Buyer Beware - ebay bait and switch

[Deleted]

Hi folks--

Thought this is worth mentioning:

There is an ebay seller that is selling ScaleTrains Operator series Autoracks for virtually the exact same price as multiple other sellers are selling the Rivet Counter versions for.

Late at night, browsing ebay, I thought I was clicking on a rivet counter version, and got burned by buying the wrong item.  

Not sure I want to fight with the seller to save $20 or so (you have to pay to ship it back to them so that will eat into the nearly $35 difference), but I most definitely will NOT buy from that seller again.  Was not always 100% thrilled with past purchases, but this is the first time I can see for a fact the seller is significantly overcharging for one product as if it were the other more expensive product.

Goes without saying, but read carefully before clicking the buy it now.

Thank you all.

[santafe49]

Clearly not a "bait and switch".
You bought what was advertised.
Had you bought a Rivet Counter and received an Operator, then that would be "bait and switch".

[nebrzephyr]

As an ebay seller I run into this situation many times. People don't fully read the auction listing. Or view on it on their phone with the ebay app, which IMHO is a pathetic excuse for an app.

Bob

[Deleted]

Mar 31, 2023 10:01:07 GMT -8 santafe49 said:

Clearly not a "bait and switch".
You bought what was advertised.
Had you bought a Rivet Counter and received an Operator, then that would be "bait and switch".

When the price structure is 100% different between the two items, and the item is clearly listed at the 100% higher price point, it imo IS a bait and switch, especially when some of the listings DO NOT use the word OPERATOR or it only appears below in the item description "fine print" (I just checked and some of the listings are currently as I have described).

Otherwise, yes, I misread, but still normal sellers of new items DO NOT generally use a virtually 100% markup ABOVE FULL MSRP for their listings when it is the lower valued item that they are selling.  Some of the photos appear to be of the higher priced item, as well.

[Mark R.]

Apr 1, 2023 12:00:45 GMT -8 @atsf5398 said:

Otherwise, yes, I misread, but still normal sellers of new items DO NOT generally use a virtually 100% markup ABOVE FULL MSRP for their listings when it is the lower valued item that they are selling.  Some of the photos appear to be of the higher priced item, as well.

You are talking about ebay .... where all the sellers are honest and the prices are always fair. Ebay is, and always will be, a buyer beware landscape.

Mark.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Otherwise, yes, I misread, but still normal sellers of new items DO NOT generally use a virtually 100% markup ABOVE FULL MSRP for their listings when it is the lower valued item that they are selling. Some of the photos appear to be of the higher priced item, as well.

Hmm, what is a "NORMAL" seller? In my years of ebay, buy and sell, I've seen some wildly crazy prices.