The reason to hate certain ebay resellers

[Keatah]

As long as the bucks roll my way I don't care who buys my stuff, or how much they resell it for. It's junk anyways.

[dashv]

It's those kind that constantly outbid your bid, pulling out all their dirty little tricks, until they win the auction. Then they list it themselves a few weeks later for an outrageous price. It happened to me once when I wanted to get an Arcadia 2001 with games.

If your still looking for Arcadia games. I don't have a console but I do have 8 CIB games available for trade. I'm just looking to make back what I paid rescuing them from Goodwill.

[Atari_Bill]

Just had a bunch of games get sold to a known reseller. Sigh. Time to make a block list.

At some point when I list some of the tougher items that will bring some cash I guarantee I will be blocking certain bidders. I don't care what it sells for as long as they don't get it in their greedy hands.

[JAGUAR]

What about people who bought a house cheap then sold it for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars later on? Oh that's ok cus they are rich people. The people struggling to survive by buying and selling on ebay for $15k a year, if they are lucky, are the real scum though. Yep, that sounds about right.

[Mxyzptlk]

What about people who bought a house cheap then sold it for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars later on? Oh that's ok cus they are rich people. The people struggling to survive by buying and selling on ebay for $15k a year, if they are lucky, are the real scum though. Yep, that sounds about right.

You don't have to be rich to flip a house.

[Andre81]

What about people who bought a house cheap then sold it for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars later on? Oh that's ok cus they are rich people. The people struggling to survive by buying and selling on ebay for $15k a year, if they are lucky, are the real scum though. Yep, that sounds about right.

You don't seem to understand the difference between a seller and a reseller who no one needs. A seller buys either stuff cheap or for a discount in huge lots and then sells at market price. The difference between his buying price and market price is his profit. He offers a service by making items available. A reseller buys an already available item at market price and then tries to rip off a buyer. Such a reseller doesn't offer any service.

[+stupus]

You don't seem to understand the difference between a seller and a reseller who no one needs. A seller buys either stuff cheap or for a discount in huge lots and then sells at market price. The difference between his buying price and market price is his profit. He offers a service by making items available. A reseller buys an already available item at market price and then tries to rip off a buyer. Such a reseller doesn't offer any service.

bingo

[icemanxp300]

You don't seem to understand the difference between a seller and a reseller who no one needs. A seller buys either stuff cheap or for a discount in huge lots and then sells at market price. The difference between his buying price and market price is his profit. He offers a service by making items available. A reseller buys an already available item at market price and then tries to rip off a buyer. Such a reseller doesn't offer any service.

 

Hmmm so tell me how does a reseller not make his items available?

 

 

DEFINITION of 'Market Price'

"The current price at which an asset or service can be bought or sold."

 

I guess any price is market price. If someone is willing to pay more for an item than it generally sells for so be it. Consider it a "convenience fee" for not having to wait for another item at a cheaper price.

 

I personally have paid more for items locally because I didn't want to wait to get the item cheaper online. I guess since online is cheaper that means all stores around me are scum re-sellers who rip everyone off for not matching the prices I can get elsewhere.

 

Radio shack is a major scam reseller. They charge $5 for 4 tactile switches when you can get 50 of them shipped for just over a $1 from China.

[Keatah]

The wife buys and re-sells stuff on fleabay all the time. With profit. Games. Antiques. You name it.. It's just business.

[Rhomaios]

I guess any price is market price.

Oh, man, alert the presses! Someone on the internet is turning economics upside down!

[icemanxp300]

I don't understand the big deal here. If people are overcharging it won't sell.

[atariguy1021]

Radio shack is a major scam reseller. They charge $5 for 4 tactile switches when you can get 50 of them shipped for just over a $1 from China.

 

Very true! But as you stated, it's "a convenience fee." If you order parts from China they might be here in a week, maybe a month. If there's a Radio Shack down the street you could have the part you need that day.

 

In the end, it's the buyer and their wants/needs that dictates the price, not any "reseller."

[JAGUAR]

You don't seem to understand the difference between a seller and a reseller who no one needs. A seller buys either stuff cheap or for a discount in huge lots and then sells at market price. The difference between his buying price and market price is his profit. He offers a service by making items available. A reseller buys an already available item at market price and then tries to rip off a buyer. Such a reseller doesn't offer any service.

 

Wrong. Resellers find badly listed items and get them very cheap, then turn around and sell the items at market value. They would never sell in the first place if buyers didn't think they were paying fair market value.

 

bingo

 

 

The wife buys and re-sells stuff on fleabay all the time. With profit. Games. Antiques. You name it.. It's just business.

 

Ebay is a game, like everything in life. Those of you who despise resellers, have you really never sold anything in your life for profit!?

 

Also, most ebay resellers do not make a lot of money at all. For most its just a passion for a hobby. A hobby where you buy way too much stuff, and then have to resell. Its a cycle. People with plenty of money, those who have a "real" good job and are able to just buy on ebay, and never sell, will never understand. I so wish I could have kept everything I bought on ebay in the last 10+ years, but because I was born into a broken family with no money, I ended up with not many options in life, and little money. I'm now an ebay reseller to get by in life. I admit I try to maximize profit. Lots of my stuff takes a long time to sell. But I would be stupid to do it any other way. For me its about survival and also the fact everything I sell is stuff I like and collect myself, so im not in a huge hurry to sell anyway, and it costs very little to relist items on ebay every month.

 

If you don't like high prices of something, put in the effort and use your wit and mind to find it for very cheap, like the reseller. That's part of what I like about being poor, it keeps me on my toes and my mind sharp. Having excess money makes one lazy (when they are not in their workplace) and hard to please I think.

 

I think for a lot of us collectors / resellers, ebay is a place to show off our collections, our stuff, and at the same time try to sell some of it.

[+stupus]

Ugh....yes that is what this thread is about how everybody who sells anything and makes any profit is bad

[Atari_Bill]

I don't understand the big deal here. If people are overcharging it won't sell.

 

I've resisted re-entering this thread as my opinions are not going to be swayed anymore than the folks that are opposed. I'll just reiterate again that the selling price isn't the issue. Yes, things will eventually sell at "market" price. That's not my big beef. It's the sky high BIN price listed by these folks in hopes of snagging that one person with more money than sense. The asking price (not the "sold" price) is what many, many folks at flea markets, thrift stores, etc price their stuff at. It's not right, but it's what happens. They look out there and see that a complete ET has been listed for $75 so that's the going price. The people doing the ultra high BIN's with a make an offer are artificially driving up prices across the board (there are specifically 3-4 that specialize in this tactic). You can try to reason with the flea market folk and they won't back down claiming that the "price was from the internet, look for yourself". That's the brunt of my argument. Again, some folks will likely not agree and that's their right.

[CPUWIZ]

Don't forget that some sellers list stuff at sky high prices to drive people to their other auctions, it's called free marketing to people who sort by price every now and then.

[+stupus]

CPUWIZ, on 28 Dec 2014 - 4:06 PM, said:

Don't forget that some sellers list stuff at sky high prices to drive people to their other auctions, it's called free marketing to people who sort by price every now and then.

Yeah there are resellers with multiple accounts I have seen do this...list ultra high bins on one account and put auctions with hefty but not outrageous start prices on another account and hope the insane high bins make the auctions look much more reasonable gotta love people haha

[barnieg]

It's certainly a problem. I've been looking at various retro system prices on e-bay and I can't justify the amount they are asking for. It's is a growing market for hobbyists to get back into a retro platform(s) of choice, however many hoarders are under the mistaken belief that they have a "rare" item that will go for lots of money because they saw an article in a newspaper. In many cases these items might not sell and rather than list at a lower price they will skip the items

 

I'm not sure what the answer is, I'm near the point of buying/selling retro items as a way of attempting to way of getting items out there at a reasonable cost.

 

As a side note, I visited Birmingham Comic Con recently and quite a few stalls had retro systems and games at reasonable prices, so sometimes it's worth holding onto your money and be prepared to spend when you find a decent deal

 

 

 

 

 

I've resisted re-entering this thread as my opinions are not going to be swayed anymore than the folks that are opposed. I'll just reiterate again that the selling price isn't the issue. Yes, things will eventually sell at "market" price. That's not my big beef. It's the sky high BIN price listed by these folks in hopes of snagging that one person with more money than sense. The asking price (not the "sold" price) is what many, many folks at flea markets, thrift stores, etc price their stuff at. It's not right, but it's what happens. They look out there and see that a complete ET has been listed for $75 so that's the going price. The people doing the ultra high BIN's with a make an offer are artificially driving up prices across the board (there are specifically 3-4 that specialize in this tactic). You can try to reason with the flea market folk and they won't back down claiming that the "price was from the internet, look for yourself". That's the brunt of my argument. Again, some folks will likely not agree and that's their right.

[S.BAZ]

a curiousity:

 

... The asking price (not the "sold" price) is what many, many folks at flea markets, thrift stores, etc price their stuff at. ...

 

bingo

 

I've got a question about this concern over the overpriced items affecting flea market prices & etc..

 

I've been collecting for about two years & having a great time with it. I've never seen an overpriced item that I felt like complaining about. somebody had Genesis Tetris listed for a million dollars. my reaction was "WOW!! hahahahah good luck!"

 

I go to flea markets a lot. whenever I see games or systems at flea markets, they are almost always at about, or (usually) below, current online selling prices. only rarely do I see anybody at a flea market asking a ridiculous price for games or systems, and when they do, it just sits there & doesn't sell. It seems to me that if somebody at a flea market priced something according to a way-too-high ebay asking price, that means they are new to selling stuff & it's probably their 1st or 2nd time. I think people in general tend to learn pretty quick about the "sold listings" tip when their stuff isn't selling.

 

but even if they didn't, I honestly do not see any problem related to this. so somebody sat there at a flea market, not selling their stuff. i don't get it.

 

my question: why would it be a problem?

 

can anyone here explain any actual problem with this?

[+stupus]

personally I think this handful of sellers putting these items at ridiculous bins effects the online selling market much greater than the live market, but I am sure it does have some effect there too.

 

when new sellers go to put their old game up for sale they look at the same item they have for sale listed by others...they typically don't seem to just search for sold items for whatever reason.

 

They see the crazy priced bin (as sometimes the only example) and set their item at the same price or maybe 90% of that price or whatever.

 

This is all the people who have old items they come across and are not resellers or professional sellers typically (which is a good majority of the people getting rid of these old games)

 

Then another person comes along again with the same item for sale and sees now 2 of this item with a crazy high bin price...so they too set their item at that price and so on and so on.

 

Things balance out after sometime usually but it can take quite a while, confuse a lot of people and discourage people from trying to land that item.

 

For instance its been happening with tapper for colecovision the last couple months. A game that loose can sell for as low as $8-$10 and now people listing it at up to $200 and every copy that follows seeming to keep getting a high start or bin.

 

It is funny when you see someone unknowingly set a ridiculous price on an item, like an odyseey for $40,000 etc....it becomes less funny when it is these same 3-4 sellers repeatedly do it when they well know the true value of the item.

 

And of course people have the right to ask whatever they want for an item, this thread really is about a small handful of particular sellers who consistently troll the gaming market with their selling/buying antics.

 

And who on top of that are quite underhanded and dishonest as well, I believe this thread was started more as a warning about them and to hopefully put their behavior to rest to some extent.

 

If people want to buy from them and go on defending this type of practice then I guess that is their right to do too...just be warned...and it is certainly not the kind of thing I want to be a part of.

 

I prefer to sell off my extras at a fair price, find and meet new people to trade with, help others complete their collections and enjoy doing it....but I understand everyone doesn't necessarily appreciate that happy-go-lucky attitude and may be only $ driven....

 

 

[Atari_Bill]

Well said Stupus! Exactly my feelings across the board.

[S.BAZ]

...

that was a good reply

 

i can see how it can be a warning sign that a seller may be a little dishonest.

[CannibalCat]

I've bought from one of the mentioned sellers... sure the asking prices are insane, but for an item I really wanted I put in a "Best Offer" just for laughs (it was almost 3x less than what they were asking) and they accepted the offer (without even a counteroffer). Just goes to show that these "horrible" resellers can be negotiated with into reasonable terms sometimes. It used to piss me off as well to see the insane asking/buy it now prices, but if I can make a reasonable offer I will try!

[BillyHW]

 

I've resisted re-entering this thread as my opinions are not going to be swayed anymore than the folks that are opposed. I'll just reiterate again that the selling price isn't the issue. Yes, things will eventually sell at "market" price. That's not my big beef. It's the sky high BIN price listed by these folks in hopes of snagging that one person with more money than sense. The asking price (not the "sold" price) is what many, many folks at flea markets, thrift stores, etc price their stuff at. It's not right, but it's what happens. They look out there and see that a complete ET has been listed for $75 so that's the going price. The people doing the ultra high BIN's with a make an offer are artificially driving up prices across the board (there are specifically 3-4 that specialize in this tactic). You can try to reason with the flea market folk and they won't back down claiming that the "price was from the internet, look for yourself". That's the brunt of my argument. Again, some folks will likely not agree and that's their right.

 

If these flea market people are charging more than the market price, than they won't sell anything, and if they want to be selling stuff, they'll have to lower their price. There is an opportunity cost to holding on to the stuff (i.e. cost of storage, loss of returns from other investments that could have been made with the money made from selling the item). They will only be hurting themselves.

Edited January 4, 2015 by BillyHW

[BillyHW]

As far as the situation described by the original poster, I think you are all getting upset for no good reason. You think you are being harmed by this reseller, but if she is paying more than market value, than she will lose money when she tries to resell it. And if she holds onto it she is losing money on the opportunity costs. The best thing you can do is not overpay them for their stuff. If they continue to lose money this way, they will exit the market. Frankly, it doesn't sound like the smartest business strategy to me.

 

And if she does manage to stay in business this way, it's because she is providing some useful service. For example, she is ensuring that every owner who needs to sell finds a good price and a quick and ready buyer. By ensuring the good price, she is also taking away some of the owner's risk as he is less likely to accidentally sell a rare and valuable item for way below what it's worth due to his lack of information. (Though I know you collectors are all totally and completely honest, without the slightest hint of greed staining your souls, and should you find a Nintendo World Championship inside a $20 box of loose carts at the flea market, you'll be the first to tell the guy at the table that he's sitting on a gold mine.) She is also ensuring that every buyer finds a ready and available item listed. And she may also be taking a poorly listed item and improving the listing so that it reaches more people. In this way she is providing more information to the market which is a good thing.

 

She may not even be doing any of these things consciously.

 

The exceptions to the above analysis that I can think of is if she is creating a monopoly situation by hoarding all the items and then creating an artificial scarcity in the market to her benefit. Kind of like OPEC. But is that really the case? Is this seller so big that they have a monopoly? I just don't see that. Also, it's not like these items are necessities. You could all wait her out and put her out of business.

 

In short, if you don't like her, don't buy from her. Nobody is forcing you to.

Edited January 4, 2015 by BillyHW