eBay

usgamecollector · ‎03-31-2020

This is a rare video game that is no longer made. I had it as $100 which is the going price on ebay, there are lots of other sellers selling it for $130+

. We are aware that this is a video game, but it is obvious that you are taking advantage of the current situation. If you choose to relist this item, please be reasonable with your price. If you do not follow this policy in the future, this may result in the removal of your listings and the suspension of your account.

eBay price gouging policy states: "Items that are considered essential must be offered at a reasonable price"

how is a video game an essential item? Am I no longer allowed to sell rare video games and risk my account being banned for price gouging? My price was fair, and it was the same price as before the virus.

eBay is getting a little ridiculous

earlyant-77 · ‎03-31-2020

Yet there is a seller using covoid virus in the ID, selling CBD oil and 'canabis gummies' ...............

But you can't list rare video game ..............

Go figure

pkaszuba10 · ‎03-31-2020

I talked to a someone that works for eBay and she said when people started an uproar on price gouging that there were several hundred people reporting listing after listing. They started making things banned and yet the reporting of items kept on and buyers and sellers were saying there should be an option to report price gouging, so they did. Then banned more items. Reporting still going on in the millions. Well now eBay has stated if you see price gouging on anything report it! So now if you don’t like the price of someone’s item all you have to do is report it for price gouging essential item or not! Two weeks ago when I read on here that people were doing nothing but spending hours or days reporting items (many of whom were sellers themselves) I bet someone that this would happen and it would get out of hand. I have no idea about video games, but considering I’ve bought some $80 ones brand new for my nephew I don’t think $100 is price gouging one bit for a rare item! I would pay that for a game I loved back when I was a child.

yuzuha · ‎03-31-2020

@pkaszuba10 wrote:
I have no idea about video games, but considering I’ve bought some $80 ones brand new for my nephew I don’t think $100 is price gouging one bit for a rare item! I would pay that for a game I loved back when I was a child.

$100 is absolutely NOT price gouging for a game if it's rare and out of print. I have some games that are worth $200+ because they are rare games for older systems-- Rule of Rose, Haunting Ground, and Kuon, to give a few examples. There are not that many copies out there, and even fewer that are in excellent condition, so they're highly collectible and desirable among collectors.

I should also add that if I needed to sell some valuable things in order to earn money to pay rent or bills, those would be the FIRST things I would sell specifically because they're so valuable.

buyselljack2016 · ‎03-31-2020

@pkaszuba10 wrote:
I talked to a someone that works for eBay and she said when people started an uproar on price gouging that there were several hundred people reporting listing after listing. They started making things banned and yet the reporting of items kept on and buyers and sellers were saying there should be an option to report price gouging, so they did. Then banned more items. Reporting still going on in the millions. Well now eBay has stated if you see price gouging on anything report it! So now if you don’t like the price of someone’s item all you have to do is report it for price gouging essential item or not! Two weeks ago when I read on here that people were doing nothing but spending hours or days reporting items (many of whom were sellers themselves) I bet someone that this would happen and it would get out of hand. I have no idea about video games, but considering I’ve bought some $80 ones brand new for my nephew I don’t think $100 is price gouging one bit for a rare item! I would pay that for a game I loved back when I was a child.

The reported items would be reviewed by "someone". It does not automatically result in a removal, so there is a breakdown in the system initiated by eBay, with a clear reply by eBay to the OP about the take down that does not make sense.

Someone reviewing (more than one someone) this item is clearly confused.

Good Wednesday Chat item, or eBay "blue" tag time.

earlyant-77 · ‎03-31-2020

@usgamecollector wrote:
This is a rare video game that is no longer made. I had it as $100 which is the going price on ebay, there are lots of other sellers selling it for $130+

. We are aware that this is a video game, but it is obvious that you are taking advantage of the current situation. If you choose to relist this item, please be reasonable with your price. If you do not follow this policy in the future, this may result in the removal of your listings and the suspension of your account.

eBay price gouging policy states: "Items that are considered essential must be offered at a reasonable price"

how is a video game an essential item? Am I no longer allowed to sell rare video games and risk my account being banned for price gouging? My price was fair, and it was the same price as before the virus.

eBay is getting a little ridiculous

So list it as an auction. If its worth that much, it will sell for that much(or more).

No price gouging in auctions, since buyers set the price. Well, of course if it's TP or something, then usually they won't be removed until AFTER the auction ends. That way ebay gets to keep the fees.

lightlily_arts · ‎03-31-2020

If in fact there are other sellers with the game in the same price range I suspect it was a competitor that reported your listing as this is not an item that would normally get flagged. Reduces the competition.

usgamecollector · ‎03-31-2020

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
Looks like something you would see when an outsourced CSR goes "off script" to apply a policy that does not apply, while in the meantime IT can not code to block the listing of items that are presently banned.

I thought maybe it was a mistake by an outsorced CSR, but i've emailed them back twice about this and 2 separate people reinforced the original email I received and told me the removal was valid to make eBay a "fair marketplace"

I wish their phone lines were back so I could call someone and get a definite answer. I sell a lot of rare games so I don't want my whole account to be suspended because eBay doesn't like my prices.

a_c_green · ‎03-31-2020

@usgamecollector wrote:
how is a video game an essential item? Am I no longer allowed to sell rare video games and risk my account being banned for price gouging? My price was fair, and it was the same price as before the virus.

This would be an ideal topic to raise during tomorrow's Weekly Chat (here). Be sure to include that reply you were quoting here, which does seem to have concocted by a CS rep who is wandering waaaay off-topic... unless of course it's possible to price-gouge a video game, which is definitely news to me...

Thinking about this a bit more, I can see them trying to control pricing of the latest hot toy at Christmastime and that kind of thing, but when it's an item that's actually more of a vintage piece whose price is affected by rarity, then they should be able to let that go for whatever someone else wants to pay for it.

lex-talon · ‎03-31-2020

IMO, a competitor reported your video game listing and deemed it to be price gouging. I remember several years ago, sellers were listing the NES mini for exorbitant prices($500+) and ebay did nothing.

andrew547 · ‎03-31-2020

I'm actually speechless.

Price gouging is a legal term. Video games obviously don't fit in the category of "necessary products" that usually define price gouging statutes.

You can't price gouge on non-essential goods. It's just not possible.

This is someone at ebay deciding prices in a market. It's sad to see, actually. I'm sure someone, somewhere is trying to do the right thing, but clearly they didn't think this one through.

bar-29368 · ‎03-31-2020

No, they didn't, and it's a slippery slope.

usgamecollector · ‎03-31-2020

@lex-talon wrote:
IMO, a competitor reported your video game listing and deemed it to be price gouging. I remember several years ago, sellers were listing the NES mini for exorbitant prices($500+) and ebay did nothing.

It shouldn't matter how many people report it, ebay should have just ignored the reports and not removed it.

little.font.lord.leroy · ‎03-31-2020

@usgamecollector wrote:
@buyselljack2016 wrote:
Looks like something you would see when an outsourced CSR goes "off script" to apply a policy that does not apply, while in the meantime IT can not code to block the listing of items that are presently banned.

I thought maybe it was a mistake by an outsorced CSR, but i've emailed them back twice about this and 2 separate people reinforced the original email I received and told me the removal was valid to make eBay a "fair marketplace"

I wish their phone lines were back so I could call someone and get a definite answer. I sell a lot of rare games so I don't want my whole account to be suspended because eBay doesn't like my prices.

You are either pulling our leg, or we now see how little it took to push eBay's customer service over the edge. They are completely useless, now. I had to send 4 emails to get them to understand my concern recently, and still did not get the same resolve that I would have gotten from a phone call three months ago. In other words, no resolve. The A.I. has taken over the asylum.

Back when you could speak to someone on the phone they had to listen to you. Had. To. Listen. Sure, they had quotas, trying to take care of every case within minutes, but always had to be polite and ask if there was anything else before they hung up.

Now it is automated, canned responses, the types of things they used to read off their prompter when they typed in a few keywords, and back then you could go, "not exactly, I have a non essential item, this is an old antique not a 24 pack of toilet paper." and if they understood, they corrected it, and if they didn't they sent you to someone who did.

Right now the system is much more "efficient", they can dispense with a customer concern in a matter of seconds, the strike of a couple of keys, what used to take them minutes. I am sure eBay is very proud of what they have accomplished and are sure to continue this exact same type of service long after the pandemic is a distant memory. This is a great time for eBay to experiment with AI lead customer service. How many buyers and sellers stop shopping here as apposed to how many just complain and say they will leave but never do? Customer service is expensive. If any company could do away with it, they would.

This could be the new normal.

You might do better removing your listings from eBay and send them a letter explaining why. (a real letter, not a PM to customer service ; ). Maybe in a year from now the other sellers on eBay will no longer be able to take down your listings so that they can rig the market place and thereby "price gouge" with eBay's excellent help.

usgamecollector · ‎03-31-2020

@little.font.lord.leroy wrote:

You might do better removing your listings from eBay and send them a letter explaining why. (a real letter, not a PM to customer service ; ). Maybe in a year from now the other sellers on eBay will no longer be able to take down your listings so that they can rig the market place and thereby "price gouge" with eBay's excellent help.

I don't want to remove my listings because it's my source of income selling my rare games. However if I don't remove them it's possible I will be suspended arbitrarily by ebay if they randomly decide they don't like my price.

The email also said:

We had to remove your listing because it didn’t follow our Price gouging policy. Offering items at a price higher than is considered fair or reasonable is not allowed on eBay.

Their policy is very vague. How am I supposed to know what eBay considers fair or reasonable for a rare video game? Let alone where does it say video games are essential in the price gouging policy

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/price-gouging-policy?id=5106

Not sure what to do, and not having phone support isn't helping. I have no idea the competence of the person responding to my emails.

little.font.lord.leroy · ‎04-01-2020

@usgamecollector wrote:
@little.font.lord.leroy wrote:

You might do better removing your listings from eBay and send them a letter explaining why. (a real letter, not a PM to customer service ; ). Maybe in a year from now the other sellers on eBay will no longer be able to take down your listings so that they can rig the market place and thereby "price gouge" with eBay's excellent help.
I don't want to remove my listings because it's my source of income selling my rare games. However if I don't remove them it's possible I will be suspended arbitrarily by ebay if they randomly decide they don't like my price.

The email also said:
We had to remove your listing because it didn’t follow our Price gouging policy. Offering items at a price higher than is considered fair or reasonable is not allowed on eBay.
Their policy is very vague. How am I supposed to know what eBay considers fair or reasonable for a rare video game? Let alone where does it say video games are essential in the price gouging policy

Ebay would be ridiculously unreasonable and unprofessional in an instance like this. There is no such thing as price gouging for a non-essential item like a vintage/collectable game.

You aren't suppose to know what eBay thinks or considers, trying to figure that out can drive a person mad. You can't argue with corporate insanity.

I feel for you. If what you say is true, then EBay has dropped the ball during a time of great need for their clients and sellers. This is reprehensible, but some would say business as usual. Like I wrote, it really seems like you are pulling our leg.

If eBay is your only source of income, now might be the time to start looking at alternative selling platforms. That way you are not subject to the whims of a singular mad king. I'd consider it a wake up call.