THIS IS Price Gouging?? Starting bid $0.99, free USPS priority, next day, 1 day auction!

[tubetimenow]

I listed a box of Milwaukee N95 masks:

Listed as a 1 day Auction!
Starting bid at $0.99!
Free Shipping!
Mailed USPS Priority!
Mailed next day!
10% of sale going to relief Fund!

WOULD YOU SAY I WAS PRICE GOUGING?

It looks to me that the Gougers are the FAKE bidders that raise the bid price, bidding out needing legit American Buyers.  Then these FAKE bidders contact eBay to report price gouging. When eBay removes the listing the seller is charged a 10% final value fee, of a value that has been inflated by these Fake Bidders. Thus, since the final value has been FAKE BIDDER inflated to a Price Gouging status, it Stands To Reason that a final value fee of 10% eBay charges seller for that removed listing, should also be classified as Price Gouging. 

The listed item I mentioned at the begining:

1 day Auction!
Starting bid at $0.99!
Free Shipping!
Mailed USPS Priority!
Mailed next day!
10% of sale going to relief Fund!

?IS PRICE GOUGING??

Was bidded up to $300 with 4 hours left.

EBay removed listing.  Here is what that accomplished:

1. thru no fault of mine,is charged $30.

2. Needing legit American bidders are FAKE BIDDER priced out.

3.  EBay collects inflated profit on FAKE BIDDER inflated value.

Imagine if these Priced out true American Bidders or a family member, was to get infected, or God Forbidden, dies.

Can you imagine the ramifications?

[cynthealee2]

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@earlyant-77 wrote:

General reply ...

One problem I see is if an individual tries to donate masks from an open box(or even a full box) to a hospital, nursing home, etc., will they take them? Or would they worry that they might be tampered with?

Years ago, I could have bought a brand new, never used scooter for someone that can't get around much without it from a house call. Tags were still on it and everything. I could have sold it, yes, but I recommended that he donate it to the VA, Medicaid, or a nursing home or any other group that would get it to a needy person. All good, right?

Nope - got a call weeks later from him - not one would take it as it was 'pre-owned' and in 'unknown condition'(again, this was brand new, had like 1/10th of a mile on it from taking a test ride inside the house). Luckily he did finally find someone privately that he knew needed it and gave it to them.

The government agencies seem to WANT to overpay for everything.

I should have bought it and stored it, as it would sure help me now!

---

For the most part I would agree... they wouldn't have taken open boxes in Jan, Feb or maybe even in March.  But now I think some places would take them no matter what (since there are places in WA where they are trying to clean and re-sterilize USED ones).

Having said that I don't think NY Government. or Hospitals will take open boxes (at least not yet) from individuals (unless you live in a hot spot, and are known by people that work there), but your local Police Department might, or the local FD, the Cashier at the local grocery store that you see every week and knows you... Your Postman (or woman) that delivers your mail, your Pastor/ Priest/ Rabi / Iman that is doing the funerals, volunteers working a food bank, some one you know that works in the health care field or a friend of a friend that works in any of the above.

6 months ago it was a liability issue, today on the other hand they don't care about liability so much as living through the next day.

[earlyant-77]

6 months ago it was a liability issue, today on the other hand they don't care about liability so much as living through the next day.

True. I agree - donate them to where they need them and hope they use them. If they were sitting in the open for a few months, maybe make a note of that when donating in case they want to sanitize them.

But 6 months, a year from now - unfortunately, I can almost see the TV lawyers drooling ........

And if I see that, it will test my theory as to if I could get any more disgusted with them than I already am.

"If you have Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's house and choke on a turkey bone, WE can get money for you".

[aprilette1]

I NEED ANSWERS TO THIS TOO. IS IT OUR FAULT IF OUR LOW PRICE GETS BID UNTIL IT REACHES A UNSATISFACTORY TO EBAY PRICE? 

HOW IS IT GOUGING IF UNDER NO DURESS THESE CUSTOMERS WILLINGLY BID ON YOUR ITEM! I had some 99 cents lysol i listed. In a few hours it had reached a really hi amount. Ebay removed it. WHAT DID I DO WRONG AND WHY SHOULD I BE BILLED FOR THIS !!!

EBAY IS TERRIBLE !

😠

[aprilette1]

Absolutely not. How can you say what the seller is expecting?  Some sellers have NO clue of how much some are willing to pay for certain items !

[aprilette1]

TELL EBAY THAT THEY ARE THE ONES GOUGING! WE ATTEMPT TO SELL , THEN EBAY REMOVES THE LISTING BUT STILL CHARGES FINAL FEES????!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! THEY SAY EVERY **bleep** THING ASSOCIATED WITH CLEANING IS GOUGING! MY LISTING WAS FOR 99 CENTS & STILL GOT REMOVED! THEY WOULD FIND A WAY TO REMOVE A LISTING FOR A FREE ITEM AND CALL THAT GOUGING TOO! AND WHY CAN SOME SELLERS LIST THE EXACT SAME ITEM AS YOU MAYBE AT A HIGHER PRICE AND THEIR LISTINGS CAN STILL REMAIN ACTIVE ?

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@aprilette1 wrote:

Absolutely not. How can you say what the seller is expecting?  Some sellers have NO clue of how much some are willing to pay for certain items !

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Only the ones absolutely not paying attention and leaving in a hole would not realize the value of these hard to find items.  I think most wouldn't even be listing it at all if it weren't for the circumstances because unless you're shipping from a warehouse supply buying to resale Lysol generally wouldn't be worth anyone's time.   

And it doesn't matter what price it went to.  The masks the op sold and the Lysol you sold are not allowed to be sold at all right now on eBay.  eBay can't keep up with the price gouging on these items so banning completely is just easier 

[myangelandmyprincess]

Oh and the op definitely knew since they had already sold face masks for 175. 

[muttlymob]

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@aprilette1 wrote:

Absolutely not. How can you say what the seller is expecting?  Some sellers have NO clue of how much some are willing to pay for certain items !

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It doesn't matter what you were expecting.  What matters is the amount of money you accepted for the items.  If the final price you were paid meets the definition of price gouging, then you are responsible.

By running an auction you left the final price up in the air.  Why else would you run it as an auction if you didn't think the price would run high?

[tubetimenow]

Thank you for your insight.  Very good presentation.

Good points

[tubetimenow]

Back in the discussion.

Decaf!

Ok, I can give that a try.

I will let you know.

[this*old*attic]

@aprilette1 

The problem is that it’s illegal.

Why?

The fact people are willing to pay inflated prices IS NOT the issue - the point is that they are desperate because there’s an international emergency so they’ll pay anything.

Taking advantage of that/benefitting from it has a name - profiteering.

[tubetimenow]

Spoiler

Spoiler

It is interesting and typical that the replies to my asking the group of Fake Bidders to stop and consider the damage you may be doing unintentionally.  Ends up attacking me.  Once again I will remind those;

I listed as 1  day auction; if my intention was $.  Why would I list only 1 day?  More days would raise the price.
I listed one day to get the masks out quickly.

Starting bid at $0.99.  if only for $.  Why start bid at $0.99?
I started at $0.99 to not eliminate any needing bidder.  And to encourage other sellers to do the same, so the bidding could reflect true value.
Because we have all seen those auctions of 10 masks bid up to 300, to $500, to $1,000 to $10,000 and more.  Because of Fake Bidders.  It is happening, and the ones I am pleading to stop are the ones putting in these fake inflating bids.
It  is going on, we I have all seen where a box of 10 masks will be bid up to $300, to $500, to $1,000 to $10,000 or more.  And those fake sales and bids only encourage gouging.

Free Priority shipping.  If only for $, why free shipping?
I listed Free priority shipping, to remove any hidden cost we have all seen seller's do.  Even some of the sellers  that have in this discussion accused me of gouging.

I listed with 10% being donated to The Relief Fund.  If only interested in $.  Why donate anything?
I donated in an attempt to motivate other sellers to do the same.  And you even accuse me of donation as a way to gouge.


The fact is this; 
I listed as an honest seller would.  Any one who would see it as a way to act dishonesty.  Is a person who can not believe anyone would think of any thing else but greed.  Because  those accusers can not believe anyone would think any differently than the way they think.

Sure eBay bands these items.  But only did so when reports were coming in of price gouging.  As  the Fake Bidders and opportunists caused  those inflated prices.  

So I think there has been a good amount of effort spent telling me how my $0.99 auction is really gouging. And telling me I should donate, when the Fact is I have donated masks.  And even  I then when I try to donate part of a listed sale.  I am accused of using it to gouge.



So let's start hearing what you are doing to help.  Fake Bid Price Up?

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

Fake outrage? Yeah, you’re living in one of those states that are not badly hit yet. My daughter has nurse friends in poor community hospitals in my state where they have no PPE. They’re telling us to avoid certain hospitals because people are dying. Posters are standing up for the lives of our heroes. I never realized how many bitter self centered people there are in the world until this crisis happened. 

Fortunately there are SO many more people who are doing the right thing.

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[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

As I’ve already explained, if you read the thread, that I wasn’t even talking to you. Thank you for the lecture anyway. Hopefully you got it out of your system 🙄

What am I doing to help? For one, I’ve been in my house for over 3 weeks. For two I donated money to the Patriots and Robert Kraft to buy PPE for medical staff in MA and NY.

[tubetimenow]

Interesting statement about God and money.  

Very interesting.

I am going to need to think about that one.

Thanks

Randy

[tubetimenow]

While quoting another post, for some reason you wrote to me; 

"It doesn't matter what you were expecting.  What matters is the amount of money you accepted for the items.  If the final price you were paid meets the definition of price gouging, then you are responsible.

By running an auction you left the final price up in the air.  Why else would you run it as an auction if you didn't think the price would run high?"

End

So even though you were quoting another post, but replied to me.  I assume you are asking me why I did an auction.

The answer is because I listed as buy it now, and 10 min later it was bought.  Buyer never paid because a day later eBay cancelled the sell for price Gouging.  And charged me the final value fee of an item that a fake buyer keep others from buying.

Even though the Buy it Now price was the lowest price on eBay.  Free shipping! Donation of 10%.

So I said.  Well then maybe the price was to high, even though it was listed lowest price on eBay..

That is why I list as auction.  To see what true value is.  Got It now?  Or have you all ready decided to not let the Truth interfere with your opinion?

P.S.  the Auction price ran up to more than 2 times what I listed as buy it now.

Randy