eBay - no deal any longer

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by grant

Who is it hurting if people are selling things on eBay for higher than retail cost? I mean enough people are buying the stuff to justify someone posting, and paying for the auctions. That means the price isn't too high.

I won't claim to be hurt by it, other than that what used to be a good source for some things is now less so. Ubid.com also used to be a great place to dumpster-dive for last year's technology.

Originally Posted by grant

This is the same for people making money on shipping. It's not unethical, the shipping costs are specified right up front. You either buy or you don't and someone else does.

You won't convince me that a $30 "shipping and handling charge" for domestic ground shipping on a 3 lb. package is ethical. Legal? Sure. Good business? Maybe.

But I still maintain these things will hurt ebay in the long run. Experienced bidders who know what they're doing will stop buying, and newbies won't come back after they discover they've been burnt. "My price is higher than you can buy it somewhere else, but I don't care because I know somebody will be stupid enough to pay it" isn't a business model I'd leap to bankroll.