Items being marked up by up to 600% by unscrupulous seller

[lilypoppylilypoppy]

I have been trying to find plants on eBay which I have been unable to source locally - I have found them with a particular seller and the price is fairly reasonable.  However, I have noticed that this shop is selling or trying to sell other (tubestock) plants I am familiar with which you can buy at Bunnings for less than $7 for nearly $50 plus postage.  

I have advised them of my concerns through "contact seller" option for a number of these listings without a single response.  The prices of these particular items have not been amended to something more reasonable either.  I have made it clear to them that I am not soliciting any sort of deal for myself by pointing out these items, and I am loathe to support them by purchasing the plants which I actually do wish to purchase.  

In a nutshell, I can't find a way to report an unscrupulous seller unless I have purchased the item in question from them.  Can anyone advise me if there is a way to report a seller like this before they take in unsuspecting plant lovers, without having to purchase from them?  It certainly seems that I will have to forgo buying the plants I want because of this awkward situation.  This seller sells many different products, not just plants, so heaven knows how many people are at risk of being "ripped off".  

Does eBay ever audit sellers?  I am more than happy to name the seller if that is allowed.

[davewil1964]

You seem to be making a habit of warning people who aren't the perpetrators of the policy violations.

[shoppingbag*]

I wonder what you will do when you see the person selling a $2 item and asking $1200 for postage. Yes, these things are a reality on eBay.  I find it quite amusing.  Every Seller chooses how much to sell their items for and every buyer has the choice to buy or not. You cannot force others to sell "THEIR" items for the price you think is fair. I know I would immediately block anyone who told me to lower my price, and I would consider it a downright cheek. What a total lot of energy you have wasted on such a trivial matter, which is not only out of your hands, but you have alienated not only the Seller, but most of the people on this forum.  Have you considered that one day this same Seller may have what you want at the right price and you won't be able to buy because they have blocked you?

 If you wish to right the wrongs of the world (as you see them) then good luck with that.  You obviously have been lucky enough to never have had any real tragedy in your life, or you would see this for what it is, a very small hiccup in life.

[digital*ghost]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

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You should know it's a rare thing these days to get paragraphs, punctuation and capital letters in a post.

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That alone made me like them

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My chopsticks won't work.

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My dumpling fell in the sweet and sour sauce instead of the soy sauce.

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I knew I shouldn't have had that half a glass of wine when I got home from work.

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I don't normally say it before the day, but, Merry Christmas DG!

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Is it wrong to drink the sweet and sour sauce when you've finished with it? 

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I don't know which brand they use, but it's YUM!

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That was a better trip down the rabbit hole than Alice's 

Merry Christmas, and don't hit the sauce too much. 🙂

Spoiler

That's probably the first time I've said that without 'sauce' being a euphamism.  

[*tippy*toes*]

No sauce hitting for me, I'm stuck working all weekend and next week *sigh*. Oh well, someone has to do it!

[davewil1964]

I have a heap of party pies I intend to demolish over the weekend, so I'll use your share.

[lyndal1838]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

No sauce hitting for me, I'm stuck working all weekend and next week *sigh*. Oh well, someone has to do it!

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Ah, but think of the smile on your bank manager's face Tippy.

[*tippy*toes*]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

No sauce hitting for me, I'm stuck working all weekend and next week *sigh*. Oh well, someone has to do it!

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Ah, but think of the smile on your bank manager's face Tippy.

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Tax man more like it!

[the_dutchess_of_dork]

digital*ghost, I feel your pain because I love music too.

I don't attend many concerts any more but I guess I have a less favourable opinion of ticket scalpers than other businesses with high mark-ups.  I don't know whether this is entirely rational as I suppose a stamp collection may have a less favourable opinion of stamp sellers with high mark-ups.

I think the difference is a concert is often a once in a lifetime "event".  You can't simply say, "Oh, well, I couldn't buy a ticket for Paul McCartney so I'll go to Justin Bieber instead".  Therefore, I think it's sad when fans miss out because scalpers have scooped up all the tickets.

I always have a little happy dance when a concert has failed to sell out and promoters are selling discounted tickets.  I hope the scalpers are stuck with wads of tickets they are unable to sell.  Nothing like a good dose of karma.

With regards to the OP, I consider myself a fairly ethical person but I honestly don't have a problem even with sellers who have astronomical mark-ups.  There are very few things which are so scarce they cannot be sourced elsewhere.  Nor are there many things which are truly essential.  Most things are wants not needs.

On ebay we're not talking about donor organs ... we're talking about stuff.  If the selling price is too high, buy it elsewhere or move on.

I agree there are scammers and dishonest sellers on ebay as elsewhere in the retail world but I think it is unfair to label sellers as "unscrupulous" regardless of the mark-up percentage.

I also think protecting the elderly and vulnerable is a worthy goal but there is a fine line between being genuinely helpful and paternalistic.  Nothing teaches you a lesson as quickly and effectively as making your own mistakes.  I occassionally pay too much for an item but I very rarely do it twice.