Forum Advice on Late Night Steiner "Sale"

[pjbmd]

Greetings everyone
While surfing last night i came across some great deals on Steiner's website.
I took advantage of what were some ridiculously low pricing and ordered several of them. They included a signed jeter base from his 2722 game for $200, a Melky 2009 road WS jersey for $75, an 2009 ALCS game 5 base for $200 among others.
The order went through and i encountered no glitches at checkout so i immediately figured that i had just gotten some unbelievable deals on some great items.
I found out this morning that my orders have been cancelled due to technical glitches--i was directed to a section on the steiner website describing their right to cancel order policy
My contact at Steiner, whom i have had excellent dealings with in the past, made a cursory apology and stated that i should have known better than to expect those items at those prices when I ordered. Steiner's solution was to offer a 10-30% discount off the original prices. I declined because at those discount the items are not appealing to me.
My question to the educated members of this forum is simple: should i have expected this matter to have been handled and reconciled in a different matter?
Please let me know what you think
pjb

[yankees506]

I had a similar issue a while back, and i was contacted about my order by my steiner rep. While my discount was not as great as yours ($200 for a $999 base) my rep and me worked a great deal. The rep was right in your case to let you know that the prices where unrealistic so my advice would be unless you want to pay $700 for the jeter base or higher for the others, chalk it up to a lesson learned under the "if it seems too good to be true, it is" category

[ereyes]

That is not what I stated to you. I stated that you were well aware that the order would probably be cancelled because to get a Jeter base from his record breaking game for which was signed and inscribed for $200 was pretty ridiculous. You reply was yes but that you gave it a try anyway.

[pjbmd]

I'm sure any yankee collecor, given the opportunity, would drool at the opportunity to get those items at the advertised prices.
what i'm disappointed at is the counteroffer made to reconcile what amounted to a steiner error
my goal in the previous post was to poll the readers and get their opinions as to how the situation was handled
pjb

[yankees506]

I think when you rationalize that it was a programing error and not a direct sale from steiner i.e. via mass email, it was handled correctly. just curious, what "counter offer" for the items would you have been happy with?

[pjbmd]

somewhere between what they were advertised for and the 10-30% off they were willing to give
pjb

[yankees506]

asking steiner to discount any jeter item 50-60% seems far fetched to me.

[BULBUS]

Steiner makes so many of these errors, if they gave huge discounts after each one, they wouldnt be making so much money.

Its happened to me a couple of times, and I just let it go. I think Steiner just need to work on eliminating these errors.

[trsent]

I understand there was a web site error, but a customer should not be punished for believing it was a real sale. If the item was usually $1000.00 and now it was $200.00, it could have been a close out sale. The customer has a right to order, and the company had a right to cancel the order due to their web site policies.

Anyone telling the customer they should have known better is wrong. The customer saw it listed as a sale item, so they bought it at the sale price.

My wife is always waiting for clothing to go on sale. She watches like a hawk, and often gets items for up to 80% off if she waits long enough. Not often, but it does happen. Usually she gets 50-60% off, but anything is possible in retail.

[yankees506]

My wife is always waiting for clothing to go on sale. She watches like a hawk, and often gets items for up to 80% off if she waits long enough. Not often, but it does happen. Usually she gets 50-60% off, but anything is possible in retail.

Clothing and memoribilia are not comparable. The items in question could never be mistaken for a "close-out sale" on Jeter? the alcs base maybe but no way the Jeter.

[intheminors]

This is why I unsubscribed from the Steiner's e-mail lists and very rarely go to their site. When Bob Malandro was there, I had a relationship. Now, you're just a number with cash in hand.

[ereyes]

When we discussed the situation you stated to give you pricing on the below items and not the Jeter signed bases. As you can see the prices offered were more than 30% off.

2009 ALCS Game Used Base - $799, reg. $2500 - 68% off
2009 Melky Game Used Jersey - $450, reg. $1000 - 55% off
2008 Justin Christian Game Used Jersey - $300, reg. $750 - 60%

[ereyes]

None of our customers are a number with cash in hand. Everyone one of our customers are important to us and I extend my hand out to all whether they deal with me directly or not. We have a lot of really good sales guys who have pretty good knowledge of the industry.

[trsent]

Clothing and memoribilia are not comparable. The items in question could never be mistaken for a "close-out sale" on Jeter? the alcs base maybe but no way the Jeter.

Huh? Anything in the world can be closed out. The buyer is not at fault and those telling him he should have known better are unfair. The guy logs into an online sale, and sees a great price and buys the item.

A close out is a discounted item, I don't care who the player is, the customer did nothing to deserve to feel wrong. The business made their decision and voided the sale. The customer saw a great sale, and jumped on it. Too bad for them it was an error, but they shouldn't be made to feel guilty.

[yankees506]

Nobody said he should feel wrong. Just that the price by all means was unrealistic, i would know something was not right if i saw steiner selling Jeter signed bases for $200.

[ereyes]

Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but if you don't know the extend of the conversation that went on you shouldn't comment on the specifics. There are 2 sides to the conversation. The customer was never told that he should know better nor was he told that he was wrong for trying to buy something at a great price. If it were me I would've jumped all over those items.

[pjbmd]

and thats exactly why i did
finding out that i wasn't getting any of those items at those prices was very disappointing
i guess in the future while shopping on certain websites we must approach any sale item with caution

[subway22]

I understand there was a web site error, but a customer should not be punished for believing it was a real sale. If the item was usually $1000.00 and now it was $200.00, it could have been a close out sale. The customer has a right to order, and the company had a right to cancel the order due to their web site policies.

Anyone telling the customer they should have known better is wrong. The customer saw it listed as a sale item, so they bought it at the sale price.

My wife is always waiting for clothing to go on sale. She watches like a hawk, and often gets items for up to 80% off if she waits long enough. Not often, but it does happen. Usually she gets 50-60% off, but anything is possible in retail.

Good points! Whether you think the prices are correct or not, thats what they are being advertised as! In a lot of places, they have to honor those prices due to false advertisement.

Furthermore, if you feel the need to plead your case about a transaction over a public forum, all you needed to do was to tell everyone to contact you (with an attached email) for an explanation of the situation. It looks a bit tacky for one thing, and the choice of words and the way things were said is more attacking than being sympathetic of the situation. Not professional and not a good way to do business with customers. But hey, if your boss doesnt care, you do whatever you want.

And another thing, clean up your site! Im tired of reading about these goofs. Whether the prices are absurd or not, the customer shouldnt have a sale taken away due to a goof from your end.

Remember, he is the customer, and he also pays your bills!

[mbenga28]

Efrain maybe you should advise someone from your website department to adjust the PayPal payments over on the Last Licks website since that is not an acceptible method of payment.

[ereyes]

I'm not pleading my case to anyone, just making sure all the facts are stated.

[ereyes]

Mbenga - i'm working on getting the icon off the website

[ChrisCavalier]

Hello Everyone,

After reading this thread, I took the liberty of speaking with Efrain about the situation to understand more about what happened. What he explained to me was that there were formulas inputted into the Steiner system so that items would be priced at a particular discount (primarily between 10-30%). Apparently, though the formulas were inputted properly as per the instructions for the system, the prices that were reflected on the site were at much deeper discounts than were intended.

While I understand everyone would like to take advantage of a computer error in their favor, I personally don't see myself as trying to hold them accountable for a system error that reflected prices that clearly were not intended and, in some instances, would cause the company to lose money when all costs of goods sold are factored in. Also, since most people familiar with Steiner products knew the prices were likely a mistake, I guess I don't see where trying to hold them to the price (or something comparable) is to be expected.

In addition, I have worked with Efrain before and have found him to be very fair and someone who goes out of his way to help his customers and business partners. With that said, I trust he tried to handle the situation as best he could given the parameters he has to work with that are given to him by the company.

-Chris

[ncbadges]

Nobody said he should feel wrong. Just that the price by all means was unrealistic, i would know something was not right if i saw steiner selling Jeter signed bases for $200.

So, should the buyer NOT buy something on the Steiner if it appears to be reduced "too much"?

[yankees506]

So, should the buyer NOT buy something on the Steiner if it appears to be reduced "too much"?

no the buyer should use common sense, unless the items we own are worthless you should be able to tell when a price is too good to be true

[CollectGU]

Interesting article on this subject. Did you receive a confirmation emailf your order. If you did it appears it is a legal binding contract:

http://www.lctjournal.washington.edu/Vol1/a002groebner.html

Dave

[subway22]

no the buyer should use common sense, unless the items we own are worthless you should be able to tell when a price is too good to be true


Though I see your point, I disagree with it.

That pretty much means that if we see a J. Bench bat on EBay with a BIN of $50 that we shouldnt hit the "Buy" button because its too good to be true. Clearly the seller meant a different price, right? Whether they did or not, 100% of us would hit the "Buy" button, yourself included.

What if Steiner was cleaning out inventory for a specific category for the end of the year and put them at awesome prices...but I didnt buy any because I decided to go with your theory of..."the price is too good to be true"?

Either way, this isnt the first time Steiner has had this problem. Fix it and we wont be having this discussion!

[intheminors]

Thanks ereyes... That's the most communication I've received from Steiner in over a year.

[ereyes]

Dave hope you've read the entire article and also have read every word on our order confirmation email. Here's some of the verbiage from our Terms of Use page. We've had other mistakes on our site but most of those have been related to different discount coupons. Trust me its not like we enjoy when these mistakes happen and are working hard to prevent them in the future.

Order Acceptance
Please note that there may be certain orders that we are unable to accept and must cancel. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to refuse or cancel any order for any reason. For your convenience, you will not be charged until your payment method is authorized, the order information is verified for accuracy and your order is shipped. Some situations that may result in your order being canceled include limitations on quantities available for purchase, inaccuracies or errors in product or pricing information, or problems identified by our credit and fraud avoidance department. We always make every effort to deliver to you the exact item that you purchased. However, at times items are lost or stolen, damaged or recalled by a team or athlete. If for any reason we are unable to deliver to you the item you have purchased, while we may assist you in trying to find another comparable item, you agree that your sole and exclusive remedy, and our sole obligation, is to provide you with a refund of the money paid for such item.

We may also require additional verifications or information before accepting any order. We will contact you if all or any portion of your order is canceled or if additional information is required to accept your order. If your order is canceled after your credit card has been charged, we will issue a credit to your credit card in the amount of the charge.

Some products consisting of sports equipment are not intended for use in connection with any physical activity, such as used merchandise which may no longer be suitable for its original purpose or promotional items that were never intended to be used in connection with any physical activity. You agree that you are responsible to determining whether or not any such products are suitable and you release STEINERSPORTS.COM from any liable for the use of such products.

[mdube16]

Bottom line is....there is nothing wrong with placing the order, however when it turns out to have been a mistake you cant be mad, disapointed or even surprised.

[CollectGU]

Dave hope you've read the entire article and also have read every word on our order confirmation email. Here's some of the verbiage from our Terms of Use page. We've had other mistakes on our site but most of those have been related to different discount coupons. Trust me its not like we enjoy when these mistakes happen and are working hard to prevent them in the future.

Order Acceptance
Please note that there may be certain orders that we are unable to accept and must cancel. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to refuse or cancel any order for any reason. For your convenience, you will not be charged until your payment method is authorized, the order information is verified for accuracy and your order is shipped. Some situations that may result in your order being canceled include limitations on quantities available for purchase, inaccuracies or errors in product or pricing information, or problems identified by our credit and fraud avoidance department. We always make every effort to deliver to you the exact item that you purchased. However, at times items are lost or stolen, damaged or recalled by a team or athlete. If for any reason we are unable to deliver to you the item you have purchased, while we may assist you in trying to find another comparable item, you agree that your sole and exclusive remedy, and our sole obligation, is to provide you with a refund of the money paid for such item.

We may also require additional verifications or information before accepting any order. We will contact you if all or any portion of your order is canceled or if additional information is required to accept your order. If your order is canceled after your credit card has been charged, we will issue a credit to your credit card in the amount of the charge.

Some products consisting of sports equipment are not intended for use in connection with any physical activity, such as used merchandise which may no longer be suitable for its original purpose or promotional items that were never intended to be used in connection with any physical activity. You agree that you are responsible to determining whether or not any such products are suitable and you release STEINERSPORTS.COM from any liable for the use of such products.

Efrain,

I am only noting that the courts have ruled in favor of the buyer if the confirmation email is sent out. I doubt anyone would take you to court over such a small thing but they would have a leg to stand for sure. My guess is that your wording should be pop up at the the point of purchase and not in the confirmation email...Who cares at this point

Dave

[ereyes]

Dave, i understand where you are coming from and read the entire article. It also state that to prevent from forming a contact you should post the terms of sale on the companies terms/conditions of use page. That's what i posted

[legaleagle92481]

I agree with the OP and Joel on this one. They should honor the prices. Yes they have the right to cancel any order but how fair is that? Many states and localities have laws that require merchants to honor the price on the shelf and how is this any different than going into Macys and buying something. Clothes, collectibles, tvs, etc. it does not matter they are all goods. Although since this is the Internet those laws do not apply here and Dave as an attorney I disagree with you that he has a legal remedy the TOCs are on the site they are pretty clear no court is going to say they aren't. This is a doing whats right thing rather than a legal issue.

There seems to be alot of glitches on the Steiner site and if they want to stop things like this from happening they should address that problem. And if they lose some money that is a great incentive for them not to let it happen again. As far as the items in question except for the Jeter item they seem like items that someone could reasonable believe were on blowout. Noone on earth is going to pay $1,000 for a Melky jersey not even someone in his own family the guy is no longer a Yankee and was nontendered by the Braves so who knows if he will even ever play another big league game so one could reasonably believe that was on blowout. Justin Christen is a soon to be 31 year old prospect who began last year in the Atlantic League and has career stats of zero hrs and six rbis in the big leagues and is currently in the minors. $750 for his jersey is a bad joke so again a closeout would not be a shock as people are not tripping over each other to buy his stuff. The ALCS base also was not likely flying off the shelves at $2,500 since only a select few people collect bases and it was not used in the championship round. Being that the 2009 ALCS is long over someone reasonably could have believed it was also on closeout. Even the Jeter item it could have been damaged in some way or the signature may not have been mint or whatever.

[kudu]

Though I see your point, I disagree with it.

That pretty much means that if we see a J. Bench bat on EBay with a BIN of $50 that we shouldnt hit the "Buy" button because its too good to be true. Clearly the seller meant a different price, right? Whether they did or not, 100% of us would hit the "Buy" button, yourself included.

What if Steiner was cleaning out inventory for a specific category for the end of the year and put them at awesome prices...but I didnt buy any because I decided to go with your theory of..."the price is too good to be true"?

Either way, this isnt the first time Steiner has had this problem. Fix it and we wont be having this discussion!

Sure you can hit the "buy it now", but the seller can refund your money and cancel the transaction. The seller may receive a negative feedback, but that was the their mistake. Essentially, this post is a "negative feedback" to Steiner.

[LWMM]

Dave, i understand where you are coming from and read the entire article. It also state that to prevent from forming a contact you should post the terms of sale on the companies terms/conditions of use page. That's what i posted

That's not quite true. The article suggests that the Terms and Conditions give the company the right to not honor the sale of a mistakenly priced item. However, this is only one step--and the most basic, at that--of what should be multiple to protect such an ability. As the article explicitly states, in fact, "Terms and conditions merely posted somewhere within a company’s website", i.e. the ones you reference, "are called 'browse-wrap' agreements and some courts refuse to enforce them unless customers validly and reliably assent to their terms." Beyond that (and I don't know if Steiner does indeed do this), the article urges companies to make customers actively accept the Terms and Conditions before ordering.

Even with that, I felt that the Terms and Conditions section of the article was really just the precursor to the main substance. What is really harked on is delineating between a customer's "offer" and "purchase". In essense, the formation of a contract is not delayed by the Terms and Conditions of a company, but rather by the way in which an order is structured. With the Amazon example, purchases are set up so that a customer wanting to purchase something sends in what amounts to an offer, which is then accepted (forming a contract) following a specific email from Amazon.

To recap: the article does not "state that to prevent from forming a contact you should post the terms of sale on the companies terms/conditions of use page". It suggests that one do so to limit liability, but gives other measures to prevent the contract from immediately being formed following an order.




However, all this is really a non-issue: it's not as if anyone's threatening litigation, and getting weighed down in the legal mumbo jumbo is tangential and perhaps even captious. In fact, it's also not your job. What's more important, and I think the intent of pjbmd in posting, is the moral issue here. I'd also be curious to know, ereyes, if you actually could autonomously agree to honor the prices, or if someone else would first have to sign off on doing so; it would just help to know exactly who we're talking to/about here.

Personally, I think it would be classy of Steiner to honor the prices, if not morally incumbent. At the same time, one does not want to have to second guess every good sale that comes up--nor does one want its customers to do so! Thus I think the ideal solution would be bringing those errors down to the point where they're so insignificant that one can either honor the prices, keeping everybody happy while having little affect on the bottom line, or cancel the orders, that action being unusual enough that it's shrugged off. Everyone understands that these problems happen from time to time, but when they become commonplace, they serve as a poor reflection on what can come to be seen as a tacky and mercurial company. After all, no company wants "if it seems too good to be true it probably is--so just don't bother" as its motto.

[commando]

Personally, I think it would be classy of Steiner to honor the prices, if not morally incumbent. At the same time, one does not want to have to second guess every good sale that comes up--nor does one want its customers to do so! Thus I think the ideal solution would be bringing those errors down to the point where they're so insignificant that one can either honor the prices, keeping everybody happy while having little affect on the bottom line, or cancel the orders, that action being unusual enough that it's shrugged off. Everyone understands that these problems happen from time to time, but when they become commonplace, they serve as a poor reflection on what can come to be seen as a tacky and mercurial company. After all, no company wants "if it seems too good to be true it probably is--so just don't bother" as its motto.

I agree this may be a moral issue -- but I think I see it 180 degrees from your perspective. If an honest mistake is made, or a computer glitch is responsible for an obviously ridiculous price on an item, I would personally feel like I pulled a fast one if I know in my heart this seller will be losing money (maybe alot of money) on the deal.

In a way, we have talked about this before in regards to how people act at ballparks. If an outfielder looks at a kid, tosses him a ball, and some other guys steps in the way and snags the ball, what just happened there? As far as I know no illegal crime was just committed, but in my eyes (and many others reading this), the guy basically stole the ball from that kid.

Regarding mistakes, they happen. It's not reasonable to expect any business -- or individual -- to be mistake-free. The other day I was surfing eBay and decided to bid on a wax box of baseball cards from the 1980s... I wanted to bid $20, but accidentally bid $200 (hey, it was three in the morning). Well, for this very reason, eBay allows you to retract your bid. I did just that, and all was well.

Everyone has their own opinion, including judges. But in regards to my personal moral beliefs, I will not take advantage of someone else's mistake unless they decide to honor it because they wish to.

I'm not gonna sell my soul for thirty pieces of silver.

[mbenga28]

what about when Steiner lists on MLB Auctions an item that is simultaneously on sale on their website, then if the item get sold on their site the MLB Auction listing is removed even though there are bids placed. is that fair to those bidders?

[rose14]

Mistakes happen but lets get real here. Any reputable company that post something on their website rather correct or not should honor those prices. It was their mistake and it's called customer service. Steiner had a chance to make corrections before submitting it on the world wide web. It's called proof reading. Steiner making mistakes is something that seems to happen all too often and things like this make them look like a greedy and poorly managed company.

[1929tudor]

I would think when a company puts something for sale or in an auction they would go back and look at it to make sure the price is right. Like the previous post it's called proof reading. When I list something on Ebay I go back and look to make sure it's priced right.

[mbenga28]

since Steiner is dealing with the Yankees and their items are always in demand, why would they consider honoring an error price and lose out on a profit? sure, they might lose that customer and their reputation might take a hit but there are plenty more new ones who will replace him and pay full or close to full price.

[pjbmd]

gentlemen
i appreciate all the feedback
some of what i am reading confirms that others would have felt the same way in this given situation

[legaleagle92481]

since Steiner is dealing with the Yankees and their items are always in demand, why would they consider honoring an error price and lose out on a profit? sure, they might lose that customer and their reputation might take a hit but there are plenty more new ones who will replace him and pay full or close to full price.

Who do you know that would pay full price for two of the items in question? Justin Christensen $750 and Melky Cabera $1,000? Regardless, it is called customer goodwill when it is the COMPANY"S FAULT they should take the loss. You go to Macys pick out a suit that sells normally for $300 go to the register and the guy scans the tag says ok that will be $50. You think hmm well ok it must be on sale awesome so you pay him the $50 and he gives you a receipt as you are walking out of the store the manager comes charging after you and says wait sir there is an error in our computer system that suit should not be $50. He gives you your $50 back grabs the suit out of your hand and offers to sell it to you for $200 which would be a 1/3 discount off the original price. Yes, someone probably would buy the suit for $300 in the future but would anyone say that such would be acceptable conduct on Macys behalf? What is the difference here? They are both luxury goods being sold by major companies.

[mbenga28]

if there are people out there that will spend $50 at FAO Schwartz on an action figure you can find at Toys "R" Us for $9.99, there will be buyers for anything regardless of the price. it may take awhile to sell, but ultimately sell it will.

not sure why you would compare Macy's with Steiner. the first major difference between the two is, if I don't like Macy's price or policy I can shop somewhere else that might also have the exact item at a better price. Is there some other company that has an exclusive partnership with the Yankees besides Steiner where I can compare prices and policies with?

[legaleagle92481]

if there are people out there that will spend $50 at FAO Schwartz on an action figure you can find at Toys "R" Us for $9.99, there will be buyers for anything regardless of the price. it may take awhile to sell, but ultimately sell it will.

not sure why you would compare Macy's with Steiner. the first major difference between the two is, if I don't like Macy's price or policy I can shop somewhere else that might also have the exact item at a better price. Is there some other company that has an exclusive partnership with the Yankees besides Steiner where I can compare prices and policies with?

Yes, the secondary market. There is plenty available of all players out there. For example, Steiner wants 13g for a Jeter but there is one on Ebay right now for 9.5g or best offer. Steiner wants 5hg for a Mo jersey on Ebay there is a signed one for 4.5 g. Alot of dealers have stuff at good prices from the Yankee-Steiner partnership as well, especially of the lesser players. There is always an alternative collectors and dealers who buy from Steiner do not hold the stuff forever, almost everything hits the market at some point. And I agree that often there are people who buy stuff for prices insanely higher than elsewhere but the demand at any price for some of these items is extremely low so it will take a deep discount to sell them.

[CampWest]

Mistakes happen but lets get real here. Any reputable company that post something on their website rather correct or not should honor those prices. It was their mistake and it's called customer service. Steiner had a chance to make corrections before submitting it on the world wide web. It's called proof reading. Steiner making mistakes is something that seems to happen all too often and things like this make them look like a greedy and poorly managed company.

And how many times has that story followed up with ... "but they agreed to sell it to me for a price in the middle"... ie listed at 250 shoulda been 750 so agreed to 500... Seems sorta potentially bait and switch tactics. I don't know that it is an intentional strategy, but they seem to misprice so many things that I have to wonder if it is intentional.

Conversely would they admit to an over-priced error that somebody bought? If the item should have listed something for $500 and accidentally sold it for $600, would they give the unwitting customer a price break before confirming the order or is the order confirmation a one-way street error? There are so many underpriced errors, there almost have to be some overpriced errors as well.

Anyhow, point being why hasn't Steiner found a control process to correct what seems to be an epidemic problem? Is it an intentional tactic to get people committed to purchasing something?

[CampWest]

Conversely would they admit to an over-priced error that somebody bought? If the item should have listed something for $500 and accidentally sold it for $600, would they give the unwitting customer a price break before confirming the order or is the order confirmation a one-way street error? There are so many underpriced errors, there almost have to be some overpriced errors as well.

If I bought this lineup card for $500, would Steiner cancel the transaction and say, oops, should have been $50, we totally hosed you?

http://www.steinersports.com/royals-at-yankees-9-29-2009-game-used-lineup-card

For the record, I side with Steiner on not needing to honor accidental mistakes, just curious if their "integrity clause" is a two-way street.

A couple days ago, I purchased an item for $250 on ebay... Seller stated they used the wrong template and it should have been $600 (which I could easily see they copied another item and forgot to change the price). I didnt know what "exact" market value was but knew I liked the item a lot at $250. I was gracious in their cancellation of the transaction and didn't fight it one bit. Though I wonder if they'd have admitted it if I paid $250 for a $50 item or been as gracious about me not paying if I realized the mistake later.

[cigarman44]

And how many times has that story followed up with ... "but they agreed to sell it to me for a price in the middle"... ie listed at 250 shoulda been 750 so agreed to 500... Seems sorta potentially bait and switch tactics. I don't know that it is an intentional strategy, but they seem to misprice so many things that I have to wonder if it is intentional.

Conversely would they admit to an over-priced error that somebody bought? If the item should have listed something for $500 and accidentally sold it for $600, would they give the unwitting customer a price break before confirming the order or is the order confirmation a one-way street error? There are so many underpriced errors, there almost have to be some overpriced errors as well.

Anyhow, point being why hasn't Steiner found a control process to correct what seems to be an epidemic problem? Is it an intentional tactic to get people committed to purchasing something?

+1

Exactly what I thought when I first saw this thread. Get people interested that wouldn't normally be with the low prices, then say, sorry but you can have it at this price.

[commando]

There are several basic rules of business that must be met to allow any business to operate successfully long term. A few are:

1. Accurate pricing, meaning you will sell the item for the price you are asking. (Believe it or not, competitive pricing isn't necessarily important in the right circumstances. Look at the continued success of the 7-11 convenience store franchise)

2. Reliable and consistent customer service, before during and after the sale.

3. Providing a service or product that has enough demand to keep you in business. (It ain't cheap to run a business!)

Does Steiner fall short on all three of these? It sounds like they probably do on the first two, anyway. But here's the point: If they truly have poor pricing structures, poor customer service and are stocking products that will not sell for their asking prices, how much longer will they be around? Anyone who has been in this hobby any length of time has seen the rise and fall of more than one memorabilia dealer.

In my mind however, none of the above justifies why a customer should be allowed to purchase an item for a fraction of the intended price because of a mistake. By the way, if a company were to make this kind of "mistake" on purpose, especially in today's internet culture, the company would be called on this almost instantly by the public (as has happened here in this great forum).

We don't know how much Steiner pays the Yankees. But I do know it can't be cheap. Then, factor in the many expenses of running the Steiner business, and you might begin to see why they charge what they charge. If these numbers don't work in the long run, we'll be saying goodbye to another memorabilia dealer.

[ereyes]

if there are people out there that will spend $50 at FAO Schwartz on an action figure you can find at Toys "R" Us for $9.99, there will be buyers for anything regardless of the price. it may take awhile to sell, but ultimately sell it will.

not sure why you would compare Macy's with Steiner. the first major difference between the two is, if I don't like Macy's price or policy I can shop somewhere else that might also have the exact item at a better price. Is there some other company that has an exclusive partnership with the Yankees besides Steiner where I can compare prices and policies with?

FYI, the paypal logo is no longer on the Last Licks website

[bronx_burner]

Speaking of errors on Steiners site, any chance that the shipping charge on the $100 Special of the Day Seatback is wrong. Never considered one when they were $250. But at $100 that didn't seem too bad until I put in my cart and te shipping amount cae in at $70.

[mbenga28]

FYI, the paypal logo is no longer on the Last Licks website

thank you Efrain, I'm just curious to know why, if you can publicly comment about this, Steiner Sports does not accept PayPal as a payment option?

[ereyes]

We just haven't explored it as a payment type yet. Could be an option in the future.

[ereyes]

Speaking of errors on Steiners site, any chance that the shipping charge on the $100 Special of the Day Seatback is wrong. Never considered one when they were $250. But at $100 that didn't seem too bad until I put in my cart and te shipping amount cae in at $70.

the shipping is incorrect, if you're using the following sku # DEMOSEA000009 it should only be $4.99.

[ziggy]

Since Bob Malandro left things have gone down hill at Steiner

[BrewCrewSackers]

Yeah, i got a deal too. I was watching a Packer-Cowboy game used football that was listed at 500. It was suddenly marked down to 200. So I used a $50 coupon and got for 150. It took Steiner 4 days to process the order AFTER i paid. I was def worried that they would say it was an error.

[Jules9]

I own my own construction business and completely understand everyones comments. A few times I have made mistakes and undercharged people when I've given them an estimate (couple hundred dollars) and have never went to a customer after the job was completed and asked them for more money because of my mistake. I just think it wouldn't be good for my business for me to do it. It has the potential for more customers being taken away from my business than adding to it in the long run. I have told a few that I undercharged them by mistake but whether or not they believed me is a different story.


As far as stores overcharging product, I've been at stores where the cashier has told customers that the item was priced higher or the item was on sale and gave them the lower price. A few times at the grocery store, my girlfriend had a product in her cart that she was willing to pay full price for and the manager came over and gave her a 50% discount on the item without her ever asking for it. Little things like that will get us to go back to the same stores again.