ebay sellers and inflated prices

[krosfyah]

Ok, I know people can charge whatever they want, I haven't any problem with that, my problem well a peeve really is sellers who see an item listed at a price and then price their item at the same high price, but none of the items at that price MOVE! Is it ignorance? do sellers believe that a listed price on ebay (with NO activity) is the actual value of the item? Or are they waiting for buyers to get desperate enough to pay the price? I watch a lot of these auctions (a lot of times to remind me of future wants) and they NEVER sell. a few examples, Leech stactions listed at $299, Hot Toys Batman Begins listed at $799 and so forth.

The reason it's a peeve is two fold, one as a potential buyer I won't pay those prices, and two future sellers see these listings and figure hey, I will list it at that price too since it's going for that!" but just because it's listed at that price doesn't mean it's valued at that. these sellers keep relisting at those prices too!! Don't they realize NO ONE IS BUYING?!?!

at the end of the day it doesn't affect my life but good God, I would like to see legitimate pricing. this collector culture has ****ed up the market for sure.

[markatisu]

I think the hope is that people will be desperate and pay the higher price

You also have to remember eBay takes a LOT in fees. The higher the item cost the higher a seller needs to make it. Of course this does not justify a $300 Staction or a $800 Hot Toy. Just stating that you won't see near retail prices due to the scam eBay has going on

Basically a "fair" price on eBay would be cost + 40-50 percent markup (25% for the seller, 20-25% to cover eBay and Paypal fees and free shipping), anything lower on a $200-500 item and you are basically giving it away after all is said and done

It always strikes me as odd when people list items for such huge amounts and get no bids but continue to do it and have others follow their pricing. It costs money to list auctions that don't sell, but I suppose if you have one person bite for 200-300% profit the cost of the multiple auction attempts is worth it

[Phil.Pastel]

I think it bothers me more when sellers give stuff away for free, as it prevents newer lines from accumulating any real market value.

They take a 6" Lion-o for example and put it up at 99 cents starting bid. I person bids, and the item ends up selling for $7 shipped. Why bother? Why not just donate it to a goodwill store?

A lot of people on this site have a problem with "scalpers," but I do not consider just anyone selling a figure on the aftermarket figure to be a scalper. A scalper is someone who charges extortionate prices in the hopes that someone with a lack of restraint will break down and pay it. A true scalper is usually charging 2 to 3 times what an item normally sells for.

[He-Dad]

I kinda miss the days were buyers set the price by bidding...lol. I still tend to bid more on auctions that start out at $.99 then ones that start out at a high price to begin with. I can see not wanting to take a loss on something, but hyper inflating the market with the hope of making huge profits isn't the way to go either. There is a listing for a BG Evil Lynn right now for $3295...plus $10 for shipping......Seriously?! (Hopefully it was a mistake as the seller has a lot of MOTUC at reasonable prices but still). Best thing to do though is refuse to pay the crazy prices. If no one paid them they'll correct eventually.

[Benedict Judas Hel]

I just laugh at those inflated prices and move on.

[Dice]

A lot of people on this site have a problem with "scalpers," but I do not consider just anyone selling a figure on the aftermarket figure to be a scalper. A scalper is someone who charges extortionate prices in the hopes that someone with a lack of restraint will break down and pay it. A true scalper is usually charging 2 to 3 times what an item normally sells for.

I consider people scalp-ors when they buy large quantities of an item for a price which makes the item unavaliable for others to purchase with the intent of selling the same product to them at a higher price.

There is a listing for a BG Evil Lynn right now for $3295...plus $10 for shipping......Seriously?! (Hopefully it was a mistake as the seller has a lot of MOTUC at reasonable prices but still). Best thing to do though is refuse to pay the crazy prices. If no one paid them they'll correct eventually.

I'll bet it was a mistake. Saw a golf club list the other day for exactly 1000$ more than all the other people were asking. Maybe it comes with a solid gold grip?

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I kinda miss the days were buyers set the price by bidding...lol. I still tend to bid more on auctions that start out at $.99 then ones that start out at a high price to begin with.

A lot of them seem to just use the "Buy-It-Now" feature for pricing and don't even set them up as traditional auctions anymore. Some may set it for both, but with the starting auction price only being slightly lower than the "Buy-It-Now" price, making it pointless to even bother with the auction if you are going to buy the item.

[krosfyah]

I think the hope is that people will be desperate and pay the higher price

You also have to remember eBay takes a LOT in fees. The higher the item cost the higher a seller needs to make it. Of course this does not justify a $300 Staction or a $800 Hot Toy. Just stating that you won't see near retail prices due to the scam eBay has going on

Basically a "fair" price on eBay would be cost + 40-50 percent markup (25% for the seller, 20-25% to cover eBay and Paypal fees and free shipping), anything lower on a $200-500 item and you are basically giving it away after all is said and done

It always strikes me as odd when people list items for such huge amounts and get no bids but continue to do it and have others follow their pricing. It costs money to list auctions that don't sell, but I suppose if you have one person bite for 200-300% profit the cost of the multiple auction attempts is worth it

I don't mind them inflating the price beyond retail, I get that, but these insane "I've seen it listed at $300 so I will list it at that too" activities, confound me, as you said it costs money to list and they keep relisting and it never sells, I don't get it.

I kinda miss the days were buyers set the price by bidding...lol. I still tend to bid more on auctions that start out at $.99 then ones that start out at a high price to begin with. I can see not wanting to take a loss on something, but hyper inflating the market with the hope of making huge profits isn't the way to go either. There is a listing for a BG Evil Lynn right now for $3295...plus $10 for shipping......Seriously?! (Hopefully it was a mistake as the seller has a lot of MOTUC at reasonable prices but still). Best thing to do though is refuse to pay the crazy prices. If no one paid them they'll correct eventually.

well so far NO ONE is paying them and these guys keep listing at those prices and others follow suit.

[Dice]

This is me. If I have a set "high" I'm will to bid in an auction and the buy it now price is at or under that price, I'd rather just go ahead and grab it. bidding takes time and effort to watch.

That being said I'll occasionally put in a one time bid on small items and I consider it a pleasent suprise if I win

[Phil.Pastel]

I consider people scalp-ors when they buy large quantities of an item for a price which makes the item unavaliable for others to purchase with the intent of selling the same product to them at a higher price.

There's no official definition of what a scalper is. I would not really consider such a person to be a scalper. Said person is a "speculator" and is taking a big risk - he or she probably does not know what the production numbers are and may get stuck with a bunch of them. A true scalper won't take such a risk, but will just buy one and charge an unreasonable amount of money for it.

A true scalper is charging extortionate prices, and therefore, does not need to sell a lot of them. They are predatory sellers that try to take advantage of people with no self control (not unlike casinos....)

[TJRules]

I often wonder this too. I see stuff on there that just NEVER sells.

I think the thing that REALLY bothers me lately is the freaking ADS on Ebay. Banners and pop-ups EVERYWHERE! UGH.... Seems like they've cranked those up about the last six months or so...

[Dice]

There's no official definition of what a scalper is. I would not really consider such a person to be a scalper. Said person is a "speculator" and is taking a big risk - he or she probably does not know what the production numbers are and may get stuck with a bunch of them. A true scalper won't take such a risk, but will just buy one and charge an unreasonable amount of money for it.

Well even my business uses "distributors" that do what you described. I'm talking about the guy at the front of the ticket line with 100 people behind him who buys all the tickets.

[Phil.Pastel]

Well even my business uses "distributors" that do what you described. I'm talking about the guy at the front of the ticket line with 100 people behind him who buys all the tickets.

Nah. This is the basic definition of capitalism. Would he buy all the tickets if no one else was in line?? In a capitalist society, one buys what one can sell. A demand exists for most items. Supermarkets buy toilet paper because they can sell it to you. In a perfect world, you could bypass them and get it for less directly from the manufacturer. In the real world, everyone is buying and selling everything. There is a fine line, but the scalper is more predatory than your average seller.

There have been accusations of businesses in the New Jersey area who jacked their prices up to the moon following the recent hurricane Hotels in particular were being investigated. Not sure what the outcomes were, but this is a case of scalping -- it is a predatory form of sales.

[He-Dad]

I have to agree with Dice....the ticket guy is the epidemy of Scalpor. If the supermarket bought every roll of toilet paper in town and started charging $20 a roll they'd be scalpers too . I have no problem with people trying to make a reasonable profit....but when you buy everything and then mark it up 500% that's a little ridiculous. When I worked at TRU I saw it happen with Skylanders. Also saw it with the Black Wii U's....people buying two at $300 then come home and see a listing on ebay for $800 bucks a piece. (BTW, there was only a week and a half period where we were sold out of Black Wii U's so this was especially crazy). And Mark is right, Ebay has quite the scam going on itself.....which is why I don't buy and sell on there as much as I used to anymore. I try and stick with marketplaces on fan sites and online stores that do have decent prices and a good reputation.

[Phil.Pastel]

I have to agree with Dice....the ticket guy is the epidemy of Scalpor. If the supermarket bought every roll of toilet paper in town and started charging $20 a roll they'd be scalpers too .

That's the whole point. They do not get the opportunity to do that. First, tons of places carry toilet paper. Second, the companies that make the toilet paper would continue to produce more. Would you be a scalper if you bought up what was left of the twinkies? Depends on who your sales target is. There's no reason not to buy something that you can sell for a markup. Everyone does that in a capitalist society.

There are sales layers in our economy. Companies make toilet paper. That's one layer. The supermarket buys the toilet paper from them. That's a second layer. If someone wants to jump in and buy a bunch, that would simply be a third layer.

I have no problem with people trying to make a reasonable profit....but when you buy everything and then mark it up 500% that's a little ridiculous. When I worked at TRU I saw it happen with Skylanders. Also saw it with the Black Wii U's....people buying two at $300 then come home and see a listing on ebay for $800 bucks a piece.

That's true scalping. Notice that no risk is involved. They can just return them if they fail to sell....

And Mark is right, Ebay has quite the scam going on itself.....which is why I don't buy and sell on there as much as I used to anymore. I try and stick with marketplaces on fan sites and online stores that do have decent prices and a good reputation.

[/quote]

I don't buy much on Ebay anymore either. The occasional item here and there. Usually something that I have no chance of finding elsewhere.

[Dr Kain]

Prices are higher on ebay because of the high ebay, shipping, and Paypal fees.

For example, I posted my G1 collection on ebay last week with a BIN of $2000, but I also allowed people to submit their best offers. I had offers of $500, $700, but there was no way I was going to sell the collection at that low price. Then I got an offer for $1200, so I took it.

The problem with doing the traditional auctions are the people that will snipe bid incredible amounts to troll and never pay or even respond to the sellers. It takes 37 days for ebay to credit your fees and crap. Why would I want to auction the item when I can list the BIN for people having to buy immediately? Or if they make an offer, chances are, they legitimately want to buy the item.

As for selling on the Marketplaces, they are a joke. People expect you to give them your items for dirt cheap. I am going to be selling off my entire MOC/MIB Transformers Animated collection and I had a guy say he wouldn't pay anything beyond $100 for them all even though there is $500+ worth of merchandise there when I add up what I paid retail wise. Ebay is my only option no matter how much I want to leave it behind.

[krosfyah]

Prices are higher on ebay because of the high ebay, shipping, and Paypal fees.

For example, I posted my G1 collection on ebay last week with a BIN of $2000, but I also allowed people to submit their best offers. I had offers of $500, $700, but there was no way I was going to sell the collection at that low price. Then I got an offer for $1200, so I took it.

The problem with doing the traditional auctions are the people that will snipe bid incredible amounts to troll and never pay or even respond to the sellers. It takes 37 days for ebay to credit your fees and crap. Why would I want to auction the item when I can list the BIN for people having to buy immediately? Or if they make an offer, chances are, they legitimately want to buy the item.

again no problem with higher prices, just INSANELY higher prices that never sell, and other sellers using those prices as a basis to list their items.

[Dice]

That's the whole point. They do not get the opportunity to do that. First, tons of places carry toilet paper. Second, the companies that make the toilet paper would continue to produce more. Would you be a scalper if you bought up what was left of the twinkies? Depends on who your sales target is. There's no reason not to buy something that you can sell for a markup. Everyone does that in a capitalist society.

Grocery stores and such are examples of distributors. Not the same. A toilet paper manufacturing company does not want to sell direct to individual end users. It would cost them more. They prefer to sell in bulk to companies and then allow for the mark up. Buying up a product that's in high demand in order to charge people more is scalping. You're not providing a service nor do you have an agreement with the supplier. You're just looking to exploit people. Also you have to take into consideration that many companies will threaten lawsuit when you attempt to resell their products for higher prices in bulk without permission.

[Phil.Pastel]

You're not providing a service nor do you have an agreement with the supplier. You're just looking to exploit people. Also you have to take into consideration that many companies will threaten lawsuit when you attempt to resell their products for higher prices in bulk without permission.

The interesting question is whether they can win such a suit. Threats don't amount to much.

Collectibles differ from toilet paper in that they have an expiration date. People will always toilet paper, but they will stop buying a collectible at a certain point -- which is why we no longer see the original Black Hole figures hanging on the pegs

[He-Dad]

As for selling on the Marketplaces, they are a joke. People expect you to give them your items for dirt cheap. I am going to be selling off my entire MOC/MIB Transformers Animated collection and I had a guy say he wouldn't pay anything beyond $100 for them all even though there is $500+ worth of merchandise there when I add up what I paid retail wise. Ebay is my only option no matter how much I want to leave it behind.

That's crazy too and I don't blame ya. I don't expect people to give things away....that's for sure. I just found in my experiences that people sell for a little less on the marketplaces cause there are no fees so they can. It's the difference between paying $30 for a figure or $40 for the same figure. That's what I'm talking about. And Krosfyah is right, there are just too many people that see an outrageous listing price and think that IS the going rate....causes a snowball effect and gets a little out of control.

[krosfyah]

As for selling on the Marketplaces, they are a joke. People expect you to give them your items for dirt cheap. I am going to be selling off my entire MOC/MIB Transformers Animated collection and I had a guy say he wouldn't pay anything beyond $100 for them all even though there is $500+ worth of merchandise there when I add up what I paid retail wise. Ebay is my only option no matter how much I want to leave it behind.

yeah that's stupid too, it's the other end of the spectrum. If you were selling a MOC leech staction in the marketplace for $80-$100 I would think that's fair, he's rare, in high demand and you make a nice profit on the original $25 price. if I told you to sell it to me for $10 I'd be a jerk. if I wanted it for $70 it's a reasonable request and we can try and work a deal.

[Phil.Pastel]

As for selling on the Marketplaces, they are a joke. People expect you to give them your items for dirt cheap. I am going to be selling off my entire MOC/MIB Transformers Animated collection and I had a guy say he wouldn't pay anything beyond $100 for them all even though there is $500+ worth of merchandise there when I add up what I paid retail wise. Ebay is my only option no matter how much I want to leave it behind.

Nah, I think you are simply dealing with a much smaller group of people. So you are less likely to find a buyer who is both willing and able. I almost certainly would have matched the ebay price you got for your transformers, but I just don't have the money available. Ebay has become something of a monopoly.

[Tallstar]

Right there with ya. There's so much overvaluing going on.

[Dr Kain]

again no problem with higher prices, just INSANELY higher prices that never sell, and other sellers using those prices as a basis to list their items.

I don't know that they don't sell. I check the prices on ebay once when I am thinking about selling something, and then price it slightly cheaper than the other guys. I will not know if that price is what people want to pay until a week or two of letting it sit there.

[krosfyah]

I don't know that they don't sell. I check the prices on ebay once when I am thinking about selling something, and then price it slightly cheaper than the other guys. I will not know if that price is what people want to pay until a week or two of letting it sit there.

I've never seen a leech sell for $299, hell the last leech i saw sell was listed at $75 and that took a while to sell. but at least now there is a precedent set. $75 is a price people are willing to pay, not everyone but it's a price that's fair. I've seen hot toys batman begins go for $400 after a bidding war, but NEVER $800