I think the main issue still is lying about the condition for the higher price. The damage of the particular throw I had was minimal, maybe even a sharpie could have disguised it if a person wasn’t looking hard enough. I also saw some of the turn around prices, but picture this: I sold a yoyo with very light damage(what some might call near mint) for 150. The turn around on ebay for mint condition was a buy now price for 345. I don’t care if it was sold in the same condition I sold it for and they got that price, but it wasn’t in the condition claimed. I guess the general consensus is don’t be mad if they flipped for a higher price but don’t lie about yoyo damage. Maybe it’s ok to try and get away with it if you think the buyer will be happy anyway?
The absence of the damage in the turn around is my main concern. Should someone start a website like “carfax” for yoyos? I am kidding. To beat someone up in a deal over a dollar to turn around and ask for double and claim it was bought new??? I am enjoying the fact that without pointing fingers the individual has jumped into the conversation though.
And to revert back to my original post “I am not mad”. After these leave my possession I could care less what happens, walk the dog if that makes you happy. I personally feel mislead by the communication. Others are under the impression of better condition and I was lead to believe that this was making someone happy to throw it.
If the only issue was the one you mentioned there would be no problem, but you and others with the same opinion are leaving out the misrepresentation
I agree. Not only misrepresenting the condition, but interjecting a sob story to get a good deal, and then flipping the yo-yo is messed up too. If someone said about my near mint throw on the BST " I’ve been unemployed for 6 months, and want this as a gift for my daughter…I can’t afford a lot, and this is the yo-yo she wants more than anything…is there a better deal you can give me on this?" Then after a heavy discount, I see that throw end up on an auction site a week later, described as “mint,” with an inflated pice tag…that is just a jerk move. My point is, if it’s just “business” don’t give a “personal” sob story looking for a discount on a “personal” basis. Then, argue that business is business. If you find a random BST throw listed at $40 and pay $40, with no sob story, and flip it on the auction site by describing it accurately and sell for $100…no issue. But people interjecting a sob story and misrepresenting the condition to flip it is not cool.
Yeah, this guy bothers me because he writes that prices are based off of what they’ve sold for on the BST and what they retailed for. Having put up a BST with a hatrick in it, I received much better offers than what he claims is the norm for the BST.
I have no beef with taking advantage of people who desperately need money by trying to buy them for dirt cheap - businesses do this all the time. Look at those check-cashing places: They take 10-20% of your check for the convenience of accessing it a few days earlier, which nobody would agree to unless they desperately needed money now. In sort-of an opposite scenario, funeral homes charge ridiculous margins for caskets because they know grieving family members aren’t too concerned about prices (and even if they are, they don’t want to feel like they’re cheaping out when their dead mother is concerned).
The bit that bothers me is trying to convince someone that that’s the norm, on an effectively monopolized trading ground.
If your going to get mad about someone selling your stuff for a higher price, sell it yourself for a higher price. The lying about condition part is bad though.
Exactly. My posts weren’t necessarily to talk about how I felt about flipping yoyo’s to make money, it was about the corruptness of lying about it in order to make more money. All in all, I got what I wanted. This may happen to you; you could be the seller, you could be the buyer, you may never know it happened. However, to the people who are doing this, it doesn’t go unnoticed and I personally will do my best not to deal with these people, that’s my word.
If anyone believes the behavior is “wrong,” perhaps a warning in the trader feedback section, about specifically who does this, might alert others not to accept a bogus sob story when giving a discount. Also to watch out for items described as mint that are not…popping on auction sites by these members.
Again, for those who think anyone is “mad,” the OP already posted that it is not an issue of being “mad,” he is posting to let people know that he has noticed this pattern of behavior. Basically, for those who care…be aware.
Misrepresentation is a completely different issue.
The issue is flipping. Buying on BST low, to turn around and sell it for more to make a profit. That was the original topic.
People misrepresent stuff all the time on here. Mint in my mind means MINT: no dings, nicks, scratches, pinpricks, scuffs, scrapes, tends, knife marks, fire damage, welding, holes and/or drill marks, rust/oxidation. Anything short of “I took it out of the box to take photos” would no longer qualify as mint. However, some people will throw them a few times, leaving no marks of any sort and put it back, in which case I can accept this as mint.
Photos help, but they can also only go so far. I recently got a DM2 with a few little dings in the rim, of which I was informed by the seller of them all. Honestly, they do not come out in photos. In some cases, photos can make things look worse as well. Yes, we do need to rely on honestly and accuracy of the description by the seller/trader.
Since I play all my yoyos, best I can ever say is “gently used” or “near mint”. I’d rather state it a half or quarter grade BELOW its actual condition, but price it above my desired sell point. This gives me plenty of negotiating room. Maybe. But I can also justify the price better(hence, reducing haggle room) by providing more detailed description to interested sellers or in the listing.
Right now, I’m trying to wrap up a deal for a used item. We’ve agreed on the price, but we keep finding MORE and MORE issue, of which he’s resolving. At the moment, he’s having it modified to accept flowable silicone. The yoyo has some nicks in it, which he offered to polish out but I said “no, don’t do that”. Then he tells me the bearing has a death grip, so I gotta deal with that issue. Then I find out that since it’s a brand that went under, the response recess takes pads and I don’t want to deal with discontinued brands and their discontinued parts, so he’s having the recess deepened to accept flowable.
I guess when you’re dealing with an honest person the problems minimize.
Back to the “ethics of misrepresentation”: Apparently one man’s “mint” is another man’s “beater”. Photos can help, but can only help so much. On the used market, it’s always “Buyer Beware”. It always has been, it always will be. One of the first things I wonder when people are selling stuff used is “Why are they selling it”. I find with laptops and computers, people lose their factory restore discs, screw the computer into oblivion with their crap-ware and viruses, and then instead of being able to just wipe and start fresh, they dump it off and then get something new(er). With cars and boats, I see them being dumped because the owner doesn’t want to deal with the growing issues, so hence get what you can out of it, “all sales are final” and take the cash and run. People buy real estate on the low, put some money into it to fix it up, then flip it for a profit.
With yoyos, it’s typically “I need/want money” or “I want something else” or “I just don’t like this model”. We don’t often see “yoyo for sale, missing axle, bearing, response, needs re-tapping and heavy sanding to remove damage. A fixer-upper, perfect for the aspiring or veteran modder”.
I think those people don’t usually target just anyone… I believe they’re looking for the wealthy buyers who don’t have experience with the products, and “yoyo” might sound simple but we all know it isn’t! so someone wealthy will just buy it not knowing thinking its a good price or something. So IMO (eventhough I think it’s wrong to do it) I don’t think anything should be done about it because there’s just nothing we can do 
I mean who are we to teach others manners, we just expect them to have some. but some don’t have any, that’s what the world is all about!
I have to say personally it’s wrong to lie about anythings condition just to squeeze a few more bucks in a auction. Karma isn’t something I like to mess with. She pays back what you give and or take. I’m here to play not to make money off fellow players. I’m always looking for a good deal… Who isn’t these days?