Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
eBay

If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

Original poster

So what exactly is wrong with buying to sell for a profit on ebay?

43 replies

charliecat · 21/12/2006 14:55

I keep seeing threads where people are disgusted with the people who have got wiis(sp?) and have put them on ebay.
What is wrong with people doing this?
Its what shops do...they buy things for 10p and sell them for £1.99.
Cant see the problem myself.

OP posts:
SenoraPostrophe · 21/12/2006 14:59

are people disgusted about it?

I suppose it is profiteering on the back of other people's desparation/lack of imagination/spoilt children .

or perhaps they're disgusted by the fact that many ebay traders have failed to mention it to IR

LIZS · 21/12/2006 15:02

Personally I don't like profiteering. However it is up to those buying not to do so at inflated prices in order to stop it. tbh with things like Wii's it is more the fact that opportunists have presumably sourced a supply they are therefore preventing some prospective purchasers getting them at the rrp and create their own demand for "second hand" via ebay et al.

FioFio · 21/12/2006 15:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

TrueToForm · 21/12/2006 15:03

doesn't bother me really.. you can only sell something if there's a market for it.. more fool the people paying £600+ for a WII if you ask me!

DarrellRivers · 21/12/2006 15:08

if people want to do it, let them. It's called a free market

frenchconnection · 21/12/2006 17:51

what is a WII ?

hatwoman · 21/12/2006 17:52

It's a secondary market and there's really very little you can do about it. wiis are going for about £270, they were 179 new

MrsBadger · 21/12/2006 17:53

the Wii (pronounced 'wee') is the new Nintendo video-game console thing

it has a wireless remote joystick thing you can control by waving around in manner of sword, tennis racket etc rather than just pressing buttons

apparently this season's Must Have

JustUsTwoTurtleDoves · 21/12/2006 17:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flutturkey · 21/12/2006 17:55

Their is nothing wrong with it at all, if people are willing to pay over the odds for an item rather than wait a few weeks then that is up to them.

No one is trying to hide the original price everyone knows what it should be so people go into the auction able to make an informed decision.

Thecharmed1 · 21/12/2006 18:10

I take that this is aimed at ME

I dont like the idea that people are pre ordering loads (10+) and selling them on ebay, and some people cant get hold of even 1 for there christmas gift!

If you think i am being stupid for thinking like this, i dont really care.

I would have loved one of these, after the terrible year i have had (i know i'm not the only one who has had a bad year!), and this would have been a nice treat for the family as well, not to sell on to make profit but never mind, i have decided to wait til after christmas now!

LIZS · 21/12/2006 18:15

Sensible stance thecharmed. Unfortunatley there are desperate people who don't have similar self restraint and therefore perpetuate this "system". Personally wouldn't want to make £150 a time knowingly at someone else's expense but perhaps for some it is way of life ?

flutturkey · 21/12/2006 18:16

Everyone knew that this would happen though, it isn't a suprise and it will be exactly the same when the PS3 is released during the year.

I actually have a good mind to order a few of them and then flog them on ebay, I have had a horrendous year and need to make some money.

flutturkey · 21/12/2006 18:17

and lets face it if you really really wanted one then you would have been first in line to pre-order one instead of waiting til now. IMHO

laneydaye · 21/12/2006 18:19

We got a wii and one of our mates said "How did you manage to get one?" (DER)

Wish we had ordered a few and had a bit of dosh left after xmas....

MerrilyTooBuzzi · 21/12/2006 18:20

People do it with concert tickets all the time. if someone is willing to pay over the odds, more the fool.

Have you seen what some of the handbages go for...its crazy.

My DD wanted someting in Argos that has been sold out for about 6 weeks. It was sold on ebay for over double the price. I just got DD something else. They dont have to have everything they ask Santa for you know.

Thecharmed1 · 21/12/2006 18:22

I did try to pre order but argos was not allowing people to pre order them and as i dont drive i couldn't exactly travel that far so on the release date i was queing up out side and they did not have any when i got to the till point, but i did see someone leave with quite a few and was very , he probably brought the lot (arse)
So dont tell me if i really wanted one, i would have pre ordered because i tried, and its hard getting about on public transport with 2 little ones!

flutturkey · 21/12/2006 18:25

Well all I can say is thats what the internet was invented for.

If I could have afforded to buy 10 of them I would have stuff the person in the queue behind me I am thousands of pounds in debt and would have loved to make some extra money out of fools willing to pay over the odds.

The people you should be angry at are Nintendo they are the ones creating this mess by not releasing enough of the damn things in the first place.

The fact is I can't even afford to buy one after Christmas.

MrsBadger · 21/12/2006 18:29

I must admit I feel uncomfortable when there genuinely are limited supplies of the item - concert tickets are a good example.

I just imagine someone ringing Ticketmaster or wherever knowing they don't really want to go to the concert and buying the last four tickets to sell on Ebay, and the next person in the phone queue being told it's sold out and knowing they'll have to pay over the odds on Ebay if they want to go.

Just doesn't seem quite fair.

S88AHG · 21/12/2006 18:29

To be fair you will probably get a much better deal on one after Xmas anyway and it would only cause arguements on The Day so a lot of money and hassle saved if you ask me, then you can sit back and laugh at all these paying way too much and getting in debt just so their kids dont throw a tantrum

Thecharmed1 · 21/12/2006 18:32

To be honest, neither can we being in debt, (but thats another story), this is the one thing i have always said i would love to have, and when i have just enough to buy for myself as a treat every dam bastard is buying one and selling on for profit, leaving the rest of us with not a slight chance to get one!!!
I think i better stay away from this thread before i say something i regret! Dont normally get worked up about stupid things on this site, but if people are gonna make stupid remarks then i will put my point accross if need be!!!

Thecharmed1 · 21/12/2006 18:33

AND THE INTERNET COULD NOT GAURANTEE DELIVERY FOR CHRISTMAS

Kelly1978GotRunOverByAReindeer · 21/12/2006 18:35

I sell stuff on ebay for profit. I've never old limited products, but I get a discount on items then mark them up a bit to get a profit. It accumulates to pay for treats taht we wouldn't otherwise have. People buy my items because they are the cheapest that they have found, so I'm not really rippign them off. If I hadn't sold to them, they would have bought off the person who was sellign for slightly MORE than I am, since they don't know where to get it cheaper. I aim to be the cheapest on ebay for my products and will carry on with a line until someone undercuts me to the point where I can't make a profit. I think my biggest ever profit was ten times the value of an item and I did feel bad about that, but the buyer was thrilled!

S88AHG · 21/12/2006 18:36

I can see how it would annoy you luckily my children arent quite old enough to demand the "in" toy but maybe I will be queueing outside virgin at 5am next year Chin up and have a great Xmas x

CaRowlers · 21/12/2006 18:37

While it might not be legally wrong, in my eyes, it is morally questionable.
Usually the peole who can least afford it end up getting themsleves into debt around this time of year.
Fools? Maybe. Vulnerable and ill-advised I think.
I would never want to make money for myself in this way.
I'd rather be poor.

Swipe left for the next trending thread