*sniggers*

[denny]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/08/xbox_photo_auction/
http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=caitlincutie1&iid=

I'm always torn on these cases. On the one hand, it's a mean nasty trick. On the other hand, how incredibly fucking stupid do you have to be to fall for it? There's a large part of me that can't help thinking 'serves you right for being so monumentally gullible'.

Comments

[booklectica]

I'm definitely on the side of 'mean nasty trick'.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I do feel rather guilty that the opposite is my first reaction. I'm sure the guy who sold me my car a few days before it exploded thought it served me right for being so gullible.

[twinkle-lfs.livejournal.com]

it's funny. It's also nasty, but you really would have to be stupid, wouldn't you?

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Why?

[twinkle-lfs.livejournal.com]

why what?

[dpash.livejournal.com]

Having seen the image on the register article, I'd be more likely to go with "seller was a twat". It's a shame I can't view the actual auction.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

*nods* And I think in this case eBay will probably agree - it's a blatant attempt to mislead the buyer.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

They've already killed the seller's account.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this one was a lot sneakier than most of the similar high-profile cases (the homemade xbox box, for instance).

[dpash.livejournal.com]

If people bid on things like "piece of toast" then more fool the buyer, but I think this is misleading.

[lzz.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think this is incredibly misleading. I'm sure I wouldn't have read right through to the end!

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't read one long paragraph of text carefully before spending over 400 quid on what it described? You wouldn't feel a need to triple-check the details when finding yourself with the opportunity to purchase an item which is widely known to be very very hard to get hold of right now? *boggles*

Would you like to buy a bridge? ;)

[lzz.livejournal.com]

Are bridges very very hard to get hold of right now? ;-)

Actually, I suppose I would have read it all, given the price. It's easy to talk about it from a theoretical perspective given that I'm fairly unlikely to spend 400+ quid on *anything*. I also didn't know it was very very hard to get hold of, but then I imagine that if I wanted it enough to pay £400 for it, I would know that.

I can still see how one might overlook it in all the flurry of trying to outbid people, though (which presumably introduces the probability that more than one person was fooled by it). The human mind is quite good at not seeing what it doesn't want to see, and I can imagine people theoretically 'reading' that sentence but actually not taking it in at all. Quite likely stupid, but even so, I think it's mean and shoddy behaviour on the part of the seller!

[lzz.livejournal.com]

Ooh, and thank you for the link to ghastlycomic! Coupled with the latest one you posted, I am starting to suspect you of actually writing it yourself ;-)