I got burned, please help!

[mike27oct]

Good idea, although the moral of the story and the takeaway is: Don't buy a used Echo from eBay, Craigslist or whatever.  A device that needs to be registered to owner's account like an Echo does, is problematic if purchased secondhand.  I have seen this same problem occur with other used products purchased.

[crowland]

Do you wish to share the sellers name ?
So we can all stay clear of this seller in the future.

I have some news and its not good, info is at the bottom.
https://amazonechouk.com/2015/03/15/using-an-amazon-echo-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-132

[additude]

Good idea, although the moral of the story and the takeaway is: Don't buy a used Echo from eBay, Craigslist or whatever.  A device that needs to be registered to owner's account like an Echo does, is problematic if purchased secondhand.  I have seen this same problem occur with other used products purchased.

Agreed.
eBay is eBay .... they have made it a lot safer than when I joined in 1999, but it is still eBay... there are culprits on there just wanting to take your money... and I have had mine taken as well a few times.
There are only certain things that I will buy on eBay and only from reputable sellers who have been there for awhile and have good feedback.
Buyer Beware...

[mpetrides]

FWIW, if you want an easy way to record the serial number of all your Alexa devices, you can find them under Settings in the Alexa app and just do a screen shot for each device. You can also find the serial number for all your Amazon devices in your account on Amazon's website--look under Manage Your Content and Devices.

The wouldn't have helped the OP since he couldn't get his Echo to be recognized, but it provides an easy way for those of us who have Echos that are already functioning to record our serial numbers. However, since the information is readily available in at least two sites, I'm not sure having an additional record is really necessary so long as you are the registered user/owner of the device.

[Floridadomer]

I had an Echo that I sold on craigslist. I replaced it with the Dot. I deregistered it before selling and made sure the buyer had my phone number so he could call if he had any issues. I never heard from him so everything must have been OK on his end.

[llbaldridge]

Alternatively, is there a way to pair up the echo with a bluetooth device and use it as a bluetooth speaker if it can't be registered?
[/quote]

Was there a solution for this that i cannot find ? i would like to pair with a bluetooth transmitter and use my echo as a speaker for my cd player/stereo system however i cannot determine if pairing can be done without an app.. i have only paired my iphone. i dont want to buy anything unless i know it will work.

[Yoda_One]

When I want to pair my Alexa devices I just ask Alexa or hit the voice button and say "Start Bluetooth pairing" ... Since you are using a transmitter device unless it comes with software to pair I cannot see any other way beside some type of app.

[llbaldridge]

well i wondered if it would work with a transmitter and no app..i did see (somewhere) that it cannot pair with a device that requires a pin and since i have never used bluetooth with anything other than a smartphone or my ipod in my car i was not sure how this would work without an app to interface.  Do all bluetooth transmitters that are not part of a smartphone or tablet use a pin? or is this the difference between other bluetooth protocols and A2DP ?? its all a mystery to me

[mike27oct]

I have connected an old iPOD to Echo, Dot and Tap via a BT transmitter plugged into headphone jack of iPOD.  I turn on the transmitter first, then tell Alexa "pair Bluetooth".  I may have to find the BT transmitter in Alexa app (don't remember).  At any rate, the BTs pair up and the iPod is playing music through the Echo speaker.

[DParker]

Do all bluetooth transmitters that are not part of a smartphone or tablet use a pin? or is this the difference between other bluetooth protocols and A2DP ?? its all a mystery to me

What determines whether or not your device requires a PIN is the version of the Bluetooth specification it implements.  Versions 2.1 and later use "Secure Simple Pairing", meaning that no PIN is required for pairing.  All older versions do require a PIN.  You'll need to consult your devices' documentation (or whatever online info sources you can find) to determine which version of Bluetooth they use.