topic Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures in Selling

False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

digital*ghost — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 13:37:01 GMT

I was conducting a site-wide search on some of my items, for reasons, and spotted something really strange.

This is a screenshot of one of my listings (identifying details removed, so you'll just have to trust me on that )

This is not the only listing I found that had a "trending" price, and a percentage discount displayed.

The problem is, I am the only seller with these particular items, so there is no "trending" price that can be aggregated from other seller's sales, and my item prices are not discounted as the "3% off" would appear to indicate - it's been $4.25 from the day I listed it. Ok, I know the gap is really small (it's a little higher on others), but basically eBay is inventing a phantom product at a higher price, so mine looks lower in comparison, and calling this a "discount".

What the heck, ebay? Don't make me complicit in this blatantly misleading conduct.

In completely unrelated news, just spotted a new refinement in the left-hand search menu.

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

countessalmirena — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 13:44:40 GMT

That is the same sort of behaviour which drives a person who's just set up in an office to grab the phone when hearing a client enter for the first time; the client is intended to overhear the simulated conversation. "Well, Mr Gates - you want me to call you Bill? no problem! - well, Bill, I can get that organised for you, no problem. One million dollars? Sure, that's fine!" Then off the phone, look up as if startled, saying, "Sorry, didn't see you there. How can I help you?"

Blowing a horn, pretending to be busier than one is, pretending there's a deal available when there isn't, setting up a phantom buyer/item/whatever...

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

digital*ghost — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 13:57:07 GMT

I wish I had the power to pass customer complaints about this sort of thing off to ebay, so that someone from eBay contacts the customer directly to explain it's not my fault at all, like a certain other business who happens to have the same initials as peanut butter. >_>

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

janeababe — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 14:07:56 GMT

It does seem very odd, but not surprising, coming from Ebay tactics.

Errrr.... just a thought, could they be including gumtree sellers in this list of phantom trends?

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

digital*ghost — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 14:15:52 GMT

My best guess is that they are using the average selling price of similar items. Mine are unique in the sense that they have specific attributes no other listings do, but there are other items that have the same function.

My items are starting to get ePIDS assigned to them, so they've probably assigned the same identifier to other seller's items, the discount bit is completely false, though, as it's only supposed to appear on items that have actually been marked down.

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 14:32:25 GMT

@countessalmirena wrote:
That is the same sort of behaviour which drives a person who's just set up in an office to grab the phone when hearing a client enter for the first time; the client is intended to overhear the simulated conversation. "Well, Mr Gates - you want me to call you Bill? no problem! - well, Bill, I can get that organised for you, no problem. One million dollars? Sure, that's fine!" Then off the phone, look up as if startled, saying, "Sorry, didn't see you there. How can I help you?"

Blowing a horn, pretending to be busier than one is, pretending there's a deal available when there isn't, setting up a phantom buyer/item/whatever...

You didn't tell the end of the story. The person who just walked in says, "Oh, I just came to connect your new phone."

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

ozstockman — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 02:06:05 GMT

It is not obvious that eBay is kind of inventing anything. Nobody knows how long they have been collecting a history for a product similar to yours. There could be some sales from another seller that was offering it for more. And that 3% discount is just discount between your prices and their trending price.

Re: False Advertising & Other Fun Adventures

digital*ghost — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 03:22:28 GMT

@ozstockman wrote:
It is not obvious that eBay is kind of inventing anything. Nobody knows how long they have been collecting a history for a product similar to yours. There could be some sales from another seller that was offering it for more. And that 3% discount is just discount between your prices and their trending price.

It's obvious to me, but I do have the benefit of knowing what my products are.

Imagine this, you see a product that is available from lots of different sellers, lets say phone cases as a pretty standard product (I don't sell phone cases, of course). But, they're all made of plastic, vinyl and leather. So, you start selling phone cases made of wood - you're the first seller to do so, and remain the only seller to do so. Then you see eBay put a "trending" price on your product, and also a claim that your product is discounted.

Both claims are false - as I mentioned, the % discount is supposed to be displayed on items that are actually marked down, which my products are not.