Why do individual sellers raise prices? So peeved!

[Rhea]

I was speaking with an Etsy seller about an item of jewellery I was interested in purchasing from them. The person answered my two questions, and today I log on to check out the piece, having seriously considered it all today. The price has now gone up more than 20%. In the course of a day.

This is the 2nd time that this has happened with a vintage seller in the time I've been buying on Etsy. It's not like a maker of an item where the price of silver or gold increases overnight. The first time was boots, where the seller suddenly jumped from $30 to $60 between my asking a question and them answering and the same thing again.

 

[Amys Bling]

Ugh. I probably wouldn't buy it now out of principle! Lol

 

[MissStepcut]

I'd just offer the original price, say something like, woah! Looks like the price moved out of my budget now. If you're willing to honor the original price, I am still in!

 

[Rhea]

I would as well! A relative and I sell some vintage things on Etsy, her shop, I help, and if someone is mid-convo with us about seriously purchasing an item and it's currently on sale we always message and say "Such and such is currently on sale. The sale will be ending on XX date and the price will increase. If you're interested in the sale price, please message us and we will honor the sale price until XX date for you."

Nope, not the case. Both times when I said out of my price range now, the sellers have gotten back to me and said "well, it's worth more so I raised the price."

Yeah, not buying. Seriously? To change the price between receiving my question and answering it? That's low! And we're not talking a small amount - the increase was around $200!

 

[VRBeauty]

That's low. Sorry it happened to you.

ETA I noticed that Etsy does have a flagging policy similar to reporting in ebay... and that their policies in general seem to be oriented towards ensuring fair transactions. Have you tried reporting these sellers? Etsy should be able to review the transactions (including the convos) so it's not just a case of your word against that of the sellers!

 

[missy]

That is very frustrating and I see that happening more and more now. If they won't honor the previous price I would not buy on principle either. Sorry you are dealing with this issue.

 

[vintagelover229]

I would as well! A relative and I sell some vintage things on Etsy, her shop, I help, and if someone is mid-convo with us about seriously purchasing an item and it's currently on sale we always message and say "Such and such is currently on sale. The sale will be ending on XX date and the price will increase. If you're interested in the sale price, please message us and we will honor the sale price until XX date for you."

Nope, not the case. Both times when I said out of my price range now, the sellers have gotten back to me and said "well, it's worth more so I raised the price."

Yeah, not buying. Seriously? To change the price between receiving my question and answering it? That's low! And we're not talking a small amount - the increase was around $200!

Please do share the seller if your comfortable with it. I shop on etsy all the time but I like to give my business to sellers who conduct themselves in an honest manner. And IMO you raise the prices before someone has interest in it, not after. It's not like the price of materials would have changed that much during the inquiry, even if it's gold or diamonds. The increase has been happening for a while now so they should have taken action already if they were going to increase their prices.

I see this all the time on ebay though. Something won't sell for the price they had it listed for and then they relist it for even more. I'm like but perhaps they think that if someone see's it at a higher price maybe they'll bid on it because they think it's higher quality/worth more but it does make me when I see it!

 

[Rhea]

I would as well! A relative and I sell some vintage things on Etsy, her shop, I help, and if someone is mid-convo with us about seriously purchasing an item and it's currently on sale we always message and say "Such and such is currently on sale. The sale will be ending on XX date and the price will increase. If you're interested in the sale price, please message us and we will honor the sale price until XX date for you."

Nope, not the case. Both times when I said out of my price range now, the sellers have gotten back to me and said "well, it's worth more so I raised the price."

Yeah, not buying. Seriously? To change the price between receiving my question and answering it? That's low! And we're not talking a small amount - the increase was around $200!

Please do share the seller if your comfortable with it. I shop on etsy all the time but I like to give my business to sellers who conduct themselves in an honest manner. And IMO you raise the prices before someone has interest in it, not after. It's not like the price of materials would have changed that much during the inquiry, even if it's gold or diamonds. The increase has been happening for a while now so they should have taken action already if they were going to increase their prices.

I see this all the time on ebay though. Something won't sell for the price they had it listed for and then they relist it for even more. I'm like but perhaps they think that if someone see's it at a higher price maybe they'll bid on it because they think it's higher quality/worth more but it does make me when I see it!

That's the thing, I don't mind price increases. My aunt does it on Etsy - sometimes when an item is relisted and other times in the middle of it's listing time, but never (to my knowledge) while someone is currently expressing interest without warning them first. The boots suddenly worth $60 and I should have bought them yesterday at $30, fine, my problem for not buying them 12 hours ago. But an expression of interest means a raised price? That's terrible.


Edited: decided not to share the seller. I don't want them to find this thread.

It was $980 yesterday when I asked a question. And this morning when I asked another. I respond with a comment and another question, and less than 6 hours later it's $1,200. I reply that the item has increased in price, out of my price range, and she responds, "Took it to a jeweler and it is an exoensive stone. If no one buys it I am good with that...it is still worth much more. thanks tho".

Yeah, I'm peeved. Will get over it.

 

[VRBeauty]

I hadn't thought of etsy as a place to buy vintage jewelry before...

oh my! I'm in trouble now!

 

[Rhea]

I hadn't thought of etsy as a place to buy vintage jewelry before...

oh my! I'm in trouble now!

It is great! Just don't buy from her!

 

[VRBeauty]

I hadn't thought of etsy as a place to buy vintage jewelry before...

oh my! I'm in trouble now!

It is great! Just don't buy from her!

No problem - LOL!

 

[vintagelover229]

Addy: I understand

I'm the total opposite. I'm so dutch I can squeeze two pennys and get a dime!

I tired my first snipe bid and lost a beautiful vintage watch because and it didn't work (I was so mad, went for 99.00 and my snipe was 355.00!) and so I was off to search for another beautiful vintage watch, knowing that I'd never find one (it wasn't running) for that price again (2nd to get away in 6 years grr). Anyways I found one (working) for 1500.00 (had I gotten the other one, with repairs total would have been 700.00) so I emailed them asking if they'd consider any offers on the watch. Now I realize I won't get this watch for the 700.00 that I would have in total with the other one, but I figured there wasn't any harm in asking to see what they would take for this watch (and IMO the 1500.00 if it was 100% working and didn't need cleaning it would be a fair price but I'm going to have to spend $ to get it up to par and running better) and you know what? They said YES they'd accept less. I'm still waiting to hear what they'll accept for it but I much prefer people who will deal down and not deal up.

What they don't realize it's only worth as much as some one is willing to pay for it. Otherwise you're going to get scrap value and not a dime more. With the economy the way it is I don't see to many people spending 900.00+ $$ on vintage jewelery, not when they aren't even sure they'll have a job next month. Guess the seller likes it to much to let it go for less. I think I'd run into that problem if I was selling vintage jewelry lol.

 

[missy]

I hadn't thought of etsy as a place to buy vintage jewelry before...

oh my! I'm in trouble now!

It is great! Just don't buy from her!

LOL...only problem is we don't know which seller so how can we avoid buying from her?

I love Ruby Lane for antique jewelry too.

 

[Rhea]

I hadn't thought of etsy as a place to buy vintage jewelry before...

oh my! I'm in trouble now!

It is great! Just don't buy from her!

LOL...only problem is we don't know which seller so how can we avoid buying from her?

I love Ruby Lane for antique jewelry too.

Intuition, of course!

 

[LGK]

Seriously, I've been so irritated with a lot of the dealers at the antique mall I work at right now because of this very reason. Several have some very meh estate jewelry (like YG stuff c.1980s reset with crap irradiated diamonds) that has been sitting, and sitting, and sitting on their shelves for YEARS. Some of it's been there since I started working here in 1999! A week ago they took it all out and repriced it up. WTF? It was overpriced before! It was reaallllly overpriced a decade ago, and even after the recent price increases it was *still* overpriced! And now they priced it UP?

Been seeing that across the board- anybody who has silver, or gold, or fine jewelry, has been squeezing each and every last penny out of it. The silver, I understand- you want to avoid the melters, who are out in droves, and everyone is irritated seeing them get a steal on some irreplaceable piece of antique sterling that they're gonna melt down, so yes, price that up so they can't do it, please! But the jewelry? Good lord. Very annoying.

 

[Amys Bling]

yuck. Well I hope she doesnt sell it for the higher price

 

[centralsquare]

You can wait until it goes back down and buy. Show them!

 

[karpouzi]

You can wait until it goes back down and buy. Show them!

Totally. When she comes back at you and sheepishly says you can have it for the original $980, tell her you're sorry but your offer is now $800.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I'd just offer the original price, say something like, woah! Looks like the price moved out of my budget now. If you're willing to honor the original price, I am still in!

This is what I'd do - and if they refused, I'd blackball them.