For sellers
Condition grades
One scale, used on every lot, written so a buyer and a seller read the same words the same way. Grade honestly and the dispute rules work for you; overstate and they work against you.
- Grades on the scale
- 7 steps
- for Server memory
- With a functional claim
- 4 grades
- the rest are sold on history or as-is
- Misdescription
- A strike
- 3 strikes in 12 months ends an account
- Bench inspection
- $250
- binding; paid by the side that loses
The scale
From factory-sealed to parts only. Expand a grade for the long definition the bench uses.
| Grade | Definition | Functional claim |
|---|---|---|
| New, sealed | Factory-sealed trays or boxes. Never installed. | Yes |
| New, open box | Opened packaging, modules never installed, full labels. | Yes |
| OEM pull, tested (Grade A) | Pulled from working systems and tested after removal. Clean contacts, intact labels, no bent components. What the bench looks forPulled from working systems and tested after removal. Clean contacts, intact OEM labels, no bent components or heat-spreader damage. Sold with a functional claim: the seller states the test method and the modules are expected to post in a compatible system. | Yes |
| OEM pull, untested (Grade B) | Pulled from working systems, not tested after removal. Cosmetically sound. What the bench looks forPulled from working systems but not tested after removal. Cosmetically sound: full labels, clean contacts, no visible damage. The working history is the claim; a small failure rate is possible and is priced in. | None |
| Refurbished | Cleaned, tested and relabelled by a refurbisher. Labels may be non-OEM. | Yes |
| As-is, untested | Unknown history. Sold without any functional claim. | None |
| Parts only | Known failed or damaged. For recovery of chips or scrap. | None |
What a grade promises
A grade is a claim the buyer can hold you to. Here is what each kind of claim means in a dispute.
Sold with a functional claim
The modules are expected to post in a compatible system. A buyer who finds dead modules beyond a small, stated tolerance has a dispute, and the test method on the lot is the first evidence weighed. Claim it only when you tested it.
Sold on history, or as-is
The claim is where the modules came from and what they look like, not that they work. A failure rate is possible and is priced in by the buyer. The count, the capacities and the part numbers are still verified and still disputable.
Confirmed misrepresentation earns a strike: 3 strikes in 12 months ends the account. Grading a tray one step lower than you believe costs a little on the hammer; grading it higher than it is can cost the account. How disputes are decided.
Tested, untested and the test method
Three fields on the lot carry the claim: origin, tested, and how.
Origin says where the modules came from: pulled from working systems, tested after removal, untested, or mixed. Tested is a yes or no. Test method is free text that a buyer and the bench read literally: a memory tester by name, a boot test in a named platform, a pass count. A test report can be attached.
“Tested” without a method is treated as untested in a dispute. “Working pulls” is a history, not a test. If you want the tested price, say what you did.
Origin and labels
The labels are what the automated check reads and what the buyer compares the delivery against.
OEM pulls carry the manufacturer's label and often an OEM sticker (Dell, HPE, Lenovo and others); both are read. Refurbished modules may carry a refurbisher's label instead; the grade says so and the part-number read then comes from the chip markings or the refurbisher label, with a lower confidence the reviewer resolves.
Relabelled modules sold as OEM pulls are a misdescription. Mixed manufacturers in one lot are fine and expected; the manufacturer mix is a field on the lot precisely so the buyer knows.
Questions people ask
Which grade should I choose if I am not sure?
The lower one. A buyer who receives better than described leaves a good record; a buyer who receives worse opens a dispute, and a confirmed misdescription is a strike. If you have not tested the modules, do not claim a tested grade.
Does the grade change what buyers pay?
Yes, consistently. Tested OEM pulls price above untested, and both price above refurbished or as-is. The price index publishes by generation, module type and capacity; the condition explains most of the spread inside a line.
Can I mix grades in one lot?
A lot carries one grade, so a mixed pallet should be split into lots by grade, or consigned so the bench grades it tray by tray. Mixed labelling inside a refurbished lot is expected and is said in the grade definition.
Who decides the grade in a dispute?
The evidence: the lot photos, the buyer’s photos and count, and, when either side asks, the bench. An inspection report is binding and the fee is charged to the side that loses.
Read next
- GlossaryEvery word a newcomer meets on this site, in plain English: auction terms, memory terms and the platform’s own.
- Common questionsEvery question buyers and sellers ask before their first lot, grouped by topic and answered in plain words.
- Bidding, step by stepRegister for the auction, set the most you would pay once, and let the room bid for you. Proxy bidding, the soft close and deposits explained with the real rules.
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