[Group Buy#1] Avalon ASICs CHIPS! Using JohnK as escrow! FINISHED!

[ryepdx]

Escrow held for managing the Group Buy should be given to him on completion of shipping.

If I do end up doing shipping instead of ragingazn628, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable taking the entirety of the management fee. Ragingazn628 got us this far, so I figure he's probably entitled to most of it. Though I definitely wouldn't mind some sort of compensation!

[Kushedout]

ryepdx, he definitely does deserve the entire management fee for the group buy effort. However, the only reason why we're even having this discussion is because he is missing in action. Hence, he (you) who takes over should get all the management fee. If he does show up later on, after all is taken care off, then it'll be up to you to compensate him with whatever amount you feel he deserves.

Also, as JohnK has mentioned he might be in a dire emergency so we might need to give him more time before we take any drastic action.  With that said, how long do you guys think would be reasonable time before we do take some kind of action?

[Todamont]

I suggested until Monday... We need to confirm he is even still alive and not in jail. People don't generally just drop off the face of the Earth with hundreds of thousands of dollars of contracts hanging in their balance sheets, especially after making it a point that they are trying to gain the trust of a community of peers. He's either in some sort of serious trouble or he's scamming us.

[John (John K.)]

Also, anyone know how to get Avalon to change the address? Do they have a phone number/physical address? I guess I'm better off starting the preparations first in case he's still not responsive on Monday...

[damiano]

I thought he had a family emergency ?

[AMuppInTime]

To be fair, putting things in perspective it is very easy to step away from the forums for a week or two without anything going on.
Now imagine he is selling a house. I don't know about a family emergency, but that on top of the rest would make it easy to forget about the shipment entirely. If he has provided an email maybe email...

[Vycid]

To be fair, putting things in perspective it is very easy to step away from the forums for a week or two without anything going on.
Now imagine he is selling a house. I don't know about a family emergency, but that on top of the rest would make it easy to forget about the shipment entirely. If he has provided an email maybe email...

To put things in perspective... this is nearly $100k of merchandise. Avalon could have shipped our order in the week he's been away. If he knew he was going to be away for an extended period he should have let us know and provided contact info.

I hope this is not a serious family emergency... but if it is, I hope he will understand we do not have much choice but to protect our investments here.

[dserrano5]

In my humble opinion, no family emergency justifies raging's silence here. It's been *eleven* days since he last logged into the forum. If he has internet access, he totally must show up and give some explanations. Otherwise, he should have taken measures to keep people updated via someone else. I have no chips in this group buy (sold them to ecliptic) but I'm following it nonetheless and feel concerned about raging's absence and what it means to the chip owners.

[Bicknellski]

Escrow held for managing the Group Buy should be given to him on completion of shipping.

If I do end up doing shipping instead of ragingazn628, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable taking the entirety of the management fee. Ragingazn628 got us this far, so I figure he's probably entitled to most of it. Though I definitely wouldn't mind some sort of compensation!

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?

[John (John K.)]

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...

[John (John K.)]

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

[Kushedout]

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.

[John (John K.)]

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.

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.

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...

[bigbeninlondon]

I'm ok with either ryepdx or steamboat. 

[ecliptic]

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

[spinner]

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.

[ecliptic]

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?

[Noitev]

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.

[Todamont]

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

[ecliptic]

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?