MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Is Del a plonker for flogging Wiis on eBay?

Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:
Is Del a plonker for flogging Wiis on eBay?

Del's a MoneySaver who often frequents this site's forum, looking for bargains. Del watches the Nintendo Wii-hunting thread, where people post when the sought-after consoles become available. He repeatedly buys up the Wiis, flogging them on eBay for a cushty profit. Del’s brother, Rodney, says he’s a plonker for profiteering from Christmas and depriving kids of pressies. But Del argues if people are willing to pay that price, then it’s fair enough; he’s offering a service to people who’d rather pay extra than spend hours searching. Is Del a plonker for flogging Wiis on eBay?

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Comments

  • By its very nature an auction forces the bidder to pay what the item is worth to them. So if Del can make a good profit selling on eBay, he should do so.

    Most of the traders making serious money on eBay (and I'm not one of them) do so through hard work and excellent knowledge of market trends.
    If a buyer wants to buy a Wii console at retail price, then they can do what Del does - read the forums, find the stock, and buy it.

    Is the current Wii shortage an artificial creation by Nintendo? Probably.

    Should we despise Del and the other eBay profiteers? Well, why not - it costs nothing, and leaves us with a appropriate holier-than-thou feeling at this festive time.

    Flame on...

    SE.
  • msasim
    msasim Posts: 5 Forumite
    I see absolutely nothing wrong with what Del is doing.

    Firstly he is providing a service. Wiis are impossible to find these days anywhere so those desperate for one can get one from him.

    He is spending time and money searching and putting them on ebay hence he should be compensated for the effort.

    Plus he is not forcing anybody to buy it from him.If people want a wii from him they can, if not they can spend some time and search one for themselves.

    If he is making a few quid in the process , good for him :T and good luck !
  • tallgirld
    tallgirld Posts: 484
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    There is nothing wrong with what he is doing at all
  • bergy2
    bergy2 Posts: 387 Forumite
    Del can do it but Del shouldn't expect others to slag him off if he advertises the fact he's done it - keep quiet and get rich Del - thats my advice lol
  • <P>I absolutely deplore people like "Del" and I think it shouldn't be allowed, particularly with items like the much sought after Wii.</P>
    <P>I am one of those searching for this console and looked on eBay in the beginning. One profiteer had a "Best Offer" button so I offered the going rate (all I can afford anyway!) of £180, for the basic package. I was told that he wanted his "Buy it Now" price of £300 or nothing!</P>
    <P>So all-in-all, that knob was willing to say that he would accept a best offer, but wasn't willing to accept it. There are used Wii consoles going for more than they were brand new, on eBay, its disgusting that others are willing to cash in on 1)Christmas and 2) others desperation!<IMG alt=0 src="http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/images/smilies/angry-smiley-030.gif&quot; border=0 smilieid="8"> </P>
  • krishna
    krishna Posts: 818 Forumite
    its disgusting that others are willing to cash in on 1)Christmas and 2) others desperation!

    This is hardly an essential item. It's not water, heat, light, air, food. So at the end of the day it really doesn't matter whether we have one now, later or not at all. Besides, wait a short while and the price will be plummeting. If Del wants take a gamble and try to make a profit from selling a few items, that's up to him. There's plenty else out there that you can give the kids.
  • payless
    payless Posts: 6,955
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    so long as he's paying tax on his profits and providing the correct consumer rights to his "customers" suppose its not wrong ( whats the chances of that though)

    Think this story has been acted thro' in real life many times on these boards, with people trawling thro' for goods ( and not giving back anything to the MSE community) buying up 20x for resale .. shame
    Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as (financial) advice.
  • I've looked at the Wii thread a couple of times and generally most of the people who post that they have "sold two this week on Ebay" are just posting to wind people up as what they say is patently untrue.

    What I do object to, and have reported them, are the people who attempt to profit from MSE users but sadly as payless says, it isn't the first time and it won't be the last.
  • I agree with Payless, so long as he is declaring the tax, I guess it's ok.

    Although I always think it's nice to help yourself to a bargain but leave plenty for everyone else!
  • I personally don't have a problem with what Del is doing, after all isn't this what every sales company does - Sell goods for more than they paid for them ? I'm sure that most of the people who think this is wrong are actually annoyed that they didn't think of it in the first place.
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