Avoid Junk and Gimmick eBay Auctions

Junk auctions are all over eBay, but they benefit no-one

Any eBay member who's been buying and selling even for a little while has seen them—the host of eBay auctions that are priced below $10.00 and that promise everything from salvation to magical skills to "the secret insider knowledge about how to make millions on eBay overnight."

If you've never been tempted enough to buy and pay for one of these "information items" on eBay, you may wonder whether they can really teach you the ancient astral projection art of "how to become invisible" or whether they can really show you how to get "iPods, plasma TVs, and laptops for free."

In fact, they can't and they don't. What they are very good at doing is separating people from their money, very quickly. Here's what you should know about "valuable information" auctions of this sort before you think about participating in them yourself.

For Buyers

These types of "products" can all seem very tempting, especially since they're so very cheap. You may even read the feedback that the seller has received and see many very "satisfied" customers, amongst a few unsatisfied purcahses. Here's the real truth:

• The secret to the ancient art of becoming invisible is to look into a mirror, then close your eyes. Now you don't have to pay for it.
  
  
• The secret to getting free consumer electronics goods is to write to manufacturers and ask them to send you free "review units," (which they will, if you manage to convince them that you work for a major national or international publication with a large readership) then never send such items back. Now you don't have to pay for it.
  
  
• The secret to making millions on eBay overnight is to sell information on how to make millions on eBay overnight to other eBay members. Now you don't have to pay for it.
  
  
• The magical cures that are ionized, blessed, polarized, rotarized, fused, or confused are nothing more than baubles of the sort that you can buy at any convenience store counter. They are made of metal or plastic or everyday food items; they will do nothing for you but give you a keener insight into the experience of poverty.

So why do auctions of this kind get so much positive feedback? Hard to say. Some people appear to find the information funny. Some may not realize that there are legal implications (for example, in fraudulently requesting free merchandise for review that you have no intention of reviewing). Others may simply not want to admit that they've been had. They've only paid a dollar or two, after all, and to leave negative feedback is to admit that you've been played for a fool.

In any case, these types of auctions really aren't the best use of your money since you're unlikely to actually realize any real benefit from them. Save your eBay dollars for real merchandise and you'll be a much more satisfied eBayer in the long term.

For Sellers

Here's the thing. It can be very tempting as an eBay seller to adopt the "buy a front page promotion for worthless information and sell it for pure profit" business model. But you shouldn't do it. Here are some good reasons why:

• It damages all eBay sales (first reason). These kinds of auctions drive down eBay's credibility and lose eBay customers—often permanently. Fewer customers means fewer sales and fewer bids for all kinds of items.
  
  
• It damages all eBay sales (second reason). These kinds of auctions clutter eBay to the point that many buyers simply give up on trying to buy the items they're actually looking for. For example, prospective iPod or plasma TV buyers must already sort through so much nonsense that eBay begins to be a second, third, or even tenth choice marketplace for such purchases. The more clutter, the less often buyers will actually manage to make a purchase or return to eBay for their next one.

While neither of these reasons may seem particularly serious to the current seller of junk or gimmick auctions, in the long term there is a very real risk that a proliferation of junk and gimmick auctions could render eBay useless as a selling venue for anything, including these kinds of auctions. It's rather like biting the hand that feeds you.

There is also one other, more serious reason to keep in mind.

• You may be liable for negative consequences. This applies not only to information auctions but also to gimmicky auctions of the "magic cure" and "mystical energy" types�you know, the inexpensive bracelet that cures cancer, or the blessed stone that, if placed in a gas tank, doubles fuel efficiency... but only if the buyer has pure faith and a pure heart and prays three times daily. Don't be fooled by the number of sellers out there trying to make money with these types of sales; you could very well be on the hook if your buyer decides to spend $5.00 on your worthless scam cure rather than spending a few days visiting a specialist. Don't take the risk.

Buy and Sell the Real Stuff

In the end, it's in everybody's interests to ensure that sellers on eBay sell real goods of real value in an honest and forthright way, and that buyers on eBay come to regard eBay as the place to go to get a good deal. If either party loses focus, there is a risk that eBay's critical mass—the continuous gathering together of a large number of buyers and a large number of sellers with good expectations—could dissipate, leaving everyone in the cold.

Finally, at the most basic and simple level, it's simply not a nice thing to make a purchase and find out that you've been had. And, in a different but related way, it's simply not nice to encourage others to purchase something from you that offers them nothing in the way of value.