The whole "if you run out of stock increase the price to a ridiculous value" strategy as a placeholder confuses me. The customer wants it now (or at least promptly).
No one is going to buy it at the vastly inflated price, obviously. Customers in a hurry will seek out alternative suppliers.
If everyone is out of stock, or if customers are not in a hurry, those customers can put the expensive item on a Watch List and get notified when the item is back in stock and the price comes down.
If the seller had removed the listing or adjusted the stock amount to zero, no one would be able to find the listing to add it to a Watch List.
Buyers that are not interested in $10,000 items can easily set a price range to exclude those listings from the search results.
It's like baseball cards listed for thousands of dollars, that are only worth 10 cents. Or Cheetos that look (not really!) like someone famous for $16,000. I think there are money laundering schemes afoot.
It's like baseball cards listed for thousands of dollars, that are only worth 10 cents. Or Cheetos that look (not really!) like someone famous for $16,000. I think there are money laundering schemes afoot.
Yeah it makes ya wonder..
Search for pencil or pen and select "highest price" for a shock.
There are USED pencils and pens for tens of thousands, some a million dollars.
It makes you think... What is the purpose?
I've heard of test listings and placeholders but there's so many, it seems strange.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoThe whole "if you run out of stock increase the price to a ridiculous value" strategy as a placeholder confuses me.
The customer wants it now (or at least promptly).
All the placeholder strategy does is tell the customer that the seller is seriously disturbed.
I feel the same about vacationing sellers who make their listings visible but not buyable.
It's like telling the customer that you have it, but they can't . Nyah nyah nyah.
eburtonlab
·1 year agoThe whole "if you run out of stock increase the price to a ridiculous value" strategy as a placeholder confuses me. The customer wants it now (or at least promptly).
No one is going to buy it at the vastly inflated price, obviously. Customers in a hurry will seek out alternative suppliers.
If everyone is out of stock, or if customers are not in a hurry, those customers can put the expensive item on a Watch List and get notified when the item is back in stock and the price comes down.
If the seller had removed the listing or adjusted the stock amount to zero, no one would be able to find the listing to add it to a Watch List.
Buyers that are not interested in $10,000 items can easily set a price range to exclude those listings from the search results.
bdmh-enterprises
·1 year agoIn addition to what eburton said:
Sellers make the listings placeholders like that because if you end the listing it will loose it's placement in Google (and other off eBay) search.
Stupid high prices also attract buyers to the seller's other listings when they go look to see if the seller is in fact disturbed.
squinkercat59
·1 year agoIt's like baseball cards listed for thousands of dollars, that are only worth 10 cents. Or Cheetos that look (not really!) like someone famous for $16,000. I think there are money laundering schemes afoot.
pikabo-icu
·1 year agoYeah it makes ya wonder..
Search for pencil or pen and select "highest price" for a shock.
There are USED pencils and pens for tens of thousands, some a million dollars.
It makes you think... What is the purpose?
I've heard of test listings and placeholders but there's so many, it seems strange.
eburtonlab
·1 year agoThere are USED pencils and pens for tens of thousands, some a million dollars.
It makes you think... What is the purpose?
Those are likely just placeholders for future listings for some other item. Put a few on your Watch List and see what they eventually become.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoStamp 'sellers(assumed)' are flooding the stamp category of worthless stamps thinking they are worth something.
Some sellers have listed stamps at $10,000.00+ when stamp is not even worth a penny...LOL
And what makes this even worse is they promote these worthless stamps and they get more exposure than serious stamp sellers selling their items.
The eBay market is so flooded with these sellers who list items that would never sell...