The name of the game always has been, always will be summed up in the phrase: Caveat Emptor - BUYER BEWARE! It is
not SELLER BE NICE (don't know how that goes in Latin, since nobody ever uses it, and I actually flunked Latin anyway!)
On eBay I have happily bought stuff at bargain prices, and just as happily sold stuff for 'way more than I expected.
As Swampman says, "It's all in knowing how to play the game."
When I'm buying, I just decide on a maximum price and stick to it (at least most of the time
) and when selling I start with the minimum I will accept. I don't do anything to 'cheat' buyers, I just put on the minimum bid I will accept and let the marketplace decide what happens. Sometimes people pay more than I expected, and sometimes my price is too high and nobody buys it. This is a very short description of what is called the free market system and it operates by allowing people to pay for things what they think those things are worth, and it is (at least in theory) the economic system we use in this is country.
Nonetheless, Quick is right "...ignorance
is rampant on eBay..." I say "so be it". As far as Handi barrels go, some people know about the barrel exchange program, and some don't. And suppose you don't want to wait the couple of months it takes to have a barrel fitted, and are willing to pay a premium to get it more or less immediately from an eBay seller... does that make you ignorant, or just responsible for making a choice that works for you?
Keep in mind, if you send your receiver to the factory for a new barrel, a basic rifle barrel is $85, shipping is $10, and the fitting fee is $15, for a total of $110... add a 6 to 8 week turn-around time, would an additional $40 or $50 sound a bit more appealing? It might to some, not so much to others. Some of us have more time than money - I certainly do!
So, if you are looking for a deal, and eBay ain't offering any, don't buy there. Simple. You still have a certain amount of free choice how and where you spend your money.
I think it was Mark Twain who said, "I am pleased to learn from the mistakes of others because I won't live long enough to make them all myself." Some people are just darned determined to make their own mistakes. I say we allow them to learn from experience, just like the rest of us.
