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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 10:12:44

Title: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 10:12:44
http://www.ebay.com/sch/tangxiao1978/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=200&_trksid=p3686 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/tangxiao1978/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=200&_trksid=p3686)


Seller has 4 starting at $1. Seller doesn't have any feedback though :/


Might be a good chance to get one of these fairly unique boards on the cheap
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: boost on Tue, 18 June 2013, 10:27:28
NICE, going to "watch" these
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Tue, 18 June 2013, 10:27:51
Hmmmm too bad it doesn't say what the weight is. Considering there are only 30g models on amazon Japan, it may be those. Hmm they may be silent as well....

No one bid on one of these, I'll take the gamble with this seller :p
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 18 June 2013, 10:53:08
NICE, going to "watch" these

^^ this is the stance I took as well!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:03:33
So I PMed the seller to ask for the switch weight information, I'll let you guys know. I'm thinking there might be one of each here but we'll see.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:05:09
So I PMed the seller to ask for the switch weight information, I'll let you guys know. I'm thinking there might be one of each here but we'll see.

Can we lay down bets? My money is on all 30g silent.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: khaangaaroo on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:25:05
Oh that's really great... just as I'm about to put one of these up for sale, the market gets flooded.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:33:14
Oh that's really great... just as I'm about to put one of these up for sale, the market gets flooded.

I guess it really depends on which version you have ;)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:33:53
Oh that's really great... just as I'm about to put one of these up for sale, the market gets flooded.

I guess it really depends on which version you have ;)

I believe it's the one in his sig :eek: all 30g!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: khaangaaroo on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:47:04
Oh that's really great... just as I'm about to put one of these up for sale, the market gets flooded.

I guess it really depends on which version you have ;)

I believe it's the one in his sig :eek: all 30g!

Haha, nope the one in my sig is a different board. I used the 89S as doner board to make a FC660C into all 30g silent. Now the 89S is mostly 45g. But I have it modded to be more ANSI (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=44796.0) so hopefully that'll garner more interest.

I might sell the all-30g 87u in my sig eventually though. But it won't be cheap  ;)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Atakp on Tue, 18 June 2013, 11:50:45
Ya I'd be 99% sure these are all 30g uniform silenced. They're PS/2 as well.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 June 2013, 12:42:28
I just bid $100 on  one of them. I'm not a huge fan of the japanese layout, but we'll see what they go to.

I'm almost certain I'll be outbid, but I still haven't tried topre yet, so I do sort-of have a maximum price for a switch I haven't tried yet in a layout I don't like.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: JWK on Tue, 18 June 2013, 13:46:47
The seller has zero (0) feedback.  And he is soliciting off-Ebay transactions.  And his website is so new that it has not been indexed by Google.  Interesting. 
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 13:55:56
I just bid $100 on  one of them. I'm not a huge fan of the japanese layout, but we'll see what they go to.

I'm almost certain I'll be outbid, but I still haven't tried topre yet, so I do sort-of have a maximum price for a switch I haven't tried yet in a layout I don't like.

Bro, do you even eBay? wait till the end! (if you really want it)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Tue, 18 June 2013, 13:58:18
I just bid $100 on  one of them. I'm not a huge fan of the japanese layout, but we'll see what they go to.

I'm almost certain I'll be outbid, but I still haven't tried topre yet, so I do sort-of have a maximum price for a switch I haven't tried yet in a layout I don't like.

Bro, do you even eBay? wait till the end! (if you really want it)

Man, not as bad as the Namiki Falcon bidding...I see 5 bids before they hit $5....hah.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: eth0s on Tue, 18 June 2013, 13:59:41
If you can buy one of these for under $100, it's probably worth it, IMO.  Even if they are uniform 30g weighted silent switches (which feel no lighter than MX reds, IMO).  That anniversary color combo (Blue & Grey) is not very attractive, but some people love it.  Also the layout is funky with that tiny Japanese-style spacebar, and the ISO-ish Enter key.  Plus the |\ has been moved to a 1x key in Row 4 and backspace is a 1x key as well.  Neither is fatal to the appeal of the keyboard, but it's something to consider.

Anyway, I would still say $100 or less is a great price to pay for one of these. ($1 of course is ridiculous, and it will sell for more that that.)

$100-$150 range is overpaying, but still okay, if it goes that high, and if you really want one of these for your collection.

$150-$200 and over is just too high.  Instead you should just get a brand-new RealForce 87U from EK Brian for $250 with a warranty, and with a more attractive color scheme (either white/grey or black on black).
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Tue, 18 June 2013, 14:03:05
If you can buy one of these for under $100, it's probably worth it, IMO.  Even if they are uniform 30g weighted silent switches (which feel no lighter than MX reds, IMO).  That anniversary color combo (Blue & Grey) is not very attractive, but some people love it.  Also the layout is funky with that tiny Japanese-style spacebar, and the ISO-ish Enter key.  Plus the |\ has been moved to a 1x key in Row 4 and backspace is a 1x key as well.  Neither is fatal to the appeal of the keyboard, but it's something to consider.

Anyway, I would still say $100 or less is a great price to pay for one of these. ($1 of course is ridiculous, and it will sell for more that that.)

$100-$150 range is overpaying, but still okay, if it goes that high, and if you really want one of these for your collection.

$150-$200 and over is just too high.  Instead you should just get a brand-new RealForce 87U from EK Brian for $250 with a warranty, and with a more attractive color scheme (either white/grey or black on black).

Considering they go for about ~$250 on amazon japan, http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B007BHW03U/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=AN1VRQENFRJN5&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=18DX29XMBPJWHA6QX4XR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463376756&pf_rd_i=489986

Anything under $200 is really a deal. 30g silent is not an easy to come by switch (if they are indeed that), sadly not many people like JIs (I do, I have several). Tiny spacebars forever!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 14:03:58
If you can buy one of these for under $100, it's probably worth it, IMO.  Even if they are uniform 30g weighted silent switches (which feel no lighter than MX reds, IMO).  That anniversary color combo (Blue & Grey) is not very attractive, but some people love it.  Also the layout is funky with that tiny Japanese-style spacebar, and the ISO-ish Enter key.  Plus the |\ has been moved to a 1x key in Row 4 and backspace is a 1x key as well.  Neither is fatal to the appeal of the keyboard, but it's something to consider.

Anyway, I would still say $100 or less is a great price to pay for one of these. ($1 of course is ridiculous, and it will sell for more that that.)

$100-$150 range is overpaying, but still okay, if it goes that high, and if you really want one of these for your collection.

$150-$200 and over is just too high.  Instead you should just get a brand-new RealForce 87U from EK Brian for $250 with a warranty, and with a more attractive color scheme (either white/grey or black on black).

I mean, that's just how the JIS layout is :p

Anyone buying one of these knows what they are getting into (I'd hope)

I'm almost willing to bet that if these don't get to high enough prices that he'll cancel them. but again, we will see.


As the OP I got dibs on this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-Topre-REALFORCE89S10th-Keyboard-Japanese-89-layout-Import-JAPAN-/290932910051?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item43bcf3e7e3
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: berserkfan on Tue, 18 June 2013, 15:19:59
I am a little concerned that the seller is a fake. As I have never used ebay's buyer protection program before, I'm not sure what benefits we buyers have. What if the seller is a scammer?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 18 June 2013, 15:56:10
I am a little concerned that the seller is a fake. As I have never used ebay's buyer protection program before, I'm not sure what benefits we buyers have. What if the seller is a scammer?

Paypal dispute?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 June 2013, 16:02:11
I just bid $100 on  one of them. I'm not a huge fan of the japanese layout, but we'll see what they go to.

I'm almost certain I'll be outbid, but I still haven't tried topre yet, so I do sort-of have a maximum price for a switch I haven't tried yet in a layout I don't like.

Bro, do you even eBay? wait till the end! (if you really want it)

Oh absolutely, I eBay all the time. and I get excellent deals on ebay constantly.

But for items that I expect will go higher than what I'm willing to pay (ibm M15's cherry dyesubs, etc.) I just input my highest price early on and if I win, then I get a good deal. If not, then I'm not out anything. I dont really expect to win, since my highest price is much lower than what the item is probably worth, but ti's worth a shot anyway.

I mean, I also put low offers on some less-useful BIN IBM's and I occasionally win them.

If I am serious about bidding, then I might wait for a bit, but it's fun to do things this way and then watch and see.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Tue, 18 June 2013, 19:26:09
Be careful dudes and here is why:

- Seller has zero feedback
- Starting price for the items is crazy low + free shipping for  item of that weight

Just saying...
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Tue, 18 June 2013, 19:32:29
Be careful dudes and here is why:

- Seller has zero feedback
- Starting price for the items is crazy low + free shipping for  item of that weight

Just saying...

Did you read the thread? We are all concerned and wondering if we are safe if he flakes.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Tue, 18 June 2013, 19:34:14
I read some not all
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Elrick on Tue, 18 June 2013, 19:55:08
Be careful dudes and here is why:

- Seller has zero feedback
- Starting price for the items is crazy low + free shipping for  item of that weight

Just saying...

Don't worry this is Ebay.  When you win and pay the amount, the seller has a maximum of 45 days to send it to you.  If you haven't received anything within 45 days then do a call-back on the bastard.

Paypal is good when there are dubious sellers (and there are heaps), they saved my ass a few times when I got every cent back from them.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Flyersfan1 on Tue, 18 June 2013, 19:55:19
Wow-That spacebar.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 June 2013, 20:33:14
Wow-That spacebar.
that is what you get for JIS.

FWIW, the only reason I bid at all is because of all the buyer protection that eBay and PayPal have. Who knows? maybe I'll get a good keyboard at a good price. We shall see.

Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Flyersfan1 on Tue, 18 June 2013, 20:34:46
Wow-That spacebar.
that is what you get for JIS.

FWIW, the only reason I bid at all is because of all the buyer protection that eBay and PayPal have. Who knows? maybe I'll get a good keyboard at a good price. We shall see.
I hope you're able to get it at a good price!  :)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Rafen on Tue, 18 June 2013, 20:45:27
I was actually thinking about asking if he had anymore pictures of the boards just to make sure this is real.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 18 June 2013, 21:13:41
Man, you guys worry so much. Please take all our warnings to heart and avoid these auctions. They're very dangerous. Please.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: berserkfan on Wed, 19 June 2013, 10:08:39
Elrick, mind telling me how it all works?

I've heard that paypal is quite big about the tracking number but isn't so good when item is not as described. So that when some sellers purposely send you an empty box or a box with something seemingly correct but actually very flawed (eg a Chinese knockoff of the actual Topre), paypal and ebay don't know how to handle it. And if they want you to do RMA back to the seller, you wind up paying a lot more for shipping back to him aka pain in the ass for a long time before you get money back.

My biggest concern is actually that this is a real Topre, just that it's not intended to be sold. AKA Chinese contract manufacturers get the contract to produce, and they're supposed to dispose of flawed products that don't meet Topre's standards. Of course they want to make money on the side, so they try to sell on the secondary market.

This guy hasn't provided photos of the back end. Maybe there is no Topre sticker to prove it's an accepted Topre. I don't think ebay would support you in that case, although you would still end up with a Topre that breaks down after a while.

Be careful dudes and here is why:

- Seller has zero feedback
- Starting price for the items is crazy low + free shipping for  item of that weight

Just saying...

Don't worry this is Ebay.  When you win and pay the amount, the seller has a maximum of 45 days to send it to you.  If you haven't received anything within 45 days then do a call-back on the bastard.

Paypal is good when there are dubious sellers (and there are heaps), they saved my ass a few times when I got every cent back from them.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: alaricljs on Wed, 19 June 2013, 10:13:20
As a seller I got shot down by paypal on an "item not as described" argument.  I sold an item used in good condition and the buyer complained that the bottom (where you set it down on things like pavement) was scuffed.

Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: histevenhere on Thu, 20 June 2013, 11:55:45
Watching this as well... Hope it's not a fraud :(
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Thu, 20 June 2013, 11:57:00
Watching this as well... Hope it's not a fraud :(

It definitely is, your best bet is to completely ignore it.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Thu, 20 June 2013, 15:28:31
That whole "buy two get one free" offer in the third image is worrisome.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Arcturus on Mon, 24 June 2013, 21:05:40
This looks almost certainly fraudulent.

If you go to the URL in the image it links to a dodgy looking website with all sorts of computers, peripherals and electronics for a tiny fraction of the standard retail prices.

I'm talking brand new iMacs for < $200...

I was hopeful, but steer well clear of this one!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: rowdy on Mon, 24 June 2013, 21:14:25
I'm talking brand new iMacs for < $200...

Oooh yes please i'll have 10 of those thank you very much please deposit the money directly into my account.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Sniping on Mon, 24 June 2013, 21:28:51
This is definitely fake. The third picture with the name of the website looked very fishy to me. I looked it up on mywot and this is what I came up with
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/allurefirm.com
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: tp4tissue on Tue, 25 June 2013, 07:02:11
I've seen these site before, the lure in internet n00bs, mostly OLD people, by using the ridiculously low prices... for example, HTC one for $200, really???
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: khaangaaroo on Tue, 25 June 2013, 09:36:51
Now that you guys are all sad that the ebay listing is fake, there's a real 89S for sale over here if you feel like sending the seller some nice offers  ;)
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45011.0
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Thu, 27 June 2013, 10:42:22
Well the auctions are over and sadly I won one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290932910187?&autorefresh=true

I feel like the real saga begins now.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: jwaz on Thu, 27 June 2013, 10:52:47
Now that you guys are all sad that the ebay listing is fake, there's a real 89S for sale over here if you feel like sending the seller some nice offers  ;)
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45011.0

But you took out the majority of the silent purple sliders :/

I totally spaced on this auction but the sliders and domes were the only draw for me
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Techno Trousers on Thu, 27 June 2013, 12:43:27
Well the auctions are over and sadly I won one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290932910187?&autorefresh=true

I feel like the real saga begins now.
Keep us informed as to how it goes. I guess worst case scenario is you'll be out $31.

Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 27 June 2013, 12:49:50
Pretty sure I'm about to get two of these at my place...how in the world do I verify if they're legit or not?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Topre on Thu, 27 June 2013, 13:27:44
It's not a big deal if you guys bought from eBay, the seller probably won't ship it. The point of the listing was to advertise their site and possibly scam people using the site.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Thu, 27 June 2013, 15:01:30
It's not a big deal if you guys bought from eBay, the seller probably won't ship it. The point of the listing was to advertise their site and possibly scam people using the site.

I know, I fully expect to have to deal with painful contacting of seller, and then some exciting paypal disputes, etc. Still, maybe I get lucky and receive it. We'll see
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: berserkfan on Fri, 28 June 2013, 07:35:43
Dorkvader, I just won an auction for a broken Razer last week for $21 (I needed the Cherry blues). Seller is backing out saying keyboard is broken.

The whole damn point of his auction, stated in the title, is that auction is for a broken keyboard!

But there's no way to make him ship. He rejects your payment, ebay closes the case. So it seems you can run dubious auctions to scam people. If they get you to pay them on their website, good for them. If they don't manage to sucker you, they just refund you and give some dumb excuse.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: FuriousGeorge on Fri, 28 June 2013, 10:58:39
I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad I won one.  The whole thing smells scammy, but I can't wrap my head around why someone would choose an obscure brand of keyboard with an obscure layout vs something like the latest samsung cell phones or xboxes or something normal people would be interested in. Why choose something that less than 1 percent of the population could even identify? I guess I'll find out in a couple weeks.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: berserkfan on Fri, 28 June 2013, 11:40:01
george, let me suggest that they don't want to scam too many people. a smart scammer wants to stay in business for as long as possible, so he wants only to get a few victims at a time.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: ikoma on Fri, 28 June 2013, 11:41:58
george, let me suggest that they don't want to scam too many people. a smart scammer wants to stay in business for as long as possible, so he wants only to get a few victims at a time.
You really don't need to be that smart when you're overseas and cant be prosecuted easily.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Fri, 28 June 2013, 16:47:18
I would have never bought from someone on ebay with zero feedback, selling a high priced item, especially multiples of them. If they send you a box with rocks with tracking and paypal favors them, then you lose out on the keyboard and your money. But most likely, paypal will be in your favor, but you still lose out on time and headache spent on communication and filing disputes, then having to wait maybe a few weeks or months to get your money reimbursed.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: alaricljs on Fri, 28 June 2013, 16:59:27
Everybody needs a hobby, right?  :)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Fri, 28 June 2013, 19:35:55
I'll take few rocks and bricks with the package dear sir
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: berserkfan on Sat, 29 June 2013, 10:42:20
whitefiredragon

As I said in a lengthy post above, I don't think the seller will totally sell nothing or send rocks and bricks. I think he will indeed send a Realforce. The problem with Chinese manufacturing, however, is that a foreign orderer like Topre of Japan won't have total control over the production process. The Chinese can easily manufacture lots of knockoffs in the same factory, except at vastly inferior specs. These are usually sold on the black market or domestic market because the average Chinese consumer really can't afford to pay Western prices for Western-quality stuff.

As an Asian I am very familiar with the abundance of cheap knockoffs. A lot are really made in the same factory, so they look totally like the real thing. But they fall apart real fast.

So if George gets his keyboard for $32 or whatever, I think the keyboard will fail within a few weeks and make George Furiousgeorge. But George isn't going to be able to claim anything from paypal...
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Techno Trousers on Sat, 29 June 2013, 18:03:35
Interesting! I hate people getting scammed, but assuming you guys do get some kind of knockoff keyboard, I'd love to see what the tear-down looks like.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Topre on Sat, 29 June 2013, 18:17:16
whitefiredragon

As I said in a lengthy post above, I don't think the seller will totally sell nothing or send rocks and bricks. I think he will indeed send a Realforce. The problem with Chinese manufacturing, however, is that a foreign orderer like Topre of Japan won't have total control over the production process. The Chinese can easily manufacture lots of knockoffs in the same factory, except at vastly inferior specs. These are usually sold on the black market or domestic market because the average Chinese consumer really can't afford to pay Western prices for Western-quality stuff.

As an Asian I am very familiar with the abundance of cheap knockoffs. A lot are really made in the same factory, so they look totally like the real thing. But they fall apart real fast.

So if George gets his keyboard for $32 or whatever, I think the keyboard will fail within a few weeks and make George Furiousgeorge. But George isn't going to be able to claim anything from paypal...

I am pretty sure that all Realforce keyboards are currently made in Japan. The only Chinese Topre keyboard at the moment is the Leopold FC660C, and soon there will be the Topre Heaven that will also be made in China.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Sat, 29 June 2013, 18:33:55
Interesting! I hate people getting scammed, but assuming you guys do get some kind of knockoff keyboard, I'd love to see what the tear-down looks like.
I will be taking apart whatever I receive, as is my custom.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: berserkfan on Sat, 29 June 2013, 20:54:49
Topre, if you're right, then there is no way for a Chinese seller to send anything except an empty box or else back out claiming his dog ate his Toupee or Topre haha.

But nowadays lots of 'made in non-China' products are actually made in China by contract. Only the label or some final touch is made in the 'non-China' location.

I was reading something that said if you made 60% of an Italian garment in China and the last 40% in Italy, it would be Made in Italy also.

whitefiredragon

As I said in a lengthy post above, I don't think the seller will totally sell nothing or send rocks and bricks. I think he will indeed send a Realforce. The problem with Chinese manufacturing, however, is that a foreign orderer like Topre of Japan won't have total control over the production process. The Chinese can easily manufacture lots of knockoffs in the same factory, except at vastly inferior specs. These are usually sold on the black market or domestic market because the average Chinese consumer really can't afford to pay Western prices for Western-quality stuff.

As an Asian I am very familiar with the abundance of cheap knockoffs. A lot are really made in the same factory, so they look totally like the real thing. But they fall apart real fast.

So if George gets his keyboard for $32 or whatever, I think the keyboard will fail within a few weeks and make George Furiousgeorge. But George isn't going to be able to claim anything from paypal...

I am pretty sure that all Realforce keyboards are currently made in Japan. The only Chinese Topre keyboard at the moment is the Leopold FC660C, and soon there will be the Topre Heaven that will also be made in China.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Sun, 30 June 2013, 03:23:46
According to HP, they are required to make some percentage of their computers in the US, I pressed the representative and she said it was about 10-15% (to keep costs down I'm sure). This was not some "assembled in the USA" apple BS, and of course it doesn't apply to some of their OEM parts (like the fans, etc.) but according to them, 10-15% of their elitebook laptops and workstations are made in the USA.

That said , most of the OEMs are in asia.

The interesting part is, since we are a global marketplace, it would be hard indeed to make an entire product in one country, especially if it's electronic. Even if you make your PCB's locally, you have to watch out: as most components are produced in asia. Going past that, you'd have to ensure that the materials that go into making said components aren't sourced elsewhere. So it becomes a difficult task, indeed.

Hopefully I will be receiving my keyboard in a few short weeks.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Sun, 30 June 2013, 07:45:30
did u received notification that has been mailed? tracking perhaps?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Sun, 30 June 2013, 14:11:32
did u received notification that has been mailed? tracking perhaps?
Not yet, though I only messaged the seller about it Thursday or Friday.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: CPTBadAss on Sun, 30 June 2013, 14:20:25
I should be getting two sent to my apartment. I will post pictures. But I cannot do a teardown because they're not mine.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: IPT on Sun, 30 June 2013, 14:48:01
soi what you're saying is you outbit me CPT =(
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: CPTBadAss on Sun, 30 June 2013, 14:48:39
I didn't bid on anything. I'm currently Halverson's proxy.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: IPT on Sun, 30 June 2013, 14:51:28
ok fine, Halverson outbit me lol
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Sun, 30 June 2013, 18:36:57
ok fine, Halverson outbit me lol

was it you that bid $30 or so on them all right at the end?

It's interesting you know that we all didn't end up bidding against eachother. I only bid on one, and halverson got two. Furiousgeorge got the last, yet we are all apart. I'm glad the price wasn't high.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: IPT on Sun, 30 June 2013, 19:36:41
i put in $30 like 3 days ago lol.
got outbid for $31
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: morpheus on Wed, 03 July 2013, 09:03:49
Were these legit?  Just curious....
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Wed, 03 July 2013, 09:16:47
Were these legit?  Just curious....

we are waiting on the winning bidder from GH to report if he receives the keyboard as claimed when he receives the package or a stack of rocks.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Thechemist on Wed, 03 July 2013, 09:21:40
Inb4 Ninja suits  :D
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Wed, 03 July 2013, 10:05:59
I still haven't received shipping notification or a tracking number, so maybe the seller is going that route?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Topre on Wed, 03 July 2013, 12:53:54
Not exactly sure how eBay works, but if you don't get a message or a tracking number within 21 days, you should file a dispute. Three weeks is more than enough for someone to ship something from China to USA. Items should be marked shipped within a week to two weeks. I believe eBay/paypal holds the funds for up to 21 days unless if the item is delivered early, in which it will be released earlier. They will probably hold it for longer if the buyer makes a complaint.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Techno Trousers on Wed, 03 July 2013, 14:33:25
I bought a replacement laptop keyboard from China through ebay, and it actually shipped to me quicker than some things from the other side of CONUS.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Thechemist on Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:15:53
Any updates on shipping?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: CPTBadAss on Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:19:36
I haven't gotten any of these boards at my place yet.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: FuriousGeorge on Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:38:08
No keyboard and no shipping notification yet. I've sent the seller an email, but don't expect much. I figure I'll probably give it through this week before opening a dispute.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Wed, 10 July 2013, 11:00:29
don't open dispute dude, sometimes orders from China can take up to 3-4 weeks. Whoever bought the board, did you guys took the option trough paypal not to release funds until the item arrives and is inspected?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Wed, 10 July 2013, 12:10:51
don't open dispute dude, sometimes orders from China can take up to 3-4 weeks. Whoever bought the board, did you guys took the option trough paypal not to release funds until the item arrives and is inspected?
there is an option for that?

I contacted the seller twice, most recently a week or so ago and have received nothing back.

Normally I don't have ethical issues against donating $30 to charity, but I would rather it go to an honest person rather than a sleazy seller.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Wed, 10 July 2013, 22:21:57
don't open dispute dude, sometimes orders from China can take up to 3-4 weeks. Whoever bought the board, did you guys took the option trough paypal not to release funds until the item arrives and is inspected?
there is an option for that?

I contacted the seller twice, most recently a week or so ago and have received nothing back.

Normally I don't have ethical issues against donating $30 to charity, but I would rather it go to an honest person rather than a sleazy seller.

yes there is an option, pay after u receive the item
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Topre on Thu, 11 July 2013, 16:27:19
don't open dispute dude, sometimes orders from China can take up to 3-4 weeks. Whoever bought the board, did you guys took the option trough paypal not to release funds until the item arrives and is inspected?
there is an option for that?

I contacted the seller twice, most recently a week or so ago and have received nothing back.

Normally I don't have ethical issues against donating $30 to charity, but I would rather it go to an honest person rather than a sleazy seller.

yes there is an option, pay after u receive the item

How or where you do select that option? I thought you pay first and eBay/Paypal only holds the fund for 21 days. I never heard of a pay after you receive though.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Thu, 11 July 2013, 19:32:29
I have seen many times this option, IDK if its only for people that use paypal quite often, but I have seen the option saying pay after you receive the item, and also saying something in terms of special option because I'm constant paypal user. I thought everybody that has paypal should have this option.

EDIT: just tried now trough ebay without finalizing the purchase of course and that option is not there anymore.... I know was there before, never used it but when I sold my AMD 1090 on ebay, seller didn't released funds until he received the CPU and tested it.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: orlando on Thu, 11 July 2013, 19:48:04
I have seen many times this option, IDK if its only for people that use paypal quite often, but I have seen the option saying pay after you receive the item, and also saying something in terms of special option because I'm constant paypal user. I thought everybody that has paypal should have this option.

EDIT: just tried now trough ebay without finalizing the purchase of course and that option is not there anymore.... I know was there before, never used it but when I sold my AMD 1090 on ebay, seller didn't released funds until he received the CPU and tested it.
It's not the buyer* that holds the funds; paypal will hold your ebay payments if you aren't a well established seller with a record. They usually release them a day after tracking confirms the item has arrived.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Thu, 11 July 2013, 21:06:07
I have seen many times this option, IDK if its only for people that use paypal quite often, but I have seen the option saying pay after you receive the item, and also saying something in terms of special option because I'm constant paypal user. I thought everybody that has paypal should have this option.

EDIT: just tried now trough ebay without finalizing the purchase of course and that option is not there anymore.... I know was there before, never used it but when I sold my AMD 1090 on ebay, seller didn't released funds until he received the CPU and tested it.
It's not the buyer* that holds the funds; paypal will hold your ebay payments if you aren't a well established seller with a record. They usually release them a day after tracking confirms the item has arrived.

nope sold the cpu,ram and few more things, it was the cpu that held the money until the seller released, not having seller feedback was not the issue. I'm telling you guys that option was there 2-3 months a go but not anymore
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Thechemist on Fri, 19 July 2013, 22:45:39
Updates?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dorkvader on Fri, 19 July 2013, 23:28:29
Contacted the seller again today. We'll see what they have to say about it on Monday.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Techno Trousers on Sun, 21 July 2013, 22:28:20
Funny, I was just going to look up this thread and see if there were any updates. I hope everyone gets their refund, if no keyboards are forthcoming.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: FuriousGeorge on Mon, 22 July 2013, 11:52:07
Still no update here. No shipping from the seller and no response to emails so I opened a dispute today. I don't expect there will be any issues with a refund.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: SpAmRaY on Mon, 22 July 2013, 11:54:28
I was at least hoping someone would get a box of rocks or something.

Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: khaangaaroo on Mon, 22 July 2013, 23:46:27
Rocks would be unlikely. It would cost the seller extra money to ship something that heavy.
You're more likely to get a wooden plank shaped like a key with "Realforce" written on it. Get it? Realforce key(shaped)(wooden)board.

Hey, it's happened before: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/08/wooden-ipad-scam.html
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: FuriousGeorge on Fri, 26 July 2013, 13:45:59
As expected, no issues getting a refund. It only took an hour and a half from when I escalated the dispute to their customer service department. I really would have liked a chance to try a Topre board without spending $200.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: oTurtlez on Fri, 26 July 2013, 13:47:28
As expected, no issues getting a refund. It only took an hour and a half from when I escalated the dispute to their customer service department. I really would have liked a chance to try a Topre board without spending $200.

Troll the classifieds, you can get an FC660C for ~$185 shipped usually ;)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: FuriousGeorge on Fri, 26 July 2013, 13:49:02
still more than I can spend at the moment :)
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: kenmai9 on Fri, 26 July 2013, 13:58:47
LOL at all the people on the first page saying to not worry.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: FuriousGeorge on Fri, 26 July 2013, 14:10:38
Well, it wasn't anything I was worried about. I'm not out anything but a couple minutes of time. I could have put the $20 in a savings account and earned a penny or two in interest?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: kenmai9 on Fri, 26 July 2013, 14:26:37
Well, it wasn't anything I was worried about. I'm not out anything but a couple minutes of time. I could have put the $20 in a savings account and earned a penny or two in interest?

Ah, I didn't see that you only spend $20.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: bazemk1979 on Fri, 26 July 2013, 16:59:32
to all that won the item, don't forget to leave nasty review....
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Thechemist on Fri, 26 July 2013, 18:13:03
why bother, it is a throw-away account with 0 feedback that will most likely never be used again.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: suparnemo on Sat, 27 July 2013, 10:10:19
As expected, no issues getting a refund. It only took an hour and a half from when I escalated the dispute to their customer service department. I really would have liked a chance to try a Topre board without spending $200.

Troll the classifieds, you can get an FC660C for ~$185 shipped usually ;)

Or you could order a Topre Type Heaven from Amazon if you're in the US from amazon. It ships free too.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: kmiller8 on Fri, 03 January 2014, 09:37:22
Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Fri, 03 January 2014, 09:38:30

Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: SpAmRaY on Fri, 03 January 2014, 09:43:49

Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.

So your saying it was a realfarce!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Fri, 03 January 2014, 10:28:09


Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.

So your saying it was a realfarce!

Hay-ohhhh! Haha
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dustinhxc on Fri, 03 January 2014, 10:29:18

Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.

They sent you fake ones??!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: esoomenona on Fri, 03 January 2014, 10:35:38

Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.

They sent you fake ones??!

Don't be ridiculous. Everyone here knew there wasn't anything to be sent, let alone a fake keyboard, that cost time and money to make still, for $30 shipped, which would be less than it would cost for shipping.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: VesperSAINT on Fri, 03 January 2014, 15:00:10
Same guy was trying to sell a bunch of fake HHKBs the other day :( So glad I didn't bid.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Fri, 03 January 2014, 16:59:46


Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.

They sent you fake ones??!

Naw, just messing around. Was just a temporary loan to PP.
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: dustinhxc on Fri, 03 January 2014, 17:00:46


Pls tell us, did anyone get their realforce.

Fake ones, was so upset.

They sent you fake ones??!

Naw, just messing around. Was just a temporary loan to PP.

lmao thats what i figured.. but i imagined fake realforces. would be quite a cool item to see. sorry to hear about that ;0
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Tym on Fri, 03 January 2014, 17:40:17
Account has -2 feedback  :))
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: rowdy on Fri, 03 January 2014, 18:04:36
Account has -2 feedback  :))

How is that even possible?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: missalaire on Fri, 03 January 2014, 23:15:38
Account has -2 feedback  :))

How is that even possible?

0 - 2 = -2
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Halverson on Fri, 03 January 2014, 23:21:39

Account has -2 feedback  :))

How is that even possible?

0 - 2 = -2

Math power!
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Pacifist on Fri, 03 January 2014, 23:26:30
Account has -2 feedback  :))

How is that even possible?

0
+
-1
+
-1
=
-2
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Wildcard on Sat, 04 January 2014, 13:06:35
What's with all the necro bumps lately?
Title: Re: eBay: 4x Realforce 89S 10AE no reserve
Post by: Alessandro on Sat, 04 January 2014, 15:38:10
Account has -2 feedback  :))

How is that even possible?

0
+
-1
+
-1
=
-2

CANCEL THAT EQUATION BOYS!