four.cycle
Well-known member
I look at a lot of listings on Ebay. Recently I've noticed what seems to be a trend developing: Ebay sellers listing new or almost-new Proto socket sets for as little as one third to one fifth of what the exact same set would cost at Amazon.com, Toolup.com, Zoro.com, or Walmart.
(There are, of course, the clueless Ebay sellers who list new or almost-new Proto socket sets with starting bids of almost as much (if not more) than what the exact same set could be had for from any number of sources, but that's not the subject here.)
I have to wonder what dynamic is in play here that allows an Ebay seller to post a brand-new, still in the shrink wrap Proto socket set with a minimum bid of about $50, when the exact same set is five times that much from any online retailer or Walmart.
Are these items that were shoplifted at Walmart? Were they items purchased on the cheap at Walmart and then a severe case of buyer's remorse became the catalyst for deciding to dump it on Ebay? Was there some enormous glut of Proto socket sets manufactured that were dumped into the marketplace by some liquidator?
The only thing that makes any sense to me is that these came out of Walmart, as consistently I note when comparing prices they are right down at the bottom of the price range.
Oddly, however, I do not see the same sort of thing with Channellock products, another tool line that Walmart sells.
I don't have a problem with competitive pricing and allowing a free market to "control" selling prices.
I do have a concern about the possible unforeseen consequence of prices being driven down resulting in compromises in product quality being made at the manufacturers end. That, of course, could be only wild speculation on my part; there's no evidence to suggest that the product quality of Proto (or Channellock) has been compromised as a result of the product being sold by Walmart (or any online retailer.)
Nonetheless, it's piqued my curiosity, and instead of just letting it bounce around inside my head like a tube of BB's rolling around in a washtub, I thought I'd toss it out there and see if any members can provide any insight.
(There are, of course, the clueless Ebay sellers who list new or almost-new Proto socket sets with starting bids of almost as much (if not more) than what the exact same set could be had for from any number of sources, but that's not the subject here.)
I have to wonder what dynamic is in play here that allows an Ebay seller to post a brand-new, still in the shrink wrap Proto socket set with a minimum bid of about $50, when the exact same set is five times that much from any online retailer or Walmart.
Are these items that were shoplifted at Walmart? Were they items purchased on the cheap at Walmart and then a severe case of buyer's remorse became the catalyst for deciding to dump it on Ebay? Was there some enormous glut of Proto socket sets manufactured that were dumped into the marketplace by some liquidator?
The only thing that makes any sense to me is that these came out of Walmart, as consistently I note when comparing prices they are right down at the bottom of the price range.
Oddly, however, I do not see the same sort of thing with Channellock products, another tool line that Walmart sells.
I don't have a problem with competitive pricing and allowing a free market to "control" selling prices.
I do have a concern about the possible unforeseen consequence of prices being driven down resulting in compromises in product quality being made at the manufacturers end. That, of course, could be only wild speculation on my part; there's no evidence to suggest that the product quality of Proto (or Channellock) has been compromised as a result of the product being sold by Walmart (or any online retailer.)
Nonetheless, it's piqued my curiosity, and instead of just letting it bounce around inside my head like a tube of BB's rolling around in a washtub, I thought I'd toss it out there and see if any members can provide any insight.
