# buying kindle dx off craigslist...what do I need to check???



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

the guy says it is brand new and was a present he will never use. selling it with leather amazon case for 300 so for the dx that looks like a good deal. I am just wondering what I should be checking before I hand over the cash. obviously...

1) does it turn on
2) is the screen working and does it work in sunlight
3) can I register it on the spot to my account from settings
4) does it have the charger

what else should I be checking? thanks in advance...


----------



## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I've heard of people calling Kindle CS with the serial number to verify that it wasn't stolen during transit or something.  That sounds like a fantastic deal!


----------



## MarthaT (Mar 3, 2009)

that is a good idea


----------



## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

Verify that the whispernet works. Apparently shady sellers will sell stolen Kindles with no wireless capabilities.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

thanks, I got it. it still had the screen saver wrapping on, it is brand new, I downloaded my 2 kindle books via wispernet after registering. the amazon leather case is fantastic, so yea that is a really good deal. 

how the hell did amazon leave off the numbers from the keyboard and the left side page clicks? what idiot in marketing took those away? anyway it is truly a different reader, feels MUCH heavier and can see so much more per page. now if only images would show up in my pdf's  I'd be a happy camper.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The numbers on the keypad are accessed with the <alt> key. . . .doing it that way was a design decision to keep the keyboard area a little smaller since the screen's so big, relatively; they didn't want the whole device to be she size of a house. 

As to the left side buttons: because you can orient the Kindle completely upside down, you can have the buttons on the left side if you want. Remember the changeable orientation was a unique feature of the DX until they added it to the K2 last fall. Also, note that the DX will automatically adjust to portrait or landscape mode depending on how you hold the thing; you had to set the K2. You can turn that feature off with the AA key, if you wish. I think you gain some battery life if you do 'cause the gyroscope or whatever doesn't have to constantly ping to check how you're holding the thing.

I'm surprised images aren't showing up in your PDF's. . . .if you haven't converted them, they should display pretty much exactly as they are.


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The number thing on the keyboard is rather silly.  It's what most readers will use the most for jumping to locations even if they never take notes.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

let the tears fall. I used it for 8 hours yesterday from 5:00 pm to 1:30 am. 

this morning I wake up and no wireless and not registered to me. I call amazon and its on their lost or stolen list. 

somebody please shoot me.


----------



## Birstel (Dec 18, 2009)

That's horrible!  At least you can still get books onto it via USB, but I wonder if there is anything you can do to get that fixed?


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The first thing you should do is contact the person you bought it from and try to get your money back.  You should also contact the police. . . .

Of course, you probably will not get your money back without a fight. . . . . that's one of the risks of Craig's List.

It's possible the person you bought it from was the legitimate owner and reported it stolen after selling it to you.  Slimy, but not unheard of.  But if it worked when you tried it out and then stopped after the fact, that's what it sounds like to me.

Sorry for your trouble. . . . . .


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> The first thing you should do is contact the person you bought it from and try to get your money back. You should also contact the police. . . .
> 
> Of course, you probably will not get your money back without a fight. . . . . that's one of the risks of Craig's List.
> 
> ...


can I ask what the legitimate owner has to gain by reporting it stolen? I spoke extensively with amazon custom service today and though they will not tell me who reported it lost/stolen (or which one it was reported) they insist they are not just going to send a new kindle dx to the person.

after speaking to amazon I am waiting for them to get back to me (they say it will be today) till I contact the police. I don't want to contact the seller as I figure he committed a fraud and will have disappeared or will disappear once I explain this. interestingly the ad is still there (he was offering both a dx and a regular kindle...so just in case please forum members do NOT contact this seller...http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/ele/1740889488.html
unless you are going to arrest him).

where I find fault with amazon is they will not confirm for me when the device was reported stolen/missing. so if this happened BEFORE my purchase, (I activated the kindle and registered it on the street from settings) then I consider amazon responsible. yea like I can fight a multi billion dollar company. so they can deactivate the device, yet will not tell me when the call/email came in to report the device stolen/lost? after I used it for 9 hours with wispernet on (so it was in fact registered to me during that period?) common.

If this was actually stolen from some old lady, I will happily return it to her as I am out $300 and she after tax/shipping is out $550. but if amazon thinks I am blindly returning this to them, without them telling me when the call came in and without confirming it is not being sent back to the scammer who sold it to me? err...well I will then have a $300 coffee/cookies tray. anyway if amazon does not get back to me today I will be even more angry as I am specifically not contacting the police till they can investigate to whom the item originally belonged and who called it out "missing".

sad day  thanks for listening to my rant.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

It might not have been the seller who reported it. My Mom had a DX that was registered to my account. I noticed it was missing and called her. It took a few days before I reached her and she told me that she could not find it. My parents kept looked around the house again and told me it was missing. It could have been taken at the airport and she didn't realize it. She could have left it some place. One way or the other it went missing. I called and had it bricked a week after I noticed it was missing from my account. Whoever was using it could have had it for 3 weeks before it was bricked (Based on their time my Mom flew home and the date of bricking.)


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

thanks I hope I get some answers tonight, amazon did tell me that yesterday was in fact the first time the unit was turned on.


----------



## Granvillen (Dec 12, 2009)

Be careful of buying anything from Craig's list.  They meet you, you have the money, you get robbed, and they never had the device you are looking for.  Here in California, we hear and/or read in the paper that that is occurring all the time.  The other day someone went to buy a bike for $250 and got robbed.  Save up fome more cash and buy a new one from Amazon.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

anyone here live in nyc? if so you may be following the flood of stories on police exposed not taking crime reports to keep stats down. anyway both amazon and craigslist told me it is standard procedure to report incidents such as this to the police. yet the police today refused to take a report saying it is a civil matter. great.

anyway amazon is selling me a refurbished kindle dx with full 1 year warranty for $342 which includes the tax and shipping. so after the dust settles I will not actually be out that much money though I will not be getting a new unit. amazon told me they don't want the old dx back so I guess I will just use it as a coffee/cookie holder. perhaps I will hack it and learn linux. but the wireless will be forever off I guess, though I can still view pdf's. anyway...as an earlier poster said please don't ever buy a kindle off craigslist. 

on a final note...I spoke with about 5 different service reps and one (the other were tight lipped) let it out of the bag that the kindle was actually known to be lost/stolen prior to my registering it but that they had not gotten around to deactivating it. I think that is pretty shoddy on their part. so the item is skimmed out of inventory possible by an amazon employee, amazon does not deactivate the device in a timely manner and I am left holding the bag. shame on you amazon.


----------



## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Back in the day (okay six months ago), they would not brick a kindle. If you called and said it was stolen, too bad. I like that better because of this EXACT reason. As the buyer, you have no reason to believe it's stolen. Also, someone could legitimately sell it to you and then decide they have a problem with you and call it in as stolen. Too many variables. I feel for ya!


----------



## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

extendedping said:


> let the tears fall. I used it for 8 hours yesterday from 5:00 pm to 1:30 am.
> 
> this morning I wake up and no wireless and not registered to me. I call amazon and its on their lost or stolen list.
> 
> somebody please shoot me.


That's awful! I'm so sorry this happened to you.


----------



## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I'm glad you have a happy (ish) result .  I'm surprised Amazon said they didn't want the unit back.  I would have thought ( perhaps naively) that if someone reported it stolen, then you sending it back would enable it to be returned to the rightful owner.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

thanks everyone for listening. so in the end I end up with an almost $700 used kindle. not such a great result. btw if anyone is at all interested in what is going on here in nyc with the police (who have refused to take a report on this despite both amazon and craigslist telling me in writing to go to the police), here is some info...

cop in the bronx breaks blue wall of silence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXnXnoOV2w4
independently cop in brooklyn does exact same thing http://nypdconfidential.com/ http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-05-04/news/the-nypd-tapes-inside-bed-stuy-s-81st-precinct/


----------



## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

So sorry this happened to you, but thanks for posting the story as a warning to all of us to be careful.


----------



## Cammie (Nov 15, 2008)

Does any person who buys a used Kindle, regardless of the method of purchase (Kindleboards Buy and Trade section, Craigslist, eBay, Amazon used sales) run the risk of the previous owner calling Amazon immediately after the sale or weeks later to report the device lost or stolen?  If so, Amazon's bricking policy might be effectively limiting the consumer arguably to the only safe way to purchase.......buy new or refurbished directly from Amazon and may also severely hamper each Kindle owner's right to legimately resell his or her device.

Amazon, if I recall, did not want to "brick" devices originally because they felt they were not in a position to know the identity of the legitimate owner.  Under what circumstances will they brick a Kindle now?  Do they still require a police report before bricking?  This would be some protection since falsely reporting a crime is itself a crime.  But, it would not help in jurisdictions where the police will not take a report because they consider the the transaction civil in nature or when the device is simply lost. Nor would it help in the situation where there is some delay in reporting the device lost or stolen and a person who believes they are legitimately buying a used Kindle registers that device and later discovers they are a victim of fraud.

I do want the ability to brick my lost or stolen Kindle.  But I think bricking might be handled in a different manner.  For instance:  Limit the ability to deregister a Kindle to the Amazon account holder.  Add a lost or stolen feature to the account that would effectively brick the Kindle without deregistering the device (the Kindle would be on inactive status and would not count towards the no more than six simultaneous download rule). If the Kindle is later found or returned, the owner can unbrick the Kindle in their account.  If the Kindle is legitimately given away or sold, the owner and only the owner can deregister the device.  The purchaser or gift recipient could then register the device to their Amazon account and be immediately protected.

A Kindle that was never registered logically is one that was stolen or missing directly from Amazon since Amazon immediately registers a newly purchased Kindle to the Amazon account holder.  Amazon was either unaware of the theft until you registered the device and then they ultimately realized they had no record of that Kindle being sold new or they were negligent in not bricking the device quickly enough  knowing that it was missing from their inventory. 

It is disturbing that Amazon appears to be both the original victim and at the same time the entity with the decision making power whose failures created a second victim who appears to have done everything possible to legitimately purchase a used Kindle.  The only reason I can think of for Amazon not asking for the return of the Kindle is that they, as the initial victim, filed a police report and  have already been compensated in some manner (i.e. insurance) for the lost or stolen Kindle.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I was surprised how easy it was for me to brick my Mom's Kindle. They did ask me when the Kindle went missing, where I thought it went missing, and other info about purchases. I kind of wonder if they can choose not to brick a Kindle because it sounds a bit fishy.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

to the above poster, glad someone kind of understands. amazon told me that they had no idea if the item (I quote now) was lost in transit or taken off someones doorstep. so a) they lost it or b) they don't even require someone to sign for a $550 purchase. I mean they leave these things just sitting on peoples doorsteps in a big city? why not just put a "steal me" sign on the unit. btw they will not inform me when the unit was reported stolen/lost, for all I know it could have been days before I got stuck with it. too bad amazon seems then to have no end to end policy for their delivery system not a way to even know where or when a device disappeared while in transit. for a company that only lets you purchase their product through the mail this seems very irresponsible. I think I may even take it this up with the better business bureau if they will listen (hey they can't be any less receptive then the throughly corrupt nypd right?). again I do thank you for listening and I hope there are a few less people willing to take a plunge to the kindle after reading this. after all I am pretty sure amazon makes the real money on the books so even a used unit not bought would hurt their bottom line.


----------



## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I wonder if you had called them with the serial number before registering, if they would have been able to tell you it was reported missing or stolen? If anyone else tries to buy a used Kindle, I would call Amazon and get the name of the rep. If they say it isn't stolen or missing, then you would be able to prove that you verified that it was legit.

Have you tried to contact the person who sold the device?


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

yes surprise no answer on the phone or email.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

I'll probably do a youtube video of me 
a) playing the recording of amazon claiming there is nothing they will do for me, and that they have no idea when the device was lost/stolen, in transit or from the persons doorstep

b) showing the written emails from both amazon and craigslist telling me to contact the police

c) a tape of the police refusing to take a police report

d) a video of me smashing the kindle xp to pieces and sweeping it into the garbage

btw I am totally serious. at least though I will not get any compensation I will hopefully get a few youtube hits and get the satisfaction of smashing something with amazon's name on it.


----------



## GhiiZhar (May 23, 2010)

extendedping said:


> and I hope there are a few less people willing to take a plunge to the kindle after reading this....


Surely you jest! You buy a "new" Kindle at a price significanlty below retail from Craigslist - a site notorious for "scams", and are indeed scammed, and that is supposed to discourage someone from buying a Kindle from Amazon?

I don't know about the rest of the forum members, but I am not willing to pay the increased cost that Amazon would incur trying to "police" all the scam artists on the Internet. I can't image the cost to consumers if all merchants were required to insure that their products were "scamproof", and theftproof!

The very first reply to your post advised "I've heard of people calling Kindle CS with the serial number to verify that it wasn't stolen during transit or something"

Surely you had heard the old axiom, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is!" Not to mention "Caveat Emptor!" (buyer beware)


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I admit to being initially sympathetic to your situation. . .it's totally sucks to get taken when you feel like you've done everything right.

But I absolutely can not see why you're so mad at Amazon about this. In fact, they sold you a refurbished device at a steep discount. . .and, in fact, Amazon refurbs are generally just as good as new, with a full warranty intact. I think that's more than generous considering that they currently don't offer refurbs to the general public. You seem to want _them_ to somehow get your money back but it is 100% NOT their responsibility.

I'm sorry. . . be angry at the thief that sold it to you. . . .be angry at yourself. . . heck, be angry at the police for refusing to take a report (though, incidentally, I wouldn't let that go.) But Amazon hasn't done anything for you to be angry about and bashing them in public strikes me as rather sophomoric. The only people it will win to your cause are those who blame everyone but themselves for their problems. You went from appearing to be a responsible adult, to acting like a 6 year old in 25 posts.

So. I would strongly suggest you re-consider the YouTube idea. . . . .once it's out there. . .you can't get it back and it could come back to bite you. . . . .besides, the Kindle may not be usable for books from Amazon but it is usable for books from lots of other places, so smashing it to bits is 'biting off your nose to spite your face' as my mother used to say.

For the record: this is exactly the advice I'd give, and have given, to my son in a similar situation.


----------



## sixnsolid (Mar 13, 2009)

OP - your situation stinks in that you are out more money than you would have been if you'd bought the DX new and I'm sure you are pretty jaded by the experience.  However, I agree with the previous posters in terms of your feelings toward Amazon. All things considered, they actually did you a kindness in letting you purchase at a discount after being notified of your situation.


----------



## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

I agree with Ann.  And it's not like it's not a usable device now.

That's why it even scares me somewhat about buying used Kindles on here from people that hardly post.  They could be totally legitimate but what better place for a scammer to sell a Kindle than to a bunch of Kindle lovers.

Be careful and use your best judgement.  When it sounds like a deal too good to be true, it probably is.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

sixnsolid said:


> OP - your situation stinks in that you are out more money than you would have been if you'd bought the DX new and I'm sure you are pretty jaded by the experience. However, I agree with the previous posters in terms of your feelings toward Amazon. All things considered, they actually did you a kindness in letting you purchase at a discount after being notified of your situation.


a giant corporation tells me they don't know if their device was lost in transit or "taken off someones doorstep" indicating they don't even require signing for the device, it remains active for 9 hours (or longer) registered to me and I am suppose to do cartwheels cause they give me a $50 credit on a used device? ok so I will never buy off craigslist again, I'm a sucker, I deserved it etc. amazon did let it slip that stolen kindles being sold then turned off is "not unheard of" for them. why don't they 
a) track their items from end to end and ensure someone sign for them
b) tie in registration to ownership 
c) do a little bit of investigation (such as perhaps calling me or sending an email) before bricking the device. they first told me I would have to send it back as I was in possession of a stolen device. then they said no they did not want it don't send it...are they just making this up as they go along?

finally for anyone who thinks they did me a massive solid for $50 off on a used device...the only reason I even went forward with the second dx is because after buying the lost/stolen one I purchased several technical linux and cisco books from their website that I would not have been able to read on the kindle 2 (increasing the font does nothing for the code or what are referred to as figures in technical books which would be totally unreadable on the smaller kindle). did they agree to refund those books to me? that I only bought due to the kindle 2 not displaying then properly? so I would have 60 bucks more of essentially unusable books sitting around in digital form since they would not render readably on the smaller kindle. so no, I don't consider this a solid, but I guess I should not post my displeasure on a kindle forum about how amazon handled this. reading between the lines, amazon has no idea where the device went missing and it was gone a good time before it was sold to me.


----------



## GhiiZhar (May 23, 2010)

extendedping said:


> ...a giant corporation tells me they don't know if their device was lost in transit or "taken off someones doorstep" indicating they don't even require signing for the device....


Um, when you buy something from Amazon, you choose the shipping method, some methods do not require signatures.

In regards to a), b), c) if they took those actions for everything above $x, it would significantly increase their cost of doing business.

I recently bought a $700 BBQ grill from them and had it shipped FedEX. It was delivered to the incorrect address (no signature required). I contacted FedEX and they basically told me it was out of their hands, their records showed it was delivered.

So I called Amazon, within a minute, a human answered the phone, took down some info, told me the item was out of stock, so I would be refunded the $700, but it would need approval from a supervisor due to the amount). The NEXT DAY I received an email that showed my CC account was being credited $700!

Now that's what I call Customer Service...


----------



## Cammie (Nov 15, 2008)

extendedping said:


> I spoke with about 5 different service reps and one (the other were tight lipped) let it out of the bag that the kindle was actually known to be lost/stolen prior to my registering it but that they had not gotten around to deactivating it.


This is what I focused on...whether stolen or lost in transit from Amazon or a customer....Amazon had been alerted that the device was lost or stolen prior to the OP's registration of the device and purchase of reading material. It is understandable that Amazon was waiting to brick the device allowing some time for the Kindle to show up to the original customer. Still, there is a degree of responsibility on Amazon's part since the device should have been immediately flagged and registration blocked when they first received notification of the Kindle being lost or stolen.

I have had three great experiences buying used Kindles and two not so great experiences. I have purchased Kindle from someone on this forum who has been a member for a long time but simply does not post. She and I engaged in a lengthy exchange of messages. I trusted my instincts about her and my friend is now enjoying a well cared for Kindle. I have also purchased from eBay and another ebook forum with no problems.

The two questionable experiences were from Craigslist. I buy items from Craigslist from time to time and have never been scammed. The first experience went to the point of a meeting in a public place with a seller who did not seem to know the features of the Kindle, did not know the name of the books she allegedly put on the Kindle (changed her story at this point and said she was selling for a friend) and then kept lowering the price. I walked away. The second Craigslist seller asked me what a "K1" was....I had sent her questions about the "K1" she was selling. I explained the abbreviation, a series of emails followed...she didn't know how to deregister, did not have the serial number but would get it for me...I stopped responding.

Rather than take the time to make a YouTube clip that highlights the actions of the thief, the errors that may have been made by both the OP and Amazon and destroys a still useful device, I would sell the device they did not want returned with full disclosure and sit back and enjoy your new Kindle. I think Amazon allowing you to keep the device and selling you a discounted refurbished Kindle may have been their way of accounting for their possible mistake in this situation. Thinking about it....do put it in Buy and Trade...people who do not have access to whispernet would probably be willing to purchase the Kindle.


----------



## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I suggest you sell the non-wireless DX, fully disclosing its flaw. No doubt you can get $100 - $200 for it.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

Cammie said:


> This is what I focused on...whether stolen or lost in transit from Amazon or a customer....Amazon had been alerted that the device was lost or stolen prior to the OP's registration of the device and purchase of reading material. It is understandable that Amazon was waiting to brick the device allowing some time for the Kindle to show up to the original customer. Still, there is a degree of responsibility on Amazon's part since the device should have been immediately flagged and registration blocked when they first received notification of the Kindle being lost or stolen.
> 
> I have had three great experiences buying used Kindles and two not so great experiences. I have purchased Kindle from someone on this forum who has been a member for a long time but simply does not post. She and I engaged in a lengthy exchange of messages. I trusted my instincts about her and my friend is now enjoying a well cared for Kindle. I have also purchased from eBay and another ebook forum with no problems.
> 
> ...


that will not sate my desire to destroy it...actually I think I'd do it for a few kindle books. if not (as I cool down about this) I'd probably give it to a local school or something. will I be able to transfer books from kindle to kindle and even install the 2.5 update after downloading it? perhaps in that case I would just keep it. the think is looking at it bothers me. trust me, whomever is reading, it would bother you too....


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

You cannot transfer books between Kindles.  And the 2.5 updates are model specific.
deb


----------



## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

extendedping said:


> thanks everyone for listening. so in the end I end up with an almost $700 used kindle. not such a great result. btw if anyone is at all interested in what is going on here in nyc with the police (who have refused to take a report on this despite both amazon and craigslist telling me in writing to go to the police), here is some info...
> 
> cop in the bronx breaks blue wall of silence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXnXnoOV2w4
> independently cop in brooklyn does exact same thing http://nypdconfidential.com/ http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-05-04/news/the-nypd-tapes-inside-bed-stuy-s-81st-precinct/


I may have missed this. Did you ever get in touch with the person who sold it to you?


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

They will refund books during the first week of purchase.

And you don't know that it was a Kindle that was delivered to the wrong address. That is the explanation that makes the most sense but it could be a scam by the person who bought the Kindle. If the Kindle is returned to Amazon they will return it to the owner who reported it stolen. So the person could be hoping to get his/her Kindle back and have made some cash off the deal.

I understand your frustration but it should be directed towards the person who scammed you.


----------



## sixnsolid (Mar 13, 2009)

Anne said:


> I may have missed this. Did you ever get in touch with the person who sold it to you?


I believe he says upthread that he did 

OP - any possibilty of looking up the person's phone number in a reverse directory? - a long shot, I know.

And I'm sorry you took my post poorly. I was merely pointing out that Amazon did offer you some "credit" so to speak for letting you register the device when it was in fact lost or stolen. I hope you and your new DX are happy together in spite of this rough start.


----------



## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

extendedping said:


> yes surprise no answer on the phone or email.


I am not surprised that you got no answer. I am sorry this happen to you.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

ProfCrash said:


> They will refund books during the first week of purchase.
> 
> And you don't know that it was a Kindle that was delivered to the wrong address. That is the explanation that makes the most sense but it could be a scam by the person who bought the Kindle. If the Kindle is returned to Amazon they will return it to the owner who reported it stolen. So the person could be hoping to get his/her Kindle back and have made some cash off the deal.
> 
> I understand your frustration but it should be directed towards the person who scammed you.


thanks for the books heads up. when I asked the rep what do I do with the books I downloaded, they just said use them on the kindle 2. I took that as I am stuck with them, I wish they had just told me, "return them". the person (scammer) already has a new kindle (that was told to me apx 2:00 pm the I called amazon finding my kindle turned off) so if it is the scammer it tells you 2 things.

1) it is really really easy to pull this scam and amazon should have some plan against it
2) since they had their kindle by the time I was on the phone with amazon (ok it was my second call but it was bout 2:00 pm and the device was turned off early in the morning), amazon had the information the device was missing/stolen long before I was able to register it and use it for 9 hours. then sat on it. that is why my frustration is more at amazon then at the scammer. a scammer is a lowlife. amazon is a reputable giant company who need to assess the way they ship things, register things (please tie registration to the owner) and most importantly, need a way to react quickly when a scammer (or for all you know one of their own employees) makes a device go missing.

to an above poster who said if it looks too good to be true it probably is....
I bought a 1988 left handed american strat for $285 off craigs list. I took a chance (did not plug it in) and it worked fine. I also got a gibson sg for $400. 
we just (my wife and I) got a rug listed for $1200 for $60. so my dealings with craigslist have been good and I am not angry at them. I think amazon needs to get their act straight on this. again they first told me I by law had to return the device to them (to be fair they said they would be paying for it) and then told me just keep it. this sounds like they are just winging it.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

btw just got off with kindle support because the device has been locking up. I was told that if I ever charge for more then 3 hours on the wall or 5 hours on the computer I am damaging my battery and possibly the unit. they told me this is not official in their documentation yet but that they are telling this to everyone who calls up regarding their units locking up. nice.

so I guess I will have to set my alarm for 2:00 am when I want to charge this overnight for now on. nice. please call and ask if you think I am just grumbling here.


----------



## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

extendedping said:


> I was told that if I ever charge for more then 3 hours on the wall or 5 hours on the computer I am damaging my battery and possibly the unit.


Untrue. I almost always charge mine overnight. It's a year and a half old, no battery degradation.


----------



## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I charge overnight most nights with my DX and did the same with my K2 before that.


----------



## ReconDelta (Jul 22, 2009)

I will buy the "bricked" Kindle, assuming everything works except for Whispernet for $150, including the leather case.  

Email me on here.

Was the seller of the Kindle "criminal" looking or appear as though they may have been the original owner of the Kindle?  While I do feel bad you lost money, I would not blame Amazon one bit in this case.   Unfortunately this type of circumstance means the used Kindle market will suffer.   In the future best to call Amazon and verify a Kindle is not stolen prior to purchase.


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

well I am just repeating what I was told by kindle support. this was offered to me gratuitously I did not inquire anything about the battery, just about the other issues I have experienced today.  3 hours max in the wall or 5 on your computer else you may be damaging you battery/unit. I called to say that my (refurbished) dx froze twice today, rebooted on its own once, can connect to the internet but not the kindle store, twice removed a book automatically to archived items, and as of now I have been waiting for an hour once clicking on the book for it to redownload. I guess I am beginning to understand why they gave me $50 off on this used unit.


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

extendedping, were you talking to Amazon CS or Kindle CS, if you know?
deb


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

I was told it was cs but not kindle technical support. I though it was kindle cs but perhaps it was just amazon cs. they did have access to my information because the lady thought I was still calling regarding the stolen kindle issue. I did specifically find out that it was not technical support at the end of the call, because she said she could put me to kindle tech support, but I had a crying baby so had to hang up. but again, I was told this about the battery without asking anything about the battery. I think I should take to recording my many (well this week at least) conversations. I think it was kindle cs not amazon cs because the lady told me the unit might be rebooting due to receiving an update (not she said 2.5 which will ship at the end of the month according to her). btw over an hour and the item that just disappeared (did it twice today, I did not move the 5 way to the left and click delete) still has not downloaded back to the kindle. it is grayed out in archived items so I hope it is downloading. its just a linux book not war and peace. soon time for another call to amazon I guess. arggg. 
great device when it works. the bricked units worked flawlessly for 9 hours, now a refurb and all this. 
all this and people hate me because I have threatened bodily harm on the poor bricked unit


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Sure, I understand.  When you have other things going on, and you've had a hard week, it can get confusing.  
I have put Kindle CS number in my cell phone for easy access.  I'm not doubting what the representative told you.  I just know that there have been other times when different information came from the two different departments.  
I know I leave my K2 plugged in all night, and have since I've had it.  And I did the same with my K1.  Perhaps the representative has different information.  Thank you for sharing what you've learned.
deb


----------



## extendedping (May 5, 2010)

ReconDelta said:


> I will buy the "bricked" Kindle, assuming everything works except for Whispernet for $150, including the leather case.
> 
> Email me on here.
> 
> Was the seller of the Kindle "criminal" looking or appear as though they may have been the original owner of the Kindle? While I do feel bad you lost money, I would not blame Amazon one bit in this case. Unfortunately this type of circumstance means the used Kindle market will suffer. In the future best to call Amazon and verify a Kindle is not stolen prior to purchase.


bout to pm you. as to what they looked like, they looked indian clean cut. I don't know what a criminal is supposed to look like, madoff sure wasn't wearing his pants around his knees and flashing gang colors while he blasted rap music. btw I did ask amazon that specific question...if I had called with the sn. they said no it would not have made a difference if it was reported missing after the call. which is what they are implying but since they told me at 2:00 the next day (mine shut off somewhere in the early morning) the person had a replacement kindle, their time line does not add up. also the craigslist ad was up for 2 days and I (believe) I posted it here, it said this was a gift for the person and his wife that they would not use and showed the kindles (were they the actual kindles that I can't say). anyway looks like if you simply don't require a shipping method that needs signing, take in your product, sell it fast and then call it out stolen you can get a replacement with no questions and make money on the sold unit. pretty easy scam. amazon should really tie ownership to registration, that would make this issue null..


----------



## begining2see (Jun 4, 2012)

Thank you for posting this!  I was going to buy my son a Kindle Fire from Craigslist for his birthday.  I did not know what to look for so I googled it and found your post.  Thank you for posting!  I am sorry you had to experience this and appreciate that you chose to share it with ME!!!!


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

extendedping said:


> to an above poster who said if it looks too good to be true it probably is....
> I bought a 1988 left handed american strat for $285 off craigs list. I took a chance (did not plug it in) and it worked fine. I also got a gibson sg for $400.
> we just (my wife and I) got a rug listed for $1200 for $60. so my dealings with craigslist have been good and I am not angry at them.


Not such a big deal, but I bought a dog crate via Craig's List. That was OK. And I very recently sold a working TiVo box with lifetime service attached for a low price on Craig's List. I think Anthony got a very good deal.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

While there are plenty of honest folks on Craig's List, there are plenty os scams. Unfortunently there have been many a scam involving Kindles. I would not buy a Kindle of any sort from Craig's List or EBay based on recent reports.


----------



## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I bought my Kindle 3 on eBay a few months ago - talked to the woman selling it and could tell that it had been hers, one of those gut feeling things, and it came with the box, cord & plug, and lighted cover.  Met her in a public place to do the transaction, took my husband with me and all went well.  I turned it on there just to make sure it would, in fact, turn on.  Didn't register it on the spot, but never had any trouble with it.  So it is possible to have a good experience.  

When I was looking, though, there were a lot of ads on Craigslist for great "deals" on Kindles, but when I'd try to contact the seller, I got "Oh, it's sold, but you can get a great deal here..." with a link to one of those crazy auction sites where they no doubt got some type of kickback if I followed their link and bought something.  

I've bought & sold Kindles here on KB, as well as a fair number of covers.  Haven't had a bad experience here either.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I would trust here over Craig's List or EBay. eBay at least has some protections in place but people have been burned there as well.

A new or refurbished Kindle is pretty affordable, I would just buy through Amazon.


----------

