Hacking GBAtemp's Unofficial List of Flashcart dealers to never buy from

[Tikker]

modchipstore.com everyone knows this site is a scam

I'm kinda surprised to see these guys listed here

I've bought from them a couple of times, and stuff showed up fast

I even had to RMA my 1st R4, and they sent back a complete kit, rather than just the replacement card (ie, got extra TF reader, and 1gb microSD)

I guess they could have gone down the shitter since (it's been months)

 

[cory1492]

modchipstore.com everyone knows this site is a scam

I'm kinda surprised to see these guys listed here

I've bought from them a couple of times, and stuff showed up fast

I even had to RMA my 1st R4, and they sent back a complete kit, rather than just the replacement card (ie, got extra TF reader, and 1gb microSD)

I guess they could have gone down the shitter since (it's been months)

It's been since the UP was out for PSP since I have dealt with modchipstore.com (so quite a while, well over a year), but they were decent to deal with. I did have two sorta-problems, one which wasn't in their control (manufacturer wasn't supplying stock - overdemand - so I had to hit myself with the patience stick... a lot) the other is that I have repaired enough PSP installs they sold for $100USD a pop to not trust them as having competent installers who will stand behind their... work. But, getting the gadgets went just fine (even in the case of the RMA.)

I do believe it was ModChipStore.co.uk that everyone had problems/scams from and knew better than to deal with - and as far as I know they no longer exist (or have migrated to a new name?)

 

[superrob]

^. What was the reason you got a free CycloDS Evo? Was it because of the service they provided in the first place or something?

Review Sample

Hmm im not sure if i ever that the Review....

 

[Icarus]

It's funny how admins/mods don't comment on Console Source since they're one of the sponsors. I'm not saying that they should but I just find it funny. I know that Urza is being honest and unbiased but if they really have bad service as people say, I don't think they should be a sponsor in the first place.

 

[macbastard]

You should add http://ezbuyxtreme.com/ to the list too.

It's the exact same place as itechextreme... even has the same WHOIS registration data.

 

[Urza]

You should add http://ezbuyxtreme.com/ to the list too.

It's the exact same place as itechextreme... even has the same WHOIS registration data.

Verified, and has been added to the blacklist.

In addition, I'm going to start maintaining screenshots of all the blacklisted sites, to make it easier to catch them trying to simply shift domain names.

 

[Urza]

I've uploaded screenshots of each of the sites.

foundmy.com has been blacklisted.

 

[Pyrofyr]

Why the hell isn't realhotstuff here?

I don't understand how they got in the other thread.
1)They're prices are RIDICULOUS, at least 200% for R4s when I was purchasing (80bucks without any cards, and NO shipping and handling), vs the 35 at DealExtreme
2)They're service is NOT fast, a friend bought from them (He actually recommended them to me, and I scoffed after a fast google led me to dealextreme where prices were BEYOND low compared to RHS)
3)I sent in a support ticket and waited 3 days to get a response (The ticket was based on why they're prices are so high)

 

[Mars]

modchipstore.com everyone knows this site is a scam

I'm kinda surprised to see these guys listed here

I've bought from them a couple of times, and stuff showed up fast

I even had to RMA my 1st R4, and they sent back a complete kit, rather than just the replacement card (ie, got extra TF reader, and 1gb microSD)

I guess they could have gone down the shitter since (it's been months)

Same here, I ordered an R4, and it came within 2 days. However, that was a year ago, and their reliability seems to have dwindled.
Look at the reseller ratings, it's horrible.

 

[Pyrofyr]

It's funny how admins/mods don't comment on Console Source since they're one of the sponsors. I'm not saying that they should but I just find it funny. I know that Urza is being honest and unbiased but if they really have bad service as people say, I don't think they should be a sponsor in the first place.

Most websites that do this make money, it's called greed. Because they skimp out on the small things like that, they earn a lot more money, and can go ahead and put that money in areas like advertising, which brings them people. Advertising also generally brings in people who don't bother searching much for if a place is good or not, etc. Thanks to this, they get the people who don't know crap about how bad they are, and they still get paid.

 

[LagunaCid]

Why the hell isn't realhotstuff here?

I don't understand how they got in the other thread.
1)They're prices are RIDICULOUS, at least 200% for R4s when I was purchasing (80bucks without any cards, and NO shipping and handling), vs the 35 at DealExtreme
2)They're service is NOT fast, a friend bought from them (He actually recommended them to me, and I scoffed after a fast google led me to dealextreme where prices were BEYOND low compared to RHS)
3)I sent in a support ticket and waited 3 days to get a response (The ticket was based on why they're prices are so high)

Blacklist due to price? Are you for srs?

 

[Salamantis]

Blacklist due to price? Are you for srs?

Are you blind? Read points 1 and 2...

...and if the price is too buy people should know not to buy from them, so they don't lost money >.>

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

Why the hell isn't realhotstuff here?

I don't understand how they got in the other thread.
1)They're prices are RIDICULOUS, at least 200% for R4s when I was purchasing (80bucks without any cards, and NO shipping and handling), vs the 35 at DealExtreme
2)They're service is NOT fast, a friend bought from them (He actually recommended them to me, and I scoffed after a fast google led me to dealextreme where prices were BEYOND low compared to RHS)
3)I sent in a support ticket and waited 3 days to get a response (The ticket was based on why they're prices are so high)

Well, this was worth a good laugh. Let's see...

1)If DX was still selling R4s, it was probably when the manufacturers had supply issues. If you knew basic economics, you'd know that lower supply = higher prices. Did DX actually have any in stock at $35?

2)Compared to DX, RHS has really fast service. But you didn't actually make a comment about their service here, you just compared it to another site's prices. Thus, there's no point to this point. It didn't even make sense by itself.

3)This is actually part of point 2, but your ADD apparently didn't allow you to stay on one point for too long. If you'd thought about contacting them, I can guarantee it would be faster to have called the hotline, not open a support ticket for something that wasn't a support problem. And I'm also willing to bet a DX support ticket would take longer than 3 days to get a response for.

Next time use a bit of common sense before you post. Also, I'd think people would notice if the price was too high for a product and look around before buying. And RHS is selling things at a fairly normal price right now, FYI.

 

[DeMoN]

Why the hell isn't realhotstuff here?

I don't understand how they got in the other thread.
1)They're prices are RIDICULOUS, at least 200% for R4s when I was purchasing (80bucks without any cards, and NO shipping and handling), vs the 35 at DealExtreme
2)They're service is NOT fast, a friend bought from them (He actually recommended them to me, and I scoffed after a fast google led me to dealextreme where prices were BEYOND low compared to RHS)
3)I sent in a support ticket and waited 3 days to get a response (The ticket was based on why they're prices are so high)

1. No the prices are not that expensive. R4s are outdated anyways so you can't really complain that they're expensive.
2. They are very fast, shipped from New Jersey (their HQ) to Los Angeles in 3 days and I bought the lowest price USPS method. Also, the orders are processed immediately, none of this 1-2 business day crap.
3. Well no shit they didn't respond, the support ticket system is for people who need support, not for people to bitch about the price on a useless flash card.

The reason the price is higher than competitors is because they're operating out of the U.S., they need to pay taxes and rent and shit, unlike the stores based out of Asia.

If you live in the U.S., RHS is the store for you. If not, then you're taking a big risk by buying from an overseas dealer. Not only will you have to wait a hell longer, but there's a higher chance of getting your item lost in the mail.

 

[jeronz]

"Does not update pages when out of stock"

I've ordered from dealextreme probably about 10 times. Twice I ordered something (first time was pandora battery second time dstt) only to find out that they weren't actually in stock and I got a partial shipment both times. So while dealextreme does update pages they don't always. But this wouldn't stop me from recommending them.

Also I am still waiting for a reply from a ticket posted on the 9th of may!

 

[Pyrofyr]

Why the hell isn't realhotstuff here?

I don't understand how they got in the other thread.
1)They're prices are RIDICULOUS, at least 200% for R4s when I was purchasing (80bucks without any cards, and NO shipping and handling), vs the 35 at DealExtreme
2)They're service is NOT fast, a friend bought from them (He actually recommended them to me, and I scoffed after a fast google led me to dealextreme where prices were BEYOND low compared to RHS)
3)I sent in a support ticket and waited 3 days to get a response (The ticket was based on why they're prices are so high)

Well, this was worth a good laugh. Let's see...

1)If DX was still selling R4s, it was probably when the manufacturers had supply issues. If you knew basic economics, you'd know that lower supply = higher prices. Did DX actually have any in stock at $35?

2)Compared to DX, RHS has really fast service. But you didn't actually make a comment about their service here, you just compared it to another site's prices. Thus, there's no point to this point. It didn't even make sense by itself.

3)This is actually part of point 2, but your ADD apparently didn't allow you to stay on one point for too long. If you'd thought about contacting them, I can guarantee it would be faster to have called the hotline, not open a support ticket for something that wasn't a support problem. And I'm also willing to bet a DX support ticket would take longer than 3 days to get a response for.

Next time use a bit of common sense before you post. Also, I'd think people would notice if the price was too high for a product and look around before buying. And RHS is selling things at a fairly normal price right now, FYI.

Yes, yes I did, and I got it BECAUSE it was so cheap. This was back in september. I bought the microSD from newegg seperately.

2)I posted it at 2AM and that's my fault for not making the point and de-railing (Must have took a second look at number 1 and thought it was that), in any case what I meant to say is that, when my friend did buy for them although they were faster than DX by far, they weren't 'that' fast they took about 6 days, and that's not worth it for the shipping price.

3)Support tickets are in general first of all, and if you comment about me having an "ADD" problem, realize that you yourself basically mixed up 2 and 3 here, because if anything my second point had that problem not the third. In any case, they should be fast with support, as almost all sites are (Even beginner sites that don't have many employees and such)

So you know, if one site is selling for 35 dollars and another is selling for 70, that's not demand and supply issues (The most common thing that people bring up when they don't know jack shit about economics). Chances are (Although I can't say I have proof) that RHS probably buys from wholesalers and resells, to have prices that high.

I'd like to add to my 2nd point considering the present condition. if you go here ( http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1888 ) you can have your shipping reduced by at least half the time, making it just about as fast as other areas (Generally it'll be there in a week at most using this) and it's what? A penny. RHS shipping for me is near 20 dollar average, 7.15 as cheapest. That should be 2~3 days, but you don't get much protection and such. (USPS is general crap), if you're gonna go with FedEx (What do you have against UPS? O.o) it's 9.45 3 day.

Blacklist due to price? Are you for srs?
Yes, it's one of the points in the OP's post.
"Marks up their product by insane amounts (think 200+%)"

QUOTE(DeMoNSTaR @ May 23 2008, 09:44 PM) 1. No the prices are not that expensive. R4s are outdated anyways so you can't really complain that they're expensive.
2. They are very fast, shipped from New Jersey (their HQ) to Los Angeles in 3 days and I bought the lowest price USPS method. Also, the orders are processed immediately, none of this 1-2 business day crap.
3. Well no shit they didn't respond, the support ticket system is for people who need support, not for people to bitch about the price on a useless flash card.

The reason the price is higher than competitors is because they're operating out of the U.S., they need to pay taxes and rent and shit, unlike the stores based out of Asia.

If you live in the U.S., RHS is the store for you. If not, then you're taking a big risk by buying from an overseas dealer. Not only will you have to wait a hell longer, but there's a higher chance of getting your item lost in the mail.

SCDS1 - 39(40+9 S&H) [DX 28.9]= 169% price of DX
AK2 - 47(38+9 S&H) [DX 23.46]= 200% price of DX
DSTT - 43(34+9 S&H) [DX 19.36]=222% price of DX
EZIV - 52(43+9 S&H) [DX 19.90]=261% price of DX
DS Linker - 69(60+9 S&H) [DX 47.80]=144% price of DX
EZ V - 51(42+9 S&H) [DX 27.90]=182% price of DX

Well, if that's not enough, even if you remove the S&H the prices are still quite high, although only EZIV goes over 200%.

QUOTE(DeMoNSTaR @ May 23 2008, 09:44 PM)

1. No the prices are not that expensive. R4s are outdated anyways so you can't really complain that they're expensive.
2. They are very fast, shipped from New Jersey (their HQ) to Los Angeles in 3 days and I bought the lowest price USPS method. Also, the orders are processed immediately, none of this 1-2 business day crap.
3. Well no shit they didn't respond, the support ticket system is for people who need support, not for people to bitch about the price on a useless flash card.

The reason the price is higher than competitors is because they're operating out of the U.S., they need to pay taxes and rent and shit, unlike the stores based out of Asia.

If you live in the U.S., RHS is the store for you. If not, then you're taking a big risk by buying from an overseas dealer. Not only will you have to wait a hell longer, but there's a higher chance of getting your item lost in the mail.

1)Read prices above, those are from TODAY. I know what the prices were before, and although some of these are a lot more 'balanced' they're still quite high. I'd actually say the CycloDS is cheap as hell compared to other carts on their site.
2)Yes, they're fast, but you pay additional fees, even if USPS 7 dollars (Basically not much safety on your package though)
3)Well let me tell you something. When I'm buying something that's basically stealing from something, throwing "Made in the USA!" sticker on it, doesn't exactly mean I want to pay 20~ bucks more for it, big fucking whoop, they all come from Asia anyway in cheap little shops that probably use child labor of some sorts, so it doesn't say much. There is a reason why people outsource, so what if I'm paying for people to live in America, why should I care? If they want more money, they should get better jobs, or find a different way of getting it.

There are honestly so many ways to get money these days it's not funny, ESPECIALLY in the online gaming industry, if you're media is the internet, and you're going for gaming as your source, there is MUCH money to be had. I'll take one example of me running a forum for an MMORPG (Not even that popular: Ghost Online) for a friend. In a month he made $1,699 USD from google Ads, because people flock to these kinds of forums. He wasted maybe 200~ one-time payment for vBulletin forums (Not a necessity either...), and I myself even profited 50 dollars for a single month of advertising space on the website using their bandwidth(external) for a site that sold cards pertaining to the game).

As you can only imagine having several of these is even better. Generally if your site is popular enough as well (He was getting TONNNNNNNS of daily hits), people will pay more for the space, and because of this you get more back for each hit, so in other words, as you grow in hits, you also grow in pay per impression/thousand impressions. When you run 6~7 of these you get even more money, and as far as bandwidth wasted goes, you get all of it back and money to spare.

That was quite a tangent (intended indeed), so back to my point... I could give 2 shits if they're based in America, if they weren't they'd cost less, and they'd probably get more business.

 

[Joe88]

DX fanboy rant?

my main reason to buy from RHS was bascially there reseller ratting was very high (newegg standards)
compared to DX which was about half that at the time and many complaints

not to mention a lot of choices on carts and very organized, where DX just throws everything together making you search through all the china bootleg garbage to find the cart
also 3-4 week waiting?

RHS - $6 shipping, got my order in 1 day
it was worth it to me, and the fact that DX didnt even carry what I wanted also persuaded the decision

there is nothing wrong with them, there shipping is fast and fantastic customer service is a must when it comes to them
sure you pay a little more depending on what cart you buy but you cant beat their service for any price

 

[Pyrofyr]

That's fine, those are just my reasons why I believe it should be here. My main reason being that the prices are indeed surpassing 200% in some points (Which was what seems to be the exaggerated, I suppose not though amount by the OP)

They do have a lot of choices I suppose, although they just like DX are missing quite some points.

DealExtreme could use some better way of searching for NDS carts, but they do have a search that works so that you can indeed simply search for it.

Most of their carts are on the first 2 pages in any case.


I don't care much if it's added here or not, that's simply my testimony on the matter.

3-4 week waiting is basically from a LONG time ago, they haven't taken that long in a while as far as I've realized, and with this new thing they have where 1 cent gets you 7 day shipping, it's a lot better.

 

[gekiwolf]

Before finding this site I made an order in

modchipstore.com. It was taking a long time so I wrote them and asked for it to be canceled. A few days later I got a reply saying that they canceled it and when it would be processed they would cancel the order since it was on queue. The thing is I check on the site and it still says queue and I don't like them having my credit card #. What can I do?

 

[Bri]

Just to let people know, I placed an order with MiniOnlineStore.com and then had to cancel the order via e-mail. They confirmed that my order was canceled and said that they would refund my credit card (via PayPal) within 2 business days. When it wasn't refunded after about a week, I contacted them again by e-mail, and they again said that they would refund it within 2 business days. This continued, and over a month later they had still not refunded my credit card and had stopped responding to my e-mail.

Since there is no other way to contact them other than e-mail, I had to file a dispute with my credit card company. Since I had the e-mail where they clearly indicated that they had offered a refund, and since the product never arrived (so I never signed for it) my credit card company gave me the refund. I don't know if my credit card company ever recovered the money from MiniOnlineStore or not.

I don't know if anyone else has had a bad experience with MiniOnlineStore.com, but I won't be shopping there any more!

-Bri