LugerForum Discussion Forums - View Single Post

sheepherder · 10-18-2013, 11:14 AM

This was brought to my attention last month, and I thought I'd share it...

I was pricing motorcycle ignition coils suitable for a 42 year old points & coil ignition [Honda, Yamaha, etc] system...They go for about $26 - $30 brand new...Yamaha still makes/uses them; Honda does not...

I found a set at an enthusiast/restoration site for $26 apiece, but noticed that a seller on eBay had the same coils listed for $559.00 each!!!

So, I emailed and asked why so much...Here's his explanation...Very interesting...

They're not actually $559.85...it's just a trick eBay sellers use. May sound strange, but here is why we temporarily raised the price:

EBay sellers have selling histories on each item they have - this particular item records all of our sales on this item from the past year or so. Many eBay sellers will temporarily raise their prices (by a large amount), in hopes that buyers will not buy their item during that time, usually because they are out of stock. This way, no one buys their item (hopefully!) and they do not have to cancel their ad. If a seller cancels or ends their ad, they lose their entire sales history. Sales histories of items are pretty important to many sellers, so you can see why they would rather raise their prices than to cancel their ad.

Once we get more coils in, we will be able to bring our prices back down, but right now we are out of stock. So hopefully that answers your question Just a little trick many eBay sellers use.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you, or if you have any other questions!

Thomas / CCP

10-18-2013, 11:14 AM	#1
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,197 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	eBay Excessive Pricing This was brought to my attention last month, and I thought I'd share it... I was pricing motorcycle ignition coils suitable for a 42 year old points & coil ignition [Honda, Yamaha, etc] system...They go for about $26 - $30 brand new...Yamaha still makes/uses them; Honda does not... I found a set at an enthusiast/restoration site for $26 apiece, but noticed that a seller on eBay had the same coils listed for $559.00 each!!! So, I emailed and asked why so much...Here's his explanation...Very interesting... They're not actually $559.85...it's just a trick eBay sellers use. May sound strange, but here is why we temporarily raised the price: EBay sellers have selling histories on each item they have - this particular item records all of our sales on this item from the past year or so. Many eBay sellers will temporarily raise their prices (by a large amount), in hopes that buyers will not buy their item during that time, usually because they are out of stock. This way, no one buys their item (hopefully!) and they do not have to cancel their ad. If a seller cancels or ends their ad, they lose their entire sales history. Sales histories of items are pretty important to many sellers, so you can see why they would rather raise their prices than to cancel their ad. Once we get more coils in, we will be able to bring our prices back down, but right now we are out of stock. So hopefully that answers your question Just a little trick many eBay sellers use. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you, or if you have any other questions! Thomas / CCP __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...