Ebay Auctions-You Can Do Something

darthviper107 · Mar 20, 2006

Yes, listen to Tom.

This thread was to stop the people from putting up listings of figures that are going to be shipped in 3 1/2 months, which is against the ebay rules. Once it's LEGAL for them to put up the auctions on the figures, I don't really have a problem. Since I've already preordered the figures (oh wow, the system actually works

)I am happy and I don't care if people are selling the figures for 2 or 3 times what they are worth. But selling items against the Ebay rules isn't legal, especially since the people selling them are lying about it too.

Oh yeah, and selling every figure again every year until the end of time would be the stupidest thing a company has ever done. Especially since no one has ever tried that and no one ever will.

Darth Loki · Mar 20, 2006

tomandshell said:
Selling on eBay is not bad in and of itself. Once the items have shipped, we can begin selling and the average going rate will establish itself. The scalpers pre-selling in violation of eBay's rules are screwing up the value and artificially inflating it based on a false sense of limited supply. There may only be one or two on eBay months in advance, because everybody else is waiting to sell when it is ready to ship, in accordance with eBay policy. Once it ships, there will be the usual "flood" of figures available for purchase.

You can't honestly tell me that if every single Luke stayed off eBay until they were all in hand, and then they all went up at once, that they would sell for as much as they do individually months in advance. The scalpers know this, and in order to get the most money possible, they scalp in advance, going against the rules established by eBay. Waiting to sell (that is, following the rules) would get them the going rate established by the BUYERS--but they want more than that, so they sell in advance (that is, breaking the rules) at an inflated price set by the SELLER. If everybody followed the rules set by eBay, we would have a larger pool of figures for sale at the same time, along with a realistic idea of fair market value, with happier collectors paying less money for their sought after items. The only ones who would be hurt by this are the scalpers, who would have to settle for "only" double their money. But they want $$$ and will break the rules to sell before the flood.

(Did I mention that they are breaking the rules established by eBay when they do that?)

Yes, to TomandShell you listen.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

tomandshell · Mar 20, 2006

And yes, retail businesses do sell preorder items in advance, without having them in their possession. But they typically charge when the item arrives, where eBay demands payment at the time of the auction. Also, they are not the exclusive versions (which are only available through Sideshow) that usually get scalped, and they typically sell their stuff at a discount, not at inflated prices. And they do it through their online stores, not through eBay, so they aren't breaking their rules.

miteethor · Mar 20, 2006

darthviper107 said:
Yes, listen to Tom.

This thread was to stop the people from putting up listings of figures that are going to be shipped in 3 1/2 months, which is against the ebay rules. Once it's LEGAL for them to put up the auctions on the figures, I don't really have a problem. Since I've already preordered the figures (oh wow, the system actually works )I am happy and I don't care if people are selling the figures for 2 or 3 times what they are worth. But selling items against the Ebay rules isn't legal, especially since the people selling them are lying about it too.

Please, let's not confuse policy violations with legality. Selling a pre-order 3 months in advance is not illegal. It may violate a policy set by a Ebay, and they may decide to take action based on the policy violation, but there is no law in the United States or anywhere else in the world that says you are breaking it and you will go to jail or face charges. The police will never knock on your door for pre-selling something on Ebay before it was available to ship. Ebay may slap you on the wrist or even suspend your account depending on what kind of violation you have but there is absolutely nothing criminal about it. Ebay is not the government and their rules are not laws.

Now if you are a fraudulent seller and have no intention of making good on an item and steal someones money, then THAT's illegal, and would be breaking the law. But pre-selling something and then delivering on that item when it's available is not even remotely stealing or illegal and should not be confused as such. It's no different than buying a Harry Potter book on Amazon.com 6 months in advance, the only difference is that Ebay allows people without millions of dollars to sell things without having to know how the internet works or how to accept credit card payments.

Oh yeah, and selling every figure again every year until the end of time would be the stupidest thing a company has ever done. Especially since no one has ever tried that and no one ever will.

How exactly is it stupid to sell something that there is a demand for? If you have people who have placed an order for something and want it, why is it stupid to make it for them and earn money for this action? It's very simple - people place orders, then you make them. When people no longer want the item you don't make any more products and you haven't lost any money. Again the rule of supply and demand, make the supply adequate for the demand and there will be no Ebay scalpers, which is what you wanted at the beginning of this thread.

Dusty · Mar 20, 2006

I think this thread has gotten a little off topic. Ebay scalpers in and of themselves are not the problem that people are having. I really think that the person who started this thread is concerned for eBay buyers who are falling for scams. There have been more than a few reported here, where a seller lists something, collects the FULL payment (this is what makes it 100% different from a pre-order), then never ships the product to the buyer because it doesn't ship out until 5 months after the auction ends and they don't actually receive the item, or, heaven forbid, they never even ordered it in the first place. That's what Ebay's pre-sale policy was put into place to protect against, since there's really no retaliation that can be taken against these sellers, as feedback is limited to 90 days after the auction ends, the money has already been exchanged, etc - thus, per their policies, it's the Ebay USER'S obligation to police for those types of auctions. That's what makes it a 'community' - it's like a 'Neighborhood Watch' type of thing.

Oh, and I have never been asked to pay in full for any books or movies that I pre-order from Borders, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon. Any company or seller that asks me to pay in *full* for an item MONTHS before it's even due from the manufacturer automatically makes me suspicious.... whether they are an honest seller or not... those people are taking my money, which I should be able to leave in my savings account accruing interest for those 5 months - and not delivering anything... with the added possibility that they WON'T deliver anything. As with anything, the dis-honest people ruin it for everyone...