OK, seems I gotta be the one to post this he

See:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=8101010 615

Some dickhead has paid £120 for an empty box (inc. p&p) and ain't too happy
about it - check the buyer's feedback. What makes me smile is the seller
appears to be quite comfortable with it - check his feedback to the buyer!

Now, is it me, or is there *just enough* ambiguity in the description and
auction title to trap the unwary....???

Hit rate on the auction is 55,000 and still rising!

:-)

On Wed, 19 May 2004 23:08:49 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

OK, seems I gotta be the one to post this he

See:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=8101010 615

Some dickhead has paid £120 for an empty box (inc. p&p) and ain't too happy
about it - check the buyer's feedback. What makes me smile is the seller
appears to be quite comfortable with it - check his feedback to the buyer!

Now, is it me, or is there *just enough* ambiguity in the description and
auction title to trap the unwary....???

Hit rate on the auction is 55,000 and still rising!

:-)


Just had a look, and I think it is rather funny. I see no ambiguity
there whatever. The whole thing is spelled out very clearly in two
lines - no small print at all. Full marks to this seller from me.

I'm sure echo910 will be very happy with his nice box.

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 May 2004 23:08:49 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

OK, seems I gotta be the one to post this he

See:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...7&item=8101010
615

Some dickhead has paid £120 for an empty box (inc. p&p) and ain't too
happy
about it - check the buyer's feedback. What makes me smile is the seller
appears to be quite comfortable with it - check his feedback to the
buyer!

Now, is it me, or is there *just enough* ambiguity in the description and
auction title to trap the unwary....???

Hit rate on the auction is 55,000 and still rising!

:-)


Just had a look, and I think it is rather funny. I see no ambiguity
there whatever. The whole thing is spelled out very clearly in two
lines - no small print at all.


Yes, apart from the fact that the seller has studiously avoided the word
'empty' anywhere in the description.....


Full marks to this seller from me.


Not from me. I think he's a clever little cookie who achieved exactly what
he set out to do - caught an eager-beaver dummy with a Famous Name (which
ain't hard to do, check the bids - there's plenty of them out there!) and
the rest of us with a description wording where clarity makes the omission
and obfuscation difficult to spot.....


I'm sure echo910 will be very happy with his nice box.


Ooh, I don't think so - read the feedback he left! (Certainly not as happy
as the seller seems to be! :-)

An interesting example of the essence of eBay - the greedy 'grab a
bargain/make a killing' dichotomy which keeps the whole thing going,
Although,in this instance, I think the long-term effects might well be the
opposite of the immediately obvious - the publicity the seller's getting
(4,000+ more hits overnight??) is hardly likely to do his future eBay
activities any good with the dopey 'computer gamer fraternity' and poor old
echo910 (who has an excellent track record as a buyer so far, I might add)
has learned a valuable 'lesson for life' at a fairly reasonable price!

(I have to say my own interest in 'computer games' ended with a weekend lost
to 'Pogo Joe' on the kid's Commodore 64 a long time ago! :-)

On Thu, 20 May 2004 12:44:04 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 May 2004 23:08:49 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

OK, seems I gotta be the one to post this he

See:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...7&item=8101010
615

Some dickhead has paid £120 for an empty box (inc. p&p) and ain't too
happy
about it - check the buyer's feedback. What makes me smile is the seller
appears to be quite comfortable with it - check his feedback to the
buyer!

Now, is it me, or is there *just enough* ambiguity in the description and
auction title to trap the unwary....???

Hit rate on the auction is 55,000 and still rising!

:-)


Just had a look, and I think it is rather funny. I see no ambiguity
there whatever. The whole thing is spelled out very clearly in two
lines - no small print at all.


Yes, apart from the fact that the seller has studiously avoided the word
'empty' anywhere in the description.....

Even when he gave its purpose as to pose around the town pretending
you have the real thing at home? I think that came across as rather
more than just a hint.


Full marks to this seller from me.


Not from me. I think he's a clever little cookie who achieved exactly what
he set out to do - caught an eager-beaver dummy with a Famous Name (which
ain't hard to do, check the bids - there's plenty of them out there!) and
the rest of us with a description wording where clarity makes the omission
and obfuscation difficult to spot.....

No, I don't believe he intended any such thing. I think he was
described exactly what he was selling, and was expecting either no
bids, or something barely above his starting bid.


I'm sure echo910 will be very happy with his nice box.


Ooh, I don't think so - read the feedback he left! (Certainly not as happy
as the seller seems to be! :-)

An interesting example of the essence of eBay - the greedy 'grab a
bargain/make a killing' dichotomy which keeps the whole thing going,
Although,in this instance, I think the long-term effects might well be the
opposite of the immediately obvious - the publicity the seller's getting
(4,000+ more hits overnight??) is hardly likely to do his future eBay
activities any good with the dopey 'computer gamer fraternity' and poor old
echo910 (who has an excellent track record as a buyer so far, I might add)
has learned a valuable 'lesson for life' at a fairly reasonable price!

It has been said that you can't con an honest man.

(I have to say my own interest in 'computer games' ended with a weekend lost
to 'Pogo Joe' on the kid's Commodore 64 a long time ago! :-)



My interest ended with Robot Nim, on the Video Genie.

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

"Don Pearce" wrote

snip


Full marks to this seller from me.


Not from me. I think he's a clever little cookie who achieved exactly
what
he set out to do - caught an eager-beaver dummy with a Famous Name (which
ain't hard to do, check the bids - there's plenty of them out there!) and
the rest of us with a description wording where clarity makes the
omission
and obfuscation difficult to spot.....

No, I don't believe he intended any such thing. I think he was
described exactly what he was selling,


I disagree. He was selling an *empty box* - nowhere does he use that phrase.


and was expecting either no
bids, or something barely above his starting bid.


Where do you get that from? You are 'reading in to it' like echowotsit seems
to have done and exactly what I think the seller was hoping might happen (to
a degree).....


snip 2


It has been said that you can't con an honest man.


I would argue the opposite is more likely to be true and would offer 'you
can't kid a kidder'.......??



(I have to say my own interest in 'computer games' ended with a weekend
lost
to 'Pogo Joe' on the kid's Commodore 64 a long time ago! :-)



My interest ended with Robot Nim, on the Video Genie.


Int sinnit.

On Thu, 20 May 2004 13:45:46 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote

snip


Full marks to this seller from me.


Not from me. I think he's a clever little cookie who achieved exactly
what
he set out to do - caught an eager-beaver dummy with a Famous Name (which
ain't hard to do, check the bids - there's plenty of them out there!) and
the rest of us with a description wording where clarity makes the
omission
and obfuscation difficult to spot.....

No, I don't believe he intended any such thing. I think he was
described exactly what he was selling,


I disagree. He was selling an *empty box* - nowhere does he use that phrase.


The why did he say you could use it to pretend you really had an Xbox?
That would be a strange thing to say if he was trying to make you
think you were actually getting the unit too.


and was expecting either no
bids, or something barely above his starting bid.


Where do you get that from? You are 'reading in to it' like echowotsit seems
to have done and exactly what I think the seller was hoping might happen (to
a degree).....

No, I just read it the way it was written - no "reading-in" at all.


snip 2


It has been said that you can't con an honest man.


I would argue the opposite is more likely to be true and would offer 'you
can't kid a kidder'.......??

I think the general point was that in order to get the mark to accept
the con, he must feel he is getting something for less than its true
worth.



(I have to say my own interest in 'computer games' ended with a weekend
lost
to 'Pogo Joe' on the kid's Commodore 64 a long time ago! :-)



My interest ended with Robot Nim, on the Video Genie.


Int sinnit.





Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Keith G wrote:
I disagree. He was selling an *empty box* - nowhere does he use that phrase.

I very much doubt the box was empty. Unless you can show that the seller
had set up a vacuum...?

--
Now Playing: No Doubt - Sunday Morning [215kbps mp3]

In article 40abda8d$0$20512$cc9e4d1f@news-
text.dial.pipex.com, says...
OK, seems I gotta be the one to post this he

See:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=8101010 615

Some dickhead has paid £120 for an empty box (inc. p&p) and ain't too happy
about it - check the buyer's feedback. What makes me smile is the seller
appears to be quite comfortable with it - check his feedback to the buyer!

Now, is it me, or is there *just enough* ambiguity in the description and
auction title to trap the unwary....???

Hit rate on the auction is 55,000 and still rising!

:-)


It's all a bit strange... Personally, I can't see how anyone
could misunderstand what the guy was selling - it was very
clearly described.
On the other hand, I wouldn't have taken the money in this
case. Once it was clear that the buyer _had_ (somehow!)
misunderstood, the decent thing to do would be to offer to
abort the sale.

"Graeme Cogger" wrote in message
...
In article 40abda8d$0$20512$cc9e4d1f@news-
text.dial.pipex.com, says...
OK, seems I gotta be the one to post this he

See:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=8101010 615

Some dickhead has paid £120 for an empty box (inc. p&p) and ain't too
happy
about it - check the buyer's feedback. What makes me smile is the seller
appears to be quite comfortable with it - check his feedback to the buyer!

Now, is it me, or is there *just enough* ambiguity in the description and
auction title to trap the unwary....???

Hit rate on the auction is 55,000 and still rising!

:-)


It's all a bit strange...


No it's not. The seller has achieved exactly what he set out to do IMO.
Check the bidding - there are a number of bidders all with low feedback
ratings (or whatever it's called - transaction numbers or summat) throwing
serious money at an empty box. If the seller was genuine he could have
stepped in at any time and pointed out that the Xbox wasn't actually in the
Xbox box and that it was only the Xbox box that the Xbox came in......

Check the description also - 'Platform = Microsoft Xbox', 'Condition = 'new
in box'

Wot woz 'new in box' - the box itself then?

Check also Postage and Packing = £5.

Woz the seller going to put the Xbox box (ie a box with no Xbox in it) into
a box and post that then?

(An Xboxless Xbox box inside a box....???)

:-)


Personally, I can't see how anyone
could misunderstand what the guy was selling - it was very
clearly described.


Still think so?


On the other hand, I wouldn't have taken the money in this
case. Once it was clear that the buyer _had_ (somehow!)
misunderstood, the decent thing to do would be to offer to
abort the sale.


Quite. If a significant refund (I don't say all of it) hasn't already been
offered to the dopey buyer, it bloody well ought to be, in my book!

Now, I wonder if I say all this because I inadvertantly bought a 7" record
the other day - thought it was an LP! (The description clearly said '7"'!!)

:-)

In article 40ae21c9$0$20512$cc9e4d1f@news-
text.dial.pipex.com, says...
Personally, I can't see how anyone
could misunderstand what the guy was selling - it was very
clearly described.


Still think so?


Absolutely, yes. The description itself is as plain as day.
He even suggests that you use it to fool your friends into
thinking you own an X-box.