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Surfing the listings at eBay, you'll see hundreds of auctions that are just tricks to rip idiot buyers off. The favorite trick of... I'd say clever sellers, but if the buyers took a minute to read the details of the auction instead of just looking at the pictures, they would clue into the fact that the seller is trying to rip people off. The trick is to post pictures of a console and a misleading auction title like "Buy Playstation 3" and then put in the details that buyers are actually bidding on the Playstation 3 web site name domain and not the actual console. Buyers are so quick to bid that they don't realize what they're really bidding on and then the winner get stuck paying for an item that they didn't want. Really this should be against the rules of eBay selling and everyone of these auction types should be removed, but god forbid eBay actually police their own auctions. 
The most recent one of these trick auctions is a gentlemen selling the answer to a contest to win a Nintendo Wii. He claims he has won two Wiis himself with the answer, and he's offering to sell it so another person can win Wiis too. If you check out the web site he lists for the Wii contest, you'll see that Websprite.org is a holding a contest where every 150th caller wins a Nintendo Wii, if the caller can answer the skill testing question, for which the eBay seller is selling the answer for. 
The tough question that is apparently worth $446.20 US at this moment: What was the name of another classic Nintendo console? Nintendo 2005, Nintendo 222 or Nintendo 64. Hope the idiot that bid highest on the answer wins that Nintendo Wii contest, because by this point he could have bought two Nintendo Wiis for the cost of the answer. The dumbest part of this whole auction is that the winner isn't even guaranteed any wins of the console anyway, because you still have to be the 150th caller. Also the calls cost $1.15 a minute and each call lasts 3 minutes long, so the winner will rack up more money just trying to win the console. Like the song says: Only stupid people are breeding.
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Nice Harvey Danger reference. But yeah, people are idiots.
This world turns into a big pile of crap more and more everyday, and this proves it further, people trying to scam others out of there hard working money. Yea so what if the information there states what there bidding on in fine print. Its still wrong to have that kind of auction up to lure people in.
On the one hand, I feel like exploiting people like this is borderline fraud... on the other hand, if you're too dumb to realize you're being scammed by these blatant attempts, maybe you deserve it.
Not only are stupid people breeding, THEY ARE also forcing THEIR bad grammar upon us.
While I agree that the people pulling these kinds of tricks are assholes, I don't think that it's up to eBay to hunt down these people and remove all their pages. I even hesitate to call this "exploiting" people, as the auctions all clearly state inside exactly what you're bidding on. I'd say they're "taking advantage of stupidity". eBay shouldn't have to waste time and resources eliminating all of this. I had similar feelings way back when I used to play WoW when it first came out, when all the forum trolls where whining and moaning about how UNFAIR it was to use the auction house because they couldn't be bothered to take the time to see if what they were buying had a gold, silver, or copper coin next to it. Again, the people pulling the scams were dicks, but take some responsibility for your own stupid mistakes.
The people who fall for these things were probably stupid enough to deserve it.
Just like what Dexter said. :x
Its been done, some woman bought the 'box to an xbox 360' last year for over $800 if I remember correctly
Flagpole Sitta! Awesome reference Faith. One of my friends fell for a fake PS3 auction during the blitz of launch fever. He paid $750 bucks for an empty box and instructions on how to get a free one online from some market research group. He's still trying to get his money back from paypal and ebay.
@Caffeine
I think what you're referring to is a buyer who purchased a picture of a 360. I'd be slightly less pissed if I were to receive the box.
Nintento 2005 > Nintendo 64
Caveat Emptor. In some ways I think the people who are dumb enough to bid without reading deserve what they get. That doesn't make what the sellers are doing right, however.
So...the answer is Nintendo 222, right?
"on the other hand, if you're too dumb to realize you're being scammed by these blatant attempts, maybe you deserve it." Dex
I wouldn't feel guilty at all making a profit off of retardation.
P.T. Barnum said it best, “There's a sucker born every minute.”
p.t. barnum wasn't the one who said "there's a sucker born every minute"
is it irony?
HARVEY DANGERFIELD FTW111111
You guys are being too harsh. These auctions are targeted at tech-newbie parents most likely, people who are still very trusting of everything online. These are the people who open unknown attachments on emails. They see "buy PS3" and assume that it's true. Really, I'm sure most of you install applications from the internet without realizing that you're also installing spywares because you didn't read the long Agreement list prior to installation.
i agree with aerox. this is not a scam at all. he says exactly in the auction what you are bidding on. if he didn' t say that you were just bidding on an answer then it would be a scam.
It isn't harsh. For committing $450 bucks to something you better be damn sure of what you are buying, and it's not too hard to scroll down an read small print in auctions that typically only have 2 paragraphs. True, more stupid people are using the magical boxes known as "compters" every day, and often they install spyware under misleading names, but spyware doesn't cost people anything (aside from if the people have to pay someone to fix their computer) and they are more willing to instal free stuff without reading terms. But to enter into a fiscal agreement of cash for service or goods without reading the terms is just plain fucking stupid. It's really why so many people have bad credit because they not only don't know how to use credit cards but were wholly oblivious to the terms of the card when they got it ("OOOH! FREE MONEY ON PLASTIC!!!").
In good eBay news, several days ago someone won a Wii for $78 (auction description: "Brand New Nintendo Wii"), so they were able to screw over the person who sold it...if the person who sold it will actually send it, which I doubt they will.
I wanna know what people are thinking by posting shit, I kid you not, I bought my 360 off of ebay last night...
Other people posted shit like: 360 ultimate premium gold! for $800, which is the console and the Arcade DVD game. WTF? Or people legitimately trying to pass off the BK games as real games for the 360 they're selling.
Core systems were selling for $500.
One douche was "preselling" the 360 for $500, instead of the normal retail price of $550.
Anyone know why these freakin' stupid auctions get posted all the time when the free market pricing of most other people is as low as it is?
Buyer Beware!
Fuck that noise. Ebay shouldnt have to police shit. People would stop the scams if other people quit buying into them. And while I am annoyed that they appear, they wouldnt keep appearing if people stopped being douchebags. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
And you dont think that is also a scam to buy whatever, like a stereo, for $300 when it costs like $20 to manufacture? How much you think the storefront profits above the suggested price? Have a credit card? Then the bank is making a hole in your pocket out of interests. Bought a brand new car? Well now that is out of the dealer the value decreased 20% and it still have less than 10 miles. Have a job where you make $10 an hour? Well actually the value of that particular work is worth well above double that. Having crippled kids making Nike shoes in 12 hour shifts to make 2 cents a day?
If you feel sorry for the people that get scammed then you are not realizing you are living in planet earth year 2008 and myself and many many others are looking foward making a profit out of YOU!