Honesty in Pricing

[michaelruggier0]

I have seen complaints on this forum about sellers charging more than their product is worth. I guess you can ask any price you want on the hunch that there is a buyer for anything. That may be true, and if you sell it, good for you, and if you don't, you'll lower the price. Basic supply and demand.

my complaint is pretty much the opposite. I was a successful seller on Ebay a number of years ago and I still maintain a 100% customer satisfaction rating. At that time I thought I'd try my luck at an Ebay store, but due to family matters I had to put it on hold. After a few years, and still paying monthly for my closed store by the way, I've thought of opening it up again, and I still have plenty of inventory. When I investigate my item and find it for sale on Ebay, like everything is, the price being asked isn't over priced, but way under.  In my opinion there is not much money to be made anymore with that pricing attitude. If I have an item legitimately worth 20 dollars, and I look it up on Ebay and there are people selling the same thing for $3.99, what's the sense? If I manage to sell it I still have to spend time and money for shipping, and I'm disregarding what I might have paid for it in the first place. Yea I'm venting, but it's pretty discouraging. 

[stainlessenginecovers]

A $3.99 item is NOT worth $20; that is just your opinion. 

Any 'smart' shopper will do 2 things when shopping online

1.) input keyword

2.) sort 'lowest shipped price first'

That's it. 

[simply-the-best-for-you]

There are always buyers.  I have sold items at over $100 when another person had it listed for $4.99.   

Lots of buyers value time over money,  they don't spend an hour chasing a $5 discount, they see what they want, think it's a fair price & buy it.  I was just searching (Google) for a little medical gadget today, prices from $6 to over $700 for the same gadget LOL.  I'll likely buy the first one I found at $11 cuz it seems to be a reputable company & I'm willing to pay $11.  The $6 one had $5 shipping.  I could get lost in nickel & diming for hours.  I'm not gonna do that.  

Also, there's no accounting for algorithms & what a buyer is shown at any given moment.  If they're shown the more expensive item, they may well buy it.  

[tarotfindsandmore]

What sort of 20 dollar item sells for 3.99?  It sounds like you may be having a sourcing issue rather than a pricing problem. 

Granted, you are unlikely to see the kind of margins you might have back in the late 90s or during Covid, but there is still plenty of money to be made here.

[luckythewinner]

 If I have an item legitimately worth 20 dollars, and I look it up on Ebay and there are people selling the same thing for $3.99, what's the sense? 

You should have no problem getting $20 for it when it is legitimately worth $20. 

But if it is readily available for $4, then it is not legitimately worth $20.  

Basic supply and demand.

[dhbookds]

Biggest mistake I think alot of sellers make is to extrapolate their opinions to be the opinion of others....   some are satisfied with x profit......others  want/demand x+y.........likewise some buyers shop price, others find the item at a price they are willing to pay and buy, not willing to spend more time shopping for a cheaper price. 

Certainly agree listing for $20, if an item is selling for $4......is an exercise in futility probably.   As has been said many times, you make your $$ when you buy the item......  which means you should have a good idea of what the selling price is BEFORE you purchase.    Of course, we all have made, will make, errors in purchasing.....but that doesn't mean it's impossible to buy and sell on ebay.......

[lisa5768]

@michaelruggier0 

Sellers can ask any price they want for an item and it's value is whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

I always look at the total amount the item sold for when researching prices, item + shipping. If I can make a profit selling at that price I will list it here.

[simba6]

Like it's easy to know what salt and pepper shakers shaped like dairy cows are worth?

There are no set prices in venues like this.  You can get a great buy or your clock cleaned.  A wise buyer will always shop and compare prices from many different places to insure the best value for their money.

[bashort]

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@michaelruggier0 wrote:

I have seen complaints on this forum about sellers charging more than their product is worth. I guess you can ask any price you want on the hunch that there is a buyer for anything. That may be true, and if you sell it, good for you, and if you don't, you'll lower the price. Basic supply and demand.

my complaint is pretty much the opposite. I was a successful seller on Ebay a number of years ago and I still maintain a 100% customer satisfaction rating. At that time I thought I'd try my luck at an Ebay store, but due to family matters I had to put it on hold. After a few years, and still paying monthly for my closed store by the way, I've thought of opening it up again, and I still have plenty of inventory. When I investigate my item and find it for sale on Ebay, like everything is, the price being asked isn't over priced, but way under.  In my opinion there is not much money to be made anymore with that pricing attitude. If I have an item legitimately worth 20 dollars, and I look it up on Ebay and there are people selling the same thing for $3.99, what's the sense? If I manage to sell it I still have to spend time and money for shipping, and I'm disregarding what I might have paid for it in the first place. Yea I'm venting, but it's pretty discouraging. 

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what you or I think the price should be is completely irrelevant, supply and demand sets the price.

If you say something is legitimately worth $20 and people are asking $3.99 the problem is that you are way wrong about what the item is worth obviously.