# How is this eBay seller making a profit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714 "2009-02-20T14:27:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/1 "2009-02-20T14:27:05Z")
[This](http://cgi.ebay.com/Nice-Waterfall-Photo-Background-Wallpaper-FREE-SHIPPING_W0QQitemZ260365183505QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item260365183505&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) is an auction for a digital photo that the seller will email to the buyer. It’s currently priced at U.S. 5 cents. Even if he sells it to both bidders, that adds up to a dime, hardly enough to offset the cost of fees paid to eBay. And the seller can’t even make money on shipping charges. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/2 "2009-02-20T14:36:26Z")
He’s not, he’s inflating his positive feedback. He will presumably take advantage of that later to rip somebody off. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/3 "2009-02-20T14:40:01Z")
Well, you could ask the seller. Just click on the “Ask seller a question” link on the eBay page you linked to. BTW, I see from the seller’s feedback page that some of the photos he/she sells have sold for as much as 0.26 CAD! ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/4 "2009-02-20T14:41:58Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > He’s not, he’s inflating his positive feedback. He will presumably take advantage of that later to rip somebody off. If so, he or she is a very, very patient scam artist, because the seller’s username was **registered in 2002.** ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/5 "2009-02-20T15:00:41Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > If so, he or she is a very, very patient scam artist, because the seller’s username was **registered in 2002.** And they have 200+ feedback already. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/6 "2009-02-20T15:04:15Z")
[Here](http://cgi.ebay.com/34-CD-DIGITAL-PHOTO-FLOWERS-COMPUTER-DESKTOP-WALLPAPER_W0QQitemZ370162077648QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item370162077648&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)’s another example. This guy’s selling a CD of 34 images for 99 cents, with free shipping from Israel. And he has “10 available,” so the price isn’t going any higher. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/7 "2009-02-20T15:12:13Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > And they have 200+ feedback already. 216 of which were in the last month. I agree wth **yoyodyne**. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/8 "2009-02-20T15:25:56Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > If so, he or she is a very, very patient scam artist, because the seller’s username was **registered in 2002.** Or they have had their account phished/hacked recently. They have had over 200 buy/sells of less than a dollar in the past ten days! ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/9 "2009-02-20T15:46:43Z")
Take a look at his feedback; all people with very low numbers themselves. One guy bought three of the same digital photo. Yes, it is a “You pump up my positives and I’ll pump up your positives” deal. I would be a bit leery of buying anything from his customers too, when they start selling. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/10 "2009-02-20T16:16:26Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > One guy bought three of the same digital photo. That’s even more suspicious. If he’s sending people the actual files, why would anyone buy more than one of the same image? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-ebay-seller-making-a-profit/486714/11 "2009-02-21T11:50:42Z")
Selling positive feedback has been a cottage industry on eBay for quite awhile now. One of the best ones I saw was a guy selling a “genuine air guitar” complete with a photo of the bozo rockin’ out with it (i.e. with nothing). Since technically they aren’t breaking any rules there isn’t too much eBay can do to stop them. I found out by seeing an auction that looked to good to be true (it was for a homemade DVD set of MTV’s Daria claiming super high quality and a really low price). I cross referenced the guys feedback and found it was all this phony ‘bought’ kind. Like they say, caveat emptor…