I was browsing Amazon today and came across this listing for the Kobo Nia, and it’s selling for an absurd $389.68 from Triplenet Pricing, a reseller that’s been around for years and currently has over 70,000 items listed on Amazon, so they’re not just some new scammer listing.
You see this kind of thing on Amazon all the time, where sellers are charging way more for something than it’s worth, and I don’t understand how anyone could be dumb enough to fall for it. Maybe it’s the ultra wealthy that just don’t care or don’t have a basic understanding of what stuff costs, but listings like this certainly can’t have a high conversion rate, if they have a conversion rate at all.
The Kobo Nia was released in 2020 with a retail price of $99 USD. There’s no way it should ever sell for anywhere close to $389. That’s just insane.
It’s not just the Kobo Nia that Triplenet Pricing is trying to get rich off of; they also have the Kobo Libra Colour listed for $285.44 (the real price is supposed to be $229), and the Kobo Elispa 2E is $520.19 (the real retail price is $399). They’re overcharging for Kobo covers and styli as well.
Why would anybody buy Kobo’s ereaders at those ridiculous prices? Why do sellers even bother with such outlandish asking prices when the same items can be purchased for much less from retailers who aren’t price gouging? In many cases the same exact items are listed on Amazon for less, so it’s not like people have to scour the depths of the internet to find a lower price somewhere else.
It makes no sense, and it just seems like a waste of time for all parties involved, but apparently it’s all worth it if they can just find a few idiots to pay the asking price without searching around first.
That’s exactly how it works Nathan, same as with many scams. They just need a fraction of a percent of those who they reach to fall for it to make a profit.