webdiversity - 1:41 pm on Feb 10, 2003 (gmt 0)

Isn't this gray market the entire foundation on which you buy a printer for $80 and then spend way more on consumables vie OEM?

Pushing the issue of whether they have had complaints or not to one side the paragraph that killed me was :

Several times last week, when users looked for a Sony Handycam DCR-TRV27, Crutchfield ranked second — behind Broadway Photo — on Google's paid search listings.

No mention of the technique, the CTR, the price prepared to pay. Relevancy is often the deciding factor on Google, by way of CTR. So if Crutchfield can't write ads that do well why should they be #1?

The other bit I shuddered at was the Overture rep. that says advertisers "tattle", making it sound like the sort of thing that goes on in the school playground. It's all about relevancy of the keyword to the site/page in question, it's not about the service after the event. I mean if I ran a sports shop and sold someone a baseball bat and they went out and beat someone over the head with it is that my fault for not asking them what they were going to use it for?

Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.