eBay

willymuddval · ‎01-10-2015

If you notice a common seller that tries to sell items repeatedly for erroneous prices, for example an item that would commonly sell(and is only valued at) $4-5, but the seller has it listed at $35....can I report this seller. I would like to protect the "nieve" or inexperienced buyers that are obviously going to be ripped off by this seller. If I report this seller I want to be able to do it confidentially and not effect my status on ebay. I just feel strongly that this seller is an embarrassment to the community. In this hobby with have catalogues and clear listings of the value of these particular items and the seller has to be aware that they are asking 10X the value of the item UNETHICALLY in order to make a quick profit.

Is this something that ebay will take seriously?

cumos55 · ‎01-10-2015

Potential buyers will not buy... and if they do it will be their choice to buy or not to buy.

The market place will control this seller's success at selling.

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There is a seller of books on the internet that lists everything ... I repeat... everything.... at above $100.... and the books appear to sell... even if there are lower priced copies of the same book available.

For many items on eBay higher prices give a perception of greater value

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This pricing situation is there for books..

To have a $1000 in sales..

You sell

10 books at $100 each

20 books at $50 each

33 books at 30 each

50 books at $20 each

or even 1000 books at $1.00 Each

Pricing is a seller's choice .... because if this seller's prices are too high, other sellers can undercut him and sell their item at a lower price.

I call it bouncing a lower price off a higher price.. and it can be done very successfully... The lower price sells because it is perceived as a better value for dollar spent... in relation to that higher priced item

Let him do as he chooses... no one can say otherwise...

and the final word... potential buyers will make the choice... to buy ... or... NOT to buy

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There is a reality called "Market Value"... the amount for which something can be sold on a given market.

It is a value somewhere between the seller's price and the buyer's willing to pay price...

and... If the seller's price is right and the buyer agrees... the end result is a sale...

cumos55 · ‎01-10-2015

I had a book that I valued at $20.

A search on eBay revealed that there were three listed... $5.... $10.... and $15.

I waited.

6 weeks later there was only one book at $15.... and then it sold within three weeks....

I listed my copy at $20 and it sold within 10 days.

Some sellers do not price effectively... do not understand the marketplace....

Fair market value was $20 when my book sold....

Buyers control the marketplace.....

cumos55 · ‎01-10-2015

And for books...

There are some buyers that will not buy books listed for less than $10...

mr.elmwood · ‎01-10-2015

@willymuddval wrote:
If you notice a common seller that tries to sell items repeatedly for erroneous prices, for example an item that would commonly sell(and is only valued at) $4-5, but the seller has it listed at $35....can I report this seller. I would like to protect the "nieve" or inexperienced buyers that are obviously going to be ripped off by this seller. If I report this seller I want to be able to do it confidentially and not effect my status on ebay. I just feel strongly that this seller is an embarrassment to the community. In this hobby with have catalogues and clear listings of the value of these particular items and the seller has to be aware that they are asking 10X the value of the item UNETHICALLY in order to make a quick profit.
Is this something that ebay will take seriously?

That is absolutely none of your "nieve" business. Pardon, "naive".

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rose-dee · ‎01-10-2015

Well, I wouldn't worry too much about that seller being unethical, etc. Many sellers ask outrageous prices for things that have a "real" value much lower. Most savvy buyers will look elsewhere, some may be taken in (once). EBay will do nothing to police pricing, so it would be a waste of your time and effort to try to pursue this.

Let him shoot himself in the foot, which is what will likely happen. In other words, my prediction is that if he lures any buyers, yes he will sell a number of items at his highly inflated prices. And yes, that will make him some money quickly -- until he starts getting negative or neutral FB for customers who feel gouged and defrauded once they realize what the item's true market value is.

He may also find he ends up with a lot of returns with trumped-up SNAD claims from buyers who discover after the fact that they could have got the item at 1/10th the price. Either way, he'll rack up the defects and bad FB eventually, which will make new customers wary. This is the roundabout way that eBay does in some sense police pricing. EBay says a buyer must be 100% happy, or the seller will be punished. Well, if you rip people off enough, you will get punished.

I've been in a similar position, watching a competitor ask ridiculously high prices for something similar to my items. I just laugh -- it makes my prices look fantastic, especially if an item of mine pops up on the same search page (which did happen). My advice: just sit back and watch this guy self-implode after a few dozen sales.

There is an old saying that goes back as far as the Romans (and probably even farther): Caveat emptor (Buyer beware). Meaning that in commercial transactions there has always been a certain amount of responsibility placed on the buyer as well, to do his homework before putting his money down. If he doesn't, well, he gets what his impulses buy him. This is an open marketplace.

willymuddval · ‎01-10-2015

Thanks everyone for the feedback regarding my concerns. I will just sit back and watch and hope that the best seller prevails.

Sorry Mr. Elmwood I will spell check for you next time!

reallynicestamps · ‎01-10-2015

And it is possible that the seller is offering 'Free Shipping' which just means that the cost of shipping is included in the asking price.

Which is cheapest?

A $5 item with $10 shipping?

A $10 item with $5 shipping?

A $15 item with Free Shipping?

Which sells fastest? Which has the lowest FVF for the seller? Which attracts charges of gouging on shipping cost?

Naive is Evian spelled backwards.

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2015

Actually it is not "unethically" to set higher prices for some items. It is up to buyers not to pay that high prices and go look somewhere else.

Some sellers set their prices higher and are successfully and sold them and some sellers set their prices lower for same items are not successfully. It depends on the buyers.

For example I set the prices for the movie posters that I got from the movie studios for $14.99 each for 2 years and decided to changed the price to $24.99 or $34.99 each and bingo they got sold so fast than at $14.99 for 2 years! That is the last 4 months comparing to 2 years!! Go figure!!

You don't need to "report" those sellers, you are not a "police" or you are jealous that those sellers can sell them for higher prices than you can?? It is the buyers decide to pay that much or not for you or us to decide what prices the sellers should set.

gifts_of_elegance · ‎01-10-2015

"Market Value" is the highest price an item will bring when offered for a reasonable amount of time on the open market and there is no undue pressure on the seller or the purchaser.

I fail to see why you make it your business to "police" other people's business. Do some volunteer work for a local organization instead.

patken123 · ‎01-10-2015

As they say:A fool and his money are soon parted.
If a buyer is fool enough to buy an item@ an inflated price on ebay,he/she is liable to do so anywhere ,ebay does not have a monopoly on absurdly priced items.