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I regularly shopped at UBC in person pre-pandemic. Prices for electronics are decided by a group called "Operations" that presumably operates out of an adjacent

I regularly shopped at UBC in person pre-pandemic. Prices for electronics are decided by a group called "Operations" that presumably operates out of an adjacent building. Unmarked items are either withheld from sale for the day, matched to a similar item on shelves, or checked on the spot with a VoIP call to Operations or by a manager, usually by searching eBay. I think the online store was created in response to the pandemic. The amount of care taken to price each item depends on whether it can be identified by brand or model. Items without either usually fall into a generic category based on the shape, weight, and ports. It could be considered "worth it" to dig through every shelf, bin, and table in Electronics for some seriously capable but nondescript tech if there wasn't a pandemic on. The online selection is limited to popular, identifiable items at high prices.

zenexer 6y ago
Thanks for the additional info! That seems a bit odd, though. While there were undoubtedly some good deals on electronics, the ones I saw were all on sale—which, according to their return policy, apparently also means “all sales final.” Given that a number of those items were high-risk, the price tags were concerning. For example, they seem to be selling modern, high-end iPhones in the $6XX range. That’s a bit cheaper than buying a stolen iPhone on Let Go, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace where I live. That’s incredibly high risk. At any point, the former owner of the phone may report it lost to their carrier, and the IMEI will be blacklisted. From that point forward, the phone is effectively a brick. It may be useful for parts, but that’s it. Does the former owner have the right to report it missing, especially if they’ve been compensated? It doesn’t really matter—the point is that they can, and they may even do so inadvertently when they go to buy a new one. This sounds like a store I’d love to visit in person—so many obscure items that are probably too difficult to price correctly. You’re bound to find a gem eventually. Even if it isn’t worth the time you spend, it’s probably a lot of fun! But I don’t really think that business model lends itself to eBay. Yes, you can have much wider reach and sell to more people, but your margins are going to be lower. Is it worth it? Maybe if you’re running out of space, but the prices they’re charging for some of the items on their website would have to be significantly reduced if they were to sell those items on eBay.
- 43920 6y ago
  > This sounds like a store I’d love to visit in person—so many obscure items that are probably too difficult to price correctly. You’re bound to find a gem eventually. Even if it isn’t worth the time you spend, it’s probably a lot of fun! Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough, but when I went there a few years ago, it was pretty hard to find anything that was actually a good deal. The vast majority of the store is "normal" stuff (mostly random clothing and books) that's priced about the same as everywhere else, and even the obscure items are surrounded by crowds of people who have already looked over everything. I don't doubt that if you went enough times, you might eventually find something under-priced, but for the most part it's just a somewhat-overpriced thrift shop (and not particularly fun, IMO).

zenexer 6y ago

Thanks for the additional info! That seems a bit odd, though. While there were undoubtedly some good deals on electronics, the ones I saw were all on sale—which, according to their return policy, apparently also means “all sales final.” Given that a number of those items were high-risk, the price tags were concerning. For example, they seem to be selling modern, high-end iPhones in the $6XX range. That’s a bit cheaper than buying a stolen iPhone on Let Go, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace where I live. That’s incredibly high risk. At any point, the former owner of the phone may report it lost to their carrier, and the IMEI will be blacklisted. From that point forward, the phone is effectively a brick. It may be useful for parts, but that’s it. Does the former owner have the right to report it missing, especially if they’ve been compensated? It doesn’t really matter—the point is that they can, and they may even do so inadvertently when they go to buy a new one. This sounds like a store I’d love to visit in person—so many obscure items that are probably too difficult to price correctly. You’re bound to find a gem eventually. Even if it isn’t worth the time you spend, it’s probably a lot of fun! But I don’t really think that business model lends itself to eBay. Yes, you can have much wider reach and sell to more people, but your margins are going to be lower. Is it worth it? Maybe if you’re running out of space, but the prices they’re charging for some of the items on their website would have to be significantly reduced if they were to sell those items on eBay.

43920 6y ago
> This sounds like a store I’d love to visit in person—so many obscure items that are probably too difficult to price correctly. You’re bound to find a gem eventually. Even if it isn’t worth the time you spend, it’s probably a lot of fun! Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough, but when I went there a few years ago, it was pretty hard to find anything that was actually a good deal. The vast majority of the store is "normal" stuff (mostly random clothing and books) that's priced about the same as everywhere else, and even the obscure items are surrounded by crowds of people who have already looked over everything. I don't doubt that if you went enough times, you might eventually find something under-priced, but for the most part it's just a somewhat-overpriced thrift shop (and not particularly fun, IMO).