating since the moment tracking showed "delivered." I regret the purchase, but some of the issues were slightly visible in his pictures, and I didn't even try to look at them closely. Without testing or disassembling the system, I went ahead and left a rating of "Good" (choices: Great, Good, Poor). I gave him the benefit of a doubt with that rating.
I didn't have time to test it or inspect the insides until a week or so later. My brother drove a long way to acquire a nicer looking system and we used that one instead.
So I finally went inside...
It was missing at least 1 internal screw. The EMI shielding was heavily corroded.
The jumper pak was completely mangled (!!!), gouged, heavily corroded, and missing another screw (even the screw post).
Two alignment pegs were broken.
The bottom shell had clearly been left open for a long period of time, so lots of dirt/dust accumulated in areas under the board where it normally would not accumulate.
I only bothered to photograph some of the chips and cracks like these:
Thankfully, the board didn't look awful underneath the EMI shields. I swapped the cartridge pins for a nicer looking piece and put everything in a nicer shell. Then I discovered that the Reset button didn't work. Even pressing hard and wiggling wouldn't trigger a reset. It would sometimes trigger a reset if I fluttered the Reset button rapidly for several seconds. So I took the whole thing apart again to check the Reset switch with a multimeter and compare with a proper system. The switch checked out. Suddenly, reset works correctly (???). Reassembled.
I am NOT picky about condition or cleanliness. I still would buy this N64 if the price was right. I've seen much worse insides in some systems that still worked.
I just don't understand why a seller would misrepresent something like this and not expect poor feedback. It seems that many people don't understand how the golden rule works. Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Is that so difficult?
Saw this on Facebook. Did not buy.
"Good condition"
[/Tuesday 2017-10-24 edit]
*sigh
https://imgur.com/a/hldeI
"excellent condition"
"nice deck"
I knew the name of this Mercari seller was familiar somehow. Now I recall that I've seen him selling on Facebook in the "Nintendo Trade and Collectors" group.
My eyesight is poor and I didn't try to look very closely at the pictures in the Mercari phone app. He sells lots of game stuff and described this Jungle Green N64 as "excellent condition." Because he accepts offers, I offered $5 less than his asking price of $65. I wanted to hurry up and buy something, and even $60 was more than I would typically pay without closer inspection or a matching controller and/or expansion pak. I thought he'd immediately accept the offer (or he should have disabled the option to make an offer at all).
His response said: "price is firm. It's a nice deck"
OK. So he doesn't want to take $5 off the price. He emphasizes that the condition is "nice." That's really all I needed to know. I was specifically looking for a clean system this time so I wouldn't need to spend a lot of time cleaning it before my brother and I add UltraHDMI. I immediately purchased it with $6 shipping and paid $71.
The package arrived. I noticed immediately that it was very dirty, cracked, scratched, chipped, and gouged all over. I recorded the unpacking, but I didn't take any good pictures of the exterior dirt before I started brushing it off.
The customer service number label on the back was pure white (how?).
(many of these pics were taken 1 or 2 weeks later)
Doesn't matter. We all know it's 1-800-255-3700, right?
I turned it over to look at the bottom. One rubber foot was mangled and the other was missing.
I could also see that the metal mounting pieces were missing and one of the exterior screws was barely hanging on. Someone had clearly been inside this N64 and left some things out. Those missing bits still wouldn't be a big deal if the overall condition was as described.
Even the AV cord was filthy and had been chewed through.
He probably noticed that and wondered if an untested cord would work at all. There was an extra composite AV cord in the box (also filthy). I don't want those anyway since I was expecting to install UltraHDMI.
The power supply was dirty. Blades on the end tarnished. There's some white paint splashed on the end.
I don't really care about any of that if the price or description was right. I personally would have made some effort to brush the dirt off before selling to someone.
The Mercari seller had pressured me for a rating since the moment tracking showed "delivered." I regret the purchase, but some of the issues were slightly visible in his pictures, and I didn't even try to look at them closely. Without testing or disassembling the system, I went ahead and left a rating of "Good" (choices: Great, Good, Poor). I gave him the benefit of a doubt with that rating.
I didn't have time to test it or inspect the insides until a week or so later. My brother drove a long way to acquire a nicer looking system and we used that one instead.
So I finally went inside...
It was missing at least 1 internal screw. The EMI shielding was heavily corroded.
The jumper pak was completely mangled (!!!), gouged, heavily corroded, and missing another screw (even the screw post).
Two alignment pegs were broken.
The bottom shell had clearly been left open for a long period of time, so lots of dirt/dust accumulated in areas under the board where it normally would not accumulate.
I only bothered to photograph some of the chips and cracks like these:
Thankfully, the board didn't look awful underneath the EMI shields. I swapped the cartridge pins for a nicer looking piece and put everything in a nicer shell. Then I discovered that the Reset button didn't work. Even pressing hard and wiggling wouldn't trigger a reset. It would sometimes trigger a reset if I fluttered the Reset button rapidly for several seconds. So I took the whole thing apart again to check the Reset switch with a multimeter and compare with a proper system. The switch checked out. Suddenly, reset works correctly (???). Reassembled.
I am NOT picky about condition or cleanliness. I still would buy this N64 if the price was right. I've seen much worse insides in some systems that still worked.
I just don't understand why a seller would misrepresent something like this and not expect poor feedback. It seems that many people don't understand how the golden rule works. Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Is that so difficult?
Comments
I know you guys will clean it and make it nice, but I would have given that guy a "poor" rating.
I really want "It's a nice deck" to be a thing. lol Please someone meme-ify it.
Condition is always subjective until proper descriptions and photos are in order. Although I've seen worse, this is not the best condition either.
I really want "It's a nice deck" to be a thing. lol Please someone meme-ify it.
"Ay boi lemme see dat deck".
I would have given him a Poor rating as deserved. Are you covered under anything for money back? Is this some kind of 3rd party buying app?
Mercari's safety net for buyers means the seller doesn't get paid until you indicate that the item was acceptable. That's why he was pushing for a rating as soon as tracking showed "delivered."
I limited my options by giving him a "Good" rating before I finished checking everything.
Personally, I find this inexcusable. If this had been eBay, I'd contact for a full refund + return postage (which is easy to do through eBay.) But, I know this is Mercari. It sounds like it was shipped, though I thought Mercari was like an OfferUp/Craigslist competitor. I'm not sure what to do but I'd see what your options are for a return.
not to be a party pooper on the whole, hehe that sounds like dick parade but it is called a control deck.
I suppose Nintendo finally stopped calling it "control deck" when Gamecube launched. I wonder if any other game console manufacturer ever used the "control deck" term.
... I wouldn't expect people to necessarily open their hardware and inspect it but cracked hardware and worn shoes should have tipped him off that not all might have been well. ...
The system is clear-green, so most of it was visible without opening. I think he was careful with the lighting on his Mercari pictures so it wasn't so obvious. Even before I opened it, there was lots of evidence it had been completely disassembled by someone before me. The metal mounting brackets at the bottom were gone and one of the exterior security screws was not threaded back in (barely hanging on).
P.S. What you're describing with the reset switch could be caused by accumulated dust, shake it and the connection is restored.
If he posts the condition as "good", he shouldn't be talking up the condition to "excellent"-- I can agree with that. Though as soon as I read about how you didn't look at the pictures or ask more questions before making the purchase-- right there your post lost a lot of steam.
P.S. What you're describing with the reset switch could be caused by accumulated dust, shake it and the connection is restored.
Key word: "more." In other words, insisting that it was "nice" and "excellent" condition already answered the only important questions Ichinisan had and reassured him that it was just what he was looking for.
Put yourself in his shoes at that moment: Nothing stood out to you in the pictures and now you have the seller's personal assurances that it's in particularly good shape on a service that doesn't even release the funds if the buyer is not OK with the condition.
There's no way I would have been able to tell that was a crack over the controller port in the original image. If you asked me to describe the condition I see in that image I would have only mentioned the dirty vents/Nintendo logo.
If he posts the condition as "good", he shouldn't be talking up the condition to "excellent"-- I can agree with that. Though as soon as I read about how you didn't look at the pictures or ask more questions before making the purchase-- right there your post lost a lot of steam.
Yes. My lack of dilligence is why I didn't rate him as "poor." My only complaint is that some people will blatantly misrepresent something to get a sale. Pretty sleazy.
P.S. What you're describing with the reset switch could be caused by accumulated dust, shake it and the connection is restored.
Yeah. I did a lot more fiddling before I disassembled it and that didn't seem to help. The board was upside down while we had the meter probes on it. Working the reset button in that position could be why it started working.
not to be a party pooper on the whole, hehe that sounds like dick parade but it is called a control deck.
lol Deck move, man. No need to be a control deck about it. (I'm being factious)
Actually, I was thinkin' about "deck" like a "deck of cards", "decadence", "decked-out" or a "patio deck" or somethin'.
Deckity deck deck.
Also, for $60 do you realistically think you'll get an immaculate jungle green N64? At a certain point, do we need to be honest with ourselves and think that if we don't pay top price we shouldn't expect top quality? Should we ask ourselves, if this was in good condition, shouldn't the seller be asking more?
Idk why you wouldn't just ask for a refund and return the item. If I buy something from a big box stores, and I'm not satisfied with my purchase, I take it back and get my money and then buy the product that I really want. I think it's so weird that ppl play these feedback games on eBay. It's your money. Get what you want from it and call it a day. Also, for $60 do you realistically think you'll get an immaculate jungle green N64? At a certain point, do we need to be honest with ourselves and think that if we don't pay top price we shouldn't expect top quality? Should we ask ourselves, if this was in good condition, shouldn't the seller be asking more?
Not a big box store.
I've been paying less and getting more. This was $71 total.
I was in a rush and didn't check everything out as thoroughly as I should have. I would have moved on if I realized.
Definitely does not need to be "immaculate." Just decent.
Wow, so did it work?
Yes. Too ugly to use for the next UltraHDMI system, so I had to part it out. I usually pay less than $30 for a standard N64 in better condition.
Wow, so did it work?
Yes. Too ugly to use for the next UltraHDMI system, so I had to part it out. I usually pay less than $30 for a standard N64 in better condition.
It happens. Totally appreciate you taking the time and effort in sharing this experience.
Where I draw the line, is the cords. Man, screw that! The power cord looks like it got blown up in an outlet and when you are missing parts of the sheeth in the av cables, its time to replace them! Also, did someone shoot the jumper pack with a bb gun? Why is there a hole? Overall, I have no clue what funtastic sets are selling for, but it sounds like it was a decent deal.
Wow, so did it work?
Reset button did not.
I guess I missed "pulled out of butt" from the listing description. I mean, if the board is fine, just swap out the corroded shielding. Also, I hate to be THAT guy, but replacement rubber feet and Nintendo hotline stickers do exist. I would see replacing the rubber feet as a selling point as it would have a better grip. Personally, I can live with the crack in the front, but theres not a whole lot you can do about that. Where I draw the line, is the cords. Man, screw that! The power cord looks like it got blown up in an outlet and when you are missing parts of the sheeth in the av cables, its time to replace them! Also, did someone shoot the jumper pack with a bb gun? Why is there a hole? Overall, I have no clue what funtastic sets are selling for, but it sounds like it was a decent deal.
The jumper pak hole was where someone ripped out the screw post. It left a hole on BOTH sides. Ichinisan and I already have replacement feet. Cleaning and restoring is easy enough except for the crack, as you noted. That's why Ichinisan said he probably would have bought it even if the seller had described it correctly. Again, the complaint isn't the condition (we've had/sold worse!). The complaint is in how that condition was described.
By "parting out" he really means mixing and matching with the rest of our consoles. We already switched the motherboard, jumper pak, heatsinks/EMI shielding, PSU, etc and raided another junk console for the missing mounting hardware. It's actually fully modded, cleaned, and ready to go with a 3D printer cart slot (for a clean, no-cut import mod).
The thing about Jungle Green is it predates the Funtastic series thanks to the DK64 bundle. Because it also continued to sell as a Funtastic color, it's easily the most common alternate color. Still my favorite though.
Idk why you wouldn't just ask for a refund and return the item. If I buy something from a big box stores, and I'm not satisfied with my purchase, I take it back and get my money and then buy the product that I really want. I think it's so weird that ppl play these feedback games on eBay. It's your money. Get what you want from it and call it a day. Also, for $60 do you realistically think you'll get an immaculate jungle green N64? At a certain point, do we need to be honest with ourselves and think that if we don't pay top price we shouldn't expect top quality? Should we ask ourselves, if this was in good condition, shouldn't the seller be asking more?
Not a big box store.
I've been paying less and getting more. This was $71 total.
I was in a rush and didn't check everything out as thoroughly as I should have. I would have moved on if I realized.
Definitely does not need to be "immaculate." Just decent.
So not only did you overlook the condition which apparently is an important factor for you but you also don't think that this console is in decent condition? Also, because youve gotten better deals in the past, you expect to just keeping getting good deals on great condition consoles?
Idk why you wouldn't just ask for a refund and return the item. If I buy something from a big box stores, and I'm not satisfied with my purchase, I take it back and get my money and then buy the product that I really want. I think it's so weird that ppl play these feedback games on eBay. It's your money. Get what you want from it and call it a day. Also, for $60 do you realistically think you'll get an immaculate jungle green N64? At a certain point, do we need to be honest with ourselves and think that if we don't pay top price we shouldn't expect top quality? Should we ask ourselves, if this was in good condition, shouldn't the seller be asking more?
Not a big box store.
I've been paying less and getting more. This was $71 total.
I was in a rush and didn't check everything out as thoroughly as I should have. I would have moved on if I realized.
Definitely does not need to be "immaculate." Just decent.
So not only did you overlook the condition which apparently is an important factor for you ...
Yeah. My bad. My eyesight is poor and I didn't even want to try and look on my phone. I accepted the assurance from the seller -- on a service where the seller doesn't get paid unless I decide that I'm happy with the item (Mercari).
... but you also don't think that this console is in decent condition?
Missing many parts and screws. Reset button didn't work. Heavily corroded, scratched, chipped, and gouged. Everything covered in dirt. Everything.
As I said: I'm not picky. I would have bought it anyway for the right price.
It was not in decent condition. Certainly not "excellent" condition or "nice" as the seller emphasized. I accept fault for buying it. I'm just venting that there are people who will say anything to make a sale.
... Also, because youve gotten better deals in the past, you expect to just keeping getting good deals on great condition consoles?
Certainly. Every time we decide to do UltraHDMI, we go online and get a Jungle Green N64 (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, Mercari, etc). We even did it by mail through eBay for one of them. This was one of the more expensive ones so far, but also the worst condition. After inspecting it and deciding not to use it, we immediately went online and got a much cheaper one with a matching controller. I would need to have my brother tell me again what the exact price was.
It literally went like this: We decided we didn't want to use that one. Checked some apps. Found one. Messaged the seller. Then drove off to get it. Done. We even search the next state over and try to find some other items in the area at the same time.
Jungle Green doesn't seem to be all that expensive to acquire. Maybe there's some confusion about that. Because of the DK64 bundle, Jungle Green is far more common than other Funtastic consoles. Half of the ones we have purchased came with the Expansion Pak too.
Idk why you wouldn't just ask for a refund and return the item. If I buy something from a big box stores, and I'm not satisfied with my purchase, I take it back and get my money and then buy the product that I really want. I think it's so weird that ppl play these feedback games on eBay. It's your money. Get what you want from it and call it a day. Also, for $60 do you realistically think you'll get an immaculate jungle green N64? At a certain point, do we need to be honest with ourselves and think that if we don't pay top price we shouldn't expect top quality? Should we ask ourselves, if this was in good condition, shouldn't the seller be asking more?
Not a big box store.
I've been paying less and getting more. This was $71 total.
I was in a rush and didn't check everything out as thoroughly as I should have. I would have moved on if I realized.
Definitely does not need to be "immaculate." Just decent.
So not only did you overlook the condition which apparently is an important factor for you but you also don't think that this console is in decent condition? Also, because youve gotten better deals in the past, you expect to just keeping getting good deals on great condition consoles?
He explained all that. Again, this is not about the condition of the console or his mistakes that he acknowledges. It's about people deliberately describing it inaccurately (the opposite of a mistake).
Now, take a look at the pics in the OP one more time. You see the one from Mercari? Did you notice that the only issue Ichinisan described that's even visible is the crack over the controller port? Take another look and honestly tell me that you would have noticed that AND known that it was a crack. I sure would not have thought that was a crack.
It sounds like you would rather level criticism at someone who has already admitted his mistakes. He wanted to discuss people who will directly lie to you about condition but you insist on dwelling on his mistakes. Something tells me he didn't share just to have his mistakes exaggerated and thrown back in his face as ridicule. That's a deck move.
Seriously: Be civil.