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Saburo
24th October 2004, 20:36
I don't know which area to put this in but....

I was looking at Japanese things on Ebay.com and what a bunch of price-gouging weasels. Lower than whale crap.

A castle book for $61+$16:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4003&item=3923748152&rd=1

Same one at Amazon.co.jp for less than $20:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4056025983/qid=1098645275/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/249-7292640-6422760

That's just wrong. :moon:

David T Anderson
25th October 2004, 03:25
Yeah, they should call it EBuyerBeware.com...

I learned the hard way after putting in an impulse bid on an item that was a few minutes away from closing...and only then discovering identical items that were selling a _lot_ cheaper elsewhere. Fortunately someone else even more stupid than me bid higher and won the item.

Now I _never_ bid on anything without some research first. No item is ever some wonderful or unique that you have to bid without taking time to investigate alternatives....

Blackwood
25th October 2004, 20:08
Yeah. I've seen Okinawan Karate Stamps framed for $19.95. I can buy a $2 frame, print my own description, and buy the stamps from a stamp dealer for about $1.

But if you want some good deals on martial arts books, you can get a lot of them for .99 each, though shipping is $5 for first book, $4 for each additional. Still, beats paying $8 or more plus tax at the local book store.

kabutoki
29th October 2004, 12:33
Hi,
I found that this applies for many Internetshops for japanese books. Even the more popular ones can hardly beat Amazon Japan. The difference is not always as high as in your example but I got all my books and DVDs in the past years from Amazon. Even if prices are sometimes almost the same, those sellers will charge big money for shipping and mostly only do express postal services. With Amazon you have the choice and if you can wait one or two weeks thats much cheaper.

Karsten

Saburo
30th October 2004, 06:20
I asked the seller of the $61+$16 castle book some questions and they never responded....

:look: ... wonder why.

pgsmith
30th October 2004, 16:06
Gotta keep in mind a couple of definitions though. Price gouging is when there is a shortage of a vital commodity, and those with access to the commodity charge exhorbitant prices because they know the people will have to pay it. For example, the present shortage of flu vaccine in the US has resulted in quite a few instances of price gouging.

What these people are doing is called free enterprise. The commodity that they are selling is available elsewhere for lower prices. Those that buy from them at these very high prices are paying for either the convenience, or because they didn't wish to expend the effort to explore other places to purchase said items.

If people are willing to pay them what they are asking, I say more power to them. If you would rather go to the effort to find these same things elsewhere for less money, that just makes you an educated consumer and more power to you. It doesn't make them whale crap. They are in it to make money, not to make people that don't want to expend the effort to be educated consumers happy.

Just my outlook on it.

Cheers,

tenchijin2
30th October 2004, 17:06
Paul's reply summed it up, and took the thunder from my cloud. Your money is your responsibility, so how you spend it is up to you. Do your research first.