Careful with Jacob and "B-Ware" ("beware" - well actually in German that word means "refurbished").
Fascinating. I will ask my partner about this...
OK, I asked my partner and she said it has the exact same meaning as in English ;-) But I see what your meaning is, obviously
What is happening here is that someone orderered that board, couldn't get it to work, or didn't like it, and sent it back. Sometimes the previous owner manages to rip components off the board like when installing a wrong cpu heatsink.
Yes, this explains the amount of "new" hardware on Ebay. If it doesn't come from a legitmate shop front, then why would I buy from Ebay instead of a proper shop, with a retail laws, manufacturer warranty, etc?
So it in fact is now unstable or outright defective but Jacob will not catch this, they will re-sell to the next buyer. Unless you are really deep into hardware and can pinpoint such problems with 10+years experience, I would buy only new. Less hassle.
I agree. In fact, unless I am purchasing complex/complicated second hand hardware (mainboard, etc) from a trusted source, I purchase new. As you said (much) less hassle.
This all explains a lot. And your post,
@Stephan , should go in some sort of STH "hall of fame".