I remember a few years back there were 2 Amazon sellers that ended up listing some textbook for like a million dollars because they had a bot which looked at the price the other was using and automatically raised theirs slightly, and it just kept going up and up Mentioning for no particular reason - ThreadSky

jenmsft.bsky.social • 11 days ago

I remember a few years back there were 2 Amazon sellers that ended up listing some textbook for like a million dollars because they had a bot which looked at the price the other was using and automatically raised theirs slightly, and it just kept going up and up

Mentioning for no particular reason

Comments

yamamaki.bsky.social•11 days ago

If we consider the Gray Goo scenario as a metaphor for poor programming (which is what it should be), this is what you just described.

ronsparks.bsky.social•11 days ago

I feel like such an idiot. I'm the one that bought both textbooks. Thought it was a good investment, until now.

triassic.bsky.social•11 days ago

I see Amazon is in Trump's sights, apparently he wants any books critical of him or his economics approach removed! Or else!

geekjimmy.bsky.social•11 days ago

https://www.techdirt.com/2011/04/25/infinite-loop-algorithmic-pricing-amazon-how-book-flies-cost-2369865593/

bsattva.bsky.social•11 days ago

I remember there being several examples of this about 10 years ago. They were all using the same third party seller tools. There were some lawn chairs that should have sold for like 18.99 but were 2600

darrell.modernworkmentor.com•11 days ago

Sounds like a tarrific mess

jeanlyn.bsky.social•11 days ago

I want to know if they sold the book. 😀

guyrleech.bsky.social•11 days ago

Which one did you buy?

csteinbach.bsky.social•11 days ago

Huh!? Thought it could explain why 600g of custard powder is going for 11K Swedish Kronor (1K USD) but I don't see anything matching the price.

https://amzn.eu/d/7RiOyv3

itmustbesummer.bsky.social•11 days ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p05w5d72?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Hello. There's also this talk from the BBC about how a book ended up costing $1.7 million. Hope you find what you're after! 😃

thatamerican.bsky.social•11 days ago

You can't fix stupid.

yoruichidragon.bsky.social•11 days ago

seems like a fluke, but it's really not. algorithmic pricing also does this with apartment rents on a national scale. CFPB was trying to stop it until trump stopped them

nromanek.bsky.social•11 days ago

Thanks. I won't be sleeping this week.

emnreviews.bsky.social•10 days ago

You can still sleep?

nromanek.bsky.social•10 days ago

It's more like that gasp characters make in movies when they wake up from a nightmare, but repeated endlessly, so it sounds you're in the sleeping car of a steam train.

tinhoy.bsky.social•11 days ago

@standupmaths.bsky.social has a very detailed video on this book

https://youtu.be/sseSi0k3Ecg?si=n8xJZy2mhIkkGrMh

drifloons.bsky.social•11 days ago

Matt parker has a video about this (that's where i learned about it) https://youtu.be/sseSi0k3Ecg?si=ABWQ2QFDg8CvZtio

alwaysmarycoogan.bsky.social•11 days ago

same method used today
garbage in
garbage out
now that is a bill that should be passed
Require algorithms to prove validity

bakakuma.tv•11 days ago

Omg Jen is here, thank the algorithms

scale97.bsky.social•11 days ago

I love random stories.

ravenson.bsky.social•11 days ago

While that’s what it was in this case it doesn’t always have to be that. There’s a shocking amount of money laundering goes on with Amazon and eBay sellers.

reirikr.bsky.social•10 days ago

Was it "Encyclopedia of European Cultures"? Because I remember that one getting up stupid high.

jenmsft.bsky.social•11 days ago

I tried to find an article about this and failed - would love if anyone remembered this and had a link beyond my vague memories

techyben.bsky.social•10 days ago

Proof the internet is so broken. I remember stories from a decade ago, and it's impossible to even reference them directly now.

dmisemer.bsky.social•11 days ago

Here's one I still think about.

Potato Salad Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zackdangerbrown/potato-salad

chrisplummer.bsky.social•11 days ago

ahhh this one - https://www.wired.com/2011/04/amazon-flies-24-million/

jenmsft.bsky.social•11 days ago

Thank you!!

julia.cool•11 days ago

i remember this as well fwiw

jenmsft.bsky.social•11 days ago

At least I'm not crazy (or at least not for this reason)

julia.cool•11 days ago

lol

here’s one instance https://www.techdirt.com/2011/04/25/infinite-loop-algorithmic-pricing-amazon-how-book-flies-cost-2369865593/

julia.cool•11 days ago

maybe this THE one time this happened. but it’s from 2011, so not recent.

jenmsft.bsky.social•11 days ago

I have trouble with the passage of time - maybe it's really been that long? 😱

jonobarel.bsky.social•11 days ago

This is the one I’m familiar with, originally read about it on Boing-boing, when bb and lifehacker and io9 were like the entirety of online geek culture that’s available through a web browser.

sdepaor.bsky.social•10 days ago

A 2011 Gizmodo article is the one I can find. You’ve had wired articles I see linked so probably no need :)
Still, I actually remember it from the Reply All podcast (but I can’t find it)
https://gizmodo.com/how-a-book-accidentally-gets-priced-at-23-million-on-a-5795058

mtskier.bsky.social•11 days ago

Hadn’t thought about that in a long time.

jenmsft.bsky.social•11 days ago

I have a weirdly good memory for random stuff 😅

techsticles.bsky.social•11 days ago

That is the US housing market

mlex.bsky.social•11 days ago

no doubt they were also competing with the money-laundering accounts. ever wonder why that paperback of I, Robot costs $7,350?

arty-san.bsky.social•10 days ago

USA
China
USA
China
USA
China
Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs...

Unfortunately, we started it.

brianandrewmarek.bsky.social•11 days ago

This is an album I put out on CD in 2019. I still have a few copies of the original batch and they remain available on my Bandcamp page for $10 each. It can also be purchased through a distributor on eBay for the same $10. But this random Amazon seller wants $196.00 for it. Good luck with that.

clarityrestoration.bsky.social•11 days ago

Haha. I'm sure someone in your comments will say "you're the best" because you are, Jen.

I just want to say: "you're the best + 1."

And now we wait...

moseyingalong.bsky.social•11 days ago

Buy the dip

ragsoakedinether.bsky.social•10 days ago

Skoal or Copenhagen?

greg-hill.bsky.social•10 days ago

AI is just another term for GIGO

Posting Rules

Be respectful to others
No spam or self-promotion
Stay on topic
Follow Bluesky's terms of service