Uuummm... seriously?

[Kev Williams]

Lysol Spray at Walmart-

439939




Lysol spray from Amazon seller-

439940

I'd put this in the 'levity' thread, but it's not funny...

[mike stenson]

Yea, you can report price gouging to Amazon. I don't believe they care, however. Early on, many products were horrendously overpriced. I looked at something today, half the price of prime, but $25 shipping on a $4 item.

[Clark Hussey]

Ive been seeing this on Amazon. The price is usually for case pricing

[Amara Martin]

Actually overpriced stuff

[Matt Day]

Let’s not make this into a “price gouging to take advantage during a pandemic” thing. There are crazy high priced items in ALL categories ALL the time on amazon. Usually shipped and sold by sellers other than amazon.

[mike stenson]

Let’s not make this into a “price gouging to take advantage during a pandemic” thing. There are crazy high priced items in ALL categories ALL the time on amazon. Usually shipped and sold by sellers other than amazon.

Correct, it was just much more common 3-4 months ago. It's still price gouging (defined as: an act or instance of charging customers too high a price for goods or services, especially when demand is high and supplies are limited.)

[Doug Garson]

I don't think it is price gouging because obviously no one is going to order at that price. More likely it is a pricing algorithm gone wrong. I've seen the same wonky Amazon pricing for lot's of items unrelated to the pandemic. My understanding is Amazon using an algorithm that adjusts prices based on sales volume, increasing prices on best sellers and reducing prices on items that aren't selling. Sometimes it creates ridiculous prices like this but I doubt any are sold at that price. Interesting, I did a search for Lysol disinfectant spray spring waterfall on amazon.com and that listing doesn't appear. Maybe it's been corrected. Can you provide a link instead of a screen shot?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Look at who is sourcing it. Is Amazon selling and sourcing it or is it one of their "associates"?

Be really careful with those associated businesses not necessarily at Amazon but at other retail corporations too. Recently against my better judgement, I bought from a business advertising at Sears Marketplace. I paid $211 plus change for an refurbished DVD/VHS player as my wife has some VHS tapes she wants for use. The item arrived defective as it wouldn't accept the VHS tapes. I immediately emailed the seller at the address provided on Sears marketplace with no response. 7 days later I called the number the seller lists and a guy answers "Yeah?" which wasn't the professional manner I would expect at a real business. In short, I then started needling Sears and I went to the Idaho Attorney General's office and read up about consumer fraud. I mentioned that in my conversations with Sears Customer service agents. A Sears agent mentioned that they weren't getting a response from the business. After 4 weeks and numerous delays they finally refunded my full price. I would bet that Sears is who refunded my money and not the seller based on the lack of response to emails and my one phone call. I offered to store the item for 30 days and if the seller wanted to email me a prepaid return label, I'd return it. I informed them after 30 days, it was going to the dump. I got no response.

Price gouging? Why is it price gouging for a large business but we don't make the same claim at a small business?

Frankly, I price compare Amazon, all my woodworking suppliers and other items too.
"

[Brian Elfert]

I see crazy prices on stuff on Amazon all the time. I often wonder why anyone would buy for some of the prices listed on Amazon or Ebay for common items you can get at retailers for way less money.

I was just searching for a specific thread sealant a few minutes ago. It is $10 to $12 shipped most places. An Ebay listing came up for over $40!

[Kev Williams]

I pretty much check all 3- Amazon, Ebay, local- before buying anything. I find a lot of things cheaper on Ebay than Amazon, but sometimes not. Right now I have a conundrum, 4" blast gates for venting my lasers are usually around $4 on/at Harbor Freight, the next cheapest I've been able to find are $12.99-ish. But Harbor Freight just last week cancelled my order for a half dozen of them I ordered in APRIL, stating they don't know when or IF they'll ever be for sale again. To me, $13 for something someone else sells (sold) for $4 is a bit of a ripoff. I still need 6 of the things, but I find it really hard spending $78 for $24 of stuff. Not as bad as $25 for $1.50's worth of Lysol but still...

[Derek Meyer]

Wow, Ken, for $211 I've got a like-new VHS unit that I would deliver to your house myself, and even help you set it up if you wanted. :)

That is a crazy high price! It's amazing what happens when older technology is replaced and becomes hard to get. You used to see VHS decks at thrift stores and pawn shops for dirt cheap. I guess I haven't looked in ages. I still have the Quasar VHS unit I bought when I went to college, 32 years ago. Not sure if it still works as it's been in a box for 25 years. I'll have to dig it out someday and set it up, if I have a TV that will connect to it.