G's Legacy: Huge Insane Keyboard Giveaway

[berserkfan]

Dear Fellow Geeks

I am going to offer an unprecedented keyboard giveaway in a few days. But first, listen to my rant…

I am emotionally exhausted. There has been an unrelenting series of disasters in my household recently, ranging from a collapsing glass door that hurt my wife, to a ‘new’ house that I can’t move in because it is a wreck, to a lawsuit that I am filing.

I had vowed to sell out my entire keyboard collection. But now paypal has suspended my account. You can see the thread here. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=81369.0

The last time they did that some years ago, there was merely a 2-stage paperwork that I could still do and upgrade to a seller account. Now it is 6 freaking stages.


I don't have the time or ability to surmount all that paperwork. Unlike group buy organizers I have no receipts for my stuff, just old stuff, used keyboards, modded stuff that I'd like to clear from my place. I am not a registered business where merchandise is obtained from a documented source and as far as I know this is fatal for paypal in my country. Most gb organizers were forced to at least register a business just to satisfy pp, but they are not under stiff money laundering laws unlike me. Paypal does not want me to sell you undocumented stuff. Even if you don't mind paying $1000 for an artisan keycap I made myself, you could be helping me launder money.


Very sad. Paypal allowed several people to pay me AFTER they suspended my account, so account suspension was not something I noticed right away! This is another of their dishonest scams - someone says that the money will be stuck in Paypal limbo, not returned to the buyer even if I should try to refund it - basically confiscated by paypal and put into their own pockets.

I am already under enough stress in my daily life. I can't handle this.

Right now I am going to see if other GB organizers who got accounts suspended step in to offer their experiences. I need more info. But in the next few days I will almost certainly be refunding people in order of payment size. You then must log into your paypal and make sure the money was actually returned to your main balance, not held in one of their sleazy pending accounts which can be kept ‘in processing’ for years. Once you get your refund, you must immediately notify me so that I can refund others. In any case all people who paid by paypal will NOT get their stuff because sale is officially cancelled.

And what about my moving sale?

I have no more energy to deal with it, but I have tons of boxes that I want to send to people who value these things more than me. I have promised wife that all big boxes will vanish by May 2. So here is my Big Offer to the Geeky public.

1) All big items will be made free, or else prices cut to insane levels normally associated with scam.

2) MAJORITY of my Model Ms and Fs will go for FREE. I just want them to go to a better home than what I can provide. I cannot keep them in my house. Considering that they are often teensied, you are also getting a free teensy. My bolt modded and teensied SSK will go for $150, and everything else for much less than that.

3) Brand new Model M keyboard, bolt modded, ANSI modded, teensy modded. Is it a scam? No, it is a 122 key. Pay shipping and you get it. I just want my work to be used, and my jailhouse mods to get some exposure.

4) Most Small thread items will remain at the same price. I am under no pressure to clear small items. If I sell keycaps and switches slowly over paypal they won’t suspend the account.

5) I have no time to haggle. This is the biggest opportunity on geekhack for years and you know it.

6) As many people here know, I have been a net donor for years. I also give to the Salvation Army. And there’s where my working keyboards will end up, if nobody even wants to pay shipping.

7) Post dibs on the thread if you like, but only people who actually can pay will get their stuff. Some banks allow money to be transferred abroad in a few clicks. Some people’s banks don’t have that level of international connectivity. Can’t be helped. Feel free to find someone who can pay for the shipping, and everyone put in their orders via that guy.

8) Everything will be offered in bulk boxes.

9) Standard prices for bulk box: $19 for 2kg box, $55 for 5kg box, $99 for 10kg box to anywhere.

10) If you do not want to buy anything, you can still ask for free stuff as long as you pay shipping. It hurts me to see some zero-poster with no ties to the community pop in and ask for a heap of free stuff, but that is better than me having to pay storage locker rentals. I figure that if you paid $55 for shipping, you would at least value some of my work and not toss it after playing for 5 minutes.

11) All payments by bank transfer. So far bank transfers from Hong Kong, Croatia and Germany have worked. I will also check with my bank for the possibility of cashing international money orders and other payment forms.

12) All payments subject to a fixed $7 for my bank transfer fees.

13) All shipping will be done via surface mail to take place on May 2. I don’t have time during normal working hours to ship before that, even if some kind local gher were to offer his car. I am not even at home most of the time.

DO NOT post dibs on my threads yet. I will try to refund as many people as possible first. Paypal may still freeze the refunds so I have no certainty that will work. As I told everyone again and again, if you want to use paypal please pay me with a CREDIT CARD. Paypal will not freeze credit card refunds, whereas if you paid via paypal cash balance they are not obliged to return your money and can just stick it to you.

After a few days, I will have tidied up my thread. I will repost, and better pictures if possible. I also need to edit out the stuff bought by people who paid by bank transfer earlier.

[Redmaus]

This makes me sad. I know this sale was very important to you and PP has ruined your profit and effort.

Giveaway's are always nice to hear, but not at someone else's detriment. I don't really want any free stuff considering you don't have any money from your whole sale because PP decided to take everything.

I hope you can fix the problem quickly instead of having to give it all away. Best of luck Berserkfan

[Scarpia]

So sorry to hear about your troubles. I never knew PayPal was do rigid and unyielding when it comes to cases like this - I would have thought they could be reasoned with. And I hope your wife is ok.

Good luck with the giveaway/fire sale. I am sure I can take one 10kg box of large items -- but not for free; if I'm getting good stuff from your collection I will want to pay something.

[copter]

Very sad to hear this, I hope your wife is getting better. I hope you can get things sorted out with PP.

[derzemel]

Hey Berserkfan, you could try to use Stripe as an alternative to PayPal?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[webwit]

Sorry to hear about your PayPal problems.

I have promised wife that all big boxes will vanish by May 2.

There comes the monkey out of the sleeve.

[7bit]

I have promised wife that all big boxes will vanish by May 2.

OK, how much for your wife?

[vivalarevolución]

Move to USA where you can buy a bigger house for a cheaper price.

[Invisius]

Sorry to hear Paypal is being typical arseholes, you sure we can't help you set up an alternate method like Bitcoin or Square?

[berserkfan]

Move to USA where you can buy a bigger house for a cheaper price.

Nah, Singapore real estate is ridiculous, but still affordable compared with San Frans... I've lived in the USA, I've lived in a ghetto, I know that you guys have sky high crime rates where everyone knows someone who got shot or mugged or raped.

Down here, I don't personally know anyone who ever got shot, murdered, attacked in an armed robbery on Singapore soil, had has car stolen, was burgled, or was raped. And it is actually a common experience. My entire immediate social circle doesn't know anyone either.

As a young person it was infuriating to live in a city called 'Disneyland with the Death Penalty'.

When you have a family, it is good. This is a child friendly city where criminals don't get away.

[Redmaus]

Lmao USA is just "rape land" for foreigners

[overstrike]

Move to USA where you can buy a bigger house for a cheaper price.

Nah, Singapore real estate is ridiculous, but still affordable compared with San Frans...

Most of the USA is affordable compared to SF.

[bubblebobbler]

sad to hear of your struggles, I hope things start looking up soon!