I may have found a new Ebay scam

[PhilipA]

I recently ordered 2 x92MM computer fans from China for USD 4.50.
When they arrived one was smashed literally to small bits and the other was broken in half but usable with some superglue.
I reported this to them and they gave a full refund.


I looked closely at the second fan today and found it is 80MM instead of 92MM and is 24 volt not 12 volt. Both fans have the same numbers. I always wondered how the first fan was just so destroyed in the mail as it was packed in bubble wrap etc.


This leads me to think that this seller gathers broken fans/rejects form factories and posts them off. Seeing it is only USD4.50 I believe hardly anyone would bother to claim or follow up, and the small percentage that do are given a full refund and asked to give positive feedback , which I did as they seemed good to deal with and it seemingly wasn't their fault.


I have now reported them to Ebay as a suspicious transaction.
I have had good service from China up until this and great service from Hong Kong. I think I may stick to Hong Kong from now on.


Regards Philip A

[101RRS]

Why not just buy them at a local computer store like MSY or even Jaycar or even your local computer fair on Saturday mornings - cheap as chips.

About the same price as you paid via ebay. I recently bought three for my 2 way fridge from MSY for just over $10.

Garry

[loanrangie]

I buy fans from the weekend swapmeets, usually only 6-8 dollars for ball bearing fans, much easier than waiting for china or hk post.
10 days ago i bought a new touch screen for my daughters 7 " tablet and it arrive safely and well packaged within 10 days from Shenzhen.

[vnx205]

Why not just buy them at a local computer store like MSY or even Jaycar


Some of us have to travel some distance to find the nearest Jaycar. My closest one is 200km away probably quite near to where you live.:)

[Greatsouthernland]

I have had good service from China up until this and great service from Hong Kong. I think I may stick to Hong Kong from now on.


Regards

Just an update, since the hand back by the Brits (British colonial rule 1841-1997) ** Hong Kong is part of China ** ...just sayin ;)

British Hong Kong - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Hong_Kong#Handover_to_China)

I'm sure the ebay risks are the same all over world. But thanks for sharing :D

[101RRS]

Some of us have to travel some distance to find the nearest Jaycar. My closest one is 200km away probably quite near to where you live.:)

Maybe, but the OP doesn't.

[PhilipA]

Come on you blokes.
Get your facts right
I just looked at the Jaycar catalogue and 90MM fans are 24.95 each.
I need 3 as I am making an insert for one of my windows to blow out hot air.


So 3x 24.95 is near enough to $75.






I bought 2 from Uxcell in HK for $13.76. They provided a voucher for $8 so the second lot will cost $9 for 2.


So for a total of $23.75 I have 3 plus a spare.


On the other hand to me $75 is out of the question for what is an experiment, but I must say that it works well and will draw less then 1amp when I have it connected during the day when the solar panels are connected.
If you want photos let me know.


Regards Philip A

[350RRC]

Best real scam I remember was about 30 years ago in Japan,

A company advertised that they had 'access' to about 20 previously unpublished pics of Marilyn M naked. Pls send $200 US.

Quite a few did.

Couple of months later they published a full apology for some reason, pics unavailable, and said they were mailing out full refunds...............which duly arrived in the mail with a cheque for the full amount paid.

The company name on the cheque was 'Japan Pornography Company' and the dollar amount of the unbanked cheques was several hundred thousand US.

cheers, DL

[101RRS]

Come on you blokes.
Get your facts right
I just looked at the Jaycar catalogue and 90MM fans are 24.95 each.
I need 3 as I am making an insert for one of my windows to blow out hot air.

It was just one suggestion, one out of three - did you even try your local computer supplier or the markets??

You would have got them even cheaper than you paid and they would have worked :)

MSY have them (92mm) - $2, $5, $9, $19 - take your pick (no stores in your area so shipping a little extra)

Garry

[Greatsouthernland]

Come on you blokes.
Get yo
it works well and will draw less then 1amp when I have it connected during the day when the solar panels are connected.

If you want photos let me know.


Regards Philip A

Sounds interesting...pics would be cool :)

[PhilipA]

MSY have them (92mm) - $2, $5, $9, $19 - take your pick (no stores in your area so shipping a little extra)

Thanks Garry I have never heard of MSY and they don't appear in Google even when you Google computer fans. I will add them to my favourites.


However still the cheapest one I found on their price list was $5which would be for 2 =$10 plus $10 for post = almost twice the price.


I checked local ebay also and posted on AULRO asking whether 4 wire fans could run on 12V and was told no.
In addition I messaged 2 local ebay suppliers asking the question with one responding that yes , but the fans were only meant for computers and no response from the seller of ones I favoured with ball bearings. There were no wiring diagrams or specs on the OZ sites with cheap fans.


Is it any wonder we buy from overseas? I don't like waiting 2 weeks for stuff either.
I have posted below the photos.
Parts list is
1x500MM x20x20 U channel aluminium Bunnings approx.$8
1x500MMx5x5 U channel ditto $4
500MM bailey channel from Clark Rubber $12?
3x computer fans of choice ( 90MM seem to be about right power)
Scrap material -ply/Perspex that will fit in window channel.
Enough Sikaflex to stick the Perspex into the small channel which I riveted to the big channel and squeezed in to the width of the Perspex.
the holes were drilled with a 70MM hole saw then opened with a jigsaw.


You have to make the aluminium slightly shorter than the window aperture so it can slide in. The Perspex overlaps about 5MM one end so it can go into the window bailey channel, then the other end is slipped in, and then moved back a bit to seal. the window is then raised and it is then pretty secure.
If necessary you could run it with a 12W solar panel , but I made a double adaptor for my fridge Merit plug and will run it from that.


You may see that the middle fan is 80 MM, it is also 24V, so I have ordered another 2 90MM fans so I have one spare.

[Greatsouthernland]

Thanks for the pics Phil, was wondering how you were going to configure it.

Just thinking you could have the fans flat, inside the vehicle with chutes to the window. That way you will reduce the height of the perspex section increasing security and you wont have the fans as exposed to the elements.

But top idea to draw out the hot air.

[Tins]

Just an aside. When buying from China, I use AliExpress rather than ebay. The goods seem to be cheaper, even though it's often the same supplier! The site looks a lot like ebay, but has some quirks that take a little getting used to. Check it out. AliExpress.com
I have no affiliation with the site, or the suppliers that list products there. I post this purely for information.

[PhilipA]

I note there are some centrifugal fans on eBay , and they would need a much smaller footprint. So maybe that is an idea for someone. I am not so concerned with security as I only intend it for camping in National parks where there is no 240v so that the battery life is maximized.
Regards Philip A