eBay

handmadegiftsboutique · ‎09-09-2022

I purchased an Sim Card for a Verison phone that Verison gives away for free. I paid $14.99 with Free Shipping.

I think this was robbery. I don't think that sellers should be allowed to sell anything that a reparable company gives away for free. I have heard buyer beware and maybe that always applies.

How can this be prevented?

Do you think this gives a very poor ethic reputation to Ebay and the other sellers that sell here?

pmg_distributors · ‎09-09-2022

Being in the wireless / mobile industry for 25+ Years, we can say that most major carrier stores (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) will provide them for free (if you have a contract), however, minor carriers (Metro PCS, Cricket, H20, etc) usually charge for them. Many times calling customer service on the phone, you will get the official corporate policy, rather than risking a store trying to charge you in person.

Either way, though, they are not ALWAYS free.

Additionally, not all major carrier stores will provide them for free. Some stores (Verizon or not) will try and charge you. Depends on the store owner, management, etc. It is your responsibility as a customer to know what you are eligible to receive for free, what is not, and request those items. We always tell buyers that if they already have an account with the network that they should be able to request a new sim card for free in the event that someone contacts us about SIM cards.

The person or company selling the SIM cards is doing nothing wrong. For your information, for any non-corporate store or business, you have to pay for SIM cards. So the seller selling the sim cards is doing nothing wrong. They most likely purchased just like you did. Most people that do purchase sim cards do so because they either are, like you not aware that they can request one for free from certain networks if they already have a contract, or they live far away from a carrier store and do not want to go to a store to get one. So they order it.

If you lived 15 miles from a carrier store, for example and could not easily get to a store, you may consider paying for a sim card to save you time and travel costs. There is surely nothing unethical about selling something that customers will pay for as long as customers are not being mislead in anyway on the listing. It would be unethical if the seller had wording in the listing stating that you could not get them any other way than by purchasing from them, but we would assume the seller does not state that.

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Anonymous · ‎09-09-2022

@handmadegiftsboutique wrote:
I purchased an Sim Card for a Verison phone that Verison gives away for free. I paid $14.99 with Free Shipping.

How can this be prevented?

By not buying it?

carolynnq · ‎09-09-2022

If you bought it, it must have been worth $15 to you. Why do you care whether the seller got it for free or paid $10 for it?

There are lots of items that companies once gave away for free that are now worth hundreds or thousands of dollars because they're scarce and there's a demand for them.

klhmdg · ‎09-09-2022

You can prevent it by NOT paying 14.99 for items you know are given away for free.

Not sure how ethics come into it.

You decided to buy an item you could have gotten for free. No one made you do it.

You were not forced.

Just because something is offered doesnt mean someone will buy it.

klhmdg • Volunteer Community Mentor

ebooksdiva · ‎09-09-2022

@handmadegiftsboutique wrote:
I purchased an Sim Card for a Verison phone that Verison gives away for free. I paid $14.99 with Free Shipping.

I think this was robbery. I don't think that sellers should be allowed to sell anything that a reparable company gives away for free. I have heard buyer beware and maybe that always applies.

How can this be prevented?
Do you think this gives a very poor ethic reputation to Ebay and the other sellers that sell here?

You decided to buy the SIM card instead of going to where ever to get it for free. It’s on you no one else.
Do I think it gives eBay a poor ethic reputation? No because eBay didn’t sell it a savvy seller did. And you bought it. So caveat emptor means the principle that the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.

lamber9347 · ‎09-09-2022

You asked, how can this be prevented? Simply don't purchase it, period.

Years ago, I used to attend trade shows for the gaming industry. They are known for vendors handing out freebies- demo game CD's, figurines, patches, stickers, etc. I would get as many as I could and sell off the ones I didn't want to keep. People in other states who knew about the trade shows but couldn't afford to fly out here to attend, would gladly purchase these items so they could have a souvenir of the show, or a cool item they knew was originally at no cost to me. They were usually dated for the show. It was a win/win, the buyer got to purchase a cool collectible and I made extra money to pay for my entrance to the show. I made a couple of grand off of these sales, I miss them....

dentalsales4u · ‎09-09-2022

I've done it in the past and have no problem with it.

I enter sweepstakes and sometimes I would win something I didn't need or want.

If I felt there was a demand for it, I sold it on eBay, like the iPad I won.

It was free from a reputable company, but I sold it for a few hundred dollars 🙂

vintage-camerastuff · ‎09-09-2022

You are b_____n. Stop it! No one forced you to buy it.

donsdetour · ‎09-09-2022

@handmadegiftsboutique wrote:
I purchased an Sim Card for a Verison phone that Verison gives away for free. I paid $14.99 with Free Shipping.

I think this was robbery. I don't think that sellers should be allowed to sell anything that a reparable company gives away for free. I have heard buyer beware and maybe that always applies.

How can this be prevented?
Do you think this gives a very poor ethic reputation to Ebay and the other sellers that sell here?

Robbery: some one held a knife or gun or threatened you in some way so you would purchase this??

Hmm: you bought it:

you own this mess:

read before purchasing:

ask questions prior to purchasing..

Learn and move on.

No way to fix such but to learn and be careful in (and of) what you purchase.

aeparts1 · ‎09-09-2022

"Do you think this gives a very poor ethic reputation to Ebay and the other sellers that sell here?"

No, I don't. However, I do think it does speak volumes about the quality of buyers on eBay & their ethics.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.

dbfolks166mt · ‎09-09-2022

I purchased an Sim Card for a Verison phone that Verison gives away for free. I paid $14.99 with Free Shipping.

Open a return request with the seller, pay the return shipping cost and go get the free one from Verizon.

I think this was robbery. I don't think that sellers should be allowed to sell anything that a reparable company gives away for free. I have heard buyer beware and maybe that always applies.

Why? and how would you know all the items that are listed whether the seller got it for free, bought it or pulled it out of the junk yard.

How can this be prevented? It can't.

Do you think this gives a very poor ethic reputation to Ebay and the other sellers that sell here? No.

fern*wood · ‎09-09-2022

It would be worth it for me to have one delivered to my house without a hassle or travel of any kind to find a Verizon store.

itsjustasprain · ‎09-09-2022

@vintage-camerastuff wrote:
You are b_____n. Stop it! No one forced you to buy it.

OP is a bunion? bullhorn? bacon?

I was never any good at Wordle.

lepke1979 · ‎09-09-2022

@handmadegiftsboutique wrote:
I purchased an Sim Card for a Verison phone that Verison gives away for free. I paid $14.99 with Free Shipping.

I think this was robbery. I don't think that sellers should be allowed to sell anything that a reparable company gives away for free. I have heard buyer beware and maybe that always applies.

How can this be prevented?
Do you think this gives a very poor ethic reputation to Ebay and the other sellers that sell here?

I think this says more about you than the seller or eBay.

toysaver · ‎09-09-2022

Nothing in the world is really free. There is a caveat to getting things free. Why didn't you get a free one? You didn't buy the product that subsidized it being 'free'? You didn't want to stand in line for a few hours? Was it made in limited quantities and now unavailable?