Why are some sellers charging more for items than the local shop.

[myclearingoutsale]

Example. Someone listed a new journey girl doll here for 80 start auction or buy now for 105 plus 20 postage. The doll can be bought on sale at toys r us for 50 discounted from 80. I guess if the buyer is out in woop woop land it might be ok but for those of us who are city dwellers we can simply hop in car and go to the shop and buy the item for less than on eBay. Which I am about to now with regards to this doll. So buyers be savvy and check prices on items . An ebay sellers remember unless you are selling a collectors or rare item. Buyers equate ebay with bargains and fair pricing not being overcharged on items we can easily obtain offline.

[harley_babes_hoard]

people can charge what prices they like. it's an online market place the same as any other. Your perception of ebay is wrong then, I never equated it to a bargain outlet.

You also have to remember not everyone can just jump in a car, some people are disabled, some live way out in the bush and a drive to town could take 3 hours. For some it's about convenience not prices.

[lyndal1838]

I live in suburban Sydney with several very good shopping centres within a few minutes drive BUT I have mobility issues and have to rely on others to do the tramping around the shops.

If I can find it online I can buy it, have it delivered and save my family a lot of leg work.  Occasionally I find the price differences to be too much, but at least I have found exactly where to buy to get the best price without tramping all over the local shopping centres.

[aps1080]

As the others have said. You also make the fundamental mistake that the objective is to sell everything for the lowest $$$ price. It's not, the objective is to sell whatever for the highest price you can get. People often start with a low price, IMHO you start with a high price and then lower it IF you don't get any sales. Their are ALWAYS people out there who will pay a higher price than others and if you start with a low price, especially with a new product, all you are doing is giving away profit. Then, as sales continue, the market will find the market price for a product and as it becomes mainstream, you get the discounters moving in.

[fixnwear]

Buyers equate ebay with bargains

OP, I equate Ebay or any other site with CONVENIENCE!

If I had some children in the family - I would give this seller 3 times as much just not to have to front up to any toy store at Christmas time!

Got better things to do than drive around looking for parking and standing in a mile long queue to pay.

And please don't imagine for one minute that buyers equate Ebay with getting a bargain!

Those days are loooooooooong gone - most of us are busier these days, have much more money (income), know how to live well, have a great time, travel, have lunches with friends, out on the town every night - not chase the bargains all over town and spend maybe even more money in petrol doing it. Boring, boring, boring.

The only stores worth going to are those that they know your name, you can sit down with a glass of something and receive a sterling service - and no one utters the word "bargain".

[joxamara]

perhpas the better question should be why are toys r us selling something for $80 when they can obviously sell it for $50 and still make a profit? 

Smaller sellers don't have the buying power to do this and generally sell items for a fair price that gives their customers value for money and themselves a viable profit.   The big sellers gouge the market for as long  as they can then reduce prices to an "on sale" price that they should have been charging from the beginning. 

And as others have pointed out, a higher price with door to door delivery is often the trade off those of us in rural areas and/or with accessability limitiation are prepared to accept to be able to get items that those in metro areas take for granted.

[aceantman]

Also many small sellers don't get bulk discounts on the products they sell, Also ebay, paypal charge a premium for their services.

and sellers need to account for extras such as petrol. Anthony

[misterforgetfulsbooks]

because it's on ebay doesn't mean you will get the lowest price, as you found out, a retail chain has bulk bought a popular seller and used it as a price killer to get bums on seats in its store. Obviously the rest of this store will make its money from the other items purchased when you go in.

[babylonfuture]

Sellers are here to (generally) make money..

Bunnings, Officeworks etc claim that they have the lowest prices - and will price match. But how many people take them up on this? Not many.

Coles and Woolworths online shopping sites charge more compared to their in store prices (someone has to pick the customers order).

Also It is not about price for everyone. More people these days want convenience over price. Also some people have no idea where to purchase a item, so will google it or ebay search it.

End of the day, if the seller is selling too high - they will drop the price or relist at a later date - (and may even get more for it )

Also for auctions, some bidders do get carried away.. many buers and sellers here have probably seen an auction go for a 2nd hand item  sell higher than a brand new 'but it now' price.

[lyndal1838]

I definitely hold stores to their price match offer.

I was looking for a Logitech wireless mouse...found it at Officeworks for over $100.  Checked the Logitech shop on ebay while I was in the store, found it was a lot cheaper on line.  Officeworks lived up to their offer of 10% less than the lowest price and I got it for less than $50.

I have also done it at Bunnings a few times although it is not as easy there and the results have not been as spectacular.  Bunnings tends to have items specially made/packed for them so there are not the exact same items to compare the prices.