Be very careful on Mercadolibre

There are 11 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 996 times. The latest Post () was by Splinter.

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    I'm looking for a motherboard to match an Intel i3 4170 CPU (microprocessor) that I took in part exchange because the motherboard it came with is dead. Even second hand, quality motherboards are expensive - the second-hand market in Argentina is peculiarly robust.

    I always ask a lot of questions before buying and I came across a Mercadolibre product that looked interesting because it was shown as a socket 1150 with an Intel i7 840 CPU included, but I had my doubts, not least the advertiser's reputation and the shoddy way it was advertised.

    I then asked a series of questions regarding actual make and model number of the motherboard being advertised, which is vital because CPUs are only compatible with the right socket. The seller at first insisted it was an Intel board, but I had my doubts. Intel do make motherboards but they are rare here. He was reluctant to tell me the make and model number or he didn't know where to find it.

    When I pointed out where he should look on the motherboard, he took umbrage, telling me how long he had been in the computer business and he didn't need telling where to look.

    I kept insisting and he finally told me the make and model number, which was an Intel to my surprise, model number DP55WB. I then looked up the Intel specifications page and it turns out that it's a socket 1156 (not compatible with my CPU) and not a socket 1150 as advertised. Also, he had advertised the i7 840 CPU as an 8 core, when in fact it's a 4 core CPU.

    In other words, the entire advertisement was misleading, totally wrong, dishonest and crudely put together.

    I pointed out all these facts to him in a further question but unfortunately I was only able to read a split second of his reply it before ML deleted it, presumably because of foul language. The ad has now been paused or stopped, but it just goes to show how careful you need to be when buying anywhere online. I smelt a rat straight away and feel that people like this should be banned for life from ML, but I can't see that happening.

    Certainly helps when you know your stuff with things like that item.


    I'm no pipe expert but through browsing pipe smoking forums over the years I now have a fair idea how much an antique English made estate pipe is worth and which brands are the most collectable. Some of the pipes I see on ML really take the piss with the prices they're asking for. :rolleyes:


    Has to be said a sellers lack of knowledge can also work in your favour. :thumbup:

    The worst thing is when they use photos from forgeign providers or Pinterest and no real photos of the actual product you'll get. Sure, you will have some version of that product, but poorly made and nothing like the quality of the image. This is especially rampant in furniture.

    Quote from Rice

    With ML, can you return items that you don’t like?

    Sure, but when you buy (for example) a sofa based on the amazing image they show, the company then takes 40 days to make it (after telling you it will take 20) and when it arrives it is just a poor imitation of that image, returning it is possible but also a major inconvenience. They won't pick it up, so you'll be finding a flete to return it.


    I learned the hard way buying a table a couple of years ago. It looked fantastic with a cement top and when it came it was just not good enough. Turns out the company was using a Pinterest photo that they were basically copying. And it happens on ML with just about every peice of furniture or home decor. Now my wife and I always ask to see a real photo of a product by a company before committing to a purchase. A good way is to find the company on social media and see the images they post, what people say, etc.


    I am currently awaiting a new sofa that I bought on ML, so let's see how it goes. Although, they said it would take 10 days to finish, which was Monday just gone. My wife contacted them on Wednesday figuring 12 days is being fair. The guy tells her happily "your sofa entered production yesterday (which was the 11th day btw) and we will send you images of the process."


    And Argentine's wonder why their economy stinks.

    Quote from Semigoodlooking

    I learned the hard way buying a table a couple of years ago. It looked fantastic with a cement top and when it came it was just not good enough. Turns out the company was using a Pinterest photo that they were basically copying. And it happens on ML with just about every peice of furniture or home decor. Now my wife and I always ask to see a real photo of a product by a company before committing to a purchase. A good way is to find the company on social media and see the images they post, what people say, etc.


    I am currently awaiting a new sofa that I bought on ML, so let's see how it goes. Although, they said it would take 10 days to finish, which was Monday just gone. My wife contacted them on Wednesday figuring 12 days is being fair. The guy tells her happily "your sofa entered production yesterday (which was the 11th day btw) and we will send you images of the process."


    And Argentine's wonder why their economy stinks.

    When buying items of value we stick to brand named items. There's no way we'd buy furniture without seeing it first. Despite living in a small town there's a decent selection of furniture shops here catering for all budgets anyway.

    Buying chairs or sofas without sitting in them to see how they feel, seems to be a big leap of faith. Right now I’m sitting on a sofa from a high-end furniture company; we went to the showroom and tried it out, then bought it. I’m positive it’s nowhere near as comfortable as I had thought it was!

    I admire your confidence, Semigoodlooking , and hope it turns out well for you. Let us know?

    For me it is more about aesthetic than comfort, we rarely sit on our sofa. As it turned out, we moved during the pandemic, twice in fact, which included plenty of new furniture along the way. It really became a lottery during that time when you could not go to see it. I am unsure if it would even be legal in the UK to advertise your product using someone else's image.

    • Official Post

    I'm upgrading Adri's PC and having bought two of these cases for customers in the last few months, I recognise a good deal when I see one. It's a damned good case with tempered glass and a quality Thermaltake 500w PSU (power supply unit) is included. Normally the PSU alone would cost over AR$5000.

    Anyway, my normal supplier in Martinez had run out of them a couple of weeks ago, so I looked on Mercadolibre and was staggered to see the price variations as per this example:


    On the off-chance I went back to my supplier in Martinez and he has them back in stock at the amazing price of AR$6000, thus saving myself AR$2000 over what I might have paid on ML.

    Prices have literally become meaningless in this country, or many are simply taking the piss.