Mercadolibre - The Punisher

There are 38 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 6,876 times. The latest Post () was by aficionado.

    • Official Post
    Quote from Splinter

    But Mercadolibre leads the way in prices detached from reality.

    It must be said that most shopkeepers here do not have the means or the willingness to move their business online. ML made a lot of sellers visible to the whole country.

    However, it only a matter of time before ML became showing the same aggressive and demagoging features of Amazon.


    Recently, they have introduced the automatic comparison tool amazon-style, which should drive price lower but also make for a highly competitive market.

    However, given the current restrictions to imports and currency exchange, it's more akin to a mafia arrangement than to free market.


    How long before we'll see Mercadolibre's basics?

    • Official Post

    Mercadolibre is now a monopoly, but they have sharpened up their act, especially on deliveries.

    However it comes at a price, with delivery prices being way out of proportion to the value or physical size of the goods being shipped, as you can see by the image I posted on the previous page.

    And if you don't have or even don't want a bank account, MercadoPago is a pretty slick operation and is now accepted in thousands of outlets. Scanning a QR code contactlessly is now my favourite way to pay.

    That joystick is now $15,000 up from $11,000 on Sunday.

    Quote from Splinter

    Mercadolibre is now a monopoly, but they have sharpened up their act, especially on deliveries.

    However it comes at a price, with delivery prices being way out of proportion to the value or physical size of the goods being shipped, as you can see by the image I posted on the previous page.

    Yes the shipping charges for small items are what annoys me the most about ML....they're just a nonsense. The sellers obviously know that noone in their right mind is going to pay 3x the value of the product on postal costs alone.


    The latest piss take I've seen is the tobacco shop in BA who have undercut every other seller of the same products by 20% but unlike the others rip you off with huge postal charges. O've even seen one seller selling an empty tobacco tin for 1000 pesos plus 450 pesos postage. You can walk in and buy one full of tobacco for less than that in a shop. ^^

    • Official Post
    Quote from UK Man

    Yes the shipping charges for small items are what annoys me the most about ML....they're just a nonsense. The sellers obviously know that noone in their right mind is going to pay 3x the value of the product on postal costs alone.

    Isn't that so in the UK? When I used to sell on eBay Italy, there were items more expensive than the registered mail used to mail them. I had no way to bargain on shipping costs: what the public mail system charges, is what you oughta pay if you want to mail something.


    If I shipped with non-registered mail, the recipient could always claim they had never received the item and get a full refund from ebay. It happened to me a couple of times. There are buyers in bad faith browsing eBay items with standard shipping (not tracked) to take advantage of sellers.


    Back in my days, it was €4,50 for the cheapest registered mail vs. €1,50 for unregistered (but at your risk!)

    Quote from serafina

    I can't see how a seller can offer free p&p on cheap items and make a profit.

    In the UK they can because postal charges are very resonable as are the cost of many low value items compared to here....especially items produced in China.

    We use ML quite a lot as it can be useful at times. The missus bought 5 litres of Extra Virgina Olive Oil last week which included free delivery from Mendoza through OCA. It still worked out 25% cheaper than the same brand bought in La Anonima.

    • Official Post

    I December I bought a new graphics card and at the time the price was reasonable, especially due to the shortages worldwide of high end cards and I paid AR$70,000.


    As I normally do, I just checked the price again and there are only two available, both used and with heavenly prices to boot. I think it's called gouging or scalping.

    • Official Post

    Mercadolibre certainly know how to hang on to your money. I've had quite a busy few weeks recently with some healthy sales, however the time it's taking to get paid just seems to get longer.

    I often have to wait up to three weeks to receive the money which, frankly is far too long and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. It's a financial institution now, run by machines and algorithms.


    Something else they seem to revel in is not being able to contact the buyer. Up until very recently the internal message system allowed you to let the customer know when the goods were shipped and that kind of thing. Naturally I always included my cel number so that they could contact me directly for any further purchases. Now you can't even include any details whatsoever.

    There are of course ways around this like disguising words and urls etc.

    My wife regularly buys items from ML simply because they're either not available to buy locally or even with their inflated delivery costs still work out much cheaper. She has sent items back a few times and has always been refunded in full.


    I can't complain either as I've bought several English 'antique' briar pipes using ML and been very lucky indeed. One Sasieni pipe cost me 600 pesos which unbeknown to me at the time turned out to be a very rare 1920's made 'One Dot' and one of the earliest pipes they have ever made...I've since been offered over US$1000 for it by several serious pipe collectors around the world. I'm not interested in selling it as I get a kick out of owning a rare piece of British history bought in Argentina. Most of the other English estate pipes I've bought here are collectables yet were cheap as chips on ML.

    Quote from Rice

    UK Man , I admire your resolve. US $1k would buy a lot of KitKats!

    ^^  :thumbup:


    My biggest gripe with ML are their delivery charges for small inexpensive items. Many's the time I've seen and wanted to buy a product which in the likes of Ebay in the UK would offer free delivery. On ML however the delivery charge can cost three times the price of the item...crazy!! It seems to me the seller has little or no say in the matter as they have to follow ML rules.

    Quote from Splinter

    I think there's a $$ limit on when free delivery is cost effective for the seller, really. I've recently sold items for more than $10,000 and if I offer free delivery for say $500, it's a good incentive for the buyer.

    But it is out of sync when you consider that an item for say $300 will cost $500 for delivery.

    Here's an example of how riiculous ML is regarding P&P. An item I would have bought until I saw the 'extras'. :rolleyes:


    Semillas Orgánicas De Tabaco Rubio Virginia 1 Capullo - $ 150
    EL PRECIO PUBLICADO SE ENTREGAN 1 CAPULLO.SEMILLAS FRESCAS DE TABACO VIRGINIA (RUBIO) CASERO (Org.) COSECHA 2021!IDEA PARA LA HUERTA CASERA (ORG.…
    articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar

    I bought two products from the same seller (two shelves) and we want to return one because the color is different than in the picture and the finishing too.

    Is there a correct “reason” to return the item and ensure we get a refund?

    This is my first return on ML and I don’t want to hinder it by choosing the “wrong” reason.

    Quote from serafina

    This is my first return on ML and I don’t want to hinder it by choosing the “wrong” reason.

    I believe your reason is allowed. Do not discuss it with the seller, just go directly to the compra and start the process to return. The prompts will lead you in the direction you want for “product not as shown in picture” or something. Some sellers will push you to discuss with them, so that their rating is not dinged, but that is not in your best interest. I have done one claim for bad product, and one because it arrived too late. Both times it was quick and it was easy