Is eBay eller committing price gouging?

[bitethepillow]

Jurisdiction

Illinois

I asked the seller if he can come down in shipping. He asked me the price that was showing. I told him $13.60. He messaged me on eBay saying he has no control over the price of shipping unless it's California where he said shipping is $7-$8. He said earlier he thinks the $20 for the new Android phone along with free T-Mobile service for 12 months is worth the final price. The seller has a 95% rating on feedback. It seems like a deal except for shipping.

I've talked to merchants at a thrift malls down south, that said eBay sellers over price things. That they think it was better to buy in person at better prices. But I'm not in the south. And prices aren't cheap where I'm living near Chicago

 

[adjusterjack]

$23.60 is a steal including shipping. If you don't like it you are free not to buy it.

 

[army judge]

He said earlier he thinks the $20 for the new Android phone along with free T-Mobile service for 12 months is worth the final price.

Verizon, AT&T, Cricket, most mobile phone carriers are giving away what you're dying to buy, as in NOT charging you NOW to get the "freebies", included is FREE, INSURED SHIPPING.

Take a look for yourself, then decide which is better.

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[Tax Counsel]

I've talked to merchants at a thrift malls down south, that said eBay sellers over price things. That they think it was better to buy in person at better prices. But I'm not in the south. And prices aren't cheap where I'm living near Chicago

Is what they told you really a surprise? Merchants selling in competition with eBay aren't going to say eBay sellers give people great deals or they'll turn away potential customers. I'd not expect them to give an unbiased opinion of a major competitor.

Each eBay seller sets his/her own prices for the goods sold and sets the price for shipping. So an eBay customer always wants to add the two together to determine what the total cost (not including any sales tax collected by eBay) of the item will be to you.

There is nothing in your facts to suggest to me that the eBay seller is engaged in price gouging. Price gouging occurs when a seller jacks up his/her price to unreasonable amounts, usually to take advantage of scarcity in the area where the sales are made. They take advantage of the bind that people find themselves in a bind when goods, especially essential goods, are hard to be found. Those are the situations that prosecutors will pursue for price gouging.

The mailing cost the seller quoted you is perhaps a bit high, but not uncommon on eBay, and the seller is not taking advantage of you being stuck with few other options because of sudden scarcity. You have the choice to wait for other deals that have a lower total cost than this seller offers. That's what I've done on eBay when the shipping costs are high, mostly from foreign sellers, making the purchase price too much compared to others.

 

[adjusterjack]

Verizon, AT&T, Cricket, most mobile phone carriers are giving away what you're dying to buy, as in NOT charging you NOW to get the "freebies", included is FREE, INSURED SHIPPING.

"freebies" in quotes means that the phone is free but the service eventually isn't. You get locked into a long term contract with hefty cancellation fees.

I bought cheap refurbished phones from Tracfone for years and just paid to replenish minutes when I had to.

Recently I moved my phones over to US Mobile where I pay $72 per year per line with unlimited text, unlimited talk, and 1 GB of data per month which is more than enough for me because I don't go on the internet very often.

 

[army judge]

"freebies" in quotes means that the phone is free but the service eventually isn't. You get locked into a long term contract with hefty cancellation fees.

Buying anything via eBay can be a very risky value proposition, no matter the advertised price.

Why?

Sellers, more akin to SCAMMERS, take the mark, rather the buyer, for whatever the seller can "con" her/him out of, with no intention of delivering the mark, err buyer, of anything more than broken, empty promises.

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[adjusterjack]

I routinely buy on eBay but I only buy what's guaranteed by eBay and that has free shipping. Usually small amounts for household items if the cost is a little better than the same item on Amazon.

 

[army judge]

I routinely buy on eBay but I only buy what's guaranteed by eBay and that has free shipping. Usually small amounts for household items if the cost is a little better than the same item on Amazon.

Some people prosper, where others perish.
I've never bought anything from eBay.

I never will.

 

[flyingron]

I have been buying and selling on ebay since 1997. There's nothing wrong here. It used to be that eBay charged their seller fee based on the sales price before shipping was added. Since that led to abuse, they now charge it on the entire price to the buyer (sales price + shipping). When you bid or purchase, it is incumbent on you to add the shipping to the bid/buy price.

It's not really different than anywhere else online. You'll see stuff with free shipping that costs more than stuff where the shipping is called out.

I was always amused by the commercial (can't remember what it was for now) where the guy put on purple gloves so he could "handle" the merchandise as part of the "shipping and handling."

 

[welkin]

I routinely buy on eBay but I only buy what's guaranteed by eBay and that has free shipping. Usually small amounts for household items if the cost is a little better than the same item on Amazon.

Free shipping on Ebay is not free. Ebay themselves advise sellers to raise prices to cover shipping if they want to include free shipping. The same is true for Amazon.

When an independent seller (on Amazon) offers free shipping, the price includes the cost of shipping. If the products are being offered by Amazon and are cheaper, Amazon pays the shipping if you buy $35 or more in the single order. You have to wait a few extra days for delivery, but it is free. That is my experience and I buy a lot from Amazon each year. I never pay for shipping, and I am not a Prime member.

You can buy shit or name brands on Amazon. You can cancel an order if you have buyer's remorse if you act before the order is processed for shipment. And you can return items with no hassle for any reason or no reason for free. It saves me a lot of gas and time driving to the stores.

 

[army judge]

I agree with you, @welkin
I've used Amazon for more years than I can remember.
I'm a Prime Member because I get most items within 24 hours, and I'm not required to leave my cave.

 

[justblue]

lol... This is now my mental picture of you @army judge

 

[army judge]

T

lol... This is now my mental picture of you @army judge



View attachment 4645

That's eerily close to my wife's description, which she says is hibernation. I countered, no its retirement. LOL

 

[adjusterjack]

Free shipping on Ebay is not free. Ebay themselves advise sellers to raise prices to cover shipping if they want to include free shipping. The same is true for Amazon.

Duh. No kidding. I compare prices and shipping across eBay, Amazon, Sam's Club and other local stores.

When an independent seller (on Amazon) offers free shipping, the price includes the cost of shipping. If the products are being offered by Amazon and are cheaper, Amazon pays the shipping if you buy $35 or more in the single order. You have to wait a few extra days for delivery, but it is free. That is my experience and I buy a lot from Amazon each year. I never pay for shipping, and I am not a Prime member.

My sister and I share a Prime account for the TV and movies and free shipping. I by a lot of stuff under $35 for next day free delivery. I often return stuff that doesn't work out for me. You're right, it's very convenient.

 

[Tax Counsel]

Free shipping on Ebay is not free. Ebay themselves advise sellers to raise prices to cover shipping if they want to include free shipping. The same is true for Amazon.

Yep, one way or the other you are going to pay for the shipping. I've bought a number of items from both Amazon and eBay over the years, but avoid the third party sellers on Amazon and the foreign sellers on eBay. I've only had one problem on Amazon in over two decades, and one call to Amazon got the item replaced quickly. It helped that the item was not very costly and I had track record of buying without returning stuff, so the company could reasonably assume I wasn't out to scam it. I've not yet yet a bad eBay experience that was the fault of the seller. Everyone's got their own personal risk level, and life is less stressful if you stay within your risk tolerance. I guess I'd rate my risk level as a consumer as somewhere about average. I'm not a big risk taker when it comes to me parting with my hard earned cash.

I had a new eBay seller message me after I won an auction with the seller set opening bid, which was very low, but she apparently assumed there would be lots of demand for the thing, and her assumption was wrong. Nobody else wanted it. She was fine with the price, but was perplexed (and seemingly panicked) because she thought my bid was the total amount I was going to pay and said that surely I didn't expect her to ship it to me free. I said no, and pointed out to her the shipping cost she'd set. She didn't realize that eBay bids are just for the item and that the buyer needs to take into account the stated shipping charge because that gets added to the bid price. She was much happier after I told her how it works and where the shipping cost is shown to the bidders. Well, buyers need to understand the way shipping costs work, too. I've seen sellers put up items pretty cheap but then charge a rather high shipping fee. They are making money off the shipping fee to help cover the low price they set. I never buy from those sellers because that tactic smacks of dishonesty and there are plenty of sellers who won't engage in that kind of thing.

 

[welkin]

You just have to do your due diligence no matter what. Just this morning I had to order a part to fix a 19-year-old Viking microwave oven. It just stopped working on Sunday morning. I was able to download the repair manual and go through the steps to find the problem.

Turnes out it was a bad secondary door switch (safety device). I found OEM replacements online, but the shipping was $15.00 for $4.50 part that weighted less than an ounce. Then a chat window opened up and I asked, "are you kidding?" He checked the part number and came back and said, "I see what you mean". "OK", he said, "we will charge you $5.00 to ship it if you call to place the order". I made a screen shot of the chat just to be safe.

I called and placed the order. I told the operator the shipping cost was only to be $5.00 to which he responded, "the system is set up to charge $15.00 for flat-rate shipping and the charge went through." He responded, "you will receive a $10.00 credit on your CC in 2-3 days". I'm not holding my breath.

 

[army judge]

I called and placed the order. I told the operator the shipping cost was only to be $5.00 to which he responded, "the system is set up to charge $15.00 for flat-rate shipping and the charge went through." He responded, "you will receive a $10.00 credit on your CC in 2-3 days". I'm not holding my breath.

Bravo, bravo, bravo..

You used you thinking cap, and saved your moola.

To paraphrase Smokey The Bear, ONLY WISED UP YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR Moola!