How can sellers get away with advertising one price for an item but as soon as you actually select ?

[maryancich]

Is it not unethical to advertise one price but charge a hugely inflated price once a buyer selects it?

[foxette-in-sox]

Was it a bait and switch type of thing ? You know like they show a photo of a quilt cover with price of

99c but when you go into the actual listing and select the quilt cover, the price jumps to $999 because

the 99c item was a single Chux superwipe ? Just giving ridiculous example to get my point across.

[countessalmirena]

I will huddle under a Chux superwipe tonight - right after I've polished the sink with my quilt cover. (Sheridan are being so difficult about replacing the latter; I don't know why.)

[maryancich]

Very much like that. Said it was the price for one of the options but not an option in the photo. I said they should give a price range then and they showed me a photo with a range. However, that photo was not on eBay so they are doubly trying to scam people. But they are not the only people doing this for the same item - the Coles collectibles. It seems to be common for ads for this particular item/s

[digital*ghost]

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@maryancich wrote:
 I said they should give a price range then and they showed me a photo with a range. However, that photo was not on eBay so they are doubly trying to scam people. 

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Listings that have a low priced bait item - which I don't agree with, by the way - are designed to lure people, there is no scam because the buyer is still in full control of what they select and choose to pay for. 

If the item that has the lowest price is still one of the items being advertised, there's no issue with the listing, it's when the bait item is something completely different that the seller is abusing the format. i.e. if you're searching for the Coles little shop collectibles, and that's one of the items, then it's fine. If you're searching for an iPhone and one of the items is a phone case, or screen protector, then that's an abuse of the format. 

Price ranges are displayed on eBay, but not everyone will see it - the seller has no control over what eBay displays to any given member when they are searching on ebay - see screenshot, which was taken a few moments ago from the search results for "coles little shop".

[dazzledayz]

Digi, It's still bait and switch advertising if there is no "Mini Collectable" available for $1.

It is an illegal tactic under Aus consumer law but eBay play fast and loose with living up to the letter of that.

It would be in eBay's own best interest (and ours) if they stamped out the practise as it frustrates buyers no end.

[digital*ghost]

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@dazzledayz wrote:

Digi, It's still bait and switch advertising if there is no "Mini Collectable" available for $1.

It is an illegal tactic under Aus consumer law but eBay play fast and loose with living up to the letter of that.

It would be in eBay's own best interest (and ours) if they stamped out the practise as it frustrates buyers no end.

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That's what I said, (along with "which I don't agree with, by the way") - "If the item that has the lowest price is still one of the items being advertised, there's no issue with the listing, it's when the bait item is something completely different that the seller is abusing the format." 

I was primarily responding to it being a scam, which it definitely is not. It would only be a scam if the seller led people to believe every step of the way that the item they wanted to buy was $1, but then they end up being charged something more, which is impossible, and pointing out that if the seller is listing all collectibles but under different prices, they're not even abusing the format (nor can they change how eBay displays the listing to buyers in search results).

eBay has some responsibility here, which they have opted to never take unfortunately, because they are the ones that decide how variation listings are displayed, and they are the ones that designed a search engine that means all variations are counted as the item they're categorised, and they are the ones that do absolutely nothing when bait listings are reported. 

[dazzledayz]

Digi I agree with you in all respects.

eBay should really try to stamp out these practises as the are just a form of search manipulation.

It would not even be too hard to enforce if they had a mind to do it as multiple variation listings are really only designed to be for product variants, not optional accessories or gimmicks.

Should they choose to come down on the practise all they'd need to do is announce an end to it and flush out a few categories at a time; word would soon get around.

Category structures are quite haphazard as well since sub categories often don't exist for consumables or spares alongside main categories for complete products.

Even when they do exist, sellers (particularly our oriental friends) will still list parts and accessories in main categories.

It makes life particularly difficult for buyers who have to sort through multiple pages of bits and pieces when trying to compare complete products.

Structured data won't help if they still allow a seller to combine a mobile phone with a screen protector in the same listing or spam the handset category with cases etc.

[digital*ghost]

Structured data should actually help once it's properly refined and implemented (or maybe that should be "if" ).

Poduct based listings / search results should eliminate the effect of the practice (if not the practice itself) in categories where sellers won't be able to list without associating the items with products in the catalogue - I suspect that two items from different catgories may not be able to be put in a single variation listing, but if they are, only products with the same UPCs etc will be grouped together. It will also narrow search results down considerably. 

Fashion (including jewellery) and collectible categories, or any where there exists a high proprtion of one-off, unique items (vintage etc) will likely be the last ones where this takes effect, though.