Online Bargain Scams: How Bait-and-Switch Tactics Work
Polina Tankilevitch/Pexels , CC BY You’re browsing a major online marketplace for a warm winter jacket, when a sponsored listing catches your eye: a black, fleece-lined jacket, prominently priced for sale from A$18.99 each. It’s just what you want. So you click through, ready to grab a bargain. But when you land on the page, then select a jacket from the drop down menu, the price instantly jumps to $39.99. It turns out the $18.99 was actually for a different product – a water
Online shoppers are frequently encountering a deceptive sales tactic where advertised low prices are linked to images of products they don't actually apply to. This "multi-variation listing" strategy, common on major e-commerce platforms, presents an attractive price for one item while the actual cost for the desired product is significantly higher, often for a different, less expensive item like a storage bag. This visual bait-and-switch relies on consumers' tendency to associate prominently displayed prices with the accompanying images, a phenomenon known as the "visual superiority effect."
This practice exploits consumer psychology and may constitute misleading conduct under Australian Consumer Law, potentially leading to stronger regulations against unfair trading practices.
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