# I found a new career: Overpricing stuff on eBay **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874 "2018-04-21T22:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/1 "2018-04-21T22:05:00Z")
Witness the [Codi A09008 Capacitive Stylus](https://www.ebay.com/itm/Codi-A09008-Capacitive-Stylus-Metal-Plastic-Rubber-Black-Silver/351990983859?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160727114228%26meid%3D080fff22e4df44cca760a31054a6ab5e%26pid%3D100290%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D362285123026%26itm%3D351990983859&_trksid=p2060778.c100290.m3507) with a low, low Buy it Now price of $32.98USD and a shipping price (USA only) of $11.44. It can be purchased on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Codi-A09008-Capacitive-Stylus/dp/B00632RYPS) for a mere $27.57 with free shipping! [CODi](https://www.codiworldwide.com/mobile-accessories/capacitive-stylus) is a brand name of no particular renown and their own list price is $19.99 with free shipping. This product is identical to styli I bought at Walmart in a three pack for $3.98, or can be bought by the dozen on eBay for not much more. My business plan is to take one, claim it’s specifically made for the iPhone because Apple buyers are suckers, toss it in an envelope with a two-bit stamp, and charge $14.99, undercutting everybody and leaving me with a PROFIT! of (quick mental math) quite a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/2 "2018-04-21T22:12:47Z")
Let us know how that goes. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/3 "2018-04-21T22:40:49Z")
I sell things on Amazon, and it boggles my mind that people do things like price last year’s best-sellers for $2,000. 😕 Other sellers have said that some of these accounts are simply money laundries. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/4 "2018-04-21T22:54:27Z")
You’re right about iPhone users. I cannot tell you how many brand name chargers I bought before I convinced my daughter she could do alright with the cheapies. She’s especially hard on chargers. Plus she leaves them everywhere. I assume stylus-es would be the same. Good-luck on your new enterprise.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/5 "2018-04-21T23:19:49Z")
Prices are constantly changing. A lot of dealers only price stuff when they first put it up for sale. So it may be competitively priced then but is overpriced when other dealers put up lower prices. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/6 "2018-04-21T23:49:46Z")
Thanks! I’ll use that explanation when I get caught. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/7 "2018-04-22T03:13:07Z")
Some outrageously priced eBay things get that way because they’re being sold as some kind of fundraiser. Back in the early days of the 'bay, dryer lint was a common item sold for an exorbitant price for charity. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/8 "2018-04-22T03:25:59Z")
I could say that and throw a couple dollars in the collection plate. Lots of charities do that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/9 "2018-04-23T00:53:15Z")
You totally shouldn’t doing that. You also shouldn’t choose silver and other colors that match the iDevices. That would probably work better, and that would be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/10 "2018-04-23T01:10:49Z")
Thanks for the warning! Daughters have iPads. I should look at them to see which colors to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/11 "2018-04-23T01:22:40Z")
Definately get rose gold. All the rage this go around. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/12 "2018-04-23T01:50:30Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I sell things on Amazon, and it boggles my mind that people do things like price last year’s best-sellers for $2,000. 😕 Other sellers have said that some of these accounts are simply money laundries. I’ve noticed that, and I think it was discussed a bit in GQ recently. There seem to be four kinds of prices on Amazon: (1) normal prices, which are often lower than you’d find in most retailers; (2) normal prices that are inexplicably higher than some of the competition; (3) outrageous prices that might be two or three times the normal going retail price; and (4) comically outrageous prices like the $2000 book, that no sane person would pay. I attribute (3) to an attempt at a cash grab from the careless and gullible. (4) I simply cannot explain. (3) and (4) seem to always be from third-party sellers. All except (1) should be a caution to all buyers from Amazon. I run into the (3) type of pricing surprisingly often. Ebay is the same, but it’s totally all over the map in terms of prices. I don’t have much regard for eBay, but the truth is that with care, and knowing exactly what you want and what it’s worth and checking the seller’s reputation, you can get fair deals. The rare occasions when I buy on eBay is not to get some super cheap deal, but just to get a fair price on hard-to-find items. The last time I did so, BTW, it was for a PC component that I could only find on Amazon through a third-party seller that was fond of pricing model (3) – the multiplier in this case compared to the eBay price was x8. :eek: This is not an indictment of Amazon third-party sellers at all. Many and probably most of them have fair prices. In fact, I’ve seen cases where they had lower prices than Amazon itself, even taking shipping into account. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/13 "2018-04-23T02:08:30Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Definately get rose gold. All the rage this go around. Got one! I’ll just wipe the mouse spit off it and claim it’s new. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/14 "2018-04-23T02:11:58Z")
Ewww! So… what you gonna call your EBay store? Just in case I need to order a stylus;) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/15 "2018-04-23T02:25:53Z")
My favorite is outdated model electronics priced at, or even above original MSRP. I can buy that brand new digital camera from you which came out 13 years ago, or I can purchase a newer model that has [ul] [li]higher resolution[/li][li]more features[/li][li]lower price[/li][/ul] :smack: ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/16 "2018-04-23T03:08:48Z")
That falls under my Theory of the Retained Value of Electronics -or- It Has None. Any electronic object was obsolete before it left the factory, lost value when you opened the box and again when you stored it in a closet. By the time you remembered it and put it on eBay it was valueless; I mean if it had any value you’d still use it, right? So you price it accordingly and hope that some oddball collectors will get into a bidding war over it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/17 "2018-04-23T04:49:55Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > That falls under my Theory of the Retained Value of Electronics -or- It Has None. Any electronic object was obsolete before it left the factory, lost value when you opened the box and again when you stored it in a closet. By the time you remembered it and put it on eBay it was valueless; I mean if it had any value you’d still use it, right? So you price it accordingly and hope that some oddball collectors will get into a bidding war over it. A surprising amount of these things are purchased by set designers, who want EVERYTHING, including the digital cameras, appropriate for the date in which the movie or play is supposed to occur. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/18 "2018-04-23T06:13:40Z")
I provided an elevator control panel, historically accurate to the finest 1996 detail and fully ADA compliant, for the pilot of “Early Edition.” ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/19 "2018-04-23T13:55:45Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > A surprising amount of these things are purchased by set designers, who want EVERYTHING, including the digital cameras, appropriate for the date in which the movie or play is supposed to occur. Then resort ebay to “price: lowest to highest” & buy the cheap one that maybe even is listed as “not working, for parts only”. It looks the same from the outside to meet the period props requirement. The least expensive one is $40 while the most expensive, brand new one is almost $1900 & the next one on the list is ‘Pre-Owned’ @ $1250; that one has original box & manuals but no charger. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874/20 "2018-04-23T14:15:10Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Witness the …is a brand name of no particular renown and their own list price is $19.99 with free shipping. > > This product is identical to styli I bought at Walmart in a three pack for $3.98, or can be bought by the dozen on eBay for not much more. My business plan is to take one, claim it’s specifically made for the iPhone because Apple buyers are suckers, toss it in an envelope with a two-bit stamp, and charge $14.99, undercutting everybody and leaving me with a PROFIT! of (quick mental math) quite a lot. Won’t work. eBay has a 100% money back guaranty. So does PayPal. Your business plan fails miserably. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-new-career-overpricing-stuff-on-ebay/812874.md?page=2)