Dodgy Advertised Prices
Summary: gri8690 expresses frustration with misleading pricing on eBay for a 12-volt mower ignition switch. Respondents discuss common deceptive practices on the platform, such as bait-and-switch tactics, variation listings, and the challenges in enforcing consumer laws against sellers, especially those based in China. sandypebbles and others advise caution and suggest avoiding such listings to mitigate the issue, while e_purchasing mentions reporting to the ACCC as a potential solution. springyzone notes that these practices are persistent and unlikely to change soon. Overall, the discussion underscores the difficulties of navigating online marketplaces and seeking recourse for misleading advertisements.
I want to purchase a 12 volt, 5 terminal/spade, ride on mower, ignition switch.
Prices seem to range from about $6.99 - $35.99 for generic switches.
When I select a likly vendor, in the lower price bracket, I find that I am required to chose the colour of the switch (there is only one option "silver") or the number of items I wish to purchase (I only want one).
When I do so, the price of the switch jumps to double, or more, the advertised price.
This is a contravention of Australian Consumer Law which requires vendors to nourish the advertised price.
ebay needs to take immediate action against these cheering vendors.
springyzone
·3 weeks ago · Edited@gri8690
When you see a price range as wide as $6.99-$35.99, you can bet your bottom dollar the lower price is for some small item with almost no relationship to whatever you are looking for.
And usually no relationship to what is mentioned in the title either.
It should not be this way & ebay could easily put a stop to it but they haven't in years & they are unlikely to start now.
My guess is if any consumer group approached ebay over a particular ad, ebay would point them to the terms and conditions & just say the seller was in breach of conditions and pull down the ad.
Ebay is unlikely to face consequences unless they were found negligent and in danger of massive fines, then we might see a change. But don't hold your breath.
I've noticed quite a lot of these vendors who are advertising like this, especially for generic electrical type items, are from China. If the seller is registered in China, I wouldn't be buying from them anyway.
You might be better off searching on other websites-Australian stores etc- you might pay a bit more but for a better quality product.
e_purchasing
·3 weeks ago · EditedThe only way eBay will take action and take steps to stamp this out is if eBayers report misleading and deceptive practice (bait & switch) to the ACCC. The more people that report it and blame eBay for taking no action, the more likelyhood ACCC will look into it and take action against eBay
sandypebbles
·3 weeks ago · EditedFar easier for buyer to stop making the choice to even look at these listings
As you know every listing states the seller is responsible for the listing
The A in ACCC is for Australia, not Asia, with the vast numbers of these sellers being registered in China
The ACCC has so much of their time wasted by people who have no valid reason to contact them, meaning people in real need of help miss out
No different in the old days of a garage sale being advertised in the newspaper, people turn up only to find the garage sale is cancelled
The people then report the newspaper to the ACCC because the garage sale they listed an ad for was cancelled
Variation listings are unmissable
e_purchasing
·3 weeks ago · Editedkeep in mind there are genuine variation listings on the site. . Avoiding them altogether would not solve the underlying issue. Most experienced eBayers know which ones to avoid in any case.
I was referring to reporting eBay themselves as they are condoning it with inaction. even more so if the listing/seller is being reported to eBay and they do not take action
lezned-toycollector
·3 weeks agoThanks for the laugh... it's greatly appreciated 👍
6828
·3 weeks agoThe search manipulation is all throughout eBay.
Click on the product you've found at a cheap price and when you select from the multi listings the cheap price is for a paperclip.
The Automated report system will reject your listing manipulation report, so you can try reporting the seller. The seller will close the listing and re-open it as a new listing or just leave it as it is.
Do eBay care? apparently not, because there's no one there to care anymore. There are millions of reports sent through every year and very few can be acted on.
You can't push against the ocean with eBay, they seem to not mind that people do this when all they have to do is set up an algorithm that denies alternate product names that are different to the listing.
It's near impossible to shop on eBay and not find a listing that is trying to trick users to look at their listing.
It's weird though because who goes to a listing that shows $6.99 for an item, then clicks on the drop down and then pays $29.99? It achieves nothing but upsetting the customer.
I've been using eBay for 26 years (Joined in 2000) and I think this issue could be fixed so eBay is a great place to shop again. Until they do it's an incredibly frustrating experience sifting through all the scam listings.
sandypebbles
·3 weeks ago · EditedAnd again
Don’t
Open
The
Listing
Of course eBay don’t care
Nor do buyers who choose to seek out these listings, open them and provide the dodgy seller with yet another page view
I have never been tricked into looking, because they scream dodgy without ever needing to open the actual item
6828
·3 weeks agoIt's hard to separate though when it's close to the price of other things. $21.95 as against $24.95. If it's a quarter of the price then sure easier to pick. I just wish we had the "Good old days" of eBay but looking backwards is futile.
sandypebbles
·3 weeks ago · EditedThe topic was 'bait and switch' and the person complaining about a huge price range
$21.95-$24.95 is hardly the same and that example is more likely a case of either
buy 1 for $24.95 each or buy 2 or more for $21.95 each
Or the cheaper item in question comes on it's own, where the $24.95 item comes with a bag/case etc
Hardly the same thing
And again, the buyer has full choice in who they buy from
Good eBay is long, long gone, but it is way over due time for buyers to make better buying choices than choosing to support dodgy sellers
Until THAT happens, nothing will change
sandypebbles
·3 weeks agoeBay allow variation listings
Any ad showing a price range of $-$ will be a variation listing
Australian consumer law does not apply to sellers in China
Buying such an item from a dodgy seller registered in China or drop shipping from there is best avoided for your own safety and that of those around you
No good telling other members what eBay 'should do'
You do not have to click on any variation listing and give these sellers page views