eBay madness!

[EdwardMarlowe]

I know many people place a lot of stock in the invisible hand of the market, but I often think there out to be a rule against people listing readily available items for sale on eBay at much more than the item is readily available for new... 

I was recently thinking this about this auction in particular - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165726661876?hash=item2696142cf4:g:jDwAAOSwAEtjSbSd&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0PXzv7Zcej2j53JwUAg%2FDYoACkhdAnErAgNVtYnfHpQz%2BjmwFF6Miu51SMPwiWNpEzPzxC4GvGctYAwpc6pV%2BH9Deeb%2FkS8pHq6Y1VImTeKunSf%2BY%2FvgNX%2Bp061TA3BuBDl1kpMPKVoRfSUASUZUhz%2BKrnZh31Froo%2BaQZ2JrGvEQv4VeYjjJ8vCyQA6P5qk0ctmiwLXN7gtTIPSEeo0y%2F8xudHuzMGtB8StLDpdpz%2FeJwk96lCYJ%2BMZwgVVHiRDlcA2o4UL1MqdOx%2FzuMRQQc8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4bk5emkYg - Available new on Thomann for £150 odds, start price here £325, and today I stumbled across this rather special auction: 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225640944287?hash=item34893f929f:g:Y-wAAOSwDvZkmles&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4LEU%2BJbiDArpHgtRyTZ1mHGF6P9ga13h3f9TlpkKgylkHqwhim%2BCoe3y%2FkR6cHumMKwlZfx1ZFoMp0ccIaj1S4z9QILFHk7vWLxiY53L9t2ijJlNqlasQ2nnkgkPGHtMfAfMLyXDLhUAaSHiMmnzV28OBz5qsPsny2sWvDyGHi0ZZB6TTOy1mUcfN51Vf0ItVZWmO9f7l%2FBTlsGslmquhU%2BBwxv%2FEs7Y%2BkFNAfx3L3zFMTfUAK3GYswkcZRgtJ8q1ndjmVVu67mbqtmrHzB13c2Ff1Q0bUKo0Vb%2Fs%2F%2BwFeH0|tkp%3ABk9SR-7VzOmkYg

Just over £800 (plus seventy odd quid shipping from Japan!!!!) for a HB bass that sells for £100 new. I mean, they're great, but that seems.... optimistic. 

 

These are just stock items, not the expensive used ones people are trying to claw back the cost of putting big money pick-ups in or whatever... 

Anyone else seen bizarros like this? 

 

The only honest explanation (i.e. not trying to rip somebody off or money laundering) I can think of is "Of course, dear, I know I have too many guitars. I'll list some on ebay and if they sell there I suppose I can part with them......" <Puts them on ebay at a crazy price noone will pay>. Or maybe people who don't want to sell, but think that putting a crazy high reserve or start price but asking for offers is a good way of getting an idea of (or raising) market value? 

[EdwardMarlowe]

On the plus side, there are a lot of genuine deals out there too. If I was right handed, I'd have a bid in on this one... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334933526697?hash=item4dfb9808a9:g:UbEAAOSwJ75koIly&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwAvsgjrLmMPCecbgr%2FahbksSjlrFOLgccRZrHBOZILsVvU0w6%2BphO1mzp8JYiZgxbFnxSrlZ4%2FM7h1Q2VLKE%2FLda62zSaIsM2XgjIhv%2F1tW1h0HKsJWdaxNPcfctuG9fBIt1hbaeNJWrA7brjPjem0YZ8Vgso654ebR3sXNxiDwxpe8Rb%2FlCPv4xq6rNYREc3TfA1b7TcPZQ5j1eDfSmzCobQdLJvCZs%2BSSmJhZCH2m%2FRN3oJlEZYsXiaDjp3uD5Gg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6CIw-mkYg

[Crusoe]

3 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

On the plus side, there are a lot of genuine deals out there too. If I was right handed, I'd have a bid in on this one... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334933526697?hash=item4dfb9808a9:g:UbEAAOSwJ75koIly&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwAvsgjrLmMPCecbgr%2FahbksSjlrFOLgccRZrHBOZILsVvU0w6%2BphO1mzp8JYiZgxbFnxSrlZ4%2FM7h1Q2VLKE%2FLda62zSaIsM2XgjIhv%2F1tW1h0HKsJWdaxNPcfctuG9fBIt1hbaeNJWrA7brjPjem0YZ8Vgso654ebR3sXNxiDwxpe8Rb%2FlCPv4xq6rNYREc3TfA1b7TcPZQ5j1eDfSmzCobQdLJvCZs%2BSSmJhZCH2m%2FRN3oJlEZYsXiaDjp3uD5Gg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6CIw-mkYg

On the other hand... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314137684092

[randythoades]

You would think that eBay themselves would be clamping down on this sort of practice. It undermines the platform really as people lose faith.

Granted, people are free to charge what they like for things and it is up to the buyer to decide how good a deal (or not) that tis is. However, when you are looking at these sorts of instruments, lots of the buyers are likely to be beginners and more likely to be scammed. Real shame...

[EdwardMarlowe]

22 hours ago, Crusoe said:

On the other hand... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314137684092

 

Yes, there's quite a lot of that.... I can sort of see people trying to claw back some of the cost of "upgrades", but nakedly trying to flip something with an upcharge when it can be bought new for less....

 

 

6 hours ago, randythoades said:

You would think that eBay themselves would be clamping down on this sort of practice. It undermines the platform really as people lose faith.

Granted, people are free to charge what they like for things and it is up to the buyer to decide how good a deal (or not) that tis is. However, when you are looking at these sorts of instruments, lots of the buyers are likely to be beginners and more likely to be scammed. Real shame...

 

You'd think so, yes.... tbh, though, I think eBay are so big now they don't care... and they've long wanted to get away from little guy sellers to the big low price, high volume unit shifters, so maybe it's not a market they care about not losing.... shame, though. The number of even fakes now no there are shocking. 

[tele-strat owner]

E-Bay eh ur um ya said it all with just E-bay-Auction- Like you a bad taste was left, I avoid the auctions