So, I bought a load of Pop-stations - fake PSP things for very cheap with the hope of listing them on ebay as curios and making a profit.
I wrote a very clear listing on ebay explaining that these items were NOT PSPs, did NOT play PSP Games, UMD Moveies or MP3s, were cheaper novelties for jealous younger brothers or sisters to play with or as a weird collectors item for chinese fake console enthusiasts. I made them sound cool (which they are, very nicely made little units, just a shame the games are rubbish) and only stated facts about them, ie measurements, what was included etc. Along with my disclaimer that once again these were NOT PSPs and did NOT take UMD.
Incase anyone was in any doubt as to what one is before bidding, a simple google search for "POP Station" reveals on the very first result, and many after it, a video file of someone openning and playing a POP Station, which shows just how NOT a PSP these are.
Yet in the five days I kept my listing up, I had over 3000 page hits, 50 questions and bids at over 190 pounds. No exageration, I promise you.
As it became abundantly clear from the ammount of questions and the nature of them that people did not understand my listings, I editted the listing and added to it clearly again specifying that this was not a psp and would not play ANY UMDs... NOT to bid on it if you wanted a PSP, etc. I had to retract nearly 30 false bids people made without reading the listing, which is against ebay policy and has got me put under investigation!
I eventually cancelled the listing, as I was panicked that whoever I sold this to believed it was a real PSP. In fact when I cancelled their bids there were still 40 odd people who had bid ammounts higher than 50 pounds. Many people would have taken the money and ran but I felt guilty. I was NOT trying to fool people, and cancelled the listing. INCASE THE PERSON WHO WAS the high bidder DID realise what they were bidding on, I emailled them and said they could have it for 15 quid all in... I still haven't had a reply
Not making any accusations or assumtions here, but I also listed the Nintendo DS equivalent of this machine, the NE Double Games console. I had no such stupid questions or retracted bids, and the person who eventually won was so nice I decided to give them a discount on their final price, and free postage
Conclusion: I am NOT going to list these again under bids, its just too damned risky. I will have to wait till I get enough feedback to list as "Buy It Now" only and relist them at a sensible price, maybe 15 pounds with free delivery. Considering how rare and collectable these will probably be in the future, thats probably about right I reckon, but no ammount of profit can pay for my extreme disgust in people prepared to bid 200 quid on something without even reading the listing. What a nation of idiots we appear to be asa whole!
