How to report Price Gauging - Info Page is Wrong
There is a Price Gauging Policy page.
And there is a how to report price gauging section.
However the information given is outdated/wrong.
Report Category does not contain "Price Gauging" as an option, nor anything close to it that fits.
So how do I report an absolutely blatant case of price gauging?
In case anyone is curious, Item is a current model, pre-owned watch the seller is trying to sell for more than twice the retail price in the official store of the watches manufacturer.
cheers
38 comments
anjofak
·2 years agoI went to goodwill to see how ppl source there and seen they had things priced 3× what had gotten here...who do I cry to..
Look it up.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoOne can gauge prices without gouging.
kh-cathy
·2 years agoHi everyone,
This discussion has gotten a bit heated. Please remember that, while it is fine to disagree with others, discussion should always remain friendly and respectful as required by the Community Guidelines.
Thank you for your cooperation.
continentalcollectibles
·2 years agoHonestly to me, Price Gauging is when You're forced to Pay a Price and have no option to go to some other Place. its a Free Market out there and Since it's not an item necessary to Live or survive during an emergency I can't see where it could be considered Price Gauging in fact there are so many cases when a used item is worth more than a New one the buyer is free not to pay it
albertabrightalberta
·2 years agoNo, this is NOT what price "gauging" is!! Price gauging is what most sellers do when they search ebay and other sites to determine what their item might be worth.
Price GOUGING is what the OP is incorrectly alleging. As others have pointed out, an overpriced watch (or sports card, coin, handbag, etc.) is NOT a necessity of life and pricing it as what one might consider more than it's worth isn't gouging (with an "o").
robbie31415
·2 years agoEbay needs commercial rates media mail.
Facebook marketplace gives its sellers that rate. -.-
 
susanb1872
·2 years ago@robbie31415 This is off topic. Start a new thread if you want people to comment.
robbie31415
·2 years agoThe topic was settled in the first few posts.
@susanb1872
How about you worry about your own posts ?
susanb1872
·2 years ago@robbie31415 I don't see any discussion of media mail in the first few posts.
robbie31415
·2 years ago@susanb1872
I don't see where I said it was.
Maybe you should try again.
annadryl
·2 years agoBack when shipping was cheaper I sold things I got at the dollar store like books and DVD's. I offered items to my customers for what they were willing to pay. If shipping small items wasn't an arm and a leg, I'd still be doing exactly that. Free market.
janet9988
·2 years agoMaybe THEY paid twice as much for the item and are just trying to sell it for close to what they paid. Therefore it would NOT be price gouging.
onefootflipper
·2 years agoI hate to be the bearer of bad news, but about 90 percent of the items listed on ebay are listed above market price.
Also, you have no idea how many sellers totally guess prices with zero research. Even most longterm sellers seem to do this as it is the only thing that could explain 20+ year sellers who regularly post up items at twice the price of what the same things are already listed at on ebay.
maxine*j
·2 years agoWhat that lack of research also means, though, is that a canny buyer can get some absolute steals on eBay. When I was actively buying and selling, I bought things on eBay for the tens of dollars that I resold for the hundreds of dollars. Not often, but often enough to make me smile.
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onefootflipper
·2 years agoWhen I was a card specialist every time I sold an expensive pokemon card I would turn around and try to find a card lot that had the same card in it for far less money than I sold the one card at and I had a decent success rate at it.
bonjourami
·2 years agoDid you actually bid on, or buy this watch? Or are you just worried about the listing?
globalenter_7047
·2 years agoYou have the absolute right to initiate a return, and eBay guarantees Buyer Protection comprehensively. If you happen to be unsatisfied, you are fully entitled to ask for a return for the item. Your reasoning seems entirely valid. Maybe you hadn't considered it earlier, but the seller put in time and resources to meticulously package and send the item to you. This circumstance can be as frustrating as an unexpected cancellation. To avoid such situations in your future buys, think about seeking more detailed information about the product beforehand. Trust that this guidance turns out to be helpful for you.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoPretty sure the OP didn't actually purchase the watch in question.
bonjourami
·2 years agoJust wanted to name and shame the seller for no good reason.
inhawaii
·2 years agoWhat do you mean no good reason?
How dare the seller list something for MORE than it's worth!
What is the world coming to?
bonjourami
·2 years agoLOL..what nerve!
inhawaii
·2 years agoTrue story.
I once forgot to take the price tag off a item I shipped out.
The buyer later left me a negative feedback.
"This seller buys the item cheap then marks up the price to make a profit."
bonjourami
·2 years agoHa..thats funny..what a world.The Ebay world that is.
albertabrightalberta
·2 years agoThat's why I double and triple check my items before shipping them. I never want to mistakenly leave a receipt or a price tag inside an item that shows that I paid less than I sold it for.
iamalwaysright
·2 years agoThat's happened to me before back when I was too lazy to remove price stickers. One time it happened on an item I sold for $9 with free shipping and the retail sticker was 5.95.
I also had a colleague of mine found out I was an ebay seller then confidently talking about how she knew all my secrets of how sellers like me do it. Basically saying because she took business classes in college, and my "secret" was that I buy things at a cheaper price and sell them to others at a higher price to make money. Sad that she had to go to college to understand the concept of cost and profit. She makes well over 200k now btw.
tim_innsbruck
OP2 years agoRESULT
I have no idea about the law in this regard, but I only posted my question here after reading ebays policy referring to price gauging as they understand it. Obviously because I figured it would apply.
At the same time as writing the OP I also contacted the customer support and told them that I do not know whether this is a case of price gauging in their opinion but that they should maybe have a look at the listing.
Within less than a day I received a message from ebay saying:
".....I have checked the details and yes you are correct he is selling the watch more [sic] than the official retail price hence I have reported to my team and they will check it and remove the listing from our site and will send the warning email to the seller too. ..."
So I guess my quarrels with the listing weren't entirely unreasonable.
Cheers
inhawaii
·2 years agoIMHO I think ebay customer service is telling you what you want to hear.
I would bet a years salary that ebay will NOT remove that listing for price gouging.
Selling a watch at double the retail price is NOT price gouging.
I could list a Bic ball point pen for $10,000, that is NOT price gouging.
tim_innsbruck
OP2 years agoYes, Inhawaii is entirely correct.
While ebay responded saying that they would take the item down and that I was correct....
They did not do so.
Concerning the question, whether I did bid on the item. I offered the current retail price x0.8 as the best offer option, and also added the information that the watch costs way less brand new. This was declined by the seller, and then I inquired whether that actually falls under ebays price gauging policy.
I inquired, thats it!
I was really just curious if ebay is happy for its users to try to rinse customers or not.
Anyhow, I am out. The thread is all yours.
Cheers
mam98031
·2 years agoYes @inhawaii is correct as others before and after him that said the same thing are correct. With all respect you are trying to get involved in something that you just don't need to. The seller is not breaking any rule. But your right as a buyer is to move on and find a seller you would prefer to purchase from.
This seller just didn't meet your expectations. Trying to find a way to do the transaction with them won't help anyone. Just move on and find it at a price you like and a seller you are willing to do business with.
Good Luck.
iamalwaysright
·2 years agoIf it were me, given the information that you've provided thus far, I would never have bothered with this seller and just paid the "way less" price for a brand new one at the official store of the manufacturer you mentioned in your OP. But that's just me... I like paying less, not having to haggle, brand new vs used, reputable official store vs a private seller I don't know, immediate order placing vs waiting around for negotiation replies.
There has to be something about this particular item the seller has listed that you are failing to mention to us. Maybe it was previously owned by Pee Wee Herman or something. Who knows. Trying to shame a seller because they didn't take your offer is frowned upon.
mam98031
·2 years agoI respect why you think this is price gouging, but it simply isn't. What Ebay wrote you was a polite note to hopefully make you feel better, but they are not going to remove the listing for the reason you are complaining. Now if they find other policy violations, then they might. But for the price on a non protected commodity they won't. And if they did, it could be seen as price manipulation which is against the law too.
They designed that email to make you feel better, but nothing will come of it. Sorry.
maxine*j
·2 years agoWhat you were sent is what we call here in the U.S. "the bug letter." You can look up the origin of that, but what it means is that it is complete nonsense designed to make you feel better, shut up, and go away.
In the U.S., price gouging refers only to the resale of the essentials of life during a government-declared emergency. Period.
bonjourami
·2 years ago".....I have checked the details and yes you are correct he is selling the watch more [sic] than the official retail price hence I have reported to my team and they will check it and remove the listing from our site and will send the warning email to the seller too. ..."
Thats the usual malarky you hear when you call a scripted drone. Telling you whatever you want to hear to move on to the next complaint.
mam98031
·3 years ago@tim_innsbruck
That is NOT price gouging.
Price gouging is the practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or supply shock. This commonly applies to price increases of basic necessities after natural disasters.
I really wouldn't worry about that seller selling the watch at that price. It is highly likely that buyers know it is too much to be asking too.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoPrice gouging has a very specific meaning and application. Otherwise, people can ask what they like for their goods here.
itscalledapostingid
·3 years agoPrice Gouging is the correct spelling.
Price Gouging would never apply to an item like a watch.
You should look up the definition of price gouging.
Also see ebay Community Rules of engagement.
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoA watch is NOT an essential item, anyone is free to charge whatever they like, "price gouging" in a legal sense DOES NOT APPLY.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging