Over-priced eBay items?

[anonymousrapscallion]

I occasionally see items listed with a truly preposterous price. An example of such is this lathe chuck, for £1750!:

My question is: is there a reason that people do this? No mug is going to b uy it at even a tenth of that price.

More typically, with grossly over-priced items, the price is for "Buy it no w". Is it a fishing exercise, where the seller hopes that someone accidenta lly clicks "Buy it now" and completes the transaction?

I just can't figure out why people bother to list items at prices that can' t realistically be attained, but some sellers are knowingly doing it (e.g. when the item is a cheap commodity and there are plenty identical items on eBay for a tiny fraction of the price).

Ant.

[Chris Hogg]

I've always assumed it was just a typo. Much as you suggest, no one is going to buy such absurdly priced items, so I can't believe it's deliberate. Although, having said that, I know from advertising stuff on Freecycle, there are some really pathetic people out there who just get their kicks from wasting other people's time and being objectionable.

[alan_m]

They have zero stock but do not want to take down the listing. When the seller gets more stock the price will become realistic.

[michael adams]

It's to keep the listing open. It's called placeholder listing

If the seller has been selling these chucks continuously for years when they temporarily run out of stock its easier to keep the listing open at a prohibitive price, and then change the price back down than it is to relist the item.

michael adams

...

[polygonum_on_google]

le of such is this lathe chuck, for £1750!:

buy it at even a tenth of that price.

now". Is it a fishing exercise, where the seller hopes that someone acciden tally clicks "Buy it now" and completes the transaction?

n't realistically be attained, but some sellers are knowingly doing it (e.g . when the item is a cheap commodity and there are plenty identical items o n eBay for a tiny fraction of the price).

As I have some old cigarette cards to flog, I noticed this:

JOB LOT OF VINTAGE CIGARETTE CARDS IN ANTIQUE BOX 700 CARDS

£17,995.00

X-700-CARDS/264276022011

Out of incredulity and interest I became a watcher - has been at this for w eeks.

The seller appears generally aware, on the ball, 100% feedback.

[alan_m]

The 100% feedback is from the people he has purchased FROM, there is only one feedback from someone who had bought anything from him.

The rest of the items he lists are low value crap apart from vintage playing cards at £999

Maybe it's being listed as a false benchmark price for other items the seller has and is trying to flog elsewhere. "I have 700 vintage cards and the going price on Ebay for similar items is £18K".

As on one reality programme on TV when making an offer to buy and the seller claims a much higher value:- "that may be the amount the item is listed for on Ebay but what are they actually selling for?"

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

[e-mail] explained :

They run out of stock, so increase the Ebay price to stupid, to hold the page open, yet deter people from buying.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It is likely a running ad, and they're out of stock temporarily. Easier to just change to a silly price until new stock arrives than to start and stop the ad.

[Jethro_uk]

In one of his LST podcasts, Richard Herring interviewed Dave Gorman and the subject of a ludicrously priced second hand DVD on Amazon came up (by one of Gormans regular features Neil someone ...).

Even though it was only £9.99 new, the s/h price was £125 and rising.

Gorman said he'd noticed that and delved and it was due to Amazon using some sort of engine to change prices to attract clicks (or something similar) and that if you tried to buy the item at that price, it would not actually be available. I've forgotten the ins and outs. It made sense at the time, but since I'm never going to by something like that, it's downgraded over the years ....

[Fredxx]

I'm aware that similar techniques are used for money laundering where there is a seeming legitimate transfer of money on a publicly listed item.

[Theo]

A snip at $24m:

although the ebay thing isn't that, it's because listings that have been around a while show up higher in searches. So it's better to keep your listing open with a crazy price than stop it and start a new one when you have stock.

Theo

[tabbypurr]

le of such is this lathe chuck, for £1750!:

buy it at even a tenth of that price.

now". Is it a fishing exercise, where the seller hopes that someone acciden tally clicks "Buy it now" and completes the transaction?

n't realistically be attained, but some sellers are knowingly doing it (e.g . when the item is a cheap commodity and there are plenty identical items o n eBay for a tiny fraction of the price).

Out of stock. But occasionally a sale goes ahead anyway. We had someone buy an ordinary lightbulb at £60.

[Max Demian]

When it was out of stock?

[tabbypurr]

ample of such is this lathe chuck, for £1750!:

to buy it at even a tenth of that price.

it now". Is it a fishing exercise, where the seller hopes that someone acci dentally clicks "Buy it now" and completes the transaction?

can't realistically be attained, but some sellers are knowingly doing it ( e.g.. when the item is a cheap commodity and there are plenty identical ite ms on eBay for a tiny fraction of the price).

buy an ordinary lightbulb at £60.

All I remember is they paid, we shipped it & they never even collected it & didn't attempt to seek a refund. No idea what they were thinking. No recol lection of at what time we had what stock.

NT

[Jethro_uk]

Predictably, there's a moronic conspiracy theory about odd priced items on websites. They're a front for human trafficking ...

[Theo]

Of course, eBay prices are a handy covert channel for secret agents. By varying them I can send anonymous messages to my handler at the rate of up to 8 bits per day...

Theo

[Jethro_uk]

You joke, but highlight the danger of the fad for thinking you need Whatsapp or Instagram or whatever other platform du jour there is for people of a secretive nature to avail themselves of.

Nothings changed since 20 years, when the best way for baddies of a certain bent to communicate was to fax handwritten Arabic notes to each other.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Easy to tap a copper line...

[tim...]

Hm

clever thinking and you may just be able to up the bit rate there

[tim...]