It’s encouraging to know that you are all reading this blog. I appreciate your comments and words of support. Though I have many friends in town I feel safe to talk with about a plethora of issues, this one about money -and such a sum!- really got me depressed and reflective rather than talkative. It’s embarrassing to say that you lost $1,000 on eBay. How do people respond? "Wow, uh, bummer, uh sorry, uh, what the hell?!?" It just makes for strange conversation.
But far from starting this blog to get sympathy or attention, I wish eBay would take notice and give me some of that contest money! As for true reimbursement for the auction there are some issues that will be addressed about this specific auction & seller to show eBay extremely negligent in this case. You decide in the following days.
Now that I know people are actually taking an interest in this case, consider the blog your's. I may reply directly to your comments but for the most part I will be writing an account of what happened in sections. You might choose to follow along “in my shoes” and hopefully learn what I have learned. But truly, the key to avoiding such a situation is to simply Stay Conscious! To those who continue to wonder in amazement or ask, “What were you thinking...” I can only reply with, Have you been in an automobile accident? The feeling is similar. You space-out for a second, think about all the things you have to do rather than conscious of where they are or what you are doing, then BAM! Wake-up call... At least in this case, I have my health for which I am grateful it wasn't an accident that woke me up.
Lesson 1 (there’ll be many Lesson 1’s in this blog) Ebay pulls the listings and history of the criminal when it is finally identified. You may or may not see Sayakocat in the ID history anymore. Certainly the auctions have been pulled. Why? -ostensibly for security and privacy reasons. Who's? -eBay's of course... For your reading pleasure here is the auction description and partial Q&A I happened to save (Remember, hindsight being 20/20, what do you think of this from a zero feedback seller if you were just shopping for such a computer):
Item number: 190035243218
iMac 20 inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo like new plus extras
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0 Processor 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo L2 Cache 2MB Shared System bus 667MHz Memory 512MB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300), supports up to 2GB Hard drive 250GB Serial ATA; 7200 rpm Optical drive Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) Display 20-inch (viewable) widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, 1680 x 1050 pixels, millions of colors Video camera Built-in iSight Graphics ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory Ports Two FireWire 400 ports; three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports (on keyboard); mini-DVI port; DVI output2; VGA output2; S-video and composite video output Audio Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone, headphone/optical digital audio output, audio line in Networking Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Wireless Built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module. Hardware accessories Apple Remote, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse Height 18.6 inches (47.2 cm) Width 19.4 inches (49.3 cm) Depth 7.4 inches (18.9 cm) Weight 22 pounds (10 kg) This is a great machine, there have been zero problems with any aspect of it. Along with all the great aspects mentioned above the winner will also recieve...the three year extended support plan of AppleCare Protection Plan, Quicktime Pro, Adobe Photoshop CS, Microsoft Word: Mac, and my current iTunes library which includes about 8 gigs of music burned from albums or downloaded from the iTunes store newer hip hop, rock, pop, and alternative albums from Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, The Knife, Fergie, The Cure, etc. Also have season two of Venture Brothers. season two of Lost, seasons one and two of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and a few misc. shows I've downloaded from iTunes as well. I'll leave all this on there and you can decide what you want to keep, or just restore the whole system with the operating discs if you'd like. Payment is due within one week of the auctions end, no exceptions. Payment can be made by personal check, money order or cashiers check. There will be a hold to clear on all payments unless they are drawn on a Bank of America account (my bank) or are a postal money order. The hold my bank places on funds is usually five days at most. If you don't want to wait and aren't with Bank of America, you can go into one and just get a cashiers check through them. Shipping is $30.00, through UPS Ground. I have to declare a value on this so someone will have to be home to sign for it when it arrives. I do not accept Papypal, I understand this is the most popular way to pay, they take additional fees though and I don't care to use them. I also realize that I'm new on here and some people are uncomfortable bidding and sending payment out. I'd be more than happy to speak to you on the phone, give you my phone number and info, etc before you mail payment to establish that I'm a real person and not some void out in cyberspace. I also recommend mailing payment by a trackable/verifiable source. Thanks and if you have any other questions please ask away.
On Sep-26-06 at 12:04:02 PDT, seller added the following information: The Applecare Warranty is for three years. This was purchased in May 06 so it will be good until May 09. Sorry about the confusion. I have all the reciepts from the Mac store, etc and they will be included to the winner.
Questions from other members & Answers
Q:hi, I m from spain.... confirm pliz: imac 20 with intel core duo...? may06 - to -may 09 ...applcare...? software included...??? total shipping costs...more Sep-27-06
A:Hi, all of those stats are correct however I am unable to ship to Spain, costs would be too high. Sorry.
Q:Hello, Please call and verify that BofA will not hold thier own checks for out of state accounts. I've experienced that BofA bank between CA and AZ...more Sep-27-06
A:They won't hold it. I deposited a check for my mother while she was visiting a few weeks ago because she lost her ATM card, it was for $1000.00. ...more
Q:I noticed you said you bought the item in may 05. Did they make in intel chips in may 05? I thought they started in Jan 06? Sep-26-06
A:I apologize, I meant may 06. They didn't even start releasing these until this year.
Q:When was the computer purchased from mac and when does the extended care expire? Sep-25-06
A:It was purchased in May of 05. So it's under warranty til My 08.
Q:Hello, sayakocat: Just a quick question about your iMac: I'm about fifteen minutes away from Watts and was wondering if I could possibly come and pick...more Sep-25-06
A:Sure, Chad that would probably work.
) 