Shady, sneaky or illegal ?

[Techno]

Here's one for you chaps.

Recently bought some items through Amazon "for the farm."
Priced around a fiver each.
Bought four..postage next to nothing really....around £2 ??.....They arrived quite safely.

Yesterday, I thought it would be very useful  to get a few more.
Log on to Amazon...Find the same items and seller.......Damn me...They're on special offer...Down from £5 to just 70 pence.
I'll have 6 then.....They'll always come in useful.
Go through the process.....Get to the last page to click for confirming the sale.

AHA !......Bless my socks.....Items total £4.20......Postage £32.00 (standard delivery).....£5 + for each item.
So my question is......Is that just rather underhand in that this firm is pretending to drastically drop the price by making it back on the postage....or is it in fact illegal ?
And yes.....I did cancel the sale.

Cheers - Phil.

[Nosher]

Smacks of all three Phil

Charlie Uniform November Tango's

[stormrider]

It's the reason eBay added the "price+postage" option which I love.

Sadly now people do the multiple item auctions and have 1 sold out item extremely cheap, the rest overpriced. You'll always get it.

[Techno]

I'm just glad I spotted it before I pressed the final button.
Nosher....You're SO right mate. 
Cheers - Phil.

[Hertsblue]

That's blatant, Phil. I can put up with companies adding a bit extra to pad out the overall price, but that's shameless. 

[Techno]

What do they say Ray ?
If something looks too good to be true........
Cheers - Phil.

[Leon]

I don't know if it's changed now, but when eBay was still quite new, you were only charged a selling fee on the sale price, and not the postage.  So, a lot of people would sell the item for 99p, and add £5/6/7, etc postage for some fee-free profit.  Amazon may be the same?

[Techno]

I don't know if it's changed now, but when eBay was still quite new, you were only charged a selling fee on the sale price, and not the postage.  So, a lot of people would sell the item for 99p, and add £5/6/7, etc postage for some fee-free profit.  Amazon may be the same?

Very good thought Leon....Especially as Amazon (from what I heard recently) are 'upping' the percentage rake off they take from sellers.
Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

I'd go for 'bloody annoying'! 

[sebigboss79]

Totally right all the posters before me and on all acocunts. Yet the solution is simple: Do not buy from those Bravo Alpha Sierra Tango Alpha Romeo Delta Sierras. 

One sale they don't make is not hurting but a million does and makes dishonest traders disappear quite fast.