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.
Ships within 12 to 13 days. Looks like they don’t have this item in stock. I guess sometimes sellers just put in high prices nobody would want to pay to keep an amazon site active.
According to keepa this item with the ASIN B08CNKXM9J was much cheaper in the past: https://keepa.com/#!product/1-B08CNKXM9J
Another explanation may be dropshopping. If someone orders this item the seller buys it from a cheaper vendor and ships it to the buyer.
Reviews for this outfit are abysmal:
https://www.bbb.org/us/de/newark/profile/online-retailer/triplenet-pricing-inc-0251-92010680/customer-reviews
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/triplenetpricing.com
https://www.reddit.com/r/Newegg/comments/114snrv/dont_buy_from_triplenetpricing_store/?rdt=49390
And yet they get to stay in business and continue making money by ripping people off while offering horrible service and doing all kinds of things wrong, some of which is probably illegal. Sounds like some other website I know…
No deception in this particular case, so not fraud, at least in the UK. Just very unethical. Google is your friend.
I’m sure we all have had our moments where we we dumb enough to do something someone slightly better informed would think unthinkable.
The funny thing is that I have my Kobo Nia, with its Kobo case, and it still works, but I do not use eReader’s anymore and have not for some time. I tried giving it to family (all readers) and they did not want it.
I think the key to the stupid Amazon (eBay, etc) listings is that the item listed is exposed to far more people and there is always someone out there. If I had the inclination to list my Nia for shipping costs only, I’m sure I would have no trouble finding someone who would want it, just as someone (or rather, a bot) listing a Nia for an outrageous price, among other such listings of random things, will likely find a taker somewhere in the world.
In the world market, there is always a buyer somewhere eventually for anything, and if there is not, one can just have many such listings waiting for a single bite to make it worthwhile.