SCAM alert - Sellers posting Kmart items at inflated prices

[fcosenti]

People,

I got scammed - I purchased a hallway table with free delivery for $65. Yesterday I received a parcel FROM  KMART directly, it was this table. I go and check the Kmart website - the item is for sale online for $30.

This is it: http://www.kmart.com.au/product/black-hallway-table/124214

The seller didn't even bother to have the goods delivered to himself and then to me - shameless scammer.

Since the overall damage is just $25 (Kmart delivery fee is $10), I reported the seller to eBay and I left negative feedback.

While for electronics it is easier to check pricing online, for furniture it is much more complex.

Note that a lot of people are selling the exact same item for hugely inflated prices ($65 was the cheapest on eBay when I bought it). I am sure they are playing the same game with a lot of other stuff.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

@fcosenti

the seller does have some other costs that they incurred in getting the item to you.

These include, but are not limited to:

- eBay Final Value Fee (just under 10% of the price you paid)

- PayPal fees (around 3% of the price you paid)

- eBay store fees (not sure how much they pay every month just to have a store)

- other costs involved in running an eBay store ( internet connection fees, electricity, home office OR rental on an office etc)

- taxes on income earned (GST, personal and business taxes)

These do not include the value you place on a person's time to run a business.

What you can do is start to look at the $25 as the seller's markup on the item, and that that markup probably results in only a few dollars actual profit, maybe $5, after ALL of their costs/expenses.

You say they haven't value added . . . . . but you are hurting because you genuinely feel you got scammed. However, had you spent just thirty seconds before hitting the buy-now button looking at the seller's feedback you would have seen a neg less than one month ago saying, wait for it, that the seller sold an item for $35 that was available for $9 from, wait for it, Kmart   

Another way of looking at this is that your laziness in not looking at the feedback of the seller has cost you $25, OR, that you are supporting a business that is not located in China . . . . . . and that that business is helping to employ people in Australia i.e. Kmart store employees, Aust Post or some other freight delivery company etc

Bottom line is that you did not do your homework, and that the time taken to avoid getting yourself in this situation would have been less than the time you have spent posting just one of your posts on this thread.

[fcosenti]

What a fantastic place is this forum.

Someone scams people by selling items from Kmart that they don't own, and all I get is "that's your fault" and a bunch of losers justifying the thief and blaming the victim.

The ACCC would eat you guys for breakfast and **bleep** you out. By the way, they exist because of people like you.

I am out. I hope there are honest people out there who I have warned against the scam.

The negative report will stay.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@fcosenti wrote:

The negative report will stay.

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as it should, as a warning to those members that do take the time to read seller feedback before deciding to buy.

You were hurting when you came here, and now we have compounded that hurt because you are not reading responses that are sympathetic to your situation.  Sorry about that, but I am sure that you will be a wiser buyer in future having come here and read our responses.

That can't be all bad, can it?

[digital*ghost]

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@fcosenti wrote:

What a fantastic place is this forum.

Someone scams people by selling items from Kmart that they don't own, and all I get is "that's your fault" and a bunch of losers justifying the thief and blaming the victim.

The ACCC would eat you guys for breakfast and **bleep** you out. By the way, they exist because of people like you.

I am out. I hope there are honest people out there who I have warned against the scam.

The negative report will stay.

---

The forum is trying to point out that just because someone feels like they were scammed, it doesn't mean that they actually were. 

I do understand why you feel that way, but I tend to think it's more important to provide realistic responses than ones that support a false assumption and accusation, and will allow you to continue to believe that what this seller has done is somehow so wrong that it's against the law, because that just isn't the case. At all.

Please, for your own sake, contact the ACCC to explain the situation to them in full, then await their reply.

[fcosenti]

I have contacted the ACCC. The seller was malicious and dishonest. He knew that I could have walked into a Kmart and purchased the item for half price. By withholding that information, he has intentionally defrauded me.

Anyway, I don't care for my little loss, it's a matter of decency.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

@fcosenti

had you bought from one of the more expensive sellers you may not have even known the item came from Kmart, and you would not have come here to expose a scammer (in your eyes), and you would be marvelling at how good the table looks in your hallway. It is all about perspective.

The reason the other sellers are more expensive is because they have probably bought a few of these from Kmart, had them delivered to their place, and re-boxed them removing all Kmart branding. That's why they are more expensive as they have additional costs of shipping and handling.

As I posted before, hopefully you are a little smarter in your buying in future, and that can't be all bad.

The ACCC, while maybe being sympathetic to the your feelings, will not be critical of the seller or take any action against the seller. Any response to a complaint made to the ACCC might be sugar-coated . . . . . . something that members should not expect on a public forum . . . . . most call it as it is.

[collect247]

You weren't defrauded and by the way have you heard of defamation?

You are saying something about the seller that isn't true.

Good luck!

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@fcosenti wrote:

I have contacted the ACCC. The seller was malicious and dishonest. He knew that I could have walked into a Kmart and purchased the item for half price. By withholding that information, he has intentionally defrauded me.

Anyway, I don't care for my little loss, it's a matter of decency.

---

Sellers are not required to divulge where they source their products.  They are not required to inform buyers where they can buy the item for less $.  The seller has not defrauded you.  Had they made false claims in their listing they would have defrauded you.  Had they claimed that the table was hand made by them they would have defrauded you.

Please do come back when you receive a reply from the ACCC.

[digital*ghost]

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@fcosenti wrote:

I have contacted the ACCC. The seller was malicious and dishonest. He knew that I could have walked into a Kmart and purchased the item for half price. By withholding that information, he has intentionally defrauded me.

Anyway, I don't care for my little loss, it's a matter of decency.

---

Let's break this down to the most simple form it can be.

When you purchased the item, you contracted that particular seller to supply you with a specific item, at a specific price.

And that's exactly what they did. That is the direct opposite of "scam".

You're angry, that's obvious, and I personally wouldn't operate that way as a seller (not because I think it's inherently wrong, but many other reasons, including I wouldn't consider dropshipping and not holding stock myself, not to mention that you're not the first person to get ticked off after receiving a direct shipment like this and discovering you paid someone to do something you could have done yourself). 

[ramcycle2010]

Good luck with your reporting of this seller to ebay, I hope they can see how unpleasant this experience has been for you, and make an effort to stop this sort of unethical practice.

As for these discussion boards, there is something strange going on. The moderation of comments is very hit and miss, and some sort of clique has evolved, which seems to pride itself on making innappropriate comments in an environment where support and constructive advice are called for.