Pricing

[snow2hi2c]

How is it that ebay sellers want to charge more for items than retail stores? 

Its like going to a flee market and paying more than walmart for an item that was purchased at walmart! 

[tarotfindsandmore]

If the item is available for less at a retail store, that's where you should buy it.

[jonathanbrightlight]

eBay Sellers are not a uniform group.  There are many types of people who sell on eBay for many reasons, with many different levels of experience, with many different products. Some of them know how to price effectively and choose to, some know how but choose not to for whatever reasons, some don't know how. Some have ulterior motives and are looking to either scam people or launder money or other illegal activities, but most sellers are honest, just maybe not skilled.

[mamacassidy]

Or maybe it's more like Doordash..

You pay the extra for the convenience of shopping online and having it delivered to your door instead of having to leave the house  🙂

[tarotfindsandmore]

Costing more than retail isn't always about pricing ineffectively.  Many items that are available to buyers in one country or region aren't available to people in other countries.  Resellers have to pay eBay fees, so their prices often reflect their cost of goods plus fees (and other expenses such as "free shipping"). 

Unlike Amazon, many of eBay's sellers are not interested in competing with retailers.  The analogy of Wal-Mart to flea market isn't applicable as many people who shop on eBay are coming here for specialty items or things that are just plain unavailable wherever they are.

[jonathanbrightlight]

Yep, I just already said a lot, so I didn't get into the details.  You're correct, costing more than a local store doesn't mean it isn't priced effectively, even if it truly is the exact same item.  eBay is a worldwide venue.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@snow2hi2c wrote:

How is it that ebay sellers want to charge more for items than retail stores? 

Its like going to a flee market and paying more than walmart for an item that was purchased at walmart! 

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This was brought up (was off topic) in another thread recently in regard to Goodwill stores.

$3-$5 items that can be found at your local dollar store for about a buck.

Sometimes eBayers get caught with inventory that was hot at one time (and no longer is) or the manufacture/store has discontinued the item and lowered the price. 

Hard to say but you can always send them a message and ask them why.

[tarotfindsandmore]

Apologies, that was mostly intended to support your post and expand on it for the OP.  You're a hundred percent correct in the points you raised.

[gurlcat]

Say a kid wants a certain action figure for their birthday and it's not available for shipping from Walmart, nor is it at the local Walmart store.  The parents could drive to more locations to check, but they find it worth paying a few bucks more for definite availability and delivered to their door.

Or say someone gave you an eBay gift card and there's something you want more than anything else, available at both Walmart and on eBay, and it's a few bucks more on eBay but your gift card will cover the total. 

[toysaver]

Supply and demand?  Retail prices are only relevant for items that are in stock.  In the world at whole most commercial items are out of stock rather than in stock.   I have jeans I purchased 20 years ago that to replace I'd have to shop the resale market.   Today's fast paced manufacturing is done in limited runs giving specific items a huge opportunity to become scarce and worth more than the original price.  

[eburtonlab]

How is it that ebay sellers want to charge more for items than retail stores?

Many items on eBay are available for a wide range of prices.

Some prices are too-good-to-be-true; those are scams.

Some prices are great deals; they tend to be purchased quickly and disappear.

Some prices are OK, and those items may be bought if there are no better deals available.

Some prices are higher than average; those listings tend to stick around until the seller lowers the price.

Some prices are ridiculously high; often that means the item is out of stock and the seller has raised the price high enough that no one will buy rather than ending the listing and losing the past sale history. If the item becomes available again, the seller will lower the price.

Some prices are high because the seller has unrealistic expectations of profit, and refuses to lower the price or to "lose money". Those items will be listed forever until the seller finally gives up.

Because of all that, prices of active listings tends to skew higher than market prices in many cases. For a better idea of market prices, look at price information shown in the Research tab of seller hub to see what prices items have actually sold for.

[luckythewinner]

How is it that ebay sellers want to charge more for items than retail stores?

Because it is a free country, and no one is dictating prices.

Its like going to a flee market and paying more than walmart for an item that was purchased at walmart!

The world is full of examples of people who make bad purchasing decisions.

If I have 100 widgets, I could list them all for $1 each, and hope that 100 people are willing to buy them all. If they do, I have to pack 100 items, ship 100 packages and afterward I have no inventory.

Or, I can list 1 of them for $100, and hope that 1 person buys it. If they do, I only have to pack 1 item and ship 1 package and afterward I still have 99 items in inventory.

[funfactorychannel]

I sell retail items up higher than retail stores

I sell retail items lower than retail stores

I sell items priced at 1.99 in 1980s a lot higher

I sell items priced at 20 in 2025 for 10 now.

Nothing is set in stone in a free market. a seller shouldn't be stuck in one pricing mindset.

Some sellers price to near bottom to sell super fast but stuck in never ending cycle of finding deals and burnout.

Some sellers price so high but selling a few items make up the price

Some have a balance inventory of both.

Some are Big Box Retailers

Some are Small Businesses

eBay has a wide variety of all types of sellers

So really cannot group everyone as the same.

[adamcartwright]

@snow2hi2c 

I think many sellers are hoping buyers are ignorant and don't compare prices.

I recently saw two sellers listing a set of used books for a lot more than I could get them new from an online retailer.  Clueless buyers can be great for business.

[janet9988]

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@snow2hi2c wrote:

How is it that ebay sellers want to charge more for items than retail stores? 

Its like going to a flee market and paying more than walmart for an item that was purchased at walmart! 

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Why does it even matter?

 Buyers can buy from ANY seller at WHATEVER price they wish!