Question from Steven D.: Rick, I recently bought a brand new Kingston 64GB USB flash drive off of eBay, but it will only format to 2GB.
I’ve tried every format option there is but the result is always the same. How can I tell if the drive is bad or if I’m doing something wrong?
Rick’s answer: Steven, I have a strong suspicion that you might have purchased a fake flash drive. Some unscrupulous sellers on eBay have been known to purchase unbranded flash drives from China, then slap a fake label on them that makes them appear to be name-brand drives at higher capacities than they actually are.
These scammers will rip off as many unsuspecting customers as possible, then open a new account when eBay catches on to them and shuts them down.
That being said, there is always a chance that you bought a real drive that just turned out to be defective from a legitimate seller. Hey, it happens!
The first thing I recommend that you do is download the free Flash Drive/Card Tester tool and test the drive for errors. You can read about it and access the download page right here. Run the program and see if it finds any errors on the drive. If so, contact the seller and ask for a replacement. If everything’s on the up-and-up he’ll comply right away.
If the test finds no errors, you have almost certainly bought a 2GB flash drive that was labeled as a 64GB drive and then sold under false pretenses.
Update from Steven: You were right Rick. The drive checked out ok with no errors. I went back and read the seller’s feedbacks (I know, I should have done that BEFORE making a purchase). His feedback profile has several negative comments about drives that were smaller than advertised. I sent him a message asking for a refund but I’m not holding my breath.
Update from Rick: You can always file a complaint with PayPal Steven. They will most likely refund your money once you explain the situation. They’re actually pretty responsive to claims of fraud. Good luck!
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