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.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Not used to be, I am not talking about items that are no longer available retail.
Try reading all of the original post first... it'll keep ya' from looking foolish later.
eBay is not strictly a collectible market.

The name calling isn't really necessary. I read the OP, even though it's fairly difficult when everything is in one giant paragraph.

What I said applies whether the things are still widely available or not. I'd genuinely like to know what is wrong with selling things at a price greater than the retail price you can find elsewhere.

The PS3 sells for more at retail in some countries than it does in others. Is this wrong?

Free Markets

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

Ubid.com also used to be a great place to dumpster-dive for last year's technology.

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.

There are still good places to find deals. If you live in/near a major city craigslist is a good bet, and specialized auction sites are often available for whatever you might be looking for. And if reconditioned, recertified, or refurbished is acceptable then you can get great deals at a lot of online retailers.

I could see $30 s & h if it's an item that requires extremely careful packing, or if it's a high-dollar item and the price includes insurance. If there isn't a logical reason for a large s&h charge I don't see why anyone would buy it, but careless people are going to get burnt no matter what. I see as much sleaze in grocery store discount cards.

It might hurt eBay eventually, but really it's one of the few places for Aunt Suzie out in West Bumfuck, USA to sell her knitting, and buy her specialty yarn. For that it's valuable to a great number of people.

Originally Posted by rkzenrage
Not used to be, I am not talking about items that are no longer available retail.
Try reading all of the original post first... it'll keep ya' from looking foolish later.
eBay is not strictly a collectible market.

Originally Posted by grant

The name calling isn't really necessary. I read the OP, even though it's fairly difficult when everything is in one giant paragraph.

What I said applies whether the things are still widely available or not. I'd genuinely like to know what is wrong with selling things at a price greater than the retail price you can find elsewhere.

The PS3 sells for more at retail in some countries than it does in others. Is this wrong?

Free Markets



There are still good places to find deals. If you live in/near a major city craigslist is a good bet, and specialized auction sites are often available for whatever you might be looking for. And if reconditioned, recertified, or refurbished is acceptable then you can get great deals at a lot of online retailers.

I could see $30 s & h if it's an item that requires extremely careful packing, or if it's a high-dollar item and the price includes insurance. If there isn't a logical reason for a large s&h charge I don't see why anyone would buy it, but careless people are going to get burnt no matter what. I see as much sleaze in grocery store discount cards.

It might hurt eBay eventually, but really it's one of the few places for Aunt Suzie out in West Bumfuck, USA to sell her knitting, and buy her specialty yarn. For that it's valuable to a great number of people.

Saying you did not read the post is an insult? If you took it that way, it was not how I meant it. Sorry.
Since grocery stores do something bad makes it ok? This is an argument? I hope you never took debate in school.
We all know what a free market is... but thanks for thinking of us.
PS sells for more in foreign markets.
Riiiight, and they have their own versions of eBay and, again, I was speaking of available items. Again, that whole "reading thing" comes in handy. I'll try to keep it simple for you in the future, since it was hard this time.
It seems you have no issue fleecing people... have at it, everyone's "ethics" & "morals" are different.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Saying you did not read the post is an insult? If you took it that way, it was not how I meant it. Sorry.
Since grocery stores do something bad makes it ok? This is an argument? I hope you never took debate in school.
We all know what a free market is... but thanks for thinking of us.
PS sells for more in foreign markets.
Riiiight, and they have their own versions of eBay and, again, I was speaking of available items. Again, that whole "reading thing" comes in handy. I'll try to keep it simple for you in the future, since it was hard this time.
It seems you have no issue fleecing people... have at it, everyone's "ethics" & "morals" are different.

Since you appear to be retarded and without capacity for abstract thought, I think we're done here.

Naive Buyer: I'm not paying 6g/ingot, that's highway robbery!
Seller: Fine.
Other Buyer: I'll buy every ingot you've got and any other ingot you can get.

(It's a joke, if you don't get it you probably didn't play Ultima Online way back when.)

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

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.

My personal ethics and business ethics don't line up. I don't think preying on the weak is ethical (non-savvy consumers, the little guy, whoever is the weak to your strong). But business ethics pretty much endorse this kind of predatory behavior.

In business, if someone is stupid enough to sign the contract without reading it, then it's tough cookies.