Arbitrage. If you buy one of those, you'll receive it from Amazon with a gift receipt in the box...
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/278622
http://www.webretailer.com/lean-commerce/amazon-to-ebay-arbitrage/
Ah! Thanks for explaining. I knew someone here would understand what was going on.
Apparently it's automated. People run software that checks Amazon for certain products, then copies the text and places eBay ads for it at randomly higher prices. Someone who doesn't bother checking Amazon first—or in this case, Googling the product name and finding Unicomp's site—buys the item for the higher price; then the software drop-ships it to them (drop-shipping being where you order from one merchant, who has another merchant, or the manufacturer, ship it to you).
I see Unicomp has
listed practically all their stuff on Amazon. You can't blame them—but unfortunately, that brought it to the attention of the drop-shippers, who would never have known about it otherwise.
What I don't get is, how can anyone (e.g. the entrepreneur in the article JWK linked to) be upset about this? Drop-shipping is an age-old practice. I did it for a couple of years myself as a teen, placing ads in
Popular Science's classified section for cheap science supplies I had drop-shipped from an Asian manufacturer. (I didn't make much—a couple of hundred, I think—but it was good experience.)
The market's based on supply and demand. If someone's willing to pay a certain price for an item, someone will sell it to them. It's up to the consumer to be sure they're not paying an unnecessary premium. 20 years ago, this would've required making phone calls to various vendors. Nowadays, all it takes is a few seconds searching the Web. Meanwhile, each item someone drop-ships for 10% over its regular price generates the same profit for the supplier. So what's to complain about? If the buyer finds out later that they paid more than they had to, they have no one to blame but themselves for being lazy and/or impulsive.
Finally, I might also point out that when it comes to KB quality, it's all relative. 20 years ago, when I got a Key Tronic RD to replace my ultra-cheap membrane board, I was delighted with the difference in feel. I can't remember if I was even aware of MKs then. Had I, though, I probably would've preferred the quiet board, which would've still felt "crisp" without disturbing anyone around me.
It's very much like making a decision whether to buy a real piano, with its sensual, organic touch and sound; or, for much less dough, a digital piano keyboard, with its simulated touch and sound, but the ability to use headphones for privacy. There are always pros and cons, and everyone makes their own choices.
