Cracking down on bait-and-switch listings
I waste a lot of time looking at listings sorted by "Price + postage, lowest first" only to find that the low price on the listing is for an item that has nothing to do with the thing I'm looking for.
An example: I was looking for an electric display turntable. The listing showed $8.06 to $23.72 in the search results.
I opened the listing and selected the Colors - White Matte was $23.72, and so was Black Matte, White Mirror and Black Mirrored versions. The $8.06 "color" was a non-motorised, non-rotating watch display which was not what I searched for.
In other words, I got suckered in with a promise on a low price thinking it was for the thing I wanted to buy when it wasn't. It's unethical, annoying and probably illegal in some jurisdictions. It's also an incredibly common tactic on eBay.
I have lost faith in the accuracy of eBay listings and I've started to look elsewhere for my products, rather than having my time wasted. Will eBay start cracking down on this practice?
eburtonlab
·2 years agoI waste a lot of time looking at listings sorted by "Price + postage, lowest first" only to find that the low price on the listing is for an item that has nothing to do with the thing I'm looking for.
In most categories, that is a waste of your time. Stop doing that.
Try sorting by "Price + postage: highest first" instead. If there are many results, set a price range to weed out the extreme results at both ends. Then go to the end of the results (or the end of the last page) and start scrolling up through the results.
This will cause listings to sort by the highest-priced listing within your price range, ignoring entirely all the lowest-priced clickbait variations that have nothing to do with your actual search.
gutterpunkz05
·2 years agoBuyers need to understand, that listing headings does not equate to a description, that is why there is a specific description field in the listing.
Headings are key words, designed to gain attention.
springyzone
·2 years agoI agree, these types of ads are sometimes extremely annoying.
Variation listings are quite legitimate, legal, but as countess said, they are meant to be for variations of the same item. Maybe a different colour or different size and so on.
What you were looking at, in my opinion, breaks the spirit of law a little bit.
Ebay doesn't seem keen to crack down on the practice, so you just need to be aware and assume the product you're looking for is usually going to be at the higher end of the price range. That's how those ads usually work.
You can usually pick these types of ads at a glance, the price range should alert you to the fact something is going on. $8-$26 range? That's never going to be for the same item.
I don't know who the various sellers were but by the looks of it, one at least is based in Australia as it said Australian seller. The other that said Australian stock, that stock could be in a warehouse here, it probably is, but the words would alert me to the fact it is most likely a Chinese seller. A Countess says, the chinese sellers on ebay have more leeway.
I think a lot of people believe they'll get great bargains by buying from a Chinese seller because everything over there is 'cheap' but that hasn't exactly been my experience. An $8 price would probably be unrealistic for what you were after or for any sort of quality. You may pick up something similar cheaply eg on temu, but I would trust ebay more than that site.
sugar249
·2 years agoPlease explain which law. I'll get in touch with judge judy
domino-710
·2 years agoSpring did not mention ' the letter of the law ' - but the ' spirit of the law '.
Wake up ' grumpy '. lol
springyzone
·2 years agoI'm my own judge judy here, thanks.
In my opinion, an ad with a drop down selection menu should be for variations of the same item. Maybe a different size, different colour and so on. That's how I suspect ebay originally intended for it to be used. That's what I meant by the spirit.
And I don't have a problem with some variation in price if it is based eg on size or material or even colour.
But an ad should not be for half a dozen widely different items.
Completely different item, different ad.
That's how the majority of ebay customers would probably prefer it too.
domino-710
·2 years agoSpringy - you stated ' at least one ' - and were pulled up in red for it.
Take this one - you are quite right - this seller is registered in Australia - 2021.
But ' screaming ' - red white & blue. lol
sugar249
·2 years agoObjection your honour.
Relevance, evidence is not relevant to this case
springyzone
·2 years agoHere's how I see it.
If the banner says Australian stock, you can bet it's a seller located in China but maybe with a warehouse here.
If it says Australian seller, then it is going to say the seller is located in Australia, which may or may not be the case, but if the delivery date is in 3-7 days, then it is probably true it is all 'local' but it is still Chinese stock.
But you are completely right, this is all off on a tangent as the OP's issue wasn't about where the stock was coming from or where the seller was located, it was about the bait and switch listing.
And they can be annoying. I was chatting to a friend who sells on ebay and he was saying how much he hates those listings as he can guarantee whatever he looks up is going to be at least $10 dearer or else the cheapest item will be 'out of stock'.
I know these ads pass all the ebay rules etc etc, but all I am saying is the OP isn't on his own with being annoyed.
*sons_n_daughters*
·2 years agoFor the love of god Springy, you've been around long enough to know that showing "AU SELLER" on a photo SCREAMS Chinese seller. The Chinese more often than not will put that on their photos because people fall for it. Right alongside the Australia Post logo, so it looks legit.
My husband recently purchased an item. It said AU seller, AU stock, plus had the Aust Post logo on the photo. Within a few minutes I was alerted by My Post with a tracking number. I said, you do realise this is coming from China, don't you? He said no, it said AU seller, it's coming from Sydney. I said no, it's coming from China and they are drop shipping. 3 weeks later, the tracking number finally updated to say it was in transit. It still arrived within the shipping time, so no problem there. HE KNOWS BETTER!!!! Yet still fell for the logos and photos.
*sons_n_daughters*
·2 years agoI forgot to mention one thing re photos. The Australian flag. As soon as I see that, I immediately know it's China. Depending on what I'm buying, will depend on whether I buy from that seller. If I'm wanting a pack of rubber O rings and they are the cheapest, then yes, I'll go ahead and buy, knowing full well the item is coming from China, despite the claims of being an Australia seller.
If I want to buy a lamp, then absolutely not will I buy from them. Not in a million years.
It's also interesting to note, that the Chinese sellers flood pretty much every ebay site. If you look at say, ebay Italy, the pictures will show that they are Italian sellers and items are being sent by Italia Post, with the logos on the photos. Same with ebay Brazil, or any other country. They customise it for whatever country they are trying to invade.
sandypebbles
·2 years agoThe photos posted by the OP could not scream 'China' louder if they tried
Every single thing about them is a total dead giveaway
*sons_n_daughters*
·2 years agoEspecially when they plaster Express Post on their photos! It still takes at least 2 weeks to come from China.
That said, I have bought from Chinese sellers, who state they are Chinese sellers, I know I'm buying from a Chinese seller, and the item has arrived in under 5 days. One ad said express post (not Aust Post, just express post). It was here in 3 days, from China (as is evident by the postage label that is in both English and Chinese). I can barely get an item from Sydney in 3 days (4 hours away!)!!!! I am happy to buy from those sellers because they appear to be honest. They aren't pretending to be someone they're not. Again, it depends on what I'm buying.
A lot of the items I buy, the best ones come from China, India or Africa. If they honestly state where they are, I'm happy to buy. Most of my regular high volume sellers have 100% feedback. They aren't trying to peddle the cheap carp. They are genuine people trying to make an income. My favourite Chinese seller has over 500,000 feedback and has 100% rating. I know that high volume sellers can show 100% when in actual fact they may have 1 or 2 negs, that's not the case for this seller. She had one neg year ago because the item was the wrong shade of red in the buyer's eyes.
springyzone
·2 years agoI don't think the aussie flag always means it is coming direct from China. I'd agree it is probably a company selling cheap stuff that originated in China but I think some of these companies have warehouses here. And quite possibly Chinese managers here.
I'll show you the top of an ad from a seller I actually bought something from (it was just a cheap item and like you, I would not have bought an electrical item or anything, but for what it was, I was okay with it)
Now, that (very big) seller is listed as located in Aust and my item arrived from Auspost in about 3 or 4 days so i don't think it was posted from China, I think it came from a warehouse here. I had a look at the feedback & many mention quick postage, that never seems to be the problem, though plenty question the quality of the different items.
arctoph_49
·2 years agoSpringyzone is a smart poster and I think she knows very well that "Australian Seller" does not mean anything and that screaming usually means it is not true, but we all occasionally make mistakes if we are tired or for any other reason.
sugar249
·2 years agoThere is another huge pointer in those photo's, which based on the so called ''bait"" priced item presented. Makes it clear none of the items are Australian based and all are coming from china. How anyone could suggest Australian warehouse, even in my sleep I can tell you that,
springyzone
·2 years agoS&D, yes, usually the aussie flag draped over an ad will denote a Chinese seller but not always.
What it usually denotes to me is cheap junk. Lots and lots of small, cheap items of questionable quality, no matter if they are from Aust or China.
I have found that those types of ads are not exclusive to Chinese sellers, I have seen banners like that on authentic aussie sellers but then again, I do check out seller location.
In the case of your husband's purchase, I would never have fallen for it because really? He thought it was coming from Aust and it was going to take about a month to get there?
That's a dead give away, whether an ad has logos or flags on it or not.
I am like you in that I am willing to buy (sometimes) from an overseas seller but all I want is the truth about location, item etc. That includes the price, which is OP's beef. He's looking for a rotating electric turntable and some of the stuff in the drop down menu doesn't fit that description.
The jewellery photography show holder of the title would be better in a separate ad.
gutterpunkz05
·2 years agoFor my money, judge judy should find in favour of the seller. As per key words in title, display stands.
The defence rests.
springyzone
·2 years agoThat's exactly what I meant by breaking the spirit of the law.
Sure, the seller has spammed the title to cover themselves, you can't touch them on that, but these variable listings, I suspect, were originally there to cover variations of the same or very similar item.
To me, a rotating electric turntable is substantially different to a photography show holder.
I will put it this way. What if variable listings had a rule that the cheapest item had to be the one in the first photo, the one that would be on display when people were scrolling through the ads?
I suspect we would see a change quick smart. Sellers would suddenly be listing these 2 items in separate ads.
I know very well that ebay allows all this. All I am saying is it annoys a lot of buyers. They aren't necessarily all people who don't read the ads either. I read ads and I find it annoying too, although I don't come across it too often as I am usually not buying the types of things these sellers are selling.
Ebay isn't the only site that does this either. Some cruise sites sail a bit too close to the wind, in my opinion. Not the actual cruise lines, the independent travel agents who market cruises.
countessalmirena
·2 years agoThere’s that assumption in Australian consumers… or at least enough of us to form a pattern: the incredible bargain is just as good as the item at around RRP.
And of course it’s not! The outside of an electronic item can look very similar to high-end products, but inside - oh no.
countessalmirena
·2 years agoI think you may be looking with an unrealistic price in mind.
There are items I wouldn’t buy on eBay - unless the seller is an Australian business known to me as an authorised seller of that item. Electronic items are a no-no if they’re being sold by an overseas seller, esp. Chinese sellers for purely practical and reasonable reasons. (Items manufactured in whackadoodle fashion of cheapest possible raw materials where components do not meet minimum product specifications, product itself doesn’t meet Australian standards, safety issues and quality control lack and an unbranded knockoff claiming specs and functions it doesn’t have…)
To avoid these listings in your search results, set your minimum price at a REALISTIC value.
I should mention that eBay permits “listings with variations”. It’s supposed to allow variations in an item (colour or size and so on), but it is sometimes abused in the way you’ve mentioned… but while eBay AU will crack down on Australian registered sellers for doing it, they neither can nor will with Chinese registered sellers… and eBay.cn give their sellers a lot more leeway and help than is the case for eBay.com.au.
You can complain and nothing will change. You’ll be much more effective if you just don’t buy from such sellers. For electronic items, but Australian.
sugar249
·2 years agoIt's interesting OP has a propensity to purchase from sellers with poor feedback scores,
sugar249
·2 years agoTell me whats illegal, once you select the item you want it tells you the price for that.
And personally I prefer Judge Judy to the police.
I guess it's similar to a motor car dealer where the big sign says X dollars, oh but wait you want wheels and an engine with that, well thats X plus, plus plus.
PS. I get paid 10 times as much as Sandypebbles by Ebay, so impartial comments.
I do disagree with 1 comment from Sandy, Ebay do read here, but they don't take any action on your rants or queries, there are formal channels for those.
sandypebbles
·2 years agoNo, eBay will not crack down on variation listings, which they allow
You were not 'suckered in' learn how to use the site
eBay do not read listings and are not going to read your post on the member to member forum, which has been done to death by people who don't know basics
If it is illegal, go report it to the police
Better yet, avoid listings from dodgy sellers registered in China
And to answer the usual question when someone objects to factual information
No, I do not work for nor get paid by eBay
andor9438
OP2 years agoAlso worth noting that every other result I looked at for this search used the same tactic, rendering my Sort by Lowest completely useless.
gutterpunkz05
·2 years agoNo matter what you believe, it is not bait and switch, and is perfectly legal. A mere glimpse shows it is a multi variation listing, if you dont like them, dont use them.