Disrespecting Seller

[pcware]

Hey i have this guy on one of the marketplaces that I sell on. He and I sell the same product. He is a new seller. The product we are selling was treading at $18.50 before he came on. Now it is treading at 13.88. Everytime I match his price he lowers his 10 cents. And he just goes on and on with this. What should or could I do to make this a fair ballpark for all the sellers here. The guy is greedy and disrepectful.

[JamesNorth101]

Just seems like business to me

Price wars happen. I generally try to not get dragged into them as it is just a downward spiral for everyone involved.

[muzzie]

It is an open market, anyone can put any prices as he wants. But there are some dark techniques that can help. Not sure that I can write them here.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by pcware

Hey i have this guy on one of the marketplaces that I sell on. He and I sell the same product. He is a new seller. The product we are selling was treading at $18.50 before he came on. Now it is treading at 13.88. Everytime I match his price he lowers his 10 cents. And he just goes on and on with this. What should or could I do to make this a fair ballpark for all the sellers here. The guy is greedy and disrepectful.

Have you spoken to that seller and to the Admin on that forum?

I hope you meant 'sellers There' and not anyone on aspkin.

[plumsake2]

Agreed with James.. I never suggest getting into a price race to the bottom. Since you're going up against a new seller, I'm guessing that means you have more experience/feedback, which should speak for itself. You don't always have to have the lowest price to sell an item.

[pcware]

No one on askpin that I am speaking of. I have not spoke with the seller yet. It would probably be my next move,

[two3aight1]

Instead of racing to the bottom why not try to work out an agreement with the guy? Like a few days u let him have the lower price and then vice versa...if u guys are both hell bent on selling this product you can work together and both survive, or kill the niche trying to out do eachother

[Callidus]

Originally Posted by GreenBean

Have you spoken to that seller and to the Admin on that forum?

I hope you meant 'sellers There' and not anyone on aspkin.

????

He's talking about a marketplace he sells on

Thought it was rsot that posted the above for a second then....

[jeffweico]

So, the other seller is being rude and disrespectful by beating your price and getting sales? Ummm... I hate to break it to you, but that is called competition.

I can see why it annoys you - you want to sell your item for a big profit and he is interfering with that - but it is perfectly ethical. eBay and Amazon are the most competitive marketplaces in the world. They are designed this way.

I have several niches, and sometimes I have to abandon them temporarily because someone else comes in and wants to be Mr. Crazy Low Price Guy. That is why I am always looking for new niches.

I wouldn't go with the "dark stuff" another poster mentioned. Many times that stuff ends up blowing up in your face.

[joesshooze]

Instead of a price war I always try to add value to purchasing from me. In marketing it's called "value added". Some type of service like prepaid freight, allowing returns or something of added value as an incentive to buying from you.

[jeffweico]

Originally Posted by joesshooze

Instead of a price war I always try to add value to purchasing from me. In marketing it's called "value added". Some type of service like prepaid freight, allowing returns or something of added value as an incentive to buying from you.

I agree. I always list a 30 day money back guarantee. I often use free shipping. And I try to maintain TRS status as well.

When buying, I search for the item I want on eBay and then order them by lowest price first. Then I look at the listings and go with the first seller I feel comfortable with. Most of the time I am looking for a US seller with few complaints and good ratings. If a TRS has an item a couple of dollars higher than the lower priced seller, I will usually buy from the TRS.

Of course, you still have to be in the ballpark, pricing wise. But you don't have to have the lowest price.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by Callidus

????

He's talking about a marketplace he sells on

Thought it was rsot that posted the above for a second then....

Don't bring me into this! Be easy...

[taerese]

Have u read the God father. Was that the book? Keep dragging the price down and down until it reaches the point you can buyout all his stock at the lowest profitable (reselling) price possible. Then raise the price to the highest possible pple will be willing to buy and cash in on the profit.

[epimetheus039]

Originally Posted by taerese

Have u read the God father. Was that the book? Keep dragging the price down and down until it reaches the point you can buyout all his stock at the lowest profitable (reselling) price possible. Then raise the price to the highest possible pple will be willing to buy and cash in on the profit.

The competitor has unlimited stock since he gets stock from Chinese factory as it is most likely

[Haidukken]

Don't be butthurt about it, it's business.
Try to come up with something that beats his lower price or find a new product and just don't give in.
If everything else fails, buy something and say that you'll collect it in person... :wink: :wink:

[solefoodbk]

Its apart of business.

Retailers deal with this daily. Think of Walmart for instance...

I myself would rather buy a laptop from say Bestbuy over Walmart anyday even if theres a 20-50 dollar difference. What jeffweico said was spot on.

If your in the ballpark price wise of the "new seller" then you should still see good sales. I highly doubt a 50 cents difference should make or brake a sale.

If we did a poll I'm sure most buyers I'm sure would buy from a seller that has more feedback and a stronger reputation than a "new seller". Alot also depends on if your the first listing compared to lower in the search rankings...

Price isn't everything, theres sooooo much more to it than just that.

[jeffweico]

Also, in my experience, many of these people lose interest and go away.

For instance, let's say I was selling 12 packs of masking tape for $5.99. I'll let the new seller list his at $5.49. Why? Because I refuse to work for nothing. And in 2 months, the new seller probably won't be there because they were not making enough money to make it worth their while.

But again, I understand where you are coming from. I am an adult living in the USA, with bills and many people, dogs and cats to support. Yet I have to compete with college kids trying to earn beer money. And people who live in other countries where if they make $300 per month, they are doing fantastically well. And part-timers who just want to earn a couple extra bucks each month. But that is just how the system works.