eBay

gussharp68 · ‎03-19-2020

ebay is clearly not doing nearly enough during this global pandemic to prevent unethical sellers to take advantage of buying up essential items like toilet paper and paper towels, etc and selling them at outrageous prices on their platform. Sure they have a report button but there is no option to clearly report PRICE GOUGING and even if you do manage to find a way to report it as illegal activity or whatever, literally nothing seems to happen. I've reported the same listing for a $7,000 4-pack of charmin toilet paper multiple times over two days and it's still up.

Allowing this behavior is proof that ebay is complicit in this illegal behavior and should be shut down by our government. I don't know about you but I've had it with eBay's completely unacceptable behavior when we are all suffering though this terrible crisis. Enough is enough.

arrob1858 · ‎03-22-2020

Don’t just report it on eBay. Look at where the seller loves. They always show the city’s and state it ships from and take screen shots of the listing and sellers I’d and for to the respective state attorneys office and file a complaint. I guarantee you those sellers will be prosecuted and made examples of. eBay isn’t doing jack **bleep** about this and we all know it

pebmets · ‎03-22-2020

You mis-understand. I was only saying if EBAY cannot slow things down with the gouging, then stronger measures need to be taken. Other retailers were doing something quickly to stop it and EBAY in my opinion was a little slow. When you go to the store and see empty shelves and see people upset, then you come to EBAY and people from out of nowhere have this great supply they can spare at $50 for a four pack plus $35.00 shipping, that is wrong and illegal in many states at a time of declared emergency. Since my posting EBAY has added gouging in the reporting system which is a positive step. I would like to see them suspend ids for gouging and stop adding new ones for a couple of weeks so that these people out of nowhere can make a profit on other people's miseries. There are over 28,000 listings for toilet paper and I admit there are some that a reasonable, but the vast majority of the sellers just came online and not online stores, just people at home selling. There is a shortage of toilet paper so what does that tell you with all of these new EBAY sellers the last couple of weeks and all of a sudden they have toilet paper to sell when no one can get them in a store.

pebmets · ‎03-22-2020

To me it is tough, but it is still price gouging. The market is artificially high due to the price gougers where the legitimate people are doing the supply vs demand thing. The only problem, it doesn't matter if you are honest or not, the law in many states strictly states that price gouging of essential necessities of life is prohibited during a declared emergency. Many people have bought a supply and now selling it here at an inflated price and they are part of the reason the product is scarce in the stores.
When it comes to the surgically masks, hospitals are desperate for them. In a national emergency they should be sold at fair market value to them, only. When so many people are getting sick and loved ones dying, how can you sell these items to the general public on ebay when the medical profession needs them to help us. Hoarders took a necessity away from them and are now price gouging. I hope they or a loved one never is in the position where they cannot be helped because a supply they hoarded and sold at a too inflated of a price is not available.

pebmets · ‎03-22-2020

Thank you. I am happy that the Attorney General of California is addressing the issue. I noticed EBAY has a gouging selection when reporting now. It is a positive step, but in my opinion they should follow all of the recommendations of the attorney general. Thanks again.

socalboomer50 · ‎03-22-2020

and if you were able to list and sell at a normal price those predators would jump on the listing for resale

socalboomer50 · ‎03-22-2020

Many listings are disappearing from the site. However eBay needs to post an announcements prominently on the site stating that any price gouging will not be tolerated as people are price gouging anything they think people might need. I just went through 23 listings from a new seller selling sanitation and food products. Since we are staying home for the next few weeks I spend my day watching TV and reporting listings.

pburn · ‎03-22-2020

@socalboomer50 wrote:
However eBay needs to post an announcements prominently on the site stating that any price gouging will not be tolerated as people are price gouging anything they think people might need.

@socalboomer50

You mean sorta like this banner on the home page?

And then the "Read more" button goes that goes here?

https://pages.ebay.com/update/2020/covid19/index.html

Where it says this?

"eBay is blocking or removing items on our marketplace that make false health claims related to COVID-19. We are also blocking or removing listings that may violate US laws or regulations, eBay policies, or that offer unfair pricing for our buyers."

You mean eBay needs to post THAT kind of announcement? Yeah. Good idea. Glad you suggested it.

socalboomer50 · ‎03-22-2020

Yes the banner does need to be on the Home Page of every user. It needs to be there for the international sellers as well. I messaged one in Puerto Rico who was too ignorant to realize that the protectorates are subject to U.S. Federal laws.

eBay can't say Unfair Pricing because of sellers who are using auctions blame the bidders. I think eBay just needs to ban the sale of any item with regard to health, hygiene, sanitation and food until 30 days after the crisis is over. If they stop the sales those items they will remain on the store shelves for the people who need them.

My ex-husband saw a group of men at Sam's Club with a U-Haul Truck with the back that was piled full of water and sanitation supplies. They had been going to all the stores in the area buying everything up. He heard them talking and they didn't even live in our county. They were from LA county.

arrob1858 · ‎03-22-2020

Lives I meant

arrob1858 · ‎03-22-2020

Except they really aren’t doing it effectively enough. Do a simple search of toilet paper and sort by highest price and there you go. Tons of listings of typical eBay profiteers taking advantage of a crisis and eBay only paying lip service to doing anything serious about it. For those of us with a conscience we must take it a step further and not just report the listing but screen shot it and file a complaint with the state attorney office that the seller resides. Look at where it ships from then file with that state’s AG

pburn · ‎03-22-2020

Listen. eBay is removing listings hand over fist. They are also canceling sales after the fact. People are posting all about some offending listing, and they're in such a dither that they never notice the listing is taken down by eBay ten minutes later.

I am not going to bother my state's AG's Office--which is currently working on a skeleton crew--by submitting a screenshot of a listing eBay takes down ten minutes later. I have more enjoyable ways to spend my time than policing ANY website, and my beleaguered AG's Office has plenty of real work to do.

And to imply that people who don't bombard their AG's Office with non-existent eBay price-gouging listing screenshots don't have a conscience is insulting--and absurd.

arrob1858 · ‎03-23-2020

eBay isn’t doing enough. These Sellers are criminals. By reporting to the state attorney they will be prosecuted and fined and maybe even improsoned. The states attorneys offices in many states have recently put out announcements that they are responding and they are going after price gougers. Do your duty as a decent human being and make these people pay for their crimes. It takes less than 5 minutes to screen shot and file a complaint. Do the right thing

bravo0723 · ‎03-23-2020

@gussharp68 wrote:
Did you know ebay is not reporting the sellers caught price gouging to the respective states attorney’s office in that seller’s state so they can be prosecuted? Face it, eBay is not doing nearly enough to combat this behavior. They’re reacting to outrage by people like me who have consistently called them out on it and their response has been lacking in spite of the fact they’re taking some action. They can be doing a whole H of a lot more than what they are doing. This has been going on ever since ebay began and I don’t see them changing unless the government steps in and forces them to get deadly serious about this

Wow, we are becoming a police state that is a combination of the the Soviet Union & Nazi Germany.

Report your neighbor for listing a luxury item on eBay that if only 1 person bid on & there was no reserve then the seller would lose money but if 5 people keep bidding against each other then you blame the seller for price gouging. You ☭Leftist☭ Ratfinks are a real piece of work & most definitely a certain kind of special & it's sickening to see what you are trying to do to our country.

Is it maybe possible that someone has been out bidding you & you want to blame the seller for that.

jealous much?

bravo0723 · ‎03-23-2020

@bubby22l wrote:
100% agree with you!
Prime example : my listings for 3m8210 and 8511 n95 masks were removed by ebay 2 weeks ago. I was selling a full box of 20 masks for $50.00. I just looked at a live auction for the exact same item its over 50 bids and $350.00 current price, still has several hours to go . talk about gouging !
Meanwhile I get messages from folks wanting to buy my 3m masks - but I have to tell them that I cant sell them now.. (i don't think they're gonna find any at a local store either.) sort of wish ebay would rethink this ban. I would imagine if me and others could list our masks at normal retail price - that would make these gougers lower their prices .

You can't call it price gouging if the seller lists the product without a reserve. Is the seller supposed to stop (& if so, then how)the Auction once the price has been bid up to the cost of the item 6 months ago?

plantaddict · ‎03-23-2020

Since when has toilet paper, Lysol, bleach wipes, paper towels, face masks and rubbing alcohol EVER been listed for an auction? Don't pretend these people are not wiping stores out so they can turn a massive profit online. I just seen a video earlier where a lady/man was being recorded as the store sold them the whole lot that had just arrived and they were loading it up. Where do you think that is going to wind up? Yep, right on Ebay so they can make 1000x what they paid for it.

If you feel there is nothing wrong with this type of behavior and it isn't illegal than that is on you...states and others feel differently otherwise they wouldn't be addressing this issue. Has nothing to do with 'leftists'....I'm a conservative and I wholeheartedly feel it is WRONG! Not because no one 'beat me in a bid' but because these people are preying on others emotions and fear, they are intentionally wiping out supplies for sheer greed while many others go without or must pay the ridiculous price tag to have a basic necessity that was under $20 a couple weeks ago.

Now as for medical masks, I don't know about you or your loved ones but I have 2 nurses in my family both my mother as well as my mother-in-law and I find it extremely upsetting that those who are actually on the front-lines dealing with this HEAD ON rather than hiding in their houses hoarding and profiting are left vulnerable and exposed as there is a mass shortage while lowlifes sell these online to panicked people who neither know how to use them properly or even know when to use them just so they can make a massive amount of money. What can I say, some have morals, ethics and integrity while others clearly are lacking.