WTF is up with these deceitful eBay listings?

KtMack23

KtMack23

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Recently I've seen several ebay listings where the picture and title are one game, and then if you read the description it says you're bidding on something entirely different!
EX: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-DS-Disgaea-DS-COMPLETE-Mint-Guaranteed?item=261017364176&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26itu%3DI%252BUA%26otn%3D12%26pmod%3D261039887766%26po%3DLWI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D9047158354019984325#ht_500wt_949
I saw another where the picture and title was of some N64 games but then the description said Super street fighter IV. What the hell is up with this?
 
I don't think it's intentionally deceitful as much as it is people copying and pasting information into their auction description, and not paying attention.
 
Also note, too, that eBay now requires that you pick an item from their catalog listing to include as part of the description. You must do this even if your particular game is not already there. This isn't much of a problem with new games, but I sell lots of classic stuff or prototype stuff that just isn't there.
 
I'm hoping that this is a copy/paste fail.

I have been selling a few things this month, and I've never seen this before, but have had several people messaging me trying to haggle! Just this morning I had a guy ask if I'd take $20 shipped for an item i had listed for $24, with $29 BIN. The item sold for the $29 a couple hours later.
 
i seen on auction need to see if i can find it


TITLE 3DS system new model


real small type in the ad it says

super mario 3d world


thats right the title says they are selling the system when in fact they are selling a game and nowhere in the title does it even list the game
 
Probably just people trying to sell off crap they can't normally get rid of, so they list it as a more popular item. You can't complain when you get your turd of a game in the mail because it was technially in the description, and they sell their unpopular item.

Of course, nobody should be stupid enough to be fooled by a lying listing like this, but still.
 
The absolute worst thing I've ever seen on eBay was when people were selling the boxes for stuff like PS3 systems and people were paying $300+ because they thought they were bidding on a system. Albeit that's likely reading fail on the buyers' part, since most of those auctions had a disclaimer that it was just for the box in the description.
 
[quote name='elessar123']Can't you report them for deceitful listings?[/QUOTE]

Yeah, you can report auctions where the title doesn't match the description. Of course, eBay's reporting system is about as pointless as it gets since they don't care.

And this likely is a mistake because some of the other items the seller has are listed correctly.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Yeah, you can report auctions where the title doesn't match the description. Of course, eBay's reporting system is about as pointless as it gets since they don't care.

And this likely is a mistake because some of the other items the seller has are listed correctly.[/QUOTE]

You are right , ebay wipes their collective asses with all the reported auctions.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']The absolute worst thing I've ever seen on eBay was when people were selling the boxes for stuff like PS3 systems and people were paying $300+ because they thought they were bidding on a system. Albeit that's likely reading fail on the buyers' part, since most of those auctions had a disclaimer that it was just for the box in the description.[/QUOTE]

whats more depressing about this is when ebay or paypal side with the buyer. as you are right the description almost always said this is the box in big capital letters.
 
[quote name='kayne2000']whats more depressing about this is when ebay or paypal side with the buyer. as you are right the description almost always said this is the box in big capital letters.[/QUOTE]

Why would eBay side with a shady seller?
 
[quote name='Pyloric']I'm hoping that this is a copy/paste fail.

I have been selling a few things this month, and I've never seen this before, but have had several people messaging me trying to haggle! Just this morning I had a guy ask if I'd take $20 shipped for an item i had listed for $24, with $29 BIN. The item sold for the $29 a couple hours later.[/QUOTE]
The $20 sounds pretty reasonable, actually. Most people with BIN put a high price to either fish for idiots or to make it seem like their auction price is actually a good deal in comparison.:roll:
 
[quote name='confoosious']Why would eBay side with a shady seller?[/QUOTE]

its not shady when the seller says THIS IS JUST THE BOX NO GAME CONSOLE INCLUDED.
 
[quote name='kayne2000']its not shady when the seller says THIS IS JUST THE BOX NO GAME CONSOLE INCLUDED.[/QUOTE]

I don't think you understand that truthful and shady aren't mutually exclusive. eBay loses its customers if they allow people to prey on the stupid. You have to prevent scams both by buyers and sellers.

I have no sympathy for morons who dont read but it's still a solid business decision by eBay to not back these kind of listings.
 
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[quote name='confoosious']Why would eBay side with a shady seller?[/QUOTE]
Because most of them weren't shady as they put in GIANT letters that it was only the box for the system. But people just saw PS3 and immediately thought 'oh that's the system'.

To me it's like this scene from Rush Hour when trying to deal with some of the ignoramuses on the internet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rl9Cxc7uZA
 
When I sold my Saturn box, I was very clear that it was just the box and I messaged the buyer before I shipped the box to make sure they knew it was just the box. I guess that's different though since the Saturn was dead at that point so it wasn't a hot item that people were paying over MSRP for.
 
It's mainly when the listing looks exactly like a listing for the console, then at the very end in smaller letters they write "box only"

People should read, sure, but it's still shady.
 
Just send the seller a question to clarify. The seller's description can say one thing but I think its ebay's product description that really matters. I remember watching one of those court shows a while back where an ebay scammer sold someone a picture of a phone or something instead of the actual item. Since the ebay product description listed it as having a substantially higher weight than it actually did, the scammer lost the case (even tho he/she said it was a picture in the seller description).
 
[quote name='Action Bastard']The $20 sounds pretty reasonable, actually. Most people with BIN put a high price to either fish for idiots or to make it seem like their auction price is actually a good deal in comparison.:roll:[/QUOTE]
Funny. I always put my items on Amazon $1-5 under the highest seller and they seem to sell quite well. So I guess there's a lot of idiots out there, huh? Either that or they view the higher price as a convenience charge for them not having to drive all over creation looking for that item.

Either way, I've sold a Black Ops Prestige Edition for OVER MSRP and a PSPGo for MSRP or close.
 
[quote name='Pyloric']I'm hoping that this is a copy/paste fail.

I have been selling a few things this month, and I've never seen this before, but have had several people messaging me trying to haggle! Just this morning I had a guy ask if I'd take $20 shipped for an item i had listed for $24, with $29 BIN. The item sold for the $29 a couple hours later.[/QUOTE]

I've actually had good luck haggling on ebay. I wish it happened more often! lol
 
[quote name='confoosious']I don't think you understand that truthful and shady aren't mutually exclusive. eBay loses its customers if they allow people to prey on the stupid. You have to prevent scams both by buyers and sellers.

I have no sympathy for morons who dont read but it's still a solid business decision by eBay to not back these kind of listings.[/QUOTE]

im more of the train of thought we dont need to reward stupidity. if i can sucker you into paying 300 bucks for an empty box then by golly you should pay me that 300 bucks especially if its a legal transaction. if anything the buyers need to be held for failure to hold up their end of a legal transaction of the sale of an item. and if they fail arrest them. its really the buyers fault here.
 
She is a higher power.

I wonder if kayne thinks the people who play three card monte on the streets are the ones at fault and not the people who run it.
 
I can almost guarantee it's just an honest mistake. The person has a lot of feedback and it's 100% positive. The few other listings by them I looked at are not like this. They'd probably feel like shit if the item sells to someone thinking they're getting one thing and then receiving another. They don't want any negative feedback.

I messaged the seller since I know I'd want someone to point it out to me if I made such a goofy mistake.

As for selling a BOX ONLY to a system for a ridiculous amount...there's definitely some shadiness by the seller and stupidity or lack of awareness or whatever you want to call it by the buyer. IMO Ebay should definitely not support those listings. I guess if the item sells well then maybe it's good that the buyer is not only buying a box but hopefully also a valuable life lesson.

People should maybe report these listings and I guess it's up to ebay if they pull them or not. If it were up to me and someone is selling a box for $300 Buy It Now I'd pull that listing. If it's an auction and some moron is bidding it up not paying attention I'd let it go.
 
If you refuse to read the auction, then you put this on yourself. I sometimes sell LE stuff without the code and although I always make that clear in my auctions, some buyers refuse to read the description and/or title and just buy without thinking. Last year I sold my hardened edition of Black Ops only to have the buyer ask for a refund because it didn't come with the map packs. I told him I wrote it in the title and description in big bold letters about it not having the map packs. He later admitted that he didn't read the auction, he just assumed it came with everything.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Funny. I always put my items on Amazon $1-5 under the highest seller and they seem to sell quite well. So I guess there's a lot of idiots out there, huh? Either that or they view the higher price as a convenience charge for them not having to drive all over creation looking for that item.

Either way, I've sold a Black Ops Prestige Edition for OVER MSRP and a PSPGo for MSRP or close.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Funny. I always put my items on Amazon $1-5 under the highest seller and they seem to sell quite well[/QUOTE]
We're talking about eBay, not Amazon.

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']So I guess there's a lot of idiots out there, huh?[/QUOTE]
Yup, that's what keeps the over inflation wheel rolling :lol: Not accusing you of it personally, I'm just saying in general.

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Either that or they view the higher price as a convenience charge for them not having to drive all over creation looking for that item.[/QUOTE]


Convenience charge? :rofl:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BORDERLANDS...2456?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item43b0b22008
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Hitman-Absol...ames_Games&hash=item3cc6f4a751#ht_1025wt_1270
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mario-an...ames_Games&hash=item4ab6a9f228#ht_1067wt_1039
There is nothing convenient about this so called " convenience charge " :lol:

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Either way, I've sold a Black Ops Prestige Edition for OVER MSRP and a PSPGo for MSRP or close.[/QUOTE]
8xkgg8.gif


I almost feel bad for those guys. There should be a best salesman in the world medal I could give you :)
 
[quote name='Action Bastard']
Convenience charge? :rofl:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BORDERLANDS...2456?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item43b0b22008
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Hitman-Absol...ames_Games&hash=item3cc6f4a751#ht_1025wt_1270
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mario-an...ames_Games&hash=item4ab6a9f228#ht_1067wt_1039
There is nothing convenient about this so called " convenience charge " :lol:
[/quote]
If people are willing to pay the higher prices and someone does actually buy them for 2-3 or more times over MSRP, who's the dummy there? No one really if you ask me. If they have the money and have no problems paying that amount(and don't turn out to be a scammer and try to claim they never got it once it ships), then I see no problem with people paying that much for something. if anything, the seller would've been a dummy for not trying to sell something that may be truly limited and trying to get over MSRP for it.
8xkgg8.gif


I almost feel bad for those guys. There should be a best salesman in the world medal I could give you :)
Click to expand...
Actually I was one of the lower prices for the PSPGo. There were people who were $300-400 or so I think at one point. Again though, if someone wants one and can't find or be bothered to go looking for one and is willing to pay those kinda prices, then it's just more money for those who have the items for sale.;) And that's definitely fine with me.:D:applause:
 
[quote name='ShockandAww']I can almost guarantee it's just an honest mistake. The person has a lot of feedback and it's 100% positive. The few other listings by them I looked at are not like this. They'd probably feel like shit if the item sells to someone thinking they're getting one thing and then receiving another. They don't want any negative feedback.

I messaged the seller since I know I'd want someone to point it out to me if I made such a goofy mistake.

As for selling a BOX ONLY to a system for a ridiculous amount...there's definitely some shadiness by the seller and stupidity or lack of awareness or whatever you want to call it by the buyer. IMO Ebay should definitely not support those listings. I guess if the item sells well then maybe it's good that the buyer is not only buying a box but hopefully also a valuable life lesson.

People should maybe report these listings and I guess it's up to ebay if they pull them or not. If it were up to me and someone is selling a box for $300 Buy It Now I'd pull that listing. If it's an auction and some moron is bidding it up not paying attention I'd let it go.[/QUOTE]

ah here we go. people need to be able to fail and be stupid to learn anything. if people are never given this chance to fail epically they will learn nothing. failure is neccessary in life. furthermore if these people have gotten to the point that they can own paypal accounts and have not yet learned to read the fine print or in this case giant capital letters that state it is a box only then they obviously need to learn this lesson. and forcing them to pay 300 bucks for an empty is a cruel yet effective lesson. and i hope they learn from it. and these deals need not protect the buyer that is an idiot and will continue to be an idiot till someone tells them they are in fact idiots.

[quote name='confoosious']She is a higher power.

I wonder if kayne thinks the people who play three card monte on the streets are the ones at fault and not the people who run it.[/QUOTE]

at that point its really your own fault. unless you are 10 and have never heard of street card games i mean are you otherwise expecting a fair deal here? i hope not. you play it for the lulz and nothing more. this lesson much like read the fine print is hopefully something your parents teach you.

and yea ive always wondered about those odd ball sellers on ebay and amazon that overprice things by like 10x the normal amount then again im sure someone buys it i mean look at the boxes on ebay...
 
ts ur paranoid.
the listing includes the name of the console to increase chances of getting hit via ebay search. if a person just typed disgaea they would end up with disgaeas for ps2 ps3 vita or whatever. when i search for games i include the console in the title search so ebay search narrows it down to only the games for the console i searched. i do the same thing when i sell games. it also increases chances of your auction being found; say someone was browsing and just searched "nintendo ds game" to see what comes up. if u just put disgaea ds its gonna get buried/might not even show up in their search, but if list the item to include the words "nintendo ds game disgaea" its more likely toshow up in their search as well as just about any other ds game related search.

stop trippin.
 
[quote name='kayne2000']ah here we go. people need to be able to fail and be stupid to learn anything. if people are never given this chance to fail epically they will learn nothing. failure is neccessary in life. furthermore if these people have gotten to the point that they can own paypal accounts and have not yet learned to read the fine print or in this case giant capital letters that state it is a box only then they obviously need to learn this lesson. and forcing them to pay 300 bucks for an empty is a cruel yet effective lesson. and i hope they learn from it. and these deals need not protect the buyer that is an idiot and will continue to be an idiot till someone tells them they are in fact idiots.



at that point its really your own fault. unless you are 10 and have never heard of street card games i mean are you otherwise expecting a fair deal here? i hope not. you play it for the lulz and nothing more. this lesson much like read the fine print is hopefully something your parents teach you.

and yea ive always wondered about those odd ball sellers on ebay and amazon that overprice things by like 10x the normal amount then again im sure someone buys it i mean look at the boxes on ebay...[/QUOTE]

You seem to have learned a lot just in this thread!
 
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