This seller has hacked the system
Summary: The discussion revolves around a seller allegedly listing Ritchey stickers at an exorbitant price of $999,999 each, sparking debate over whether this was due to hacking or a marketing tactic. bedatiger initially suspects hacking, while others, such as certifiedcitynet and lacemaker3, explain it as a common strategy on platforms like eBay where sellers list items at high prices when out of stock to maintain visibility. bedatiger eventually acknowledges and appreciates the clarification provided by other participants.
The seller, is purported to have sold 67 Ritchey 4" stickers for $999,999.00 each . The same picture though I don't know if it was the same seller sold eight of them a couple of years ago for $8.42 each including shipping. Other than this sale there are no other sales of this size of sticker in the past 3 years.
onefootflipper
·5 days agoWhat everyone in this thread did however miss was the old trick of editing a listing with good sales history into a completely different listing so it appears with sales history already. Pretty sure that is against terms somehow, but people do it. I am not even sure it would be against the rules if you used variation listings to pull it off, as there is no rule against adding or deleting variations.
mam98031
·6 days agoI think you assume too much and are stating things like it is factual when you have no way of even knowing if it is true.
lacemaker3
·6 days ago · Edited@bedatiger , there's nothing that indicates the listing or eBay have been hacked.
Others have explained why the seller might have set the price so high, rather than ending it.
The listing is still active and has been running for almost 7 years, since Nov. 2019. It has sold 67 items in total, but only 8 in the past 3 years, when the average sale price was $5.43. The last sale was Nov 10, 2024, for $5.99.
https://www.ebay.com/sh/research?marketplace=EBAY-US
Sold listings:
Active listings:
eburtonlab
·6 days agoThis seller appears to have sold a few stickers via offers, but the sales are too long ago to show prices:
https://www.ebay.com/bin/purchaseHistory?item=143444037494
According to seller hub research, all those items sold in the last three years have sold within a very narrow price range of $4.75 - $5.99.
https://www.ebay.com/sh/research?marketplace=EBAY-US&keywords=4%22+Ritchey+Bikes+Cycling+Bicycle+Mountain+Bike+MTB+Road+Blue%2Fwht+Sticker+Decal&dayRange=1095&endDate=1788211225399&startDate=1693603225399&categoryId=0&offset=0&limit=50&tabName=SOLD&tz=America%2FNew_York
The fact that eBay shows prior sales of that item, and that the current price is now $999,999 should not be construed to mean that those items sold at that price.
bedatiger
OP6 days agoThanks for the explanation! It makes sense now. Thanks to taking the time to explain.
eburtonlab
·6 days agoYou are most welcome!
puremichigand
·6 days agoThat listing is several years old, but no sales within the past few years. Not at all something from hacking. Seller had it for a few dollars each, sold 67 of them, ran out of stock, so upped to $999,999 to get some eyeballs on his store OR as a placeholder listing until he gets more in stock.
luckythewinner
·6 days agoIf you think that seller has "hacked the system", what exactly did he accomplish? (Note that some sellers use very high prices to keep a listing live while they are out of stock. When they get it back in stock, they lower the price again.)
onefootflipper
·6 days agoIt is very common for sellers with quantity items to set the price astronomically high when they run out of stock so they can keep the listing active while they restock.
I also sometimes realize I have lost track of an item and I will raise the price to something no one will ever pay until the item surfaces again, so I can keep the listing up.
bashort
·6 days ago · EditedYou could sell a few of any widget and then edit the listing title, pictures and price to whatever you want.
Also if you are out of stock on a item and will be for more than 90 days do not want to lose the sales history you can put a outrageous price on the item.
Look at 388688758190 looks like I have sold 16 of these for $40,000 each, the reality is I am out of stock and have been for a while but anticipate getting more
inhawaii
·6 days agoI have no idea what you are saying.
stainlessenginecovers
·6 days agoThere are ZERO "67 Ritchey Stickers' being shown 'sold' on ebay. ZERO
certifiedcitynet
·1 week agoThe seller sold them for a few dollars each. Nobody paid $999K. Listing an astronomically high price and enabling the "make offer" feature is an attention-getting marketing trick that some Ebay users have used since its inception.
bedatiger
OP6 days agoI don't agree. There are no sales of 67 stickers in the Product Research of "Ritchey sticker"
stainlessenginecovers
·6 days agoSo if there are none shown, like I stated- what possible 'system' did this seller supposedly hack??
certifiedcitynet
·6 days agoIf true, Ebay users ordered but failed to pay or cancelled.
christworks
·1 week ago@bedatiger Calm down, Sherlock. Nobody has hacked anything.
bedatiger
OP6 days agoReally? Prove to me that it wasn't hacked.
gone.c-33
·6 days agoWhat was the hack?
inhawaii
·6 days agoI agree with you, it was hacked.
Now what?
christworks
·6 days ago · Edited@bedatiger
As we say in the south, 'bless your heart.'
bedatiger
OP6 days agoAnother member explaining what was really going on, so it wasn't a hack.