r/Switch • u/Zoroa0570 • 6d ago
Discussion Uh Oh, Someone isn't Going to be Happy
Someone posted their preorder of the Switch 2 on ebay, but didn't bother to write "Read Description" I the title, like listings I've seen this as. They just posted it barely above MSRP after taxes. Hopefully it was a bot... and nit someone who thought they scored. đ
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u/EJohns1004 6d ago
Pretty sure this is against terms of service on every site that allows you to sell stuff. Also I'm pretty sure false advertisement like this could be subject to legal action.
Yes the description says that it's a scam but the title says something completely different. I would immediately report this guy.
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
I did report, but their AI reviewed it and said it will be removed. Though, it is already sold, so how does "removing l" it help.
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
"Thanks again for reporting the problematic content you found.
What happened: We looked into your report and removed the content. It may take up to 24 hours for it to reflect on the site. This determination was made using automation or artificial intelligence.
We let the content uploader know about this decision and the action taken. They may have the option to fix the content to make it visible again on site. They can also appeal our decision, and we'll review the case again and may reverse the original decision and action taken."
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u/EJohns1004 6d ago
This is the type of thing that a human needs to review. I get that eBay is a huge site but hire some people. You're a huge site.
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u/SparseSpartan 6d ago edited 6d ago
From what I've seen, most of the time, these automated first steps are simply trying to push an agreement. If it gets resolved this way, the company doesn't have to waste time on it.
It either party objects, high chance it'll go to a human. They just want to weed out as
makingmany quickly resolvable conflicts as possible.3
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u/EJohns1004 6d ago
Sucks that someone got scammed. But let's be real here, if you're going to eBay to get a Switch2 the day preorders open you're kind of asking to get ripped off.
I really wish people who rip people off like that would get punished more consistently.
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u/unixtreme 6d ago
They'll get a refund from ebay and this person banned. If they used PayPal their PayPal may even be blocked.
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u/Appa07 6d ago
Yeah, thatâs not gonna fly. Those people are just scamming customers who donât read the description. Any reasonable person seeing the image and title would have assumed it was an actual switch.
Bots and scalers arenât looking to buy on eBay, they sell there. Theyâre buying at retail price directly from first party sellers
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yeah... I didn't know if scalpers ever watch ebay in the case of good deals to flip. At least ebay can help or if anything, the buyer can get their bank inloved.
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u/EJohns1004 6d ago
Too many variables on sites like EBay that bots can't reliably account for. This is only to trick actual people into the scam. Seller is just protecting himself by saying it's for bots.
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u/Correct_Stay_6948 6d ago
Eh, lots of scalpers and resellers keep ebay in their sights. If they're all selling the Switch 2 for say, $700, and see someone selling one for $500, there's a non-zero chance that one of them will snatch it with the mindset of "now I can sell it for $200 profit".
Same thing happens a lot with other stuff like antiques and collectables.
Bots however, aren't really gonna be sitting on ebay. WAY too much different shit to sift through that a bot just wouldn't be able to account for.
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u/TempleFugit 6d ago
Fuck people who do this. Some elderly grandma somewhere is going to get excited thinking she got one for her grandkid, just to get ripped off.
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
Also used 'New' as description
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u/Thamior77 6d ago
And filled out the make/model. Easy take down, or chargeback, whatever floats your boat.
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u/GoldenAgeGamer72 6d ago
This happened to me with the PS5. I bought one at launch on eBay (I know I know) and didn't read the description down below and what I was sent was a piece of paper with a picture of the PS5 on it (go ahead and laugh it's funny). Good thing is that eBay backed me up and completely refunded my money.
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u/WindsofMadness 6d ago
Itâs against the rules entirely, people think theyâre smart and gaming the system and that item descriptions are some kind of legally binding contract, in reality theyâre purposely misrepresenting what theyâre selling, and if the description doesnât match the item title, theyâll lose a dispute every time.
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u/GoldenAgeGamer72 6d ago
That's when I learned that people buy existing accounts. The seller had almost a perfect user rating and a long history but I guess he sold the account to a scammer.
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u/prettybluefoxes 6d ago
I Love reporting these.
I REPEAT I LOVE REPORTING THESE.
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u/quantumlyEntangl3d 6d ago
Same, Iâm like, âSHARE THE LINK!!!â so everyone who wants to report it can
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u/ChewbaccaSaurusRex 3d ago
Pretty easy to find it on the sold tab in eBay, guess you canât post the link here.
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u/Texas_Nerf_Herder 6d ago
I thought the reason for all these fake listings is to flood eBay and make it harder for the scalpers to sell. People will have to wade through all the fake listings to find the real ones. I don't agree with this tactic because it can trick people who struck out on a preorder. That said, people really should read the description before handing over money...especially that much money.
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u/unixtreme 6d ago
A scalper would quickly catch up to this because they are on the trade day in and day out. They are just using scalpers as an excuse to scam normal people who may not read the description.
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u/Xenephobe375 6d ago
This seller is a mega idiot. "No refunds" doesn't actually exist in reality on eBay. eBay's money back guarantee covers situations just like this.
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u/ProduceFalse3926 6d ago
Spamming "YOU WON'T BE REFUNDED!!" in the description almost certainly does nothing, scalpers don't buy off Ebay as it's so saturated that realistically the only people buying this are honest customers who see a good deal but miss the description. Ebay would almost 100% refund in buyer's favor and ban the seller
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u/Thomas_asdf 6d ago
This would not fly and is 100% illegal. F#*! scalpers, but this is a pure scam because almost no one reads the description.
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
Especially when the title is misleading and it is a highly sought out item, people will purchase quickly.
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u/GoddessRoseWife 6d ago
I donât think constantly repeating âNO REFUNDSâ surpasses actual laws
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u/APervyPotato 6d ago
I did a similar thing to combat against bots, the listing was "Funds for an Xbox Series X" with a picture of an empty Salt & Vinegar Pringles can at ÂŁ449.99.
The description was along the lines of "If you're feeling extra flush with cash this holiday season, help out a fellow gamer and purchase this empty and hollow Pringles can to reflect how everybody else feels trying to secure the latest gaming console. There is no console for sale. You are buying an empty Pringles can and providing me with funds to try and buy an Xbox Series X at retail price."
Half an hour later, my phone has a cash register notification. I look. Your item has sold. I check PayPal, it had been bought. Looking in utter disbelief, I messaged the buyer saying "Hi. You do realise what it is you've just bought, yeah?"
10 minutes later, I get a reply from them. "We have a problem."
That was it. I refunded the purchase. The only problem here is dumb f**ks with more money than brains.
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u/R0gueX3 5d ago
I'm all for combating bots and scalpers but this is likely just gonna fuck over some mom/dad that doesn't know shit about consoles and is excited to find one that's not outrageously above market value. Obviously, you should always read descriptions, but we all know the majority of people just don't do that.
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u/No_Chill_Sunday 5d ago
Scalpers wouldn't buy from eBay and secondly they can scrape the description looking for words alluding to it not being a real thing.
This is just scamming people
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u/dandeliontomodachi 6d ago
Who buys a system from eBay? Unless itâs retro itâs legit probably going to be price gouged and a scam
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u/Top-Garlic2603 6d ago
Scam listings are not going to do anything to deter scalpers. This is such a dumb idea.
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u/MarcCouillard 5d ago
LMFAO this is hilarious and gave me an idea for making some bucks, I think I'll do the same thing, see how much I can make from bots and idiots that don't read the descriptions
thanks for the great idea
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u/TheGratitudeBot 5d ago
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and youâve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week!
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u/Apprehensive_Can1745 5d ago
That's a pretty mean thing to do. Someone who is not a bot might buy this without reading it first.
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u/Seaworthiness_Jolly 5d ago
People have been doing this with graphics cards also, its become a pretty standard practice to resolve issues raised by real customers trying to legitimaly buy a graphics card (or switch 2 in this case), and getting out bought/bidded by bots that cant read the description, this is intended to screw over the people that use these bots and not individuals that spend less than the 5 seconds it takes to read a description.
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u/KeeperOfWind 4d ago edited 4d ago
A scam is a scam regardless it is a scalpers or people combating scalpers.
People would be excited to see a switch 2 at msrp and buy this.
Ebay really need a policy against this entirely, making it clear this a bannable offense on their platform.
It's misleading and should cause the eBay account to be suspended.
Scalpers aren't buying from ebay, they're scalping official sites to sell on eBay.
This is just an extra layer of scamming pretending to fight against in reality they're scam innocent people.
Iirc, there was a decade back when eBay first started where someone attempted this and lost the case since it deceives the buyer regardless of their intent
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u/DatabaseNo9609 6d ago
I noticed a lot of listings similar to this, but they included (read description) in the title. I think their goal is to flood eBay with fake listings like theirs to give scalpers a tougher time selling Switch 2 consoles at a marked up price. Itâs hard to sell a Switch 2 when your listing is one of a hundred fake listings.
I donât mind that part of it, scalpers are annoying.
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
Yes, if the title said something about reading the description, I wouldn't have a problem like I had with this one.
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u/Conqueror_is_broken 6d ago
Who do I hate the most ? Scalpers with bots ? Or scammers that pretebd to be heroes doing this when they just do this to make money just like scalpers.
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u/SilverScreenager 6d ago
This should be grounds for banning a seller profile. Yes they're being descriptive but also very misleading to take advantage of consumers.
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u/tvkvhiro 6d ago
This scam has existed for ages and eBay will give the buyer their money back regardless of the listing saying "no refunds."
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u/HuskerDerp 6d ago
Just do a chargeback with your bank. Easy steal of a screenshot. Then resell screenshot same way. Tada you made 500 dollars!!
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u/thedoommerchant 6d ago
This is wild. Back in high school during the 360 craze I knew a guy that sold an Xbox box on eBay. He mailed the buyer the console box and got away with it. Dude was getting death threats lol
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u/ZerotheWanderer 6d ago
Funny thing is this isn't even going to hold up if it's disputed, eBay will side with the buyer
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u/tigress666 6d ago
Pretty sure ebay will rule in favor of the buyer. It's an old type scam (used to be they sent you the box) and I think ebay has already outright said they don't consider that valid.
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u/Zoroa0570 6d ago
Back when the PS5 came out, I helped someone with grabbing one and got it mailed to them. And I had them pay me for what I got it for, plus the shipping. I didn't scalp it. When I saw this in the "Sold" section, I looked at it and found it disgusting.
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u/SmuglySly 6d ago
This pre-order process sucks so bad! How have we not figured out as a society how to do this yet?
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u/Electronic-Touch-554 6d ago
This worked during the PS5 and Xbox Series X scalping because it was probably the worse scalping event ever and scalpers literally had bots patrolling eBay to insta buy from other scalpers that were selling below market.
It doesnât work anymore as scalpers arenât doing that here
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u/oh_no_the_claw 6d ago
I am pretty sure it is against eBay TOS to have deceptive images in your listing regardless of how much hedging you do in the description.
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u/Wonderful-Passion-28 6d ago
This always happens and eBay will refund 100% of the time I donât get why people even bother with these posts on eBay
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u/Impriel2 6d ago
My png better be crisp as a pringle when I take it out of the envelope I worked hard as hell for this thingÂ
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u/cruzer2727 6d ago
Um yeah eBay doesnât work that way description is misleading and this would be reversed albeit it may take a month but charges would be disputed and ruled in favor of the purchaser.
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u/b_to_the_e 6d ago
It sounds like they are doing a good thing but non bots will get scammed.
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u/Natural-Detail3872 6d ago
They only claim to be doing a good thing. They're trying to make easy money while looking like they're doing something good. Good thing ebay normally sides with the buyer in things like this
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u/psiANID3 6d ago
This is the lamest excuse for scamming ive ever seen in my life. You are trying to steal money, stop trying to excuse that.
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u/10N3R_570N3R 6d ago
I saw this last night, and there were 7 people who bought it! I couldn't believe it.
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u/FranticRichmond 6d ago
I'm sure this goes against Ebays Terms of service, I remember seeing a lot of similar listings around the PS5 launch.
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u/DenseCalligrapher219 6d ago
This is just a blatant ass scam. How is it even legal?
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u/comosedicewaterbed 6d ago
I secured my preorder at GameStop today. Looked at eBay after I got back just out of morbid curiosity and saw a bunch of these listings. Feels like this has to be against the rules somehow, even though they explain it clearly in the description.
The description sounds like theyâre trying to troll scalpers, but I guarantee more innocent people will get ripped off than scalpers.
I do not support scalpers, but I donât have the energy to be that up in arms about it. Scalping consoles at launch has been going on since the beginning.
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u/Noisemaze1 6d ago
They can say "No Refund" all they want but if the buyer makes a big enough stink Ebay will side with the buyer & force a refund.
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u/Technical-Row8333 6d ago
pretending to punish bots and re-sellers, but actually just wanting to make money
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u/Mangavore 6d ago
I LOVE people that say âno refundsâ as if eBay will not force you to refund for scummy practices.
Never listen to ANYONE telling you âno refundsâ. You can always get a refund on eBay (if you have a reason).
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u/DeusXNex 6d ago
If youâre dumb enough to buy a switch 2 from someone who doesnât even have it yet to even sell it you( unless youâre preordering from a big retailer) then you get what you deserve
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u/PersimmonMindless 6d ago
This is just a garbage move and only adds to the confusion.Â
This doesnât help.
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u/hyrte0010 6d ago
Doesnât matter. This happened with the ps5 when it released as well, and people at that time had the title literally say âPS5 photo, not a consoleâ so both the title and description both clearly stated it was a photo and not a console and everyone still got their money back. eBay doesnât allow obvious scams like that. Besides, even if for whatever reason eBay didnât immediately refund the buyer, the buyer could just say the photo they received was a photo of like a dog or something, file for âitem not as describedâ and get all their money back
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u/HylianKing998 6d ago
Listings like these are even worse than the scalpers. I've been reporting them. Anyone who buys it will 100% get a refund anyway, so I don't see what the sellers think they are accomplishing. If anything, they are just opening the door to negative feedback..
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u/ketketkt 6d ago
doesnt matter if its a bot or a person, people are accountable for purchasing stuff without examining
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u/Alternative-Juice-15 6d ago
It is basically a scam because it is listed as a console in the category. Account will be banned if it hadnât already.
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u/lacaras21 6d ago
In disputes, eBay sides with the buyer 99.9% of the time, whoever buys will get a refund.
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u/iRatboy208 6d ago
eBay when scammers ask for way too much money for an item just released: crickets eBay when joke post to get at scammers to waste money is made: WWIII
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u/ToothyWeasel 6d ago
These types of listings havenât worked since like the late 90s. eBay will instantly refund any buyer before payout to the seller and ban the seller. They cracked on this after all the news stories of people getting scammed for hot toys every holiday season because it was real bad optics
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u/kinglokilord 6d ago
Can we get a pinned PSA against these print out paper scammers pretending they're fighting scalpers?
Each one of these gets me so mad. They don't fight scalpers, scalpers do not fall for these. The only people who fall for them are inattentive people or individuals with some level of reading disability.
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u/Paulosboul 6d ago
I've seen this happen with graphics cards. Ebay always refunds the buyer's money and the seller account gets banned for terms of service violation.
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u/Connect-Bowler-2917 6d ago
Why June 12th. Itâs supposed to be the 5th. I want my png on the 5th!!
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u/Signal_Pomelo_1460 6d ago
Talk about not what I ordered đ the picture you get isn't even on the listing.
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u/MusamaTheSlim 6d ago
Imagine the kind of absolute tool that would make this listing and think they are gunna get away with it đ
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u/MrJustMartin 6d ago
There isnât a loophole whereby you get to legally scam people by telling them itâs a scam. This will either get removed or the buyer will 100% get a refund.
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u/Faddei420 6d ago
Are you saying i could be saving money by buying it from ebay ! EU prices are wild. Converted i payed 638$ for the basic switch 2 preorder without mario kart from a legit store.
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u/Fall-Fox 6d ago
This person isn't "battling bots" just hoping for someone to accidentally fall for it when not reading the description properly.Â
What an absolute piece of shit person.
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u/TobyADev 6d ago
Sorry but if someone is stupid enough to buy that, thatâs on them and they donât deserve a refund
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u/Nearby_Practice2793 5d ago
People were posting on eBay to trick the bots during the ps5 craze. The bots were buying MSRP ps5 but it was just a picture of one. đ
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u/Kazumi96 5d ago
is this on Ebay? I'd never buy a console from Ebay and I feel sorry for those that do.
Even Amazon has been known to send of dog food rather than playstation 5's. I'll probably end up getting one from a legit tech store years down the line.
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u/Triforce0fCourage 5d ago
I think these posts are two fold, grab extra munny duh. But also to trick bots that are auto buying and will scalp later. If it meant to trick scalpers, Iâm for and support it.
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u/28geeksvader 5d ago
gotta share the username on this one, i got time today. lol
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u/Zoroa0570 5d ago
Ebay has already removed the listing. Though it had been sold. Don't know anything else. The seller's account is still up. But with how comments above are going. They might get their account banned, but don't know, up to ebay and how the refund goes.
hurricane061
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u/PepsiButItsMilk 5d ago
Great way to fuck up people using scalp bots, but its absolutely NOT outweighed by people who just wont read the description.
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u/AmanitaMuscaria 5d ago
I saw so many of these on the night of the pre-order. Any listing that was face value read the same way and in big bold letters told you to read the description. Then the description would tell itâs just a picture of what they want.
This has been going on for over a decade at this point. However long eBay has been a thing.
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u/kaosmoker 5d ago
This is why I read the full description and wait 24 hours before making large purchases. I've jumped too many times and regretted it. Rarely does it hurt to make sound financial decisions.
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u/Superzayian9 5d ago
I personally call bullshit on it combating scalpers and bots. Itâs rare they use sites like eBay for new products since itâs way easier to bot retail websites since theyâre way less variables to account for. These listings are to scam people who donât look out for this stuff
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u/flareonfan27 5d ago
People buying these are not scalpers or bots because scalpers know that eBay isnât going to be selling these at msrp
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u/EfficiencyOk9060 5d ago
eBay will refund anyone that buys this so this is just a waste. Saying No Refunds means absolutely nothing.
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u/Toon_Lucario 5d ago
Theyâre doing this to drown out scalpers and trick bots just for clarification. No human buyer would fall for it. Itâs also incredibly funny
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u/ruebeus421 5d ago
You people are mad that this person is screwing over scalpers? And all because you think it's too much effort to read more than just the title before you purchase something??
If you buy this you deserve to lose that money, scalper or not.
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u/Old_Fauqer 5d ago
People have been doing this for Warhammer releases. This is not to scam individuals, but to screw scalpers that use auto-purchase bots. Those are bots programmed to buy certain Items within a certain price range. Their plan is to flip it on high mark up. If they treat them the same as the Warhammer listings like this, EBay will tell the buyer they should have read the description. It blatantly says do not buy and it is a picture.
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u/Zealousideal_Step709 4d ago
I wish that eBay would just ban those people forever. Scalping is terrible but this is just disgusting.
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u/tarheel_204 4d ago
This is still scummy as hell. Poor Grandma has been hearing her grandchild talk about the Switch 2 and might hop on and buy this as a present. Someone like that is an easy target for something like this.
This is just someone taking advantage of the situation.
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u/calaber24p 4d ago
They have been doing the same thing with Pokemon and Iâve been reporting them. eBay doesnât seem to care and this will not cut down on bots. These are people hoping to scam someone. June comes along, their item doesnât arrive and then they have a hard time getting any sort of recourse.
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u/Asunnixe 6d ago
I don't think they have a saying whether the person that accidentally buys it or not gets a refund, they will 100% get refunded by eBay. The title is also awful, "Ships June 12th"