Should Amazon and Other Sites Ban MSRP Prices?

by: Philip Cohen

Discounted "manufacturer's suggested retail prices" have invariably been a sham; the only way to verify such discounts is to do your research across a range of retailers—on eBay if necessary ...

"Overstock allegedly advertised a patio set for $449.99 claiming a "List Price" of $999, but arrived with a Wal-Mart sticker showing the price to be $247."—and no doubt the item likely made in China ...

And now Walmart is promoting "Made in USA"—LOL ...

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y16/m07/i04/s01

I wonder if eBay is ever invited to Walmart's Manufacturing Summits?—LOL

by: FeelingFroggy

MSRP is a figment of someones imagination in the board room....Very rarely does anything sell at MSRP.

MSRP is Overstated and Overrated. Has no effect on any sales. Just makes the customer think that they are really really getting a good deal, which in most cases is just hype.

by: Ming the Merciless

I hope so. Anything ebafia can do to actually improve seller integrity and buyer confidence.

But the changes need to go far beyond eliminating MSRPs. For example, several of my competitors sell phony merchandise and/or grossly misrepresent their merchandise, but this junk sells because it's cheaper.

Many buyers are initially unaware they're buying forgeries or misrepresented items. Some never figure it out while others do but well beyond the feedback window or PayPal's six month return window.

Pointing out these miscreant sellers to ebafia, however, is pointless. They do nothing and don't seem to understand that buyers who've been burned simply stop buying on ebafia.

The depth and breadth of mistakes ebafia's management has made over the years moving forward from Negged Meg Whitman and her successors would literally be a business textbook in itself of how exactly NOT to run an ecommerce company.

by: pace306

But if you are going to play/enforce the MAP/UPP game - then whats the point EITHER WAY (showing or not showing MSRP) ????????

by: tango

MSRP should be exiled for sure.  We have competitors that use it - BUT what they show is Incorrect and overstated in order to show % savings...  But they list the same item numerous times, making up a new MSRP for each of the same identical new item.  If Ebay doesn't take it off soon, since there is NOT BASIS for it, lawsuits will follow for sure!  It is misleading to consumers, consumer protection will catch them very soon.
:)  

by: LasVagueness

I'm going to vote ban. The price is the price. Can we also ban 'free' shipping?

by: topdog

While a number of MSRP's are completely made up (think of the product commercials on TV), others are both real and useful. Think of a new pair of Nike shorts - that $50 MSRP price is the actual price it is expected to be listed by the retailer. Now if the item becomes discontinued and goes off MAP, then having the customer see the original MSRP is very useful, as they can see what the discount from the original price is.  

by: Moonwishes

Whether Amazon keeps the MSRP or not, I don't care. However, if they are going to allow it, then post the correct one. I sell a product that for the most part has the price printed right on it, but when I have gone to list it, the so-called MSRP is discounted 40% for items that are currently available on their websites. Well that is kind of okay, but when the items are discountinued, the price reverts to the MSRP on the package (on the manufacturers website until gone) but of course it isn't changed on Amazon so those of us selling the last available one for the MSRP look like we are way overcharging a customer.

What I wish we could ban is those customers that are dingalings that when they get a book or other items that is 20-30+ years old and they paid current value. When they get the item and see the price on it, are mad that we didn't charge them the 'cover' price. Like I'm going to sell a vintage Vogue designer pattern for $5! They choose to pay the price when they ordered the item. I know this happens to book sellers especially for paperbacks that have a price of 10 cents or so and the customer wonders why they were charged $50 for an extremely rare and highly desired book! DUH!

by: IndyTom

Ban MSRP. Like someone said, the price is the price.

by: FREDDY

MSRP doesn't mean a thing anymore.  It is a fabricated number.

by: RKTOYS

What on Earth do you have against MSRPs to the point that you're encouraging these crooked venues to conceal yet more of the information required for a free market to function?

I know I'll catch flak for saying this but MSRP is useful in warding off the entitled and tight-fisted.  If they think they're getting on over on me there, then I may be able to preserve a little more of an already thin margin.  All that you will accomplish by removing MSRP is lowering the point from which the begging, pleading, crying, screaming, and threatening will start.

by: LasVagueness

@RKTOYS

''All that you will accomplish by removing MSRP is lowering the point from which the begging, pleading, crying, screaming, and threatening will start.''

Based on that alone, I have changed my mind. In fact, inflate the MSRP.

by: funkygrrl

MSRP/MAP should have been banned long ago.  It's just price fixing.