Multiple eBay ads for the same item - how does it work?

[PietroParis]

Hi All,

 

today I noticed that a tsuba that had attracted my attention for the thread "Tatsutoshi & students" is being offered three times on eBay:

 

seller: tsushu0;              price: $950.39            https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Flange-Efu-Sumi-Hoju/203291624238

seller: tsushu0;              price: 730.25 GBP     https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Flange-Efu-Sumi-Hoju/203293794553

seller: cool-Japan.ec;   price: $612.23           https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Tsuba-Sword-Guard-Blade-Katana-Samurai-Japanese-Antique-T-05/124605337567

 

Note that the first offer listed above came a couple of days earlier than the other two. What do you think the deal is? Why would a seller list the same item twice at different prices depending on the currency? (i.e. 730 GPB is about $1016 at today's rates). And more importantly, what about the second seller who offers the same tsuba at a significantly lower price? Is it just a scammer who stole the pictures from the first seller? Or maybe neither seller owns the tsuba, and they are planning to purchase it at a lower price from a Japanese-only source in case they find a buyer?

 

Cheers, Pietro

[Brian]

The last one you mentioned. No doubt it's in Japan, and they hope to make a quick buck. First seller doesn't even keep track of the listings he's stealing for sale. Just another middleman seller.