MovieChat Forums > American Pickers (2010) Discussion > They rip people off! (Including you!!)

They rip people off! (Including you!!)

posted 10 years ago by myIDhasalreadybeentaken
24 replies | jump to latest

I started watching this show with a laptop in front of me. Every time they buy something I look up how much they sell for on Ebay and man... they're final values are way off!

For example, he valued a vintage vokswagon lunchbox at $150, but they go for 600+ on Ebay... and he payed $80 for it.

There are other examples, but I recommend looking up the prices of the items. I feel like they put the values low cause they don't want people to know they rip them off.

:D

But I love the show.

[–] michelle_31 10 years ago

Anyone with a modicum of wisdom should take the time to properly research their items before selling them - in a way the sellers are ripping themselves off by not performing due diligence. But then a lot of these people have collections so large (or are just pack rats) that trying to keep an up-to-date price list of their collection would be impractical.

And besides, nothing says that's what the items are selling for on Ebay - you can put whatever price you want and hope that someone comes along and pays it, but that's generally a best-case scenario - if an item is overpriced it may well sit there for months (or longer).

IMDB's ignore user button = priceless :)

[–] Spider_Cordera 10 years ago

Nothing is researched because they know how gullible their audience is.Most viewers will believe everything mentioned on the show and never question it.Why should they?It's called "reality tv" for a reason,right? Wrong!The entire show is staged.It's all scripted for entertainment purposes.All the meetings are prearranged and everything is set up for Mike and Frank to pick out specific items to be the focus of the episode.Most of those items are props as well.Several posters across the boards have seen the exact same items on "Pawn Stars"(not counting any cross over episodes)," and "Auction Hunters" to name a couple.There is not one shred of "reality" in this show or any of the others that have same claim.Even Mike and Frank's long friendship is a fraud.So is Danielle being their employee.Like every other so called "reality" show,"AP" is as phony pile of crap catering to the dumbing down of America.

[–] Ltrazordaddio 10 years ago

the only ones being ripped off are us... every month when we pay our Cable bill....

If you deflect the topic of the thread from the show to me, our discussion is over

[–] romanticinsomniac 10 years ago

This is the most undeniably brilliant, truthful post ever uttered on these boards.

100% Comic Book Purist, and Bloody Proud of it !

[–] michelle_31 10 years ago

Ah yes, another one of those.

So, prove it.

Actually don't bother - you're another of the resident troll's sockputtets and I've cast you into my ignore pile. Have a nice day wallowing in your self-misery, troll.

IMDB's ignore user button = priceless :)

[–] Ltrazordaddio 10 years ago

sockputtets... hey Mishille... if you're going to make false accusations... spell it right

If you deflect the topic of the thread from the show to me, our discussion is over

[–] romanticinsomniac 10 years ago

You don't believe Cable charges you too much ? Are you bloody crazy ?

100% Comic Book Purist, and Bloody Proud of it !

[–] Ltrazordaddio 10 years ago

Renegade.... see I told you.. now you went and done it... MiSHILLes "Ignore List" ... but then it's not as bad as it sounds, she/he will still snipe at you, from the sidelines with cheap shots.... under the guise of responding to her fellow bobblehead gamers...

If you deflect the topic of the thread from the show to me, our discussion is over

[–] Spider_Cordera 10 years ago

I know she isn't truly ignoring me.Most people don't actually put you on the dreaded "ignore list".They still read your posts and will indirectly respond to them.She's an ignorant little girl who isn't grown up enough to discern what's right and what's wrong.the fact that she can't spell sockpuppets is a good indication of her mentality.I don't care if she actually ignores me or not.I'll still comment on Michelle's(I like this spelling by the way.) mindless ramblings because I know she will still be reading them.

MiSHILLe

Perfect!That's how her name should be spelled.Maybe she is a "History is irrelevant" channel plant.

the only ones being ripped off are us... every month when we pay our Cable bill...

Exactly!The networks still make money whether we watch their crap or not.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] girrlslie2 10 years ago

your post is full of s*** what some jerk is asking on ebay isn't what something is worth. good friend of mine collects those boxes they are right on the money and what it cost to get one between 150 and 200 dollars if its in mint condition so go ahead and keep looking on ebay jerk and stop writing comments about a show you don't like just don't watch it

[–] feinburgrl 10 years ago

You know that they have to resell the items they buy. If they buy it at the price that they are going to sell it then what's the point of buying it in the first place. They are resellers. They dont want to keep it.

[–] sparklingly 10 years ago

It's been the opposite where they have overpayed for items as well. They take a lot of chances so they don't know what it will go for on an auction. To be fair nobody knows exactly what it will sell for on an auction.

When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul.

[–] adresher-1 10 years ago

They are not ripping anyone off. They bid for an item and the seller has a choice to sell it for that price, ask for more money or not sell. That is capitalism at its finest.

As for Ebay, there is a huge difference when it comes to asking for a price and getting that price.

[–] thepinkrabbit 9 years ago

I totally agree with OP¨and as I said in another post that could never happen where I live as laws protect people against crooks like that. It seems the USA are really the world wild west where you can scam people , film it, make money out of the scam and the film and get away with justice.. that sounds so weird to me.. But yet Im happy to see many people think they are vultures as I do.

[–] Gubbio 9 years ago

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.......

[–] krypton_son 9 years ago

It's called free market. If you make an offer to buy something from me, I don't have to accept it.

[–] jbrownandsons 9 years ago

First off if someone takes your price or gives them a price it does not matter the profit margin. I do almost what these guys do, I have 2 VW Bus Lunchboxes recently I sold on ebay, it depends on condition of what you get, I got $166 for one and $75 for the other.

[–] ck1-5 9 years ago

That's a valid point. I sell a lot of vintage automotive items on eBay, and it's like the stock market...up today, down tomorrow. I've had items that I had to list a particular item three or four times and, while it failed to get an opening bid of $99.99 the first three times, the fourth time, everyone came out of the woodwork and the item went for $300.00. It makes you wonder where they were a week ago, when they could have had it for a third of that...and just because you sold it for $300.00 THIS time doesn't mean that if you get the opportunity to buy another one just like it for $150.00, that you should pay that and count on making a $150.00 profit.