Smart Cards on Ebay

[atatistcheff]

Hi,

I have tried to look for information on this in Google but have not found any definitive answers. I have had several Dish receivers and DVRs over the past several years. We've been Dish customers for probaby 6 years or so. I have sold all of my old equipment on Ebay since I purchased it and once I upgraded it was no longer useful to me.

I just sold an old 510 DVR and the yellow smart card that came with it. The smart card went for over $100 on Ebay. Here's my question. I really don't want to facilitate anyone stealing Dish programming. If the only purpose for these extra cards was so hackers can steal TV wouldn't Ebay restrict or ban their sale? Be that as it may, I wanted to know what people use these deactivated smart cards for? Is there a legitimate use for them or are they only being used by someone to get free Dish TV?

The thing that makes me wonder is that it seems to be important that the card does not have an existing balance on it. If you're going to hack the card, who cares what the balance was?

Anyway, I would really like to know if this selling of smart cards has no legitimate purpose and if so I will make sure not to become a participant by providing them.

Oh one more thing, does the same apply to unused Dish equipment (receivers)? I would think that without the smart card the receiver could not be used illegally, is this right?

Thanks in advance.

 

[brada]

Just don't sell nuke components on eBay, OK?
StarChoice, Dish receivers and cards are not a big deal.

 

[dfergie]

Hackers can use the cards so , hang on to them...

 

[Pepper]

ebay DOES have a rule against smartcards, you didn't read close enough.

 

[damaged]

If you truly have a moral issue, keep them, perhaps sell them to people you know well enough to know they are not a theif.

<rant>I would never judge a man for stealing bread to feed his family, but this kind of theft, is frivolous, there has been and still is alot of things I'd like to have, but a man learns to either earn it, or do without......:\ </rant>

 

[hobojoe]

smart cards are paired to each receiver. even dishnetwork cannot change a card to another receiver. in my opinion smart cards being sold separately are for satellite reception theft and nothing more! when i see it i report to eBay and the dishnetwork audit dept!!!! please don't help satellite theft! if you have no use for the card return it to dishnetwork or destroy it as you would a credit card. if dish finds this card being used wrongfully and you was last registered user they will go after you!!!

 

[brada]

when i see it i report to eBay and the dishnetwork audit dept!!!! please don't help satellite theft! if you have no use for the card return it to dishnetwork or destroy it as you would a credit card.

The problem is, he has already sold it, the guy who started the thread...
And he claims, he received $100 for it.
I find it hard to be true...
........................................
No, I was wrong! They do sell them for big money!
Just saw:"3 Rom 102 cards ..."
Wanna report?

 

[Claude Greiner]

First of all I don't believe in selling just the card without a receiver. Every DISH Network receiver comes with a card from the factory, so when the receiver is sold the card should go with it.

Now if some Idiot wanna be hacker is willing to pay more than what the receiver is really worth just because he wants the card, then by all means I would sell it to him.

The only thing I would suggest is that you take several steps to cover your ass.

First of all the hard core hackers are not going to be bidding on your auctions on ebay, its pretty much all wanna be hackers who "Think" they know everything there is to know about hacking, when they don't have a clue on what to do.

Many times these wanna be hackers will bid on something that cannot be hacked, meaning that they will bid on a receiver because it has a yellow card, not knowing its not the version of the card that can he hacked. Other times they will bid on something that can be hacked, but will screw up the receiver or card making the receiver and card you sold them worth nouthing more than a door stop.

The main issue is that now these people will come back to you looking for a refund

Heres a few examples...

#1 Sold a 301 receiver, the guy said it would not pick up a signal. Told him to send it back for a refund and found out it had expressvu software loaded on it. I called him up and told them he voided the warranty and there was nouthing I could do. He tried telling me it didn't work before he put the expressvu software on it, and I kindly told him he should have tested it before he modified it. Told him I was not refunding his money and if he wanted the receiver back he would have to pay for the shipping again.

#2 Sold a Directv receiver with an HU card. I knew the card was bad when I sold it and even took pictures of the error message. Idiot bid $26 on the receiver and won, and then when he got it he claimed the card was missing and "Demanded" I send him another HU card in 10 days or he was reporting me to ebay. Considering HU cards where selling for over $100 at the time, I told him I would refund his money instead which he told me wasn't accecptable. He did report me to ebay for fraud, but ebay sided with me after I told him I refunded his money eventhough it was obvious he was lying.

#3 Sold a 508, and the customer called me trying to tell me the box keys where invalid and showed all zero's. wanted me to do an "advance exchange" where I send him a replacement and he sends me the old one back. I told him instead he sends back the unit and I'll ship a replacement and if I find out he modified I would not issue a refund, instead ship the box to DISH signal integrity along with his contact information. I never heard from him again after that conversation.

 

[chadzx11]

smart cards are paired to each receiver. even dishnetwork cannot change a card to another receiver.

That's mis-information. I have installed "new" IRDs only to be I had the wrong card. They can fix it if they want to. It is just a matter of providing proper motivation, and finding somenone who knows what they are doing. When those CSRs have to learn on the job, you end up on hold a little while.

D* can switch them, too.

 

[jrbdmb]

I would think all legitimate users would want a used receiver with the smart card. (Otherwise a new smart card has to be obtained from Dish Network for a fee.) In this case it is important to know that the previous user does not have unpaid-for PPVs on the card.

Just curious, why did you decide to sell the smart card separately?

 

[Dish-Direc]

Receiver Prices

Sad thing is you can get a NEW 211 receiver on ebay for less than a yellow card. Now, even the 311 is getting ridiculous in price in the last week.

 

[atatistcheff]

Just curious, why did you decide to sell the smart card separately?

The card was for the 510 DVR which I had kept for about a year waiting for Dish to ask for it back. They never did, so at that point I thought to myself, "there's a hard drive in that thing I wonder how big it is?" I needed the space on my PC so I took the hard drive out of the DVR but kept it just in case they asked for it back. Well another few months went by and it was clear they would never ask for it back.

I didn't think the 510 would be worth anything without a HDD so I just sold the card without it. Come to find out there are people who will pay for the 510 even with the hard drive removed... go figure.

 

[atatistcheff]

Ok, so I've seen a lot of posts and it seems clear that the card should go with the reciever. That works for me. I have another card/receiver set from my mom who had an extra receiver which I will sell on Ebay with no reservations about its legitmate use.

So I guess nobody really knows whether it's just really hard or actually impossible (so far) to hack a yellow card and get free TV. I just have to hope that whoever buys my stuff isn't a crook.

 

[boba]

I would think all legitimate users would want a used receiver with the smart card. (Otherwise a new smart card has to be obtained from Dish Network for a fee.) In this case it is important to know that the previous user does not have unpaid-for PPVs on the card.

Just curious, why did you decide to sell the smart card separately?

I think any of us can answer that question, he wanted to make more money!

 

[atatistcheff]

I think any of us can answer that question, he wanted to make more money!

Actually, if the DVR 510 had been working I MIGHT have sold them together, just speculation though.

 

[KC8YCZ]

Agreed

smart cards are paired to each receiver. even dishnetwork cannot change a card to another receiver. in my opinion smart cards being sold separately are for satellite reception theft and nothing more! when i see it i report to eBay and the dishnetwork audit dept!!!! please don't help satellite theft! if you have no use for the card return it to dishnetwork or destroy it as you would a credit card. if dish finds this card being used wrongfully and you was last registered user they will go after you!!!

I agree with you 1000% with the exception of destroying them. I had about 15 Cards. Both from Dish and Direct. I made a cool little Mountain Dew tray, aka coaster outta mine. Even made a holder outta them for the coasters. Don't last very long but boy it was fun.