X

Nottingham teen pays £450 for photo of an Xbox One on eBay

The teen wanted the console for his son, but was fuming when a picture of it arrived in the post.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
See full bio
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Always read the small print, that's the lesson here. A teenager in Nottingham thought he'd bagged a bargain when he snapped up an Xbox One on eBay. He was charged £450 for a limited edition Day One version of the machine. But it turned out he'd shelled out for just a picture of the console, printed on a piece of paper, the Nottingham Post reports.

19-year-old Peter Clatworthy wanted the console as a surprise Christmas present for his four-year-old son. But there's a happy ending to this story. Clatworthy complained to eBay, and should get a full refund from the seller.

"I had to make a joke out of it because I was that angry," Clatworthy told the Post. "At least now we've got something to laugh about in the years to come.

"I always buy stuff on eBay and this had never happened before."

It did say it was a photo of the console in the listing, but because it was in the 'video games & consoles' category, Clatworthy assumed he was paying for the actual device.

"It said 'photo' and I was in two minds, but I looked at the description and the fact it was in the right category made me think it was genuine," he said.

"I looked at the seller's feedback and there was nothing negative. I bought it there and then because I thought it was a good deal. It's obvious now I've been conned out of my money."

Thanks to eBay's money-back guarantee, Clatworthy will be refunded in full.

If you are doing your Christmas shopping online, make sure you read the descriptions carefully. Some shady sellers have flogged just the packaging of an Xbox One Day One edition, some for as much as £7,000.

I've asked eBay to comment, and will update this story if I hear back. 

Have you ever been conned when buying something online? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.