Price gauging. Buyers beware

[caroldever]

Super inflated prices... Spice tailor being sold for £ 12.09 for 2 plus postage is in shops for £ .69p and £1.99. This seller is pricing at £6.18 ... also the 360g spice tailor is priced at £20.66 for 2, £ 10.33 for one in shops for £3.50 - £3.99. Heinz chip shop curry sauce sellers price £18.26 for 2 or £9.13 each.. in shops for 3.95 to 4.95. All of the sellers prices are over inflated this is giving ebay a negative image. We all understand sellers want to make a profit but this seller is beyond unreasonable.

[jckl1957]

That is not price gouging which has a specific definition and usually means charging over-inflated prices for items there is a shortage of.

Only adults can have Ebay accounts and it is up to the buyer to shop around if they are interested in getting the best price.

[caroldever]

I acknowledge that Ebay use Price Gauging relates to items in scarce supply etc,  These items listed are not in short supply.   I am unclear of your implication re only adults can have ebay accounts"  how does that statement relate to a seller overcharging to such a degree?   it's one thing making a profit it is something else to overcharge approx 17 times higher. The government have put guidelines in place In the UK for a good reason. "Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) can be used in advertising, but they must not be misleading. Advertisers should ensure that the RRP accurately reflects the price at which a product is generally sold, or it could be considered a deceptive practice. If an RRP is significantly higher than the price at which the product is typically sold, it can mislead consumers into believing they are getting a better deal than they actually are."

[tobiasd4]

If buyers do their home work & can find item cheaper elsewhere, then seller won't sell many items.

Sometimes items are in short supply, so sellers will try to cash in on it.

They are doing nothing wrong if buyers are willing to pay asking price.

If I am searching for an item, I always use "Lowest price"

[jckl1957]

Do the sellers you have found use the RRP?  It sounds as if they are selling items for above the RRP and not in any way using the RRP to deceive potential buyers.

My focus was really on the buyers.

Sellers are allowed to charge whatever they like as long as they don't mislead their buyers, e.g. by saying 'cheapest price anywhere'.

If a buyer (who must be an adult to have an Ebay account) can log into Ebay, find a product, purchase and pay for the product, then they are perfectly capable of typing the name of the product they are looking for into google and looking at the price a range of supermarkets would charge.

It is their choice to pay silly prices on Ebay if they can't be bothered with 5 minutes research.

So, for me, this is a non-issue.