Ethics of selling items well above MSRP

[nereo]

A recent experience had me wondering what others thought about trying to sell items for much more than you can buy them for at major retailers...

Saw an ad on Craigslist where the description was wrong, so - trying to be helpful - I sent the poster a quick email.  Trying to be polite I told him/her that subject was listed incorrectly and s/he might have better luck at finding a buyer if the item was described accurately.  I ended the email with "and just so you know, this item sells new with warranty for $100 less, so you might reconsider your pricing to attract buyers".

I got a response saying "kindly mind your own business" - only with a lot more swear words and a question about whether my mother was a virtuous woman.

I left it at that, but now it's gotten me to thinking about the ethics of trying to sell used items for far more than they are worth.  Some might say you should charge as much as any buyer is willing to pay, but to me it seems like you're hoping to take advantage of others being poorly informed. FWIW I'm not talking aobut a collector's item or something handmade, but a current-year model that's available in a dozen or so stores nearby.

[HipGnosis]

Something is worth what someone will pay
I've seen MSRPs that I thought were unethical

[sol]

It's not uncommon.  But remember that these are asking prices, not selling prices, and craigslist is a place where people negotiate.  The retailer, by contrast, always expects to get its asking prices and avoids the whole negotiation phase.

I've seen lots of people offering "new in box" tools at double the sale prices from the previous weekend, as if they were making a living buying up ten $49 weed-whackers and then selling them online for an even $100.  Places like harbor freight have made Chinese-made tools so remarkably cheap that many American buyers haven't yet adjusted their price expectations, and a ruthless seller can exploit that information asymmetry for profit.

And then some people just legitimately prefer to buy from CL over retail outlets for weird reasons, like a specific social anxiety disorder where they can't deal with crowds, or a hatred of big box stores, or an inability to drive there and get it themselves.  Those folks are sometimes willing to pay a very hefty premium to have someone meet them locally with the item they desire.