eBay bid $51 for a e-book or an eTrex?

[+ClairBrock]

Current bid: $51 for "Intro to GEOcaching - Buying a GPS - Geo cache"

 

This auction ends in a little more than an hour, and my gut feeling is the bidders do not realize that they are bidding on an electronic book rather than the nice color eTrex shown in the photo advertising the auction.

 

Ebay Auction

 

The seller is not violating any eBay rules and is very clear on what he is selling in his description, but perhaps some got caught up in the photo. This happens often so thought I'd post this here in hopes of alerting other newbies. I'm a neocacher, but have been an eBayer for almost a decade.

 

TGIF

Clair

Edited May 4, 2007 by ClairBrock

[+Caching Scout]

That is a very big scam, he can't even spell right, not very convincing

[+Knight2000]

That is a very big scam, he can't even spell right, not very convincing

After reading the auction it all appreas legit. Nothing is misrepresented or appears to be a scam in any way. Selling of e-books on eBay is totally acceptable as long as you have permission to sell them.

 

I read the auction and dont see anything misspelled. If you mean the title being split up like that, that is to make the item come up in more searches. For instance if someone was trying to learn about caching and they thought it was two words.

 

The buyer is new and probably unaware that they are buying a book. Often people dont read the details before they buy/sign something.

[+ClairBrock]

A little more disturbing that he's been an eBay seller since Jan 1999 and has a 98.5% positive rating.

 

Not a lot of interest so let's close this thread. For newbies, it's searchable.

 

thanks

[+Knight2000]

It sounds to me like you are upset with the seller. I cant understand what the seller has done wrong.

 

They have a very legit auction started at a very reasonable price. Its not in the handheld GPS category. I cannot understand why anyone would fault this seller.

 

If you wrote an e-book and decided to sell it on eBay, is it your fault because someone bid a lot for it? The first bid was for $3.55 which means that the original starting price for bidding was $3.55 or less.

 

Please dont fault the seller or assume they are evil because someone didnt read the auction clearly.

 

Edited to add that also in the auction no where does it mention any type of GPS unit in particular. Not even the words Garmin or Magellan. So they didnt trick any users by adding those terms so their auction would come up in a search.

Edited May 5, 2007 by knight2000

[+poppoppig]

So you don't think that having a picture of a GPS unit instead of the item,an Ebook is being deliberately misleading? Pop

[+Knight2000]

So you don't think that having a picture of a GPS unit instead of the item,an Ebook is being deliberately misleading? Pop

Considering the book is about geocaching and buying a GPS, not really. Its what the book is about.

[+welch]

That is a very big scam, he can't even spell right, not very convincing

After reading the auction it all appreas legit. Nothing is misrepresented or appears to be a scam in any way. Selling of e-books on eBay is totally acceptable as long as you have permission to sell them.

 

I read the auction and dont see anything misspelled. If you mean the title being split up like that, that is to make the item come up in more searches. For instance if someone was trying to learn about caching and they thought it was two words.

 

The buyer is new and probably unaware that they are buying a book. Often people dont read the details before they buy/sign something.

I think thats where the scam comments come from. The item is listed with two pictues of a gps, and part of the title of says 'buying a gps'. But you're not buying a gps, but an ebook. Yes I know people should read what they're bidding on before bidding, but some don't (because they are idiots...) . If the descrption/page was set up with the intention of attacting one of those idiots, that would seem dishonest to me, even if not prohibited by ebay rules.

 

As for misspelling, outside the weird caps in the sellers location, they don't seem to know which way to they want to spell 'geocaching'. Usually it's Geocaching / geocaching, not GEO caching, geo-caching, or GeoCaching.

[+welch]

So you don't think that having a picture of a GPS unit instead of the item,an Ebook is being deliberately misleading? Pop

Considering the book is about geocaching and buying a GPS, not really. Its what the book is about.

But the only pictues on the listing are a gps unit (same one twice), and some captures? out of the ebook. Nothing trying to depict the act of geocaching... at least to me. I guess I don't know what picture you would use to discribe to non-geocachers.

[+Bad_CRC]

someone I know back during the PS3 launch saw a bunch of things like this, and put a picture of a PS3 on the auction along with the description that he was selling an EMAIL ADDRESS, like ps3@gmail.com or something like that. he even put it in big red letters that it wasn't a ps3, just an email address, and someone bought it for like $200.

 

people need to read.

[+El Diablo]

I don't see the scam. If you read the words and disregard the pictures. It clearly states that you are bidding on an E-Book. I guess if you can't read and rely on pictures for communications...it could be misleading.

 

El Diablo

[+Knight2000]

What represents geocaching to most people? I would say that a GPS does.

 

I thought the reason that a GPS wasnt used as a mascot type item for Groundspeak was because of the way technology changes so quickly. So, Signal was created. But the original idea revolved around a GPS.

 

I guess you could show a cache, but what does a typical cache look like? Also, non-cachers will probably recognize a GPS, but not a cache.

 

The bidder is new, so maybe they will end up just not paying anyways. Then the buyer gets stuck with the fees and the hassle of trying to get them credited back to his account after they are charged. Who knows, maybe eBay doesnt even do that anymore...

[+welch]

What represents geocaching to most people? I would say that a GPS does.

 

I thought the reason that a GPS wasnt used as a mascot type item for Groundspeak was because of the way technology changes so quickly. So, Signal was created. But the original idea revolved around a GPS.

 

I guess you could show a cache, but what does a typical cache look like? Also, non-cachers will probably recognize a GPS, but not a cache.

 

And here I tought the orginal idea was looking for a bucket out in nature, gps being only the aid to find the 'exact' location

The bidder is new, so maybe they will end up just not paying anyways. Then the buyer gets stuck with the fees and the hassle of trying to get them credited back to his account after they are charged. Who knows, maybe eBay doesnt even do that anymore...

yep, such is a risk of selling on ebay .

[+Ed & Julie]

Seems straightforward to me.

The description clearly states that the auction is an eBook.

You get what you bid on. The buyer is responsible to read the description.

New eBayer or not, you get enough Unpaid Item strikes, and eBay will suspend your account.

 

Ed

[itscomcastic07]

It sounds to me like you are upset with the seller. I cant understand what the seller has done wrong.

 

They have a very legit auction started at a very reasonable price. Its not in the handheld GPS category. I cannot understand why anyone would fault this seller.

 

If you wrote an e-book and decided to sell it on eBay, is it your fault because someone bid a lot for it? The first bid was for $3.55 which means that the original starting price for bidding was $3.55 or less.

 

Please dont fault the seller or assume they are evil because someone didnt read the auction clearly.

 

Edited to add that also in the auction no where does it mention any type of GPS unit in particular. Not even the words Garmin or Magellan. So they didnt trick any users by adding those terms so their auction would come up in a search.

[+briansnat]

Closing at request of OP.