eBay is just fantastic. [whinge post]

King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 02:32

I recently received a DSi with a few games which I had no use for so I listed them all on ebay individually with free shipping.

One of the games, Art Academy, sold for a whopping $3.77. Seriously? The bidders can't even muster up $5 for a game that has free shipping?

This annoyed me because eBays fees are now 9-10% so they took 37c, and of course I had to pay for shipping which luckily is only $1.40 for DS games in a small parcel, but I have to pay for the parcel as well.. so I'm looking at about 80c for the game. Great. I'll put that straight in the bank.

/rant

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closed Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2015 - 02:36
    +13

    why would you buy a DSi in 2015?

    • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 02:43

      I didn't buy it.

      Just had a look at a game I'm interested in buying on eBay, and someone is listing one with $8.25 shipping. Should I of done that? $8.25 shipping when it only actually costs ~$2.50?

      • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2015 - 02:46

        you're right, i'm drunk. ignore me.

        • 2pro4sho on 19/01/2015 - 09:44
          +13

          Wrong. You can set any shipping price you want. Just select the flat shipping fee option. I sell 5-10 items per week.

        • pennae on 19/01/2015 - 10:21
          -1

          Ya, that's what I usually do, but the option wasn't appearing yesterday. Maybe it was just a glitch.

          It still sounds like that particular seller has just chosen the default eBay priced shippping.

  • Pigey on 19/01/2015 - 02:42
    +21

    Next time list create a fixed price listing for $9.99 with free shipping

  • Davo1111 on 19/01/2015 - 03:29
    +25

    lol, so next time set a reserve?

      • Davo1111 on 19/01/2015 - 12:35
        +45

        so you took the risk and lost. bad luck

  • inherentchoice on 19/01/2015 - 03:40
    +11

    FeeBay.

    • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2015 - 04:33
      +9

      GreedBay and PayPay&PayAgainPal.

      • centrelink on 19/01/2015 - 18:46
        +1

        like every single big companies in the world..

  • rowenaduncan on 19/01/2015 - 06:25
    +21

    Don't know why people are allowed to start bidding to start at $1 when it is clearly obvious there is no way the seller would accept anywhere near that. I'm talking cars/tools/jewellery etc. So if YOU weren't happy with what you got, then you only have yourself to blame for setting the start bid so low…

    • Wraith on 21/01/2015 - 13:47

      It's because the listing fee from eBay is free or much lower at 99c. I don't sell regularly, but I sold my old laptop and iPhone a few years ago - and there was no way I'd let either go for 99c, but I listed them at that point because it would mean lower fees for me.

  • mooney on 19/01/2015 - 08:13
    +17

    Whining about ebay selling fees is fair game. EBay is doing a great job of making itself hated.

    However whining about the sale price is misguided- everything is worth the price people are prepared to pay, nothing more. In this case $3.77. You win some, you lose some.

  • cypher67 on 19/01/2015 - 08:40
    +18

    Its called an auction, if you start low and someone get a bargain is your own fault. You close to use eBay and they would have been up front about the fee's, it is your own fault. If it went for $30 you would be cheering. Toughen up princess.

    • mousie on 19/01/2015 - 15:28
      +5

      what happens if you open to use Ebay?

      • ankor on 19/01/2015 - 18:30
        +2

        Then you have decided you are open to using eBay.

  • FrankMcFuzz on 19/01/2015 - 08:46
    +5

    You could've got Art Academy for a dollar at literally every garage sale ever. You can also pick up Dora Princess Party, Barbie Adventure Playhouse, and Carnival Games from these places, because apparently parents hate their children and want them to suffer

    • syousef on 19/01/2015 - 13:53
      +3

      Please look up the word "literally" ;-) I've literally told you a million times not to exaggerate. ;-)

      • FrankMcFuzz on 19/01/2015 - 15:05
        +4

        Yes. Literally. I looked up the definition and then went "Yep this seems right".

        I mean, I've been to literally every garage sale ever and can literally say that there is literally one at every garage sale ever. Literally.

      • enforcer on 19/01/2015 - 16:21
        +2

        I heard someone say they had been "literally ripped off" (probably after buying something without checking OzB first). They looked intact to me.

        • FrankMcFuzz on 20/01/2015 - 08:09
          +3

          On Master Chef once, I saw them say "He literally put his heart on that plate."

          Gross.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/01/2015 - 07:44

          @FrankMcFuzz:
          Offal is in now, isn't it?

      • Daabido on 20/01/2015 - 13:39

        "Literally" can also now mean "figuratively" according to Merriam-Webster and Cambridge dictionaries.

        Personally I think it is ridiculous, but there you have it.

        • FrankMcFuzz on 20/01/2015 - 15:57
          +1

          If literally means figuratively, then what literally means literally?

          This is what happens when you let native English speakers loose on the language. People with it as a second language tend to be more gentle with it.

          But they have funny accents, and that's okay.

        • echineon on 20/01/2015 - 19:22

          @FrankMcFuzz: more like let the rednecks roam free in a trailer park. People who take the language with a respectful and precise manner will literally never use 'literally' for something not so literal, literally.

        • syousef on 21/01/2015 - 09:15
          +3

          Well that is just an argument against using the Merriam-Webster and Cambridge dictionaries.

        • Funky Moose on 21/01/2015 - 12:25

          Its also ridiculous because the people mis-using literally don't mean figuratively. All they're trying to do is add emphasis to their metaphor. They're not trying to draw attention to the fact that it is a metaphor.

        • voter1 on 26/01/2015 - 01:18
          +1

          @FrankMcFuzz: Im not a native english speaker and I correct people all the time on this use of literally although its number 2 on my pet peeve list (ironic is number 1)

      • marquise on 21/01/2015 - 23:37

        I literally just thought of a new word… "cliterally"
        but, then it seems I'm late to the party
        http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cliterally

        "I am cliterally the man."
        "that is cliterally the worst/best pussy I have had"
        "he gave me several orgasms cliterally"
        "he is cliterally challenged"

  • wonderboy on 19/01/2015 - 08:50
    +3

    How much were expecting, it's an old DS game that isn't Mario, Zelda, Professor Layton game. I'm amazed people are even buying DS games and not just buying a R4 card.

    • CyberMurning on 19/01/2015 - 09:04

      same with buying xbox games instead installing xkey

    • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 09:43
      -4

      I'm surprised people buy cars when they could just download them!

      • wonderboy on 19/01/2015 - 10:29
        1. They don't make DS games anymore. Nintendo aren't making money on used games.
        2. If people had the skills and free time then they would download a car like this guy http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/new…
        • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 10:35

          But just to clarify, if you can no longer purchase something legally, you should simply break the law to get it?

        • Jam0864 on 19/01/2015 - 10:53
          +1

          @Putnum:
          Why wouldn't you? It's a completely victimless crime; Nintendo and the creators of the game wouldn't have made any money on a used sale anyway. I don't base my morals on what is written in law.

        • FrankMcFuzz on 19/01/2015 - 10:59
          +3

          @Jam0864: I have downloaded a heap of SNES games (Metroid, Earthbound, Megaman) and have no moral dilemmas with them, because it would cost hundreds of dollars for me to get a single copy from someone not-affiliated with Nintendo anyway. Plus, they were all fantastic games that made me like Nintendo more, and throw more money at them in the hopes of a Wii-U Mother 4/Earthbound 2.

          ARE YOU LISTENING NINTENDO!? I WANT TO GIVE YOU MONEY!!!

          Whereas I pirated a PC game once and couldn't sleep with all the intense moral quandries that plagued my little consumerist brain D:

        • syousef on 19/01/2015 - 13:55
          +2

          @Putnum:

          There is a very valid question here. Should someone be permitted to create something, release it, make money from it, then lock it back up at their convenience?

          Use to be that copyrights expired. I think the current situation is somewhat twisted.

        • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 14:04

          @syousef:

          I don't write the laws.

        • syousef on 19/01/2015 - 14:15
          +1

          @Putnum:

          But why defend one if you don't agree with it? It's a tricky moral issue we're talking about here. If a law is unjust and you obey it or defend it you're complicit. But if you pick and choose which laws to obey you're contributing to anarchy.

        • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 15:21

          @syousef:

          I believe all laws are there for a reason and if the public really didn't want particular laws you would see majority protests to change them. While there are some laws which I view as silly, I still respect them because I know how privileged I am to live where I live.

        • syousef on 19/01/2015 - 16:47

          @Putnum:

          You've got to be kidding me, right? You don't understand apathy, greed or corruption? Or that the majority does not always get it's way under the kinds of democracy we live under?

          There are laws on the books that are beyond just being silly and while you are privileged it does not follow that this privilege means you or others can't have your lives ruined by unjust laws.

          Will anyone die if they don't get to see their TV show? No. Does it mean that these laws - meant to protect and encourage content creation - result in it being stifled instead? Yes. But what if we were talking about the release of a cure for a terminal disease you or one of yours had? Would you be happy to die because some company with the patent didn't find it convenient to release the medicine required to save you or refused to release data under copyright law that would be needed to have it's use approved?

        • pennae on 19/01/2015 - 21:47

          @syousef: when a book is out of print, you can make a copy of it. Why not games?

        • chill on 19/01/2015 - 22:57

          @Putnum: Very strange that you whinge about something that you are in control off (the reserve price of your ebay listing) but don't care about silly laws.

        • Almost Banned on 20/01/2015 - 00:09

          @pennae:
          Curious to know - why do you think you can legally make a copy of a book out of print?

        • syousef on 20/01/2015 - 04:37

          @blaircam:

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-print_book

          Note that I am not a lawyer and this does not specifically cover law in Australia.

        • Almost Banned on 20/01/2015 - 10:36

          @syousef:
          Thank you but I have read the article and, unless I have misread it, nowhere does it say that you can make a copy of out-of-print books legally. Am I missing something?

        • syousef on 20/01/2015 - 11:59

          @blaircam:

          From the article:
          'Publishers may choose to list a book as "out of stock indefinitely", instead of declaring it out of print, as the publisher may have to give up copyright when declaring it out of print.'

        • pennae on 20/01/2015 - 13:57

          @blaircam: I did a unit at uni on Southeast Asian literature and many of the books were out of print. The uni bookshop could sell us copies they had made of them (cost of printing only).

        • Almost Banned on 20/01/2015 - 15:37

          @syousef:

          If the publisher 'gives up copyright' it doesn't mean its open slather (and I think the wikipedia link isn't actually correct in Australia in any event). The author may still hold the copyright.

          Let me suggest you check out s. 33 of the Copyright Act here:
          http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2014C00291/Html/Text#_Toc3…

          I think you will find that even out of print works are under copyright for 70 years.

        • syousef on 21/01/2015 - 09:24

          @blaircam:

          I was not arguing that Putnam was correct - just pointing you to what he was talking about.

          Thanks for pointing me to the statute though. That was an interesting read. I don't think it's just or that copyright legislated like this does what is intended i.e. encourage creation of works….and that is the excuse a lot of people use to simply ignore and violate it. Personally I'd like to see copyright laws that are more sane. Perhaps restrict profit from a work so that the author could claim against someone publishing it while relaxing restrictions on it's publication or release by a 3rd party.

      • FrankMcFuzz on 19/01/2015 - 10:51
        +3

        But the anti-piracy add tells us you wouldn't download a car!

        W-wait, wouldn't or couldn't?

      • serideth on 19/01/2015 - 15:50
        +3

        You can download a car. Strati

        • syousef on 19/01/2015 - 16:49
          +2

          Thanks for sharing that. Awesome.

  • aocal on 19/01/2015 - 09:30

    You should be wary about posting anything without tracking as the buyer can claim non-delivery and if you cannot prove posting, you will lose it all. Offering a higher "buy it now" price with the option of make an offer can work in your favour.

    • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 09:45

      The day that happens will be the last day i sell something regular post :-)

  • 2pro4sho on 19/01/2015 - 09:50
    +1

    It's all about supply and demand. For items with limited demand such as old non-popular ds games always set a fixed price you want + shipping (after searching how much they are going for). May take slightly longer to sell but if it's the cheapest one for sale someone will buy it. Even with the eBay fees, you will still get far more via eBay then any other method.

  • mitcheo on 19/01/2015 - 10:11
    +4

    Next time start the auction at the lowest price your willing to take e.g $4.99, try to be honest with shipping prices as i often refuse to buy something if they are overcharging for shipping.

    • whooah1979 on 19/01/2015 - 10:31
      +4

      Op, if you wanted $8.25, then you should have listed it at $8.25. Why blame the bidders or ebay for you inexperience?

      • ArjaytheGuy on 19/01/2015 - 23:16

        because then there wouldn't be a whinge post for people to comment on / laugh at?

  • Ughhh on 19/01/2015 - 11:20
    +1

    If you have basic maths skills, your can calculate how much you need to list item at to get the amount you want after fees. You forfeit this when you list as an aunction starting at $1 I'm guessing, 100% your call and fault for the amount you got.

    • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 12:05
      +1

      I realise it's my fault, I just didn't know eBay had gotten that bad. I thought for sure that a game marked free shipping would go for at least $5. All good though, lesson learnt.

      After all, how often does one learn a tough financial lesson and still be in the black?

      • syousef on 19/01/2015 - 14:31
        +1

        Other people want bargains too. Nothing bad about that. If you don't want to sell something cheap, don't set the starting price low. Easy.

      • ArjaytheGuy on 19/01/2015 - 23:19

        If there's only one bidder it doesn't matter if they're prepared to pay $100 for it. No other bidders = no bidding war = sold at listed price.

        I'm glad that you consider this a tough financial lesson though; that does make me smile.

      • ronnknee on 21/01/2015 - 08:03

        People don't bid a higher price just so that you earn more from it.

  • Sweetnsour on 19/01/2015 - 12:32
    +2

    You forgot paypal fees too ☺

  • tomsco on 19/01/2015 - 12:34

    One of the games, Art Academy, sold for a whopping $3.77. Seriously? The bidders can't even muster up $5 for a game that has free shipping?

    Correct me if I am wrong, but does eBay not work on incremental bidding.

    For example, the winning bidder may have put a max bid of $10, but if the next person below him only bid $3.27, then eBay would set the winners bid at $3.77.

    As others have said, set your reserve price higher.

    • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 13:54

      From what I saw of the bidding, it was going up by $0.05 increments.

      Based on all these comments and suggestions, I won't be selling on it again! And kind of feel bad for the purchases I make on there.

      • tomsco on 19/01/2015 - 14:03

        I highly doubt it would be $0.05 increments, that far too small a denomination.

        Why do you feel bad for all the purchases you've made on there? If a seller wants a certain amount, they need to set a reserve.

        If they don't, they're taking a gamble.

        • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 14:08

          Here's a copy paste of one of the auctions. I 'm guessing someone bid $0.99 as their highest bid, so the next person that put $2 bumped it up to $1.04. And then that final $0.01 at the end, I can't even!

          AU $5.01
          AU $5.00
          AU $3.70
          AU $3.06
          AU $2.55
          AU $2.00
          AU $1.04
          Starting Price AU $0.99

        • ArjaytheGuy on 19/01/2015 - 23:22
          +2

          I've gotta admit I often throw random denominations on my bids for exactly that reason… lots of people round to the nearest dollar or whatever; but a bid of $101.10 will slightly edge out the competition.

        • cypher67 on 20/01/2015 - 09:17
          +3

          @ArjaytheGuy: Exactly, the best tactic is to sniper auctions, bidding at the last second so someone cant counter bid. Using random denominations like $101.10 could edge you over their $101.00 at the final moment

        • ArjaytheGuy on 21/01/2015 - 17:48

          @cypher67: Definitely; it means that you beat that bid, but also you could block their bid by meaning that the next highest bid would need to be $103.60 meaning that the $103 bid they put in (while higher than your leading $101.10; isn't a full bid denomination higher).

  • grabngo on 19/01/2015 - 13:09

    What gets me more annoyed is that when someone buys something and they don't get it in 2 days,whoop,the money is held back by ebay !!!
    Damned if u don't and damned if u do…

  • Speckled Jim on 19/01/2015 - 13:51

    When I eventually install the 2TB drive in my 2002 xbox (yes, really), I'll be giving ~60 originals to charity.

    Think about it.

    Being stressed and frustrated by feeBay and tightarse buyers.

    Or

    Feeling good that you helped [charity of your choice], they're off your hands and maybe a low income person is happy because they scored a cheap item.

    • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 13:55
      +2

      You know scavengers go to op shops to buy cheap console games to sell on eBay, right?

      • Speckled Jim on 19/01/2015 - 13:56
        +4

        The charity still makes their cut.

        And quit spoiling my delusions of giving young urchins cheap games!

        • King Steuart on 19/01/2015 - 13:57

          Yeah I was thinking at least the charity gets the 100% profit if you're donating the goods =)

    • lordsnipe on 19/01/2015 - 14:48
      +1

      60 games times roughly 4GB per game = 240GB. Save your cash and install a 320GB HDD.

      • Speckled Jim on 20/01/2015 - 10:11

        Erm…yes? I already bought the drive a few months ago from a deal posted here.

        I know for a fact that the entire xbox release catalogue is under 1.3TB

        Original xbox games average out at 2.5GB. Many are even less. The smallest commercial release I've seen is Ultra Bust a Move (82MB). Othello is 44MB but not sure if that was a homebrew conversion or what.

        If you end up with a PAL EU version of a game, you can rip out FR,DE,IT,ES audio/video and whittle it down further. They often have preview videos of "upcoming" games too. Rip.

        What about storage for video and music? And for emulation? I have mame, PSX, SNES and several others waiting to install.

        Don't forget the ~200 downloaded games. Micro$oft washed their hands of this console in 2007. The copyright holders aren't losing money from abandonware, only second-hand dealers.

        It's nice to have the space and never need to worry about it. Unless the drive fails.

        • ArjaytheGuy on 21/01/2015 - 17:50

          Now that's some real ozbargain thinking.

  • cupcake on 19/01/2015 - 13:56
    +2

    Don't start the bidding at 99c. It could go for that much. Also, add postage. At least $5 for small parcels Australia-wide.

  • britta on 19/01/2015 - 14:46

    You win some you lose some

    I wish eBay did auctions like trademe.co.nz. When the bidding enters the final few minutes the action is extended by a few minutes each time someone bids. Can create some exciting auction wars. But that creates a situation of Good for sellers, bad for buyers

    BUT! Don’t even get me started on the fact as a seller you are unable to leave negative or for that matter even neutral feedback! It’s a joke! Options are "Positive" or "Leave feedback later". I have sold a few items and I can assure you that not all sales are "Positive"

    It created a situation where if someone only buys items on eBay and never sells then their feedback will be 100% regards of their transactions.

    Right now I have an items I sold Dec 30th with the user still to pay or make communication. If he pays now and I ship it I have to give him "Positive" feedback. Yes I can write a comment but really, who reads them.

    Grumble Grumble

    Rant over. :-P

    Like everyone else said. Set start price at your minimum happy point but also appericate that an item is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it which isnt always what you want.

    • lplau on 20/01/2015 - 13:16

      Greys online does a similar thing about last minute bids.

  • zond on 19/01/2015 - 15:21
    +2

    Sorry for your loss, but thats how bargain hunters do. Luckily you didn't sell 3 x LCD monitors to me for a whopping $1 which I just picked up yesterday! or 30 x DVD blank cases for $1, or a Network laser Printer+ fax+ copy/scan machine with spare toners (retailing $1200) I bought for a $1 (yet to be collected)….

  • altomic on 19/01/2015 - 15:53
    +17

    Thanks man, have you posted my Art Academy game yet?

    • scrimshaw on 20/01/2015 - 11:34

      Sorry, my dog peed on it, my wife ate it and my toddler thought it was trash and threw it away into the garbage. The item is damaged and I can't, in my honest evaluation, sell you this item.

      (Refunds buyer and relists the item on ebay)

  • Jabba the Hutt on 19/01/2015 - 18:56

    Don't worry, you can put this minor disappointment behind you and move on 45 days six months from now, when you're released from the obligation to provide lucky winning bidder with eBay-mandated peace of mind.

  • p1 ama on 20/01/2015 - 12:58

    So what was the point of this post, OP?

  • BoomTetrisForJeff on 20/01/2015 - 14:53

    To op

    Hate the player, not the game.

    kind regards,
    eBay

  • dlakers3peat on 20/01/2015 - 15:06
    +1

    You forgot they also take slice of the shipping charge as well, which is highway robbery.

    • tomsco on 20/01/2015 - 15:38
      +1

      Do they? I thought they didn't and that's why people inflate shipping costs. Or maybe they have changed because of that. which means it is not highway robbery.

  • Interceptor on 20/01/2015 - 15:16
    +1

    Should have sold it on gumtreee!!!

  • wtfnodeal on 20/01/2015 - 17:32
    +2

    I don't quite understand how does ebay work exactly. I accidentally committed to buy the same item twice and ebay contacted and enforced me to pay for it but when I bought something from an ebay store the seller was ok to refuse to send ny order due to pricing error?

    • scrimshaw on 20/01/2015 - 18:08
      +2

      and ebay contacted and enforced me to pay for it

      If you accidentally buy an item, you are supposed to contact the seller and get them to cancel the transaction. There is a special process they have to go through (it's just a matter of clicking a link, and entering a generic reason though, I've had to do it before as a seller).

      The transaction cancellation will reverse any fees the seller has paid — e.g the listing and final value fees. If its not cancelled, ebay just pockets the money even though the item hasn't left the seller's hands.

      the seller, can, for various reasons, cancel the transaction. Again, could be for legit reasons like a pricing error or a item that is not in stock but it can be exploited for other less legit reasons.

  • Serapis on 20/01/2015 - 22:17

    Sorry but your fault for not setting a start price. Some guy probably saw an opportunity to buy and trade in at EB games for more store credit. Done this myself once or twice.

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