A player has bought a gaming PC for a lot of money. But when he opens the package at home, almost all components are missing. Is it even possible to properly protect oneself against such theft?
A player reports on reddit that he bought a new gaming PC from a dealer on Amazon. Because the company from which he bought his PC also sells directly through Amazon. Amazon then shipped the package accordingly.
But when he opens the package with the new gaming PC at home, he finds that almost all components are missing:
Which components are missing?
- Processor
- Graphics card
- SSD
- RAM
Except for the case, only the AIO cooling and the motherboard are installed in the case. All other components have probably been stolen.
Theft from transport boxes is usually hard to trace
Can you protect yourself against such theft? No, it is hardly possible to protect yourself against people who either empty the computer or the packaging in the warehouse or along the transport route. However, there are plenty of options for how you can protect yourself against financial loss:
- What you should do is take pictures and videos while unpacking to protect yourself against the seller. This effort is worthwhile if you buy hardware or items worth several hundred euros.
- Do not accept packages where seals, protective symbols, or adhesive tape have already been broken.
- If the package seems too light upon acceptance, you should also refuse it.
Some in the community also note that packages are usually weighed before shipping. This way, one should quickly find out where the package has become “lighter”:
It is probably very easy to prove that you have been robbed. Get the weight from the delivery service. Are the packages not weighed before delivery (Amazon does that)? Then trace the weight back to the supplier. Maybe you’ll find the villain that way.
However, whether the weight can always help is another question. Because some thieves have become quite inventive and replace stolen components with bricks or similar to balance the weight. Sometimes it even goes so far that thieves rob the hardware directly from the stores and sellers must therefore secure their hardware.
The same goes for transport damage: If the package arrives severely damaged, you should refuse acceptance of the package. Sellers also refer to this regularly because the transport company usually has to cover the damage.
Another player has also bought a new gaming PC. Here he receives all the components, but he probably can’t really play with the demolished device:
User buys gaming system, but the PC looks run over by a truck: ‘This has never happened to me’
