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Price scalping
For any actual BUYERS on the BUYERS forum, I suggest you take a look at my now locked thread on ebay sellers buying clothes from other ebay sellers and immediately flipping the items for double or more the price. This brought on a torrent of defensive, abusive replies from sellers who apparently PATROL the buyer's forum vehemently defending this practice and laughing at us sucker buyers.
It is a great example of the way sellers see buyers. I've seen this behavior on this forum for years--they attack any buyer who posts here--and the mods do nothing--which shows where they stand too.
I'm sure the mod will hustle along and lock this as soon as the guards attack, but until then know that this forum is NOT for buyers, and pay close attention to the sellers you choose.
I'm disgusted by them and have decided to move to other platforms to buy. They may eventually see others do likewise.
kh-christelle
·6 months agoHi everyone,
This discussion has started to escalate and is no longer moving in a productive direction. To prevent further escalation and keep the Community a constructive place for discussion, we will be locking this thread.
Thank you to those who contributed. If you have a new question or need assistance with a different issue, please feel free to start a new thread.
Thanks for your understanding.
evry1nositswindy
·6 months agoThe price is what someone will pay. You might think $20 is 'high' while someone else sees that as a bargain. Prices vary by state. Something I might buy here in Ohio costs more in Florida when I visit my mom. You have never sold anything, so you have no understanding of fees, shipping, cost of goods, etc. Lecturing others on pricing really isn't up to you. Buy it or don't. It's as simple as that.
grann-4629
·6 months agoI am a buyer, and I do not feel like I have ever been slammed by sellers on this forum, at least not enough to blame eBay and quit.
According to you however, this is about to change. Bring in on you nasty sellers 😖
wrt the Mods who close threads, most of those happen because the insults get a little too hard for some to handle ... kinda' like what happens when the feedback issue is discussed.
So far my buying experience on eBay has been A+
I don't see the need to go anywhere else to find the stuff I want, and I hope you're next platform brings you much happiness.
lovefindingtreasures2
·6 months agoMe thinks it's time to close this thread as it isn't providing any useful information anymore and has become a mud slinging thread. I just read through all of this and the original post about resellers reselling is rather silly anyway, it's how eBay works, lol 🙂
kensgiftshop
·6 months agoWhat about sellers that buy a shirt at Goodwill for $1, then turn around and sell it for $30, do you have a problem with them?
r_lresale
·6 months agoMotivations
Gaslighting is a way to control the moment, stop conflict, ease anxiety, and feel in control. It often deflects responsibility however and tears down the other person.
powell-collectibles
·6 months agoThank you for proving my point!
stainlessenginecovers
·6 months agoThis thread is just like a Nascar race where the fences are removed and the drivers are blindfolded.
Nothing but multiple wrecks in the forecast.
janet9988
·6 months agoI just want to know how you are finding out who these buyers are that are immediately flipping for more money. Ebay keeps that personal information private How are you violating that policy?
roccotacodad54
·6 months agoSo I see you're still mad that others get to those listings before you do.
couturehomecollection
·6 months agoThank you, @susanvaldo, for taking the time to share your views. I’m sorry that you and many other members have been treated disrespectfully, rudely and in a way that lacks basic manners. You are right, for years now, eBay members that come here have witnessed the constant bullying and attacks by a few, that I have termed “regulars”. Some probably don’t come back to avoid the drama while others are told to leave by more aggressive members of the clique. Discussion forums can function like closed communities that harbor bullying and small-mindedness through the online disinhibition effect, where anonymity lowers inhibitions and accountability. These digital spaces often become echo chambers—where similar, narrow-minded views are reinforced, and dissenting opinions are met with personal attacks, humiliation, or forced suppression.
To all the other “regulars” who have set up shop here to give each other affirmation, receive/inflate helpfulness points, or get your giggles attacking other eBay scam victims, those with different views and especially those you have intentionally set out to distress-maybe you need to find another pastime or take a little vacation? Don’t you think it a bit excessive to spend time researching what another poster said in 2016, just to belittle, correct, or put down others? It seems a poor use of an education for those that actually have matriculated. Have you considered showing a little kindness, compassion, understanding, and perhaps occasionally overlook a typo or broader definition of a word? You might be a happier person if you do! 😀
soh.maryl
·6 months agoSince you have chosen to chide us for attempting to explain to someone how the free market works, can you explain how making money on eBay by reselling is wrong or sinful?
msha3839
·6 months agoCHC can’t explain anything..she never made any money..🤷
bonjourami
·6 months ago"To all the other “regulars” who have set up shop here to give each other affirmation, receive/inflate helpfulness points, or get your giggles attacking other eBay scam victims-maybe you need to find another pastime or take a vacation? Don’t you think it a bit excessive to spend time researching what another poster said in 2016, just to belittle, correct, or put down others? It seems a poor use of an education for those that actually have matriculated. Gave you considered showing a little kindness, compassion, understanding, and perhaps occasionally overlook a typo? "
As posted earlier, you get back what you give on the boards. If your attitude is insulting, hostile,or ridiculing others...thats exactly what will be handed back to you. Or hadnt you noticed that? Maybe you were so busy scolding and lecturing others you missed it.
powell-collectibles
·6 months agoPlease be nice. Thanks!
bonjourami
·6 months agoPlease myob.
powell-collectibles
·6 months agough. I must have stumble upon on of those private boards. Still, please be nice. Thanks!
powell-collectibles
·6 months agoI can’t tell if you’re being serious. I simply asked you to be nice.
It seemed like a few of the usual suspects were piling on. The point was already made. I’m not sure how how high the pile needs to get before people say OK that’s enough.
powell-collectibles
·6 months agoAbsolutely, the usual suspects aren’t too happy when I ask for a little love and kindness.
jonathanbrightlight
·6 months agoDon’t start. You’re addressing the wrong people with your little snide comments, as always.
powell-collectibles
·6 months agoHere we go again - I just asked someone to be nice. That person was excusing bad behavior with a “he started it” approach. I’m just asking for some civility. Predictably, the usual suspects aren’t too happy about it.
jonathanbrightlight
·6 months agoYou’re calling back to a particular comment you made saying the same thing, and you’ve done so repeatedly. It’s an ongoing harassment campaign by you, which has been observed by a large number of the board regulars, and while I can tell you had been given some time away from the boards to reflect on your actions, clearly you’ve not learned from it. Permanent removal is the only way to stop your harassment and stalking, and I’m going to do anything I can to make sure those who can accomplish that are fully aware of what you have been doing.
powell-collectibles
·6 months agoYou might want to ask yourself why asking someone to be nice is so triggering. And why so many of the usual suspects swoop in. Those same usual suspects that pile on posters that have a differing opinion or make a simple mistake.
kibble-net
·6 months agoI'm sorry OP. I'll stop buying up all of the incomplete Connect Four board games at all of the Goodwill stores. You can have each and every one of them for yourself. I'm sure you want them.
buyselljack2016
·6 months agoI am so ashamed of myself. My goal is to sell everything that I buy for more than I paid for it.
soh.maryl
·6 months agoSh-h-h. Don't just tell everyone your secret formula.
If you do, hundreds of millions of sellers will be using your same strategy.
grann-4629
·6 months agoToo late @soh.maryl ... Jamie @inhawaii already let the cat out of the bag in another thread ...
policequilts
·6 months agoJust recently, I purchased a box of mixed beads.
I am keeping a portion of them for my projects and the others that I am not interested in will be sold.
The ones I will be selling will, basically paid for what I paid for all the beads with a little extra.
My reward for anything extra that I get from this purchase.
tinsoldierunderground
·6 months ago@susanvaldo
Yeah... buyer here. I've never been anything but a buyer on this site, never sold a thing. I'm regularly posting on these forums in the BUYING category. As far as I can see these forum members who volunteer on these boards give back what they get. It's also interesting to note that you've been 'done with ebay' for just shy of ten years since your initial rant/post of June 2016. As far as your flipping clothes thread being locked down, the mods did so most likely due to your caustic responses to other members posts.
mudshark61369
·6 months ago@susanvaldo ,
I wish you would get your terms straight. Scalping, simply put is: Buying High demand limited quantity items like Tickets, or Pre-sale electronic items for face price or MSRP, then turning them around at a Very high price once the supplier has sold out. That is not what you are seeing in this case. It is not price gouging either Price Gouging is the act of a seller selling essential items at inflated prices (more than 10% higher) during an emergency. It is illegal to do that in most states.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying items for a low price then turning them around for more, whether it is an individual seller or chain store.
I looked at your profile and found that you have bought items from sellers who are selling things at Very Low prices. I looked up the sold prices for some of the things you bought from those sellers and found that they sold for about three times that price both before and after you made your purchases. Whether they bought the items from some of the seller's you bought from or not, and sold them for more (close to the trending prices) is purely conjectural.
I have to ask, if you do not feel a bit guilty when you buy an item for $2 + S&H for a total of $9 when the trending price is $15 + S&H? If you do not, then you are as bad as the sellers you are complaining about IMO.
gone.c-33
·6 months ago“ I have to ask, if you do not feel a bit guilty when you buy an item for $2 + S&H for a total of $9 when the trending price is $15 + S&H? If you do not, then you are as bad as the sellers you are complaining about IMO.”
If she’s purchasing the items for personal use, why would she feel bad for paying less than the trending price?
bonanza125
·6 months agoThis is a forum for folks to ask questions or get advice about buying. Majority of the people in this forum are sellers who answer buyers questions. That's what this community is about. You think that this buying forum is a bunch of buyers looking to complain and argue about Ebay. My suggestion to you is to find a platform where you can argue and complain about whatever issue you have about buying on Ebay. The stuff you brought up will not change. Buyers are allowed to purchase an item and sell it on Ebay for a profit. There is a "Resell" button which encourages folks to list what they purchase. There is nothing wrong with it as far as Ebay is concerned.
kensgiftshop
·6 months agoWhat about Walmart and Amazon, do you think they buy items for the same price they sell for?
No matter what the item is, the seller is going to raise the price.
bonjourami
·6 months ago"For any actual BUYERS on the BUYERS forum, I suggest you take a look at my now locked thread on ebay sellers buying clothes from other ebay sellers and immediately flipping the items for double or more the price. This brought on a torrent of defensive, abusive replies from sellers who apparently PATROL the buyer's forum vehemently defending this practice and laughing at us sucker buyers."
Ive never heard of the 'buyers forum'. There is a 'Buying board', is that you mean? You seem to post some very
confusing and inaccurate remarks.Fyi, sellers are buyers too.
gone.c-33
·6 months agoOP is right, the internet has created a whole generation of “resellers”, people who don’t actually have access to wholesale merchandise but who have the capital to buy up desirable items and resell them for profits, artificially inflating the prices for everyone.
I’m not talking about people who have the skills to find and often repair or refurbish the items, I’m talking about people who have no skill other than a bit of capital.
Collectibles and used goods have been particularly affected by this phenomenon but you’ll also find resellers buying off entire racks or shelves of items on sale. So now consumers are not only competing against themselves during Boxing Day but also against resellers and poor people end up with nothing but SHEIN and other garbage brands at Goodwill.
Now not all the items will sell, that’s why we often see posts from sellers complaining their items aren’t selling. But they have still been taken off the shelves creating scarcity.
Honestly, sometimes I feel it’s only a matter of time before someone does it with meat and eggs. Buy up all the eggs from the grocery store and resell them for an insane price. Farmer gets his money, grocery store gets its money, that one reseller gets his money and everybody else loses.
This is not capitalism, it’s late-stage capitalism which is not beneficial to anyone except the very few at the top, even if it did send your two kids to college and built your two-door garage.
But advocating for anything other than a dog eat dog world these days brands you a communist… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
christworks
·6 months agoFirst, resellers do not create scarcity. They respond to it. If something is easy to find and plentiful, there is no profit in reselling it. The only reason a reseller buys an item is because demand already exceeds the convenience of supply in that moment or place. The reseller is just the middleman connecting supply and demand more efficiently.
Second, the idea that resellers “inflate prices” ignores who actually sets the price: buyers. If nobody is willing to pay the higher price, the reseller loses money. Every reseller has a death pile of items they misjudged. The market decides the value, not the person listing the item.
Third, resellers actually increase access, not reduce it. Think about collectibles or vintage goods. Without resellers, you’d have to personally hunt garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, flea markets, and random antique malls across the country. Most people don’t have time for that. Resellers do the hunting and put the item online so anyone can buy it from their couch.
Fourth, the “taking items from poor people at Goodwill” argument misunderstands how thrift stores actually operate. Why do people assume only poor people shop at Goodwill, or that poor people can’t own nice brands? Goodwill often has name-brand items precisely because donating is so easy. People pull up, drop things off, and the organization accepts almost everything.
More importantly, the supply at most thrift stores far exceeds demand. That’s why many locations eventually start turning donations away. The reason Goodwill created the outlet “bin” stores in the first place was because they had enormous amounts of unsold merchandise that never moved through their regular retail stores. Let me tell you, there are plenty of good items there if you’re willing to spend the time looking.
I see the same thing locally. The manager at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore often has donations stacked to the ceiling in the back. There have been several times he’s allowed me to buy bulk lots directly. He gets money for the charity, and I get inventory. When resellers buy inventory from a thrift store, they are literally funding the charity and helping clear space so the organization can continue accepting donations. If items are priced below what the broader market will pay, that’s a pricing decision made by the store—not some moral failing on the part of the person who bought them.
The egg example also falls apart because commodities are not the same as collectibles. Eggs are perishable, heavily distributed, and constantly restocked. Someone trying to corner the egg market at a grocery store would lose money almost instantly when the next truck arrives. That’s why you don’t see it happening. When something does happen, say during a hurricane and people buy up all the toliet paper to flip, they almost always end up with a cr*p load (pun intended) of TP leftover and lose money.
And finally, the idea that resellers have “no skill” is just wrong. Sourcing, pricing, photography, listing, storage, shipping, returns, customer service, and taking the risk of unsold inventory is literally the job. If it were as easy as “just having capital,” everyone would succeed at it — and clearly they don’t.
The blunt reality: resellers don’t break markets. They are a market function that has existed for centuries — antique dealers, used bookstores, flea market vendors, pawn shops, ticket brokers, coin dealers. The internet didn’t invent it; it just made it visible.
One more thing: a lot of people turn to reselling because they’re poor. Do poor people not have a right to pull themselves up out of poverty? I grew up poor. We went without electricity multiple times. I went without a bed to sleep in for 3 years as a teenager. There were many, many nights where all we had to eat were a few saltine crackers and maybe some peanut butter. We were several years without a car. For many years when we did have a car, we often had to depend on a gas station owner "loan" us gas until mom got paid. Mom worked nearly 40 years making minimum wage. Had there been an eBay around in the 80s and early 90s, we may not have been in such a dire situation.
I worked my butt off putting myself through college. I didn't have a scholarhip. Yet, I was poor and a straight A student. That "mistreatment," did not give me a sense of entitlement. Instead, I worked two jobs in college and did internships. I didn't complain about it either, becuase I have enough sense to know that no matter what financial situation I'm in, whether I'm living on the streets or I'm living in a mansion, I am far more blessed 99.9% of the world. I'm certainly more blessed than those in China. I'm more blessed than those in Cuba. I'm more blessed than anybody living in these Communist countries the left seems to adore.
When I started on eBay three years ago, I was on SNAP and Medicaid. Reselling gave me the flexible schedule I needed to care for my 86-year-old mother and my very sick sister, while also working my way out of the debt I was left with after my divorce.
Anyone willing to learn and put in the effort can resell—or start some other kind of small business. That’s one of the great things about America and about Capitalism: the barrier to entry can be very low if you’re willing to put in the work. Nobody is guaranteed success, but the opportunity is there. And the fact that so many people around the world still want to come here says a lot about that.
albertabrightalberta
·6 months ago@christworks
Post #44 - best post ever!
msha3839
·6 months agoSo called resellers existed from the beginning of times due to necessity of buying merchandise from different locations and sources…simple and logical solution to many problems…internet didn’t create generation of resellers but simply gave more exposure and potential to sell..garage sales/ flea markets / thrift stores existed long ago…OP complained about used goods/ clothing and you jump to completely different trading scenarios…funny , but you talking about people who have no skills other than capital..well, they do have a skill that most people don’t..making money…to summarize it, people who complain about everything, especially others, generally losers who never look in the mirror and always be a victim in their own limited minds…
kalyoth
·6 months agoIf a buyer is willing to pay a price to obtain a product, that is on the buyer & no one else. If the buyer did not exist for that price point, neither would the price point. Your issue is not that someone is selling higher, it's that it's not you.
ccomic
·6 months agoI see both sides. There is nothing wrong with buying low and selling high. As a general rule I'd rather have something be available at a price higher than I want to pay than not being available at all.
That said, I usually refuse to buy new items that are scalped, like some lego sets, and limited editions of popular items. If I can't get a new item at retail price or less, I don't want it. I won't reward that type of scalping.
albertabrightalberta
·6 months agoI thought you said you were done here back in November 2022?
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Ebay-trying-to-eliminate-access-to-resolution-center-I-am-done/td-p/33363481
And your OP from this 2016 thread states:
"I am ready to stop buying on ebay altogether."
Methinks you like it here since you're still around 10 years later.
1786davycrockett
·6 months ago@susanvaldo
The vast majority of sellers on eBay do not manufacture the items which they sell -- they hunt other sources (including eBay) for products, which they can purchase at bargain rates, in order to sell those items for higher prices on eBay and other venues.
There is nothing illegal or immoral about that -- it is the basis of capitalism, and has been the model for most resale businesses for hundreds (if not thousands) of years.
annadryl
·6 months agoI mentioned "scalping" threads on the last one and... you've adopted that. You're in the club! Here's another: Price Gouging.
mamacassidy
·6 months agoLOL, not this again.
Buying and Selling and Reselling on ebay is not only allowed, it is encouraged. There is even a button that appears on all your purchases to Resell your items.
People who buy and resell are not bad people and I have no idea where your ire comes from.
As far as sellers who "PATROL the buyer's forum", I post on all the forums because I Buy, Sell, Ship, use Payments, accept Returns, and sometimes have Technical Issues.
kathiec
·6 months ago@susanvaldo
Why keep harping on this?? You have no idea how many of those who responded to your other thread are sellers (hint: many of us are only buyers). You just assumed that anyone who disagrees with you is part of a rogue group of sellers who take time from their busy lives to randomly attack buyers in this forum. 🙄 (Second hint: they're just people who disagree with you.) And there were a lot of us who disagreed. It's called reality. If you wish to leave eBay over these perceived slights, knock yourself out. This isn't an airport; you don't need to announce your departure.
soh.maryl
·6 months agoStrange, I thought this was all over and done with several days ago.
jonathanbrightlight
·6 months agoThis is the “Buying” forum, not “Buyers”, and anyone who wishes to respond can do so. You’ll often find that those who sell are quite knowledgeable about buying, and sometimes the other way around as well.
You also received quite a few correct answers in your other thread that you have apparently dismissed entirely. I suggest you look up the definition of “scalping”, btw, and also the concept of reselling.
christworks
·6 months ago@msha3839
I agree with most of what you said. However, I take issue with the claim that everyone “overpays.” Overpaying means paying more than the market value. For example, Walmart might sell my favorite Hanes T-shirts for $10. Target sells them for $12. JCPenney sells them for $13. The market has effectively said those shirts are worth around $10–$15.
If I go to Dillard’s and buy the exact same shirt for $25, then yes, I’ve overpaid relative to the broader market. That said, there can be valid reasons someone chooses to do that. Maybe the other stores are out of my size. Maybe they’re farther away and I’m factoring in time and gas. The same logic applies to online shopping.
Convenience and availability play a big role online. A lot of what I sell is vintage. Maybe I have someone’s favorite childhood toy from 30 years ago. You’re not going to walk into Walmart, Target, or even most thrift stores and find that exact item anymore. The only reason it’s available at all is because someone sourced it somewhere and put it back on the market. It takes time to do that, and that is why resellers deserve to make a profit.
That’s what resellers do. We find items, buy them at whatever price we paid, and make them available to the people who want them. The buyer then decides if the price is worth it to them. If it isn't, wait it out, maybe it goes on sale. But nobody has any right to get mad at a seller for trying to get the most they can out of an item.
Some sellers, including myself, source online, including on eBay. We are not taking anything from people like the OP. That person, as you do, has every opportunity to buy whatever they want at the same price I do. That's why I don't understand the hostitlity they have. It has to be incredibly miserable to live in that bubble. As they say, misery loves company and I think that is the point of their posts on this subject. They remind me of a seller who has been banned from eBay or who tried to resale and couldn't, so now they are full of envy at those of us who are successful.
At the end of the day, nobody is forced to buy anything. Buyers are free to compare prices, shop around, or purchase elsewhere if they think something is priced too high. That’s how every retail environment functions, both online and offline. When people aren't buying, guess what happens? Prices come down. There are more sales. There are better offers.
msha3839
·6 months agoActually overpaying is close to the target …In most cases even when stores buy directly from manufacturers we as a consumers, pay extra for overhead like theft and returns..part of the business…🥃
christworks
·6 months agoYou are mixing up price with overpaying.
What you’re describing isn’t really “overpaying.” It’s simply the price of the product including the seller’s (where here or a brick-and-morter store) costs of doing business—things like rent, theft, returns, payroll, and other overhead. Those costs get built into the price everywhere in retail.
Overpaying would mean paying more than the market value of the item. If the price reflects the seller’s costs and the market is willing to pay it, that’s just the normal price of the item, not overpaying.
Ask any reseller who knows what they are doing and they will tell you that you make your money on an item on the front end by underpaying. That is to buy something below market value. That's actually what is happening when resellers source from eBay. They are targeting those sellers who have underpriced their item and diving in to scoop it up. The actual market value is what the normal buyer is paying for it. That is why the OP's gripe makes no sense.
☮️
msha3839
·6 months agoRegardless what market willing to pay, merchandise can be overpriced and overpaid..real estate is a good example..speaking about resale, 35 years in business, a few dozen employees, gross revenue close to $500 million....I know little about trading…🤧p.s. ..business sold years ago, currently unemployed 😜🥂
christworks
·6 months agoWe will have to agree to disagree on the subject.
Enjoy retirement.
msha3839
·6 months agoThank you🥃
tobaccocardyahoo
·6 months agoSome of the sellers on other sites buy on Ebay.
There may be more of them than their are Ebay sellers who source on Ebay.
campanaelia
·6 months agoMany sellers on ebay, sell on all the other platforms. So you might as well continue to shop here too.
msha3839
·6 months agoWhy do you think that flipping merchandise for profit is a crime? Without profit none of the business establishments could exist…all of us overpay for every single item we buy and this is reality of life…regarding some sellers and buyers, nothing new under the sun…p.s. good luck shopping on other platforms…