Topic: [Group Buy#1] Avalon ASICs CHIPS! Using JohnK as escrow! FINISHED! - page 43. (Read 150659 times)

So he gave his new address as the shipping address instead of the old one.  I'm glad that the address situation has been sorted out. 

We need to determine who is taking over.  It looks like ryepdx is the lead contender here, but I'd like to know so I can plan for assembly for my chips, seeing as raging's assembly service is no longer a viable option.  I'll most likely go with ryepdx's assembly now if he has room.

I'm really grateful for everyone's diligence here.  Hopefully we get some chips soon and can actually start mining! 

Depression is no joke, people who don't know about never understand its effects.. And good for them, since it's like being thrown off the mountain of life that you've been climbing and buried under an avalanche with no way of getting back to 'where you were' and sadly digging out on your own regardless of how many loved ones are around

He should forward the chips to rypedx and start his healing process away from all this

Given the situation it would be better to remove the pressure on Ragin during this time.

I vote Ryepdx to take the lead on this and if necessary Noitev works with him on this possibly picking up the chips and forwarding them to Ryepdx if needed.

Indeed. If raging isn't in any shape to distribute these chips himself (I am now strongly of the opinion he is not), the only responsibility raging might retain is sticking the shipment in overnight mail to a second distributor. That will make this a lot easier for him. ~$100k worth of hardware belonging to a bunch of nervous forum-goers is not something you want to deal with in addition to bereavement and depression.

I guess it'd be more convenient if we could change the order address outright, but express-mailing to ryepdx seems like a perfectly reasonable compromise at this point. The only question remaining is if raging is willing (and able) to redirect the package immediately.

We'd also need finalized documents detailing chip ownership, of course, but those should already exist.

I'm a bit more sympathetic to raging. All that's really happened is a lack of communication, which is no worse than avalon, which makes me think that we should hopefully try to work with raging, or at the very least, have raging ship them to a more willing group seller considering the alternative of dealing with avalon honestly seems harder and until we get a response from them, presumably impossible.

I'm sorry to hear about your death in the family, Raging, and I'm definitely sympathetic to your depression. My family has been affected by depression to various degrees over the years, so I get what you're going through. Thank you for getting back to us.

This update does make me feel a bit better. I'm glad to hear the chips aren't headed to an abandoned house or anything like that. If people still want me to take over, though, I'm still willing. Assuming, of course, we can get Avalon to change the shipping address.

Thanks for all your hard work on this group buy, John. You're definitely earning your commission!

John, Thank you for updating.
Raging - I feel for a death in the family, but an 80,000$ order that OTHERS await on should be reason enough to keep folks updated, particularly when you seem to find time to log into GoogleTalk (which means you are on the net, and at least checking emails.)

Either way I deplore the way this order is going. I would like to change shipping if possible: I am worried about Raging's ability to conclude this transaction properly due to emotional stress and failure to behave in a business manner.

Whew, finally got through to raging.
Chat log on GTalk below:


Double quote removed.

Batch #1 was placed 4-27-13

Zefir's first order shipped and he received it a few days ago.  That was placed in what.. early April?  And i think the site gave Zefir a few days heads up as it went to 'chips shipped' a few days before he received them

There's no guarantee the time between orders is close at all to the time between shipment though

John K placed the order on Avalon's website so he can see the status of the order, last he posted it showed 'sample chips shipped'.  I would presume these also shipped to the old address.  raging said they had a bunch of customs problems, not sure if they ever made it through.

So basically the order was done in John K's name (and all the BTC was sent to his account as escrow).. but the actual shipping address was raging's old home.  The Avalon website doesn't support changing addresses normally and the description said they wouldn't support changing shipping addresses except in 'special cases'

Seems like the most important thing is to get ahold of Avalon, but they have essentially disappeared over the last two weeks. 

Theoretically you could ask the shipping company to hold the package (maybe even change the address) but who would they consider the person in authority to do that?  Avalon?  ragingazn?  John K?

It really sucks for ragin that he had a family emergency, and although he did say he'd try to get back to everyone 'tomorrow' (meaning the 22nd, this monday).

The bigger issue may be not that it's a scam or anything, but that the 'old address' thing was overlooked, or raging isn't able to get back in time, or avalon is unable to be contacted or refuses to change shipping address and they end up going to ... what, a house that nobody lives at?  A house that he sold to someone?

Noitev, want to make a quick turn-around on 10 chips to help me make my last 6 into 16? PM me a price.

I have 592 and don't care who gets them (between steamboat and rypedx). I have offered to drive to the address in CT should it have been sent there/ en route to there (johnk can always just contact dhl to check if it has shipped by supplying the name and address from the order.)


I also am probably going to sell raw chips and don't need them assembled and I assume they aren't required to be if they go to a new host.

Ryepdx has posted ITT and said he'd be willing to take ownership if voted.  I agree steamboat is also trustworthy, but he is running his own full operation of group buys and chip orders, has he indicated he'd be willing/have time to take ownership?

I vote for ryepdx (256 chips) for the reasons I already outlined.

I have 256 chips originally in this group buy, of which I sold half of them to bitrocket.  Both of us I believe have boards being manufactured by stumptown.

Steamboat would be my second choice.

Avalon has been equally if not worse in terms of suddenly disappearing and being 100% impossible to get ahold of

Ever since the chips started """"shipping""", yet we see pictures of the entire lot in china, avalon miners in china, etc.

I doubt anyone will get a peep out of them for a month, but here's hoping.

Either Ryepdx or steambox is fine with me if it comes to that

I'm ok with either ryepdx or steamboat. 

I've PM'ed him and added him as a skype contact with a short introduction just now. Going to go the ticket way once the new operator's address and stuff is confirmed. Vycid sent Yifu's phone and stuff to me which was gleaned from the newsletters, but I doubt that could work from what I've seen so far...

Thank Johnk,

I vote for ryepdx.

If Avalon does not respond to you by next week, I say we bombard their support ticket system if we have to.
Anyone know of any other way to contact them? Twitter? Email? Phone? Someone in China?

Christ, why can't things just go smoothly around here.

PS: PM sent to bitsyncom. Anyone else to contact here?

Guys, please set up a vote if possible for the next operator just in case raging still stays MIA come next week. If push comes to shove where I'm forced to choose an operator ASAP, I will most probably go with either ryepdx or steamboat, whom both have kindly offered their services here. I will be forwarding the escrow held for ragingazn to either one of them in that case.

I'm trying to get hold of Avalon right now, but I guess they're really unresponsive like Raging here.... I still have a ticket from last week (unrelated to this group buy) unprocessed, and my first ticket to them was closed without any changes made. If the vote is confirmed by next week, I will be pushing the address to Avalon and bugging them until they change the address hopefully...

Would be up to you at that point. Setting up and doing a little housekeeping for a few weeks is small in comparison to what we would expect from you on the shipping end. Look at poor ole Zefir's first lot... sadly not an easy job.

Note that the Escrow is saving our ass somewhat in this situation. Thanks for being there for us JohnK. I am not sure but can we try support ticket? I might be able to get a message through to Yifu but I doubt it... What are asking for exactly at this point? A shipping change and we have the address? Are we ready? Shouldn't we do a poll or vote?