Are you kidding?
doubledragon
Posts: 23,046 ✭✭✭✭✭
So I'm sitting here this morning eating my usual sticky bun with pecans on them, and coffee, and looking at a website called sportsmemorabilia.com to see what they have in the Joe Louis section, when I run across a baseball that has been signed by Joe Louis. Where have I seen this exact same item before? Ah yes, on Ebay! So I stroll over to Ebay to have a look at it, and I notice that there is a difference in price. On the sportsmemorabilia.com website they are selling it for $6,227.99 and on Ebay the BIN price is $3,495.00 a difference in price of $2,732.99
So I get curious and see if they have anything else listed from Ebay on their website, and sure enough, they do. A 1996 Leaf signed Derek Jeter on sportsmemorabilia.com is listed for $2208.99 and the exact same item on Ebay is a BIN for $1214.99
I decided to contact the Ebay seller of the Joe Louis signed baseball, and he tells me that he knows about the Joe Louis baseball being on sportsmemorabilia.com, and said he lets them list his inventory and sell it for higher prices. I'm assuming the other Ebay sellers do the same thing with their inventory. Just a heads up to anyone buying from sportsmemorabilia.com, you can probably find the same exact item on Ebay a lot cheaper. It's a pretty sneaky tactic that could end up costing people thousands of dollars.
sportsmemorabilia.com $6,227.99
Ebay $3,495.00
sportsmemorabilia.com $2208.99
Ebay $ 1214.99
Comments
They also post on amazon
Yes, and it's pretty dishonest. This Mantle on their website is $1073.99 and on Ebay it's $695.00
It's crazy, because they must have thousands of items on their website like this. People are probably just throwing away thousands of dollars. This 2014 Leaf Jordan/Pippen 1/1 auto is $2,726.99 on their site, and on Ebay it's $1,499.99
What’s crazy is they have a very high Amazon rating with almost 1,000 reviews .. meaning they’ve made $10s of thousands off unknowing people ... I noticed them a few months ... thought about buying something off eBay & then on their site within seconds just so I could leave negative feedback about not having items. Agree , seems very dishonest to me
I mean, a lot of these items are over $1,000 more dollars than they are on Amazon and Ebay. If I purchased a high priced item from their website and discovered that I could have gotten the exact same item on Ebay for over $1,000 cheaper, I'd be pretty upset.
They're just dropshippers for these items, likely feeding on impulse buyers of which there are enough to keep them going apparently. I don't see it as dishonest--just not a model that is going to be very successful long term because users--more than ever---have access to deep information in the palmk of their hand.
If a person buys that Joe Louis baseball from their website, and finds out they could have gotten it for $2,732 cheaper on Ebay, they're going to be pissed. I know I would. That's a lot of money that could have been saved. That's pretty dishonest to me.
These guys are all over the place. What a racket...I imagine they make a killing preying off the ones that don't know any better
Check out this 1966 Robert Clemente...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-TOPPS-300-ROBERTO-CLEMENTE-PIRATES-PSA-9-11550503/254172682015?hash=item3b2ddf571f:g:gYYAAOSwT2daTIGS
And on Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/Topps-Roberto-Clemente-Pirates-11550503/dp/B081D6GCRB/ref=sr_1_51_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Baseball+Unopened+Wax+Box&qid=1588101079&sr=8-51-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyRzZRRzdSR09ORFdSJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzQyMTE2R0RENjhSTTVYUjNGJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwNzkwOTI4V0xUWFUzTVRLT0kmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGZfbmV4dCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Unbelievable. That's a price difference of over $10,000.
Exactly.
This is common in all areas of online retail. Literally, just about every item that is sold online will be cross-listed / promoted on a different site with a higher mark-up than the original listing. Look at electronics, furniture, lighting fixtures, clothing, etc - the exact same item that ships from one warehouse will be listed on multiple sites for different prices (sometimes dramatically different).
With any purchase, a buyer has free will to do their due-diligence before making the purchase. A cheaper listing can be found in seconds with a quick google search. If the buyer goes for the higher-priced item, unfortunately the blame falls on them.
In the case of the Roberto Clemente card mentioned above, I believe the blame should go on the people who are trying to squeeze $10,000 more dollars out of a buyer. Who is going to figure they can find the exact same Roberto Clemente PSA 9 serial number and everything, on Ebay for cheaper? There are some crooked people in this world, that evidentally think that pulling one over on somebody is OK.
The difference, of course, being that there is no way of telling that I'm getting the EXACT SAME roll of Charmin from Amazon and eBay. One-of-a-kind items leave more of a trace.
They have been doing this for years.
Knowledge is power. In this day and age we have no one to blame for lack of research but ourselves. Now in the 80's...you had to know someone who knew, or have a set of encyclopedias lol.
When I had a B&M store, I found a online ad that was trying to sell my item, with delivery. They had a logo, Rayns Rust. My business was called Ryans Rust. They were trying to sell my hutch for like $100 more than I had it for. I discovered he was a customer of ours. I wanted to contact him to pretend to be a customer so he would buy it from me. haha But my wife took away the fun and we just called him out on it and he went away.
Not sure what the big hub-bub is about. Have seen the same thing with sportscards on Amazon for a while now. People have been profiting from putting sellers and buyers together since the beginning of time. Simple domain name, decent code & some google dollars apparently gets the job done. Carpe Diem & Caveat Emptor.
Buyer beware is just bologne. If a buyer sees a Roberto Clemente PSA 9 card on Amazon with serial number 11550503, chances are he's not going to think the EXACT SAME PSA 9 with serial number 11550503 is going to be for sale cheaper somewhere else. Just like if I see a 1948 Leaf Joe Louis PSA 6 with serial number 06543465 for sale on Ebay, I'm not going to think I can get the EXACT SAME 1948 Leaf Joe Louis PSA 6 with serial number 06543465 somewhere else for cheaper. What these people are doing is taking advantage of buyers, and in the process they are taking thousands and thousands of dollars. It's misleading and it's dishonest. If the people that have been lured into this trap find out about it, I guarantee they will be upset about it. And that's exactly what it is, a trap, designed to line somebody's pockets at the suckers expense.
And furthermore, the people listing these cards at these high prices know exactly what they're doing. They know that the SAME EXACT card is on Ebay for a lot cheaper. Thanks for the extra $10,000 sucker, buyer beware.
Some people don't use Ebay. If the owner of the card allows him to list what's the real gripe? The owner of the card sells, the 2nd person sells and someone gets a product. If the consumer if happy with the product and price everyone wins. We do our homework and don't purchase from 2nd seller.
I've bid on expensive paintings and lost only to see them listed weeks later at a higher price from a dealer. I still purchase it, even though the price is higher than he paid for it. I'm happy with the product and he makes a profit. Never once did I curse him for making a profit.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
If you're ok with losing money that you could have saved, fine, but not everyone is ok with it. It's just deceiving, and it has probably cost people some serious money. I mean their markups aren't twenty or thirty dollars. A lot of their markups are over $2,000 dollars and the Clemente is over $10,000.
There's always going to be people that defend these practices, and say it's the buyers fault. I'll say one last thing and leave it at that. It's a sneaky trap, designed for profit at the buyer's expense. I hope anyone who sees this thread will know that if they are interested in buying anything from sportsmemorabilia.com, that it just might be listed on Ebay for a lot cheaper, so don't fall into the trap.
*
No, but a lot of people do use Ebay. If I'm a buyer, I would want to know where I can get the exact item that's listed on their website $2,000 dollars cheaper, or in the case of the PSA 9 Clemente card, $10,000 cheaper. Like I said, there's always going to be people who defend these types of tricky tactics. I'll leave it at that.
*
It isn't about amazon, it's about sportmemorbilia.com, they just happen to use amazon to sell on. This thread is to let people know what sportsmemorbilia is doing.
*
To say that someone doesn't care about saving $10,000 is crazy. How do you know that? Not everyone is rich, and a lot of people have to save up for cards of that magnitude. I'm not going to sit here and argue about it, I'm just trying to let people know what SM is doing, and how they might be able to save a lot of money.
They are just acting as a broker. Nothing illegal or immoral about brokering a deal between a seller and buyer.
This is common - not new or unknown by any means. You'll have a never ending list of companies / people to be mad at if this practice upsets you.
Thanks for the heads up. I'd like to believe very few people pull the trigger on sportmemorbillia.com and the ones who do are like the person who walks into a car showroom and says I'll take the red one over there without haggling on the price.
You're welcome. I can't understand why anyone would think that nobody cares about saving thousands of dollars. Sportsmemorabilia.com knows exactly how much the stuff they sell is listed for on Ebay, and they have no problem squeezing thousands of dollars out of somebody. Unfortunately there are some people that don't see anything wrong with it.
I guess my position would confuse you, dd. I can’t afford to overspend by $5, never mind thousands. But at the same time, I have no problem with this practice. Free market, yadda yadda.
Yaz Master Set
#1 Gino Cappelletti master set
#1 John Hannah master set
Also collecting Andre Tippett, Patriots Greats' RCs, 1964 Venezuelan Topps, 1974 Topps Red Sox
I can't afford to overspend either, and while we disagree in opinions, I appreciate everyone's honesty and right to their own opinion.
Of course that is the key. It's a whole different story if the owner hasn't given permission.
Shirley, you can't be serious? 😁
A fool and his money...
I think you are taking this all too personally. They aren't cherry picking certain cards for their platform, rather it's code copying and mirroring all feasible ebay listings to their platform and raising the price. That's it. Similar to VCP and it's sold listings. Shirley, you don't think the VCP is logging in every single transaction to their site, do you?
4sharpcorners would disagree.
But your choice of words on this subject is worrisome. "Lured", "trap", "designed", "lined pockets", "sucker's expense", "misleading" and so forth. Sure people can get Disney tickets cheaper than at the park itself. Are they luring suckers in by misleading them solely to line their own pockets by setting a trap? I imagine people pay the price of admission, are content and have a wonderful time. Could they have found their tickets cheaper? Sure. But to a whole lot of people, "price" isn't the sole motivator. Obviously it's yours and there's nothing wrong with that. But projecting and expecting others to feel your feelings on this matter may not be.
Conversely, to some people 10k is a drop in the bucket.
You have the right to feel the way you want to, but to me it's pretty dishonest to list that Clemente card on your website for $30,000 knowing that the SAME EXACT card is on Ebay for $18,000. And believe it or not, $10k is not a "drop in the bucket" to everyone. Neither is $2k for that matter. And we're not talking about Disney World tickets, we're talking about thousands of dollars worth of cards. To list a card for $10k more than it is listed for on Ebay is ridiculous.
How in the world is this dishonest? We have a free market in this country. I absolutely do not see this as being dishonest. They are offering something. If you like their price, you have the freedom to purchase it. If you don't like their price, you have the freedom to not purchase it. If you can find the item cheaper somewhere else, that is up to you, not them.
Don
>
Successful transactions on the BST boards with rtimmer, coincoins, gerard, tincup, tjm965, MMR, mission16, dirtygoldman, AUandAG, deadmunny, thedutymon, leadoff4, Kid4HOF03, BRI2327, colebear, mcholke, rpcolettrane, rockdjrw, publius, quik, kalinefan, Allen, JackWESQ, CON40, Griffeyfan2430, blue227, Tiggs2012, ndleo, CDsNuts, ve3rules, doh, MurphDawg, tennessebanker, and gene1978.
Well, they are offering to sell something they don't own. . .
As I sit here reading this thread eating my fishsticks, with ketchup on the side (I like ketchup
) and my can of grape soda, I find all of this very interesting.
Whether we are talking Clemente or Disney, the principle is the same. You can't just throw out the comparison simply because it doesn't fit your narrative. Items can always be had cheaper. Even directly from the gate, ie Disney.
What he said. No one is forcing them to pay the prices listed on their site and it seems they provide the same item that is listed. How in the world do you define these practices as "dishonest". I could understand adjectives such as laughable or absurd but "dishonest"? Wonder what a dictionary costs on their site? 😉
As mentioned previously, it's called drop shipping. Nothing dishonest about it. Actually happens a lot more than you think on everyday household items purchased online.
Surely there is a difference between you and I contracting to have you sell something for me and you offering to sell something of mine in hopes that if someone wishes to buy it from you you can buy it quick like a bunny from me and then sell it on.
Definitely. But I can assure you that buried somewhere deep down in the tiniest of print in the selling agreement with Ebay that you agree to have your content uploaded repackaged and or made available for their trading partners use. What that terminology is and exactly where it's buried is well above my pay grade but I can probably assure you that Sports Memorabilia wouldn't just go grab listings without the property authority to do so given the backing of Fanatics.
Do you think sportsmemorbilia is going to be honest to the suckers they lure in, and say "hey, this exact same Roberto Clemente card that we have on our website is on Ebay at this very moment for over $10,000 cheaper and we're overcharging you by over $10,000". No, there not going to be honest and tell you that, because they want to squeeze an extra $10,000 out of you. As a consumer, that pisses me off. Yes, I see it as a trap, designed to take my $10,000 and laugh in my face about it. Yes, it is personal when they screw with my money like that. So, if you want defend that type of behavior, then fine, but I see it as a dishonest and sneaky tactic, and I'm letting everybody know that hey, if you want to save some SERIOUS money, then you better check Ebay furst before you buy anything from these people, because their overcharging you by THOUSANDS of dollars.
Does Disney have a sign at their gate saying turnaround and head to Welcome Center off I-4 to get your tickets for half the price? Of course they don't. Does that make them dishonest? Not in that regard. Get a dictionary. But go to ebay furst to see what they charge versus the competition.
If you're not doing your due diligence to find the cheapest price possible for ANY item you are going to purchase online (ie. private website vs. eBay vs. Amazon etc...), or in a brick and mortar setting (ie. Macy's vs. JC Penney etc...), then overpaying by $1 or $10,000 falls squarely on you, not the merchant.
Please stop debating it doubledragon, you couldn't be more wrong.
agreed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama
the way i see it , they are seeking a buyer and getting a fee for it.....
nothing wrong with that
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama
Due dilliegence? Who is going to think they can find the EXACT SAME PSA 9 Roberto Clemente card serial number and everything on another website for cheaper? I'm sure their are people out their reading this thread who appreciate the information I'm giving them about not losing thousands of dollars, so to me it's worth telling them because not everyone knows that they can save a boatload of money by checking Ebay. I've already had a few people tell me they didn't know about this and that they appreciate the information so it's worth it. Besides, I was done with this thread until someone bumped it last night and wanted to debate some more. Look, the information is out there, and if it saves someone $2,000 or even $10,000 dollars, then it was worth it.