8 ms·

Thanks for the perspective. I totally get it - which is why I didn't go on a rampage over my $90 pan not being up to my standards. I can sympathize with the sel

by sxates 9y ago

Thanks for the perspective. I totally get it - which is why I didn't go on a rampage over my $90 pan not being up to my standards. I can sympathize with the sellers here (though I think the policies sometimes favor themselves over their customers) - BUT - as you've noted yourself, Amazon's scale has allowed them to do a lot better than the little guys. If this had been a Prime item, it would have been free return shipping and full refund, no questions asked. As a customer, why wouldn't I go for that? It makes the experience I had with a small seller seem shocking by comparison. Instead, I'll either avoid the independent sellers, or just to to Sur le Table. So how do these sellers win?

jasonlaramburu 9y ago
What value do 3rd party sellers actually provide to Amazon customers? Yes sometimes the price is lower, but that's usually because they bought the goods at a retail store auction for next to nothing (these auctions sell lots of returned merchandise sight unseen). Anyone running one of these businesses has to realize what they're doing is more than a little sketchy.
- antisthenes 9y ago
  That's a very sweeping generalization that doesn't have much to do with reality. The majority of 3rd party sellers by volume own their own websites outside of Amazon. The ones you described are tiny mom&pop stores that come and go by the thousand every year.
  - jasonlaramburu 9y ago
    Sorry I don't buy that. The only reason a consumer would choose a 3rd party seller is price. If Seller can beat Amazon (presumably the most efficient retailer on Earth) on price then Seller must have obtained the goods at below wholesale price.
antisthenes 9y ago
The Amazon 3rd party seller system is not designed for these small sellers to win. It's designed for Amazon to see which products are in demand and how much customers are willing to pay along with gathering feedback from customer expectations. It's more of a platform to see what works and what doesn't, at the expense of small businesses who wanted to sell on Amazon. At least that's my perspective. A 3-5% margin may be fine when you run a 100B business, have economies of scale and a world-class brand, but the same will spell disaster for a small business. There are also a lot of dishonest 3rd party sellers who come and go like a swarm of locusts. Maybe they "win" in the short run by selling counterfeit goods and not honoring Amazon policies, but in the end they will lose also when Amazon bans non-prime fulfillment of orders (that day is coming sooner rather than later, my guess is before 2020)

by sxates 9y ago

jasonlaramburu 9y ago

What value do 3rd party sellers actually provide to Amazon customers? Yes sometimes the price is lower, but that's usually because they bought the goods at a retail store auction for next to nothing (these auctions sell lots of returned merchandise sight unseen). Anyone running one of these businesses has to realize what they're doing is more than a little sketchy.

antisthenes 9y ago
That's a very sweeping generalization that doesn't have much to do with reality. The majority of 3rd party sellers by volume own their own websites outside of Amazon. The ones you described are tiny mom&pop stores that come and go by the thousand every year.
- jasonlaramburu 9y ago
  Sorry I don't buy that. The only reason a consumer would choose a 3rd party seller is price. If Seller can beat Amazon (presumably the most efficient retailer on Earth) on price then Seller must have obtained the goods at below wholesale price.

antisthenes 9y ago

The Amazon 3rd party seller system is not designed for these small sellers to win. It's designed for Amazon to see which products are in demand and how much customers are willing to pay along with gathering feedback from customer expectations. It's more of a platform to see what works and what doesn't, at the expense of small businesses who wanted to sell on Amazon. At least that's my perspective. A 3-5% margin may be fine when you run a 100B business, have economies of scale and a world-class brand, but the same will spell disaster for a small business. There are also a lot of dishonest 3rd party sellers who come and go like a swarm of locusts. Maybe they "win" in the short run by selling counterfeit goods and not honoring Amazon policies, but in the end they will lose also when Amazon bans non-prime fulfillment of orders (that day is coming sooner rather than later, my guess is before 2020)