eBay purchase - already claimed. Any options?

[lpopejoy]

Hello,

In light of the current supply chain issues, I have had to resort to buying some product on eBay and getting licenses via distribution.  The obvious issue with this is that some of the units are already claimed and there isn't a way to contact the original user/organization.

Is there any way to have Meraki administratively remove the device from the organization if you can prove you have the device physically - and they can obviously tell it isn't connected to the original org any longer?

[ww]

I can see some problems here.

How would meraki tell its currently not in the originall org. Because its currently in someones org.

Someone can steal hardware, sell it on ebay, and meraki would just remove the hardware from that customers org? That would make stealing meraki hw more attractive

https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Inventory_and_Devices/Cisco_Meraki_Devices_p...

[Inderdeep]

@lpopejoy : Oh man, Sorry to hear that

Note: Meraki Support cannot help in contacting previous device owners. It is the purchaser's responsibility to have the necessary contact information.

[cmr]

@lpopejoy the previous owner is the person you bought it off on ebay.  If they are not responding and either giving you a refund or getting them unclaimed then use the ebay dispute process.  Selling a non-functional item as working is a clear breach of the ebay terms.  I have always had good success with ebay disputes both when selling and buying 😎

[MyHomeNWLab]

I will share my experience.

Aware of the risk, I purchased a used Meraki MR at auction.

Device was already registered and not available.

The seller was not the rightful owner.

They obtained the Meraki device from somewhere and sold them at auction.

Therefore, the Meraki device remains unusable because the rightful owner cannot be contacted.

A self-protection measure is to contact support prior to purchase to ensure that the serial number is unregistered.

Of course, you will need to obtain serial number information before doing so.

[DarrenOC · Accepted solution]

Nope.  You now have an expensive doorstop.

[MyHomeNWLab]

Wow! I had a nice Meraki doorstop!

[compieter]

Make a ticket with support i just got 2 devices unclaimed when contacting support and providing purchase proof.
Bought them from work (second hand) but didnt know they where claimed until later
They asked me for the S/N and proof of purchase. And unclaimed it.
Mind they where "New" in box but should be applicable for other devices too if able too provide any proof.

[lpopejoy]

Yeah, I figured.  Thought it was worth a shot to see if there was some kind of better option.

[DarrenOC]

I know it sucks but you’re not the first nor will you be the last to experience this.

[lpopejoy]

I'm not bent out of shape about it.  ...It just seems like there should be a process here.  I understand the constraints, but to have ZERO mechanism for transfer seems odd.

If the firewall isn't connected to the internet in the org that has it claimed, couldn't a support case be opened with that org and inform them they will lose the device in 7 days unless they respond?  That seems rational.  Even Microsoft does that with a 365 tenant, and that seems higher stakes than a disconnected firewall.  

[Ryan_Miles]

I wouldn't say there's zero mechanism for transferring hardware. The process is outlined here. Granted the typical scenario for transferring serials between orgs is when it's all part of one company or during a company split in which the admins exists in both orgs.

Problem with the whole ebay thing is the source of the gear is totally unknown. There are 7M+ APs online globally. That opens up plenty of opportunities for theft. So it's understandable why Meraki wouldn't just blindly unclaim gear from an org and let someone else claim it. Heck, someone wouldn't even need to physically have the gear. They could just jot down the serial, open a Support case, claim they physically have it, and ask a Support tech to boot it from the rightful owners org taking it offline.

And yes, there's been a huge uptick of people selling promo gear, CCNA gear, etc.

[MerryAki]

Sorry, but that is the license policy of Meraki. It’s difficult that device could not be unclaimed with a proof of purchase.

Another bad thing about eBay are those guys who are selling the promo devices. This is something Cisco should face at some point.

(so promo devices should not be transferred, the rest is fine)

Another thing when talking about eBay: the Serial number is something that should not appear on eBay (the last two groups, or the Barcode)

[iliadz]

Interesting. I just purchased three brand new meraki go's via Cisco / Amazon page. One of the devices is claiming it's already been claimed. I'm wondering if someone returned a product and they simply shipped it out again. I've contacted support, I have proof of purchase, will they be able to address this? 

[cmr]

@iliadz if your proof of purchase is from Cisco then yes, support should be able to unclaim it. 

[iliadz]

Thanks. Even though it claimed it was taken, a few hours later it magically appeared, so I'm good. 

[kmcgaugh]

Any Meraki device that is already claimed by another organization cannot be used unless the original organization unclaims it from their organization. 

You should contact the seller on eBay to see if they are the organization administrator and ask them to unclaim it from their organization. If they can't help you, then unfortunately, you're out of luck.

My advice: do not buy Meraki appliances from eBay, and try to avoid buying refurbished MX, MR, and MS appliances if at all possible. If you decide to buy the hardware, check with the seller to ensure that the device is unclaimed.