Is Selling USed on Amazon Rigged?

"David Bilek" wrote...
"callmekilo" wrote:
R. Totale wrote:
(Eric Kenneth Bustad) wrote:

And if someone then tries to buy it from you at that price?


Easy, just refund their money and say it's not available. Since about
75% if not more of the listings on Amazon Marketplace are for items
the "seller" does not have in his possession, it should come as no
surprise to the potential buyer.


I have done this. I once wanted a book that was only available for $100
from a used book dealer. I thought that a tad high. I offered to sell
my own copy for $29.95. The next day, I checked and lo and behold the
dealer had dropped their price to $29.95. Guess, what I did? I bought
the book from the dealer for $29.95 and cancelled by order.

Don't you find the ethics of this sort of thing to be rather
questionable? Perhaps I'm too honest to be a real book collector.

So let me get this straight: Dumbass lazy ignorant dealers using price-bots
to drive the market into the ground--that's okay.

But buyers using the mechanics of those price-bots to give said dumbass lazy
ignorant sellers a sharp kick in the ass--not good?

Not only do I find it good--I find it ****ing hilarious. And I hope so many
buyers use this technique that it drives legions of dumbass ignorant lazy
sellers into bankruptcy and into giving up bookselling altogether. The
online used-book market is way overdue for a great big nasty shakeout.

--
Jon Meyers
(To reply, lose
your way)

R. Totale wrote:
On 3 Feb 2005 21:26:36 GMT, (Eric Kenneth
Bustad) wrote:

And if someone then tries to buy it from you at that price?


Easy, just refund their money and say it's not available.

And risk negative feedbacks and damage to your seller reputation,
unless you're one of those professional volume scammers. No, not easy.

Since about
75% if not more of the listings on Amazon Marketplace are for items
the "seller" does not have in his possession, it should come as no
surprise to the potential buyer.

Where did you get this "75% if not more" figure? From a few
unlucky personal experiences, or just from where the sun don't shine?
Dropshipping is not condoned by Amazon -- their policy requires that
sellers have theirs item "on hand". Some operations may practice it --
and they get away with it because Amazon enforcement is sporadic and
crappy -- but the vast majority of Amazon marketplace sellers are
legit.

--
Ht

Ah, this explains it: sellerengine. Maybe I'll have some fun and
lowball a book I want as a seller, then let the seller engine bring the
price down for me. Any reason why this wouldn't work? Cheers,


The reason it probably wouldnt work is because the dealer who has the book you
want would need to be using sellerengine. Also many dealers who use
sellerengine are dropshippers and they wont have the book in stock nor in many
cases do they know for sure that they can actually obtain a copy of the books
they list. Consequently, if you buy from the dealer he will probably then buy
your copy to sell to you...lol

ASD

"David Bilek" wrote:
Don't you find the ethics of this sort of thing to be rather
questionable? Perhaps I'm too honest to be a real book collector.

No ethical problem as far as I'm concerned.
At least no more of an ethical problem than the dealer who uses the software
to ensure that his price is the lowest.
Hoisted on their own petard as it were.

--
Bob Finnan
http://bobfinnan.com

Ditto and big time.

Jon Meyers wrote:
"David Bilek" wrote...
"callmekilo" wrote:
R. Totale wrote:
(Eric Kenneth Bustad) wrote:

And if someone then tries to buy it from you at that price?


Easy, just refund their money and say it's not available. Since
about
75% if not more of the listings on Amazon Marketplace are for
items
the "seller" does not have in his possession, it should come as
no
surprise to the potential buyer.


I have done this. I once wanted a book that was only available for
$100
from a used book dealer. I thought that a tad high. I offered to
sell
my own copy for $29.95. The next day, I checked and lo and behold
the
dealer had dropped their price to $29.95. Guess, what I did? I
bought
the book from the dealer for $29.95 and cancelled by order.

Don't you find the ethics of this sort of thing to be rather
questionable? Perhaps I'm too honest to be a real book collector.

So let me get this straight: Dumbass lazy ignorant dealers using
price-bots
to drive the market into the ground--that's okay.

But buyers using the mechanics of those price-bots to give said
dumbass lazy
ignorant sellers a sharp kick in the ass--not good?

Not only do I find it good--I find it ****ing hilarious. And I hope
so many
buyers use this technique that it drives legions of dumbass ignorant
lazy
sellers into bankruptcy and into giving up bookselling altogether.
The
online used-book market is way overdue for a great big nasty
shakeout.

--
Jon Meyers
(To reply, lose
your way)

On 5 Feb 2005 01:01:10 -0800, "htn963" wrote:


R. Totale wrote:

Since about
75% if not more of the listings on Amazon Marketplace are for items
the "seller" does not have in his possession, it should come as no
surprise to the potential buyer.

Where did you get this "75% if not more" figure? From a few
unlucky personal experiences, or just from where the sun don't shine?

I said Amazon Marketplace as a whole, I didn't restrict it to books.
Almost any desirable out of print book will have 3 or 4 "suppliers"
who do not actually have the book in hand (including Alibris and ABE)
advertising it for sale. It's even worse with current, in print books
(which still make up most of the Amazon catalogue). And look at =any=
CD listing and you'll see 4 or 5 "distributors" who do not have the
product in hand, but are still offering it for sale. I think 75%
overall is a low estimate.

Dropshipping is not condoned by Amazon -- their policy requires that
sellers have theirs item "on hand".

I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous. AZ does not enforce this
"policy" =at all=, and actively courts listers who have nothing on
hand to sell, in order to collect their monthly fees and any selling
fees they happen to stumble across. It's likely the most profitable
part of their operation.

Anyone who thinks most sellers on Amazon actually have the book in
their physical inventory is extremely naive and wrong. 75 percent,
while a guess, just might be too low a percentage. Just the nature of
the net.

R. Totale wrote:
On 5 Feb 2005 01:01:10 -0800, "htn963" wrote:


R. Totale wrote:

Since about
75% if not more of the listings on Amazon Marketplace are for
items
the "seller" does not have in his possession, it should come as no
surprise to the potential buyer.

Where did you get this "75% if not more" figure? From a few
unlucky personal experiences, or just from where the sun don't
shine?

I said Amazon Marketplace as a whole, I didn't restrict it to books.
Almost any desirable out of print book will have 3 or 4 "suppliers"
who do not actually have the book in hand (including Alibris and ABE)
advertising it for sale. It's even worse with current, in print books
(which still make up most of the Amazon catalogue). And look at =any=
CD listing and you'll see 4 or 5 "distributors" who do not have the
product in hand, but are still offering it for sale. I think 75%
overall is a low estimate.

Dropshipping is not condoned by Amazon -- their policy requires that
sellers have theirs item "on hand".

I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous. AZ does not enforce this
"policy" =at all=, and actively courts listers who have nothing on
hand to sell, in order to collect their monthly fees and any selling
fees they happen to stumble across. It's likely the most profitable
part of their operation.