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79 Comments
- juneof44, on 10/12/2007, -3/+69You were charging people for a PDF on how to pre-order a gaming console?
Dude, that's low. I think people should be very careful of *you.* The Internet is supposed to be about "information for all" not "information for those that can be scammed." - sketchydave, on 10/12/2007, -2/+43I think the description is a bit misleading. They're cracking down on people auctioning the pre-sales. From the article:
"Last year, eBay was inundated with Xbox 360 listings, with many sellers who had preordered systems unable to deliver their consoles to auction winners in a timely fashion. It made eBay look bad, and the auction house appears eager this time around to avoid the kind of problems experienced last year."
So they don't want you to try to sell something that you don't have. Sounds like a rather prudent policy if you ask me. - SpikeX, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40Ouch. Guess you can't always get "it" on eBay. =/
- thenet411, on 10/12/2007, -8/+44"Be careful with your language."
Ok, how about this? ***** you. - wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29I unmasked your comment just for the pleasure of digging you down even further.
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -3/+26@nwshc:
A lot of people... A lot of people... - adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22"ya, too bad thats against eBays TOS
You're evading paying fees and they will pull the auction
besides, who the HELL is gunna pay $2000 for a ps3?"
Probably the same guy that paid $2500 for a 360 last year. - g4blows, on 10/12/2007, -10/+29@brendanc
I don't think it's fair to call someone who is making a profit an asshat. At least give that title to the people that buy them at that price. - Fabozz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18"e-mail me if you find out: supercool@chartermi.net"
I've got a better idea: I'll put the information in a PDF file that you can buy for $20. - brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19I can kind of see how eBay views people that sell console pre-orders as nothing more than petty scalpers.
- tonicboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16If you're trying to convince anyone that what you did isn't a scam... you failed. You have a twisted view of right and wrong and deserve to have your account suspended.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14You should sell me one so I can put a torrent out for it
- drizek, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17this is capitalism. ebay is not hte government, it is a company and they are looking out for their own interests.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Were you that guy on ebay selling a pdf for ps3 preorders on www.lik-sang.com for $20?
- brendanc, on 10/12/2007, -17/+31At least asshats won't be making double or triple what they spent on the console that they never planned to use...
- sansalvation, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14You know people, they are looking out for the buyers. eBay's "reputation" is based off the buyer and sellers experience. If buyers get pissed because of all the scammers they stop coming. If there are no buyers, there will be no sellers. It is a win-win for the company to protect buyers even if the rules anger some pre-sellers and scammers.
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18Price gouging? Last time I checked, it was called an "auction," not a "shop."
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11This issue is more complex than most people think.
First, consider that eBay is acting against its immediate short-term self-interest by taking down these auctions. If people sell pre-ordered items with a huge mark-up, that's great for eBay - they get a cut of the action. But, it has negative long-term consequences because (1) people don't like price-gouging and (2) sometimes the sellers don't deliver. It doesn't matter that supply is low, people just don't like price-gouging.
You might argue "well, that's capitalism" and you'd be correct to do so, and eBay would love to have it that way too, except for one thing - when people get price-gouged or they buy an item that isn't delivered, they don't blame the seller, they don't blame themselves (for being stupid), instead they BLAME EBAY. As a result, eBay takes the heat for something that's essentially not their fault at all, but nonetheless, people bitch and moan, negative press gets written, and eBay suffers. So, it's in eBay's interest to maintain a marketplace where bad sellers and/or price-gouging is relatively discouraged, even if "that's capitalism."
This is sort of like how Google "benefits" from click-fraud (more clicks = more revenue) but in the long-term, it destroys the integrity of their business ecology. So, people selling marked-up PS3s destroys eBay's ecology even if they have no business regulating it (and would even profit short-term) from not doing so. - Remy_LeBeau, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11"It really was really a mistake to charge a small fee for my writing skills that achieved in years of schooling."
Dude, if you paid for that schooling, you should ask for your money back. - flamingmb, on 10/12/2007, -9/+18its not capitalism its greed, and price gouging.
- mongrel, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Hahaha SWEET! Hope I can be there when the little peckers start flooding the Gamestops trying to "return" their preorders.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11"what makes you think the internet is "supposed to be about information for all"? ***** internet hippies are almost as bad as ***** like stealth."
If it weren't for the "Internet hippies" you wouldn't have any p2p systems, you wouldn't have giant privacy networks like Tor or free encryption tools, or open source software of any kind. You wouldn't have large open projects like Wikipedia, Openoffice.org, distributed computing, or even Digg itself.
So ***** off you ignorant piece of *****. If it were up to the corporations, you would pay a HELL of a lot more for extremely limited Internet access where they would monitor absolutely everything you did. You should be grateful of "Internet hippies" and the work they've done over the last 20+ years. - wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Not really. Ebay is trying to protect its brand (such that it is). As noted, the 360 experience showed that many people will not get the PS3s or Wiis that they think they have pre-ordered. If people have already sold the them, then Ebay ends up trying to sort it all out. Of course, to date their solution has been to screw both sides: suspend the seller, and keep the buyers money.
- dodger2020, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10I can't say I blame them. They had a huge problem with the XBOX 360 with people selling systems they pre-ordered. And then when the stores that sold the preorders couldn't meet their sales, the ebay sellers had nothing to give the buyer. Made the whole system look bad.
"The PlayStation 3 launch expected to echo that of the Xbox 360 in terms of the supply of consoles available, with only 400,000 allocated for the North American launch next month. Last year, eBay was inundated with Xbox 360 listings, with many sellers who had preordered systems unable to deliver their consoles to auction winners in a timely fashion. It made eBay look bad, and the auction house appears eager this time around to avoid the kind of problems experienced last year." - PixelVision, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8@stealthgear. I had my account suspended (due to an assumption on my part and unfortunate timing, also on my part), I emailed them apologising for breaking the terms and asked them politely for my account back.
They reviewed the case and said no (which is probably the standard response), but there's another method where you get a form from ebay (This was ebay UK) and fill it out where you promise never to break the terms again, then post it off. In a few days my account was reinstated.
It's very frustrating having your ebay account taken but it does help to avoid things that could get you in trouble, even if it's not exactly breaking the terms. Personally, I think charging for PDFs a bit low anyway, If I had that information I'd put it in a blog or a webpage or something. But I suppose if people want to buy that stuff... - DPowers08, on 10/12/2007, -13/+22SpikeX, if by "it" you mean an overpriced video game system that has a high chance of not reaching your hands, never mind the seller's, then yes.
- chronodev, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I personally am amused seeing all those email address auctions that pop up whenever new systems come out such as Sony.Electronic.Sales.PS3@gmail.com for a Buy it Now of $200 (Edit: tried to post link but didn't come out well...) or USA.PS3.Sellers@gmail.com http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Playstation3-Email-Add-USA-PS3-Sellers-gmail-com_W0QQitemZ280037828164QQihZ018QQcategoryZ102333QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and a lot more just put ps3 email into the ebay search and see... maybe ebay should have a look at those...
- rheaume, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"sellers who list it on eBay must have physical possession of the products at time of listing"
'nuff said - easy4lif, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6when the xbox 360 first came out i had to intention of selling mine, but I saw how much people were willing to pay (demand) I doubled what I paid for it, took a pic of the box and sold it in 5 min I manged to pay off my CC with that money and someone else got to enjoy the xbox without standing in line for 4 hours to get one. I already have my preorder for the PS3. and the day I get it, I'm going to sell it on ebay for double. with the profits I'm gonna buy a 26in HDTV for myself. remember people are going to stand in line for hours to be the first the get one. if you don't want to do that buy it on ebay
the PS3 is going to be supply and demand at its most animalistic - Marmot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5My favorite is the guy who would bid on the 'XBox Box' auctions, vigilante style.
Essentially, some jackass sellers will list the empty box for their new console, or a picture of said console, in the hope that a fast-clicking buyer will pay top dollar for something worthless. E.g. "New XBox 360 picture below" or "New XBox 360 box".
The day the 360 came out, one vigilante bidder would bid top dollar on all of these 'box' auctions, with absolutely no intent of paying. The final value might go as high as $10,000. This would create a high final value fee for the seller, which he would be forced to pay out of pocket. At the same time, this put the auction out of reach of those who might be fooled.
Faced with a high final value fee and no payment from the vigilante bidder, the seller can either:
a) Report the non-paying bidder to eBay, and explain to eBay why he was selling just the box or a picture of the console (probably tap dancing around their TOS)
b) Pay the final value fee out of pocket and try again. - zixxer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7in my opinion ebay these days is only good for certain things and high demand consoles are one of them....craigslist for everything else. i profited last year on the 360, i was offered 800 cash for my spot in line at cc (from someone who got a gamestop pre-order that couldnt be filled) and i should have taken that, but i ended up making 1200 on the package anyways after i used it a month, if i list a console at cost and someone bids and buys it for 1200 more than that then how is it my fault? i plan on doing the same this year with the ps3 and wii, ill sell the ps3 and if it pulls in a final auction value of about 1200 then its like getting a free wii, extra controller, 4 games, classic controller, and 2000 wii points for free. i wont feel bad for the person who buys it.
- stylerm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4What about the buyer that spends $1000 dollars for a PS3, but then the seller cant get one. You really think the seller is going to refund? Nope, they are going to string the guy along until they get one, probably after Christmas.
I would love to see you go to a real auction and sell something you do not yet have. - brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3At least you're not the guy buying 10 of them, depriving 9 people in line behind him and basically doubling/tripling the price unfairly. Of course they probably limit 1 per customer anyway.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"I don't think it's fair to call someone who is making a profit an asshat. At least give that title to the people that buy them at that price."
Yeah I agree we shouldnt be shooting the supplier he is just exploting the "Asshats" that would pay and arm a leg, their realtionship with their wife and kids and their home for one of these next gen conoles. Those guys are truley the idiots of the lot. - flamingmb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6yes it is price gouging when the minimun bid is $900+.
*****, I aint even buying any of these systems and I am pissed at the people who auction them off. - khyberkitsune, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@sketchydave
Nah, eBay is doing this because of the moron that got duped for over 800 bucks for buying the BOX of a 360. He eventually complained, and eBay had to change it's policies on not-yet-released products. - PixelVision, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Instead of these people who bought the systems just to make a profit, someone who actually wanted it might have got it, perhaps some kid who would have been made very happy. It's profiteering, making people pay more than the item's worth. It's a sign of how dirty capitalism can be and I think Sony any anyone who wont make enough consoles available (any leftovers will be sold eventually) are screwing the customers who want to give them their money.
If hating when companies and people who are messing around with people that just want to buy something makes me a socialist too, then I'm a socialist damnit! - KevinAce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@ Cornloaf
I agree. I don't see any problem with it either. Apparently there's a higher risk for fraud because they're just buying a pre-order voucher? There's a good risk with buying anything on Ebay because it is not a face to face transaction. Ebay is the perfect medium for those interested in paying high prices for a PS3 (rich folks that can afford it mostly).
They would probably have 1000 listed & sold @ $2000 within a week or two. $200,000 in sales with their cut is a few bucks in their pocket. I guess the risk just isn't worth it to them (customers getting screwed from fake listings). - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4To all those people saying this is a blow to capitalism, think about this:
Since capitalism basically has companies growing as much as they possibly can and at all costs, what do you think about illegal monopolies like Microsoft's? They obviously are a natural consequence of capitalism, so are you defending them too?
Is the Sherman Antitrust Act "a blow to capitalism" as well? Of course not. Capitalism *needs* socialist checks and balances to make it work. And to prevent people (who are infinitely greedy by nature) from ass-raping and price-gouging everyone at every possible opportunity. - ruded0g, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This could easily be remedied, game stop / EB and all the other retailers, should put in place a policy not to let preorders be transferred to any party.
At least this will eliminate the selling of simple preorders. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Pixel...Steve Jobs could sell the iPod for a good 25% less and make "kids very happy" that now will be disappointed.
Same damn thing. Apple just eliminated the middle man and sells their stuff for scalper level prices on their own. - PixelVision, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't see the form on the US ebay but it might be there somewhere. I had to send a photocopy of some ID and a utility bill also, so it looks like you'll have to do that. They say they'll destroy it once it's used so it's a risk you'll have to take if you want your account back.
- cliche_kitty, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If you feel you've gained a net profit by scalping a PS3, then your time isn't worth very much. Of course, this can just be jealousy talking. Or maybe not...
- rezonq3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Um...nowhere in that article did it say, "You cannot auction off your PS3 here."
- zetsurin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You can apply that to most aspects of life, and this is what investing about is: being ahead of the curve. Once the majority of idiots follow the doors close pretty shortly after. Case in point when property markets over inflate and bust.
- groberts1980, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2After seeing all the 360 pre-orders which didn't get filled, I too think eBay's policy is sound. A pre-order is not a guarantee. Unless the shipping confirmation and tracking number are in your inbox or the console itself is in your hands, you aren't guaranteed *****.
I also can't blame sellers for this, even though I want to. If they start the auction at a thousand dollars, yes blame the seller. If they start it at below retail, and the bidders raise the final price to a thousand dollars, you have to blame the buyers who are stupid and rich enough to pay that much for their lack of patience.
I got lucky back in November of last year and got a 360 Premium from Circuit City's website at 7am one morning. Did I sell it as soon as it arrived? Nope. I opened that bitch up and started playing. - Marmot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2When I preordered my Wii at EBGames, they entered my ID info into their computer (address, phone number, etc).
This might have been to enforce their 'one per household' policy. However, I can see them also verifying that info when I go in to pick up my order on launch day--if so, that would make it pretty difficult to pawn off my preorder to somebody else.
That said, there's nothing that would stop me from immediately reselling the actual console as soon as I walk out of the store... - flgatorfan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3You know, who is the real problem here? The seller.. or the buyer. If I posted an auction for a ps3 and started the bidding at 1 cent, and the system ends up selling for 3 times the original selling price, how is that not considered good business? Now, when you see some jackass creating a buy it now price of 5000 dollars, that seems a little unethical but again, if someone feels like they have it have it for that price, then that's up to the buyer. No one is forcing anyone to pay this price. I have picked up every major console on launch for the past 10 years. I waited in line for 3 hours just to get 1 of the 15 ps3 that my local store had. I'm a gamer first, but profit is profit, and this type of stuff has been going on since before eBay and the Internet, it's just more mainstream now. Besides, most of Sony's target audience may need to sell 1 system for 3 grand, just to be able to afford a 600 dollar game system for themselves.
- BamB00, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The problem is there are plenty of people willing to pay $1000+ for a $600 priced product, if the buyer stop at $700 bid, then this won't be a much of a problem. As long the demand is high and supply is low, you cannot stop what's going in eBay.
- AdamCo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Why? Why would you be that guy when people actually want it and people like you buy up supplies so people can't get it unless they pay people outrageous prices. How do people justify something like that? You don't feel sony is charging enough so you take it upon yourself to sell it at a higher price? I wish I understood how people like that worked, people that exploit every situation they can to make a profit off something that isn't even their product to begin with, I'm glad I'm someone that cares about more than just myself. I know it won't happen, but I wish people wouldn't buy them from people that buy to sell so they would be stuck with it. If you don't want it, why don't you just not buy it and let people who want it buy it from the store? There are people that wait overnight to buy them and can't get them because people buy mulitple products they just want to make a profit off it. Man, I hate greed and exploitation.
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