Retail arbitrage attempt's on my listings

[carolinavintage]

How do I get help when I believe that there is retail arbitrage occuring? In the last 24 hours I've had several extremely lowball offers, followed by badgering messages, demeaning my products and asking for very specific details that really can be obtained in the description or photographs. Followed by messages insisting that my listing is not authentic or really as great as I said, followed by extremely low-balled offers. Then it appears they have taken the image of my items, which are very rare and currently are no other listings just like them, and then created their own listing as if they were the ones selling my items. In their new listings, they describe the item in the way that tried to tell me my item wasn't tem was actually not. In other words, they've lied to me, told me my item was not something, then turned around and posted it as their own saying that it was actually what they said it wasn't. The problem is that this activity has caused my items to not be revisable or editable. Every time I try to edit one of the items that I believe has been the victim of a retail arbitrage attempt I receive an error notice that says "lds downstream error" if I try to revise a posted item that I do not believe is a victim of retail arbitrage I have zero issue with any kind of updates. I would like to take my rare items down off of eBay to protect them from being posted by a third party without my permission. But unfortunately, I'm not able to make those changes because I'm not able to edit these items. Additionally, I'm not able to figure out how to communicate with eBay about this issue, and from Reading through these community forum posts, it doesn't sound like eBay cares. I'm personally not comfortable or okay with a third party pretending that they own my item and are selling my item. I'm not comfortable with a third party using my photos and pretending that it's their photos and pretending that it's their item. This is just dirty, bad business, and not something that I'm interested in participating in. How can I get help for these issues?

[chapeau-noir]

@carolinavintage  Having "best offer" on your  listings seems to be the root of the problem. List the item for what you take for it and get RID of the best offer - this will prevent your items from being tied up in offers and unable to revise.  If you're not sure of value, then use auctions but get rid of the best offer. Hopefully this person will go away (but block them).

[lacemaker3]

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@tarotfindsandmore wrote:

Please provide the link to the policy page covering retail arbitrage.  We seem to have wandered into the weeds regarding drop shipping, which is permitted, according to this page...

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/drop-shipping?id=4176

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eBay policy does not use the term "arbitrage", per se. However, they do not allow buying an item from a retail source after it has been sold on eBay, which is what the word arbitrage means. This is arbitrage:

"However, listing an item on eBay and then purchasing the item from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed on eBay."

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/drop-shipping?id=4176

The problem here a very common misunderstanding of the word "arbitrage", so this is really just a matter of semantics.

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@tarotfindsandmore wrote here:

...  Retail arbitrage involves purchasing  items at a discount from a retail store and then flipping them for a profit.  In fact, that is exactly what most flippers/resellers who sell new items are doing.  ...

...

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By definition, that is not arbitrage. (But you're right, it is absolutely allowed on eBay, and is a pretty good business model if you can find a good source). This is a common misunderstanding, and maybe the meaning of the word is in the process of shifting. But in what you are describing, the seller owns and (usually) has possession of their items BEFORE they are listed or offered for sale, and that is not arbitrage, according to the current definition.

In order to be "arbitrage" the seller has to buy and sell the item simultaneously, or at effectively the same time. In practice, the two transactions (buying and selling) almost never occur at exactly the same time, but in order to be successful, the whole point is to sell the item at one price, and then fulfill the transaction by buying it at a lower price. The seller does not have to invest any money until the item has been sold. So if the transactions are not truly simultaneous, then the seller is effectively buying the item after they have sold it. That is what makes the practice qualify as arbitrage.

[tarotfindsandmore]

You're talking about pure arbitrage in a securities context, not retail arbitrage.  Retail arbitrage does not require the simultaneous buying and selling of inventory.  While I appreciate your dedication to the preservation of meaning here, the term arbitrage is defined according to context.  We don't engage in merger arbitrage, dividend arbitrage, administrative arbitrage, or any of the other types of arbitrage on eBay and the OP did use the term "retail arbitrage".

..."retail arbitrage is the practice of purchasing a product at a lower price from a retail store and then reselling it at a higher price on another platform, like Amazon, essentially profiting from the price difference between the two markets by buying low and selling high; making it a "buy and sell at different times to profit from the price difference" strategy." 

Anyway, it doesn't matter.  It's allowed and encouraged.  The OP would be wise to disregard this entire thread and go read up on the topic since it is the title he/she gave the thread.  It's pretty evident that very few people who have chimed in even know what retail arbitrage is.

[lyricaroline]

This. The OP doesn't understand what retail arbitrage is.

OP, do you mean that someone is badgering you to sell items at a lower price so that the badgerer can turn around and sell it for a higher price? If so, block the badgerer and set up auto rejections.  Badgering someone is not very nice, but eBay, of course, allows offers and counter offers. 

[lacemaker3]

@tarotfindsandmore 

What the OP was asking for help for, was "retail arbitrage" in the true, classic sense, according to the current definition of the word. It is not allowed on eBay, because it involves purchasing an item from a retail source (the OP in this case) after it has been sold. OP was perfectly correct to use this term.

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@tarotfindsandmore wrote:

...

..."retail arbitrage is the practice of purchasing a product at a lower price from a retail store and then reselling it at a higher price on another platform, like Amazon, essentially profiting from the price difference between the two markets by buying low and selling high; making it a "buy and sell at different times to profit from the price difference" strategy." 

...

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You are quoting from google's "AI Overview", but in this case, it is just echoing misunderstandings that are all over the web. That is not "arbitrage" because the seller has to pay for their product before they sell it. The whole concept of arbitrage, is that the person who is arbitraging does not have to invest their money up-front, they don't have to spend anything (buy the product) until (or after) it has been sold.

What that is describing is another business practice:  "buy low and sell high", but it is not arbitrage.

Media influencers have latched onto the phrase "retail arbitrage" because it sounds like a new concept, and they can sell it on their how-to websites and make a lot of money. But all it is, is the age-old idea of "buy low and sell high". They just needed a fancy term to make it sound like they were doing something new and different and innovative, so they could earn money teaching other people how to do it.

If you want to use a different definition, you are free to do so. But it is wrong to say that the current, accepted definition of "arbitrage", which has been used for several hundred years and is still being practiced on commodities markets and currency exchanges (and on eBay even though it is against policy), is no longer correct.

[funfactorychannel]

I think we have a better discussion if we all agree what the definition of Retail Arbitrage is.. I think once we agree to the define terms we can have a better discussion on it than everyone flinging their version of what retail arbitrage is.

 

[lacemaker3]

Artificial intelligence (or fake intelligence) is not a valid source for information.

The true definition, with legitimate source, has already been provided. Anyone can access online dictionaries to confirm the definition.

Let's stop hijacking the OP's thread.   The OP asked for help to deal with other sellers who appear to be violating eBay policy. That's the topic.

There have been some good suggestions made:

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@chevymontecarlo88 wrote here:

You're thinking too much about this. Just block the suspected buyers as suggested and adjust/add minimum offer pricing where you don't have to get low ball offers. Once they send you a message, at that time you do have the option to block them. 

On the other hand, are your prices set too low? 

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@fern*wood wrote here:

The usual reason that revisions aren't permitted on a listing is when offers have been sent and are still live.  Can you offer an item number of one of your listings that someone has copied and are selling at a higher price?  

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@carolinavintage, as @fern*wood, said, if you can't edit a listing, it is probably because there are active offers on the listing. If you decline the offer, then you should be able to edit it again.

If that doesn't seem to work, please share an item number so we can take a look and try to figure it out for you.

[tarotfindsandmore]

Yes, I intentionally used that quote so that anyone here could go look it up for him or herself.  Obviously, you are welcome to disagree with it but it doesn't change the fact that it is the current, accepted definition, and presumably why we do not find the term anywhere in eBay's policies.   Additionally, physical objects cannot be simultaneously bought and sold anywhere in real time (a physical object in space can only exist in a single place and time, unless of course you want to start down the absurd road of possible worlds), so it would be impossible to apply the term arbitrage in the way you are defining it.  I agree that the term has been taken up and abused by the current generation of children on the internet, but I am an old woman with zero interest in being influenced. 😉

I appreciate the time you've taken to educate all of us, but whatever the case, the OP is not a victim of anything other than being lowballed.  If he/she actually gets through to a CS rep, she will be told exactly the same things I've said here.

[albertabrightalberta]

Who cares what it's called and when it's correctly or incorrectly used? Both terms, dropshipping and retail arbitrage come to be used synonymously so "correct" terminology can be confusing.

These are the rules as they apply to ebay: 

Allowed: Owning items, having them in your possession and shipping when sold

Allowed: Owning items, storing at a "warehouse" or other facility and being in a contractual agreement with someone at that facility packing and shipping the already-owned items when a sale is made.

Not allowed: Listing an item, making a sale then sourcing the item and having the "source" ship the item to the lister's buyer. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@carolinavintage wrote:

Perhaps you misunderstood my question, my question was regarding getting help with retail arbitrage. I did not ask for help with how to respond to lowball offers. Additionally, you must have missed the part of my question where I articulated that I am unable to make any changes to my account, including thresholds allowed for offers. So you're response confuses me as it doesn't seem at all related to my question. 

The offer is not what's bothering me, what is bothering me? Is somebody taking my item pretending they own it and trying to sell it as if it were theirs. They do not have this item in their possession, I do. They are pretending they have it in their possession without my permission. That is what bothers me. It has nothing to do with a lowball offer. I explained the abusive tactic they were using to try to support their dirty sales model.  My question to help you better understand is:

1) how do I get support for Retail arbitrage.

2) I'm unable to edit the posts that are a victim of Retail arbitrage

@carolinavintage I am also confused. But not by @eburtonlab‘s response, but by yours.

Call me old-fashioned, but it seems to me that those who respond in good faith to a request for assistance  deserve our utmost  courtesy. While you may feel the response did not merit your appreciation, it is just bad form to diss the effort as completely unhelpful. Many read these boards and glean useful info from them.

By the way, @eburtonlab ‘s response was entirely appropriate and directly related to your seeming frustration regarding low-ball offers. 

[tarotfindsandmore]

Nobody is highjacking the thread.  The responses the OP has been given have all been directly related to the original post.  I even posted a solution to the problem in my original reply.  The bottom line is the OP feels that he/she has been subject to some sort of nefarious, illegal behavior when the bottom line is that what he/she is experiencing is just garden variety a**holery. The replies that have been given have all been oriented toward making that clear and offering solutions.

[albertabrightalberta]

TBH, I'm not even sure whether the OP's wannabe buyer(s) are violating policy or not. 

@carolinavintage hasn't made it clear (at least to me) what has happened other than that they don't like the lowball offers and they're assuming the lowballer is a flipper/seller who is trying to get a better deal to make a better profit on their own item. 

1. If a lowball offerer is a seller who wants to buy low (from @carolinavintage ), receive the item and then list it themselves for a higher price, there's nothing that violates ebay policy.

2. If a lowball offerer had (or has) a listing for the same item, doesn't have one of those items in their inventory, but is then trying to source that item from the OP so they can fulfill their own obligations to their own buyer, they are violating ebay policy.

[chapeau-noir]

I'm not sure arguing about arbitrage and what it means is what the OP is really looking for - they are just tired of their listings being tied up and want to know how to stop it. They can stop it by not using best offer and blocking the perp. All of this other stuff in the post - who knows what's going on.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

I'm not sure arguing about arbitrage and what it means is what the OP is really looking for - they are just tired of their listings being tied up and want to know how to stop it. They can stop it by not using best offer and blocking the perp. All of this other stuff in the post - who knows what's going on.

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Whether the OP's opinion is valid or correct that the lowballer wants to flip a purchase for a profit, I infer that that's part of the OP's complaint too.

[fern*wood]

It would be nice if the OP would return to discuss what they started.  I see none of our questions have been responded to and their only post was to criticize another poster for not addressing their problem to their satisfaction.