Big W was selling one fan for three prices, until we asked about it

Big W sign outside of brick and mortar retail store
Pictured: Big W sign
// Caveat Emptor
Anula Wiwatowska
Jan 15, 2025
Icon Time To Read2 min read

Yesterday Big W had the Heller 40cm Pedestal Mist Fan listed three separate times on the Big W Market, once for $142, once for $159.95, and again for $169.99 + delivery. When we asked for comment, the retailer deleted two of the listings.

Heller misting fan listed at $169
Heller misting fan listed at $159.95
Heller misting fan listed at $142

Prior to removal, each listing had similar product details, but the listing descriptions were dissimilar enough for the devices to come across as different models, even down to their assigned article number.

GAF Control Sales, owner of a range of national supermarket appliance brands including Heller, confirmed Big W’s listings were in fact the same model, telling Reviews.org AU the difference comes from the seller’s chosen presentation.

Said presentation is the key. The Big W Market may have the Big W branding but it is actually a collection of individual sellers using the platform, similar to Amazon. These fans were being sold by House, Billy Guyatts, and Value Village, facilitated by the Big W platform. Only the $159.95 option from Value Village remains.

Unlike Amazon, the lines between what is Big W and what is an affiliate partner is blurry. Amazon is well known as a shopping platform, littered with different sellers vying for your business. Big W however is better known as a brick and mortar store in Australia, trading under the name from 1964 - 1970 and again from 1976 until now. Conversely the online Marketplace component was launched in November 2023.

A Big W spokesperson told Reviews.org Australia,

“Big W Marketplace is a trusted platform offering a wide range of products from third-party sellers who set their own pricing. While we aim to provide customer choice, we also endeavor to avoid duplicate listings. We have removed duplicate listings for the Heller 40cm Misting Pedestal Fan with Remote on our Marketplace.”

In the last financial year the marketplace sold $44 million worth of stock, but according to search data consumers are still puzzled by it. The question “What is the Big W Market” is only 100 monthly searches behind the branded term, which isn’t the best trust indicator.

Parent company Woolworths launched a similar endeavour called the Everyday Market back in 2021. Search data suggests this marketplace is not only more popular, but more well known, with around 10,000 searches for “Everyday Market” performed every month compared to just 120 queries asking what it is.

For the many consumers unfamiliar with the platform, the “Big W Market” stamp accompanying these listings doesn’t mean much. It is an indicator of an online only product, but the naming still suggests Big W is behind the sale. Conversely the Everyday Market is still within the Woolworths brand book, but is clearly separate from the key brand term. 

There are disclosures and pages explaining the Big W Market, but these are covert when compared to the Everyday Market. While sellers are clearly marked on product cards, and prominently displayed on Everyday Market listings, the disclosure is more discrete on the Big W Market. Just a single line of bolded text, among others on the product page.

Browsing the site it sure seemed like Big W was trying to pass off a single pedestal fan as three different ones, even though that wasn’t the case. While unclear disclosures coupled with overt Big W branding may not fall within the realm of ‘misleading conduct’ by the ACCC, they’re somewhat dubious. Consumers shouldn’t be expected to wade through multiple pages and pop-ups on a website simply to understand where their purchase is coming from. Yet, that onus increasingly and unfairly falls onto the consumer.

A heavy burden is placed on consumers to traverse purchasing journeys where the complexities are obscured by the seller. Fine print such as return fees, unclear total unit costs, and even the seller themselves are at times purposefully masked multiple clicks deep into a transaction. Navigating online shopping can undeniably be surmised by the latin phrase “caveat emptor” - “let the buyer beware”.

Anula Wiwatowska
Written by
Anula is the Home and Lifestyle Tech Editor within the Reviews.org extended universe. Working in the tech space since 2020, she covers phone and internet plans, gadgets, smart devices, and the intersection of technology and culture. Anula was a finalist for Best Feature Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards, and an eight time finalist across categories at the IT Journalism Awards. Her work contributed to WhistleOut's Best Consumer Coverage win in 2023.

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