cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2935272943&category=3204

Just under 4 days left, and the price is over $200!

Well, he did put Crane in the title (that's how I found it) but he does call it a Vltor modstock, not to mention the picture, so I don't really think he did anything wrong considering his starting price was fair at $85.  

Stupid bidders.  Though I am tempted to buy a handful of them and try my luck, nah, that would be wrong...

I don't think he did anything wrong either, because next the the word Crane is the word Airsoft. The seller just covered all the bases. It would be interesting to see if the price go's higher. Currently it's at $202.

Does the buyer know something that we don't?

ls

I think it's the other way around [;)]

Bah, the seller's just trying to rip some "uninformed" person off. I e-mailed the highest bidder with a link to Coal Creek Armory's Vltor page.

Yeah, I know. Let the buyer beware buy we need to look out for each other. I wouldn't want to buy that for $200+ only to find out later than I could have bought one at any time for $115.

Yes, it's possible the seller doesn't really know what they have and what it's really worth but I think that's highly unlikely.

I've routinely seen this happen on Ebay, with a variety of items.  People just seem to get caught up in the "excitement" of the auction, and are too damn lazy to spend a few minutes searching the internet to see what retail is.

Although I praise your sense of decency, I don't agree at all with what you did.

Frankly, I don't see what the seller is doing wrong.  I've seen many Vltor stocks advertised on the big gun boards with the word 'Crane' in the title.  Just like this seller, they are just trying to attract attention for those doing searches.  In all these adds, the seller specifically calls the stock a Vltor stock, AND the picture is included so there should be no room for confusion.  That's not fraud, that's smart advertising.  

It's an auction, so the seller didn't price the item over retail.  He had a very fair opening price of $85, it's the stupid bidders that bid up to $200.  That being said, I suppose the right thing for the seller to do, would be to give the stock to the winning bidder for the MSRP, but he doesn't have to do it, and that totally defeats the purpose of auctions (not to mention capitalism).

I don't think sabotaging the guy's auction is the right thing to do.  Part of the reason I hate ebay so much, is all the idiot bidder that jack up the prices over retail, because they are too lazy to do a search or buy locally.  That's not the fault of the sellers, that's because of the stupid buyers.  The best way to combat this (in my eyes) is too let the stupid bidders pay as much as they are willing to pay.  Maybe they'll run out of money, and next time I want something, I can bid a fair price and have a chance to actually win the auction.

Matt_B, I disagree with you contacting the buyer.  The seller has done nothing dishonest or illegal to warrant your actions.  It's not up to you to inform people of their ignorance and get involved in their business.  

Just my opinion,
Dan

for whatever my opinion is worth I disagree also

Well, it's easy for me to think that I'd want someone to inform me if I'm making a bad buy...

BUT...that stock is a specialized item and quite frankly, if you're buying that stock chances are you've done your homework and should know better.  If you haven't, well, that's what we like to call...

I too, totally disagree. Anyways, I don't think the guy can retract his bid, unless it was a fraudulant claim/false advertised.

ls

how is the word 'crane' associated with the vltor stock?  it's true it will fit on an airsoft rifle, but i think it's false advertising to include 'crane' in the title.  it's misleading and untrue.
just MHO.
MM

To me it's like all the airsoft ads, that say in the title: "COLT, M16, AR15, SOCOM, SEAL, DELTA, GUN" and it's an ad for a friggen airsoft scope mount or something similar.  I don't think it's misleading, simply annoying when I am trying to search.

Basically he's trying to get the attention of someone searching for a real Crane stock, and then they may see his Vltor decide on a cheaper alternative.  He's pretty specific in the ad that it is a Vltor stock.  Crane is only mentioned once in the title of the ad.  I don't think he was trying to scam anyone, I think he just got lucky.  At least that's my take on it.

HKocher,
yeah, i hear what you're saying.  it's misleading (to the uninformed), but he's not misrepresenting it completely.  but when you look at the high price, it's obvious that the people bidding on it were led there by a search for a crane stock, and it is THAT belief that is causing them to bid as such, nothing else.
granted, it's also their fault for not doing their own research.  misleading ad, uninformed buyers.
if i were to do anything, i'd have contacted the seller and tell him to remove the 'crane' word from the title.
but you're right, it's just plain annoying :-)
cheers!
MM

Well, no matter what any one says, I still feel I did the right thing. What strikes me as odd is why no one can put themselves in the buyer's shoes. If you were going to be "overcharged" for something, wouldn't you want to know about it? We all try to do our research but sometimes our enthusiasm gets the best of us. It's not like I'm trying to sell him something. This is what's wrong with this country - no one wants to get involved (some of you feel this is "sticking you nose in other people's business). I mean come one. This is isn't private family business. This is a public auction. Anyway, that just my opinion [:)] Believe, I'm not looking to stir people up here. I'm just trying to do the "right thing".

BTW, I don't think the seller is doing anything wrong. They're trying to get as much as possible for their item. That's capitalism and I support that. But come on. Vltors aren't hard to get as far as I know so there's probably no reason for someone to pay that much for one.

Anyway, I received the a reply from the high-bidder (at the time). Turns out he lives in England and says he can't get the Vltor shipped to him over there.

Matt, I have been in the buyer's shoes.  About 6 or 7 years ago I was looking for a new folding stock for my Uzi (this was before the abundance of Uzi parts hit the market).  I looked for a stock and could only find it through one company for $125.00.  I called them up and the guy said he only sells them COD.  I said OK, I want one.  About three days later, I saw another company selling these at a price on the internet for $75.00.  Now, I easily could have denied the COD shipment and bought the $75.00 stock.  But, I had already committed to buying the stock and went through with the purchase.  In my opinion, once a business committment had been made you go through with the deal.  My issue with what you did was getting into the middle of a business agreement where there was a committment between the buyer and the seller.  

So yes, I have purchased something for more than what I should have.  But this was my issue, not the seller's issue.  I paid $125.00 for the stock and remembered to do more research before buying something again.  

Dan

I agree with you Dan. We all have done that at least one time or another. I also think the guy in England knew what he was paying for. According to Matt, the customer did his research discovered that VLTOR would not ship it overseas (?), so the bidder decided to pay top dollar to have someone else ship it overseas. So, I believe the bidder knew what he was doing. Also, if the bidder visited the website or contacted the company regarding export, he knows what the actual retail price is.

LS