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Just today I was browsing for new wine glasses. I finally found the product that I wanted and checked out a couple of options on Amazon. The first two reviews f

by iooi 7y ago

Just today I was browsing for new wine glasses. I finally found the product that I wanted and checked out a couple of options on Amazon. The first two reviews for the pair[1] I liked were complaining that they received counterfeit items. The reviews are verified reviews, but there's no way for me to know which third party they bought it from so I could avoid them. I ended up buying them on the manufacturers website. The shipping might not be as fast, but I got a great discount by signing up on their newsletter and it ended being significantly cheaper than Amazon. This isn't my first experience like this. The biggest pain point of shopping outside of Amazon is the checkout experience of a lot of smaller sites and slower shipping, but I would much rather get my items a couple of days later than have to deal with returning counterfeit items. I'm surprised about how Amazon is dealing with this issue. It's the growth at all costs approach, taking care of this would hurt their sales numbers -- but that's a pretty myopic view of things. It's the kind of attitude that flooded Twitter with bots, since taking care of that issue would hurt their growth numbers that investors love. I really hope Amazon fixes this since I like the idea of a one stop shopping experience, but maybe people buying from the manufacturers directly might be better for everyone involved. A universal checkout experience (one login, saves CCs and contact information) would make Amazon obsolete in my opinion. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Riedel-Burgundy-Cabernet-Merlot-Glasses/dp/B000NB03L2 https://www.amazon.com/Riedel-Burgundy-Cabernet-Merlot-Glass...

ansible 7y ago
I'm increasingly suspicious of all 3rd party sellers. Even on Newegg, I'm usually avoiding the 3rd party sellers, unless it is such a specialized item that it isn't sold by Newegg themselves. And I too am often looking at the manufacturer's website to see if I can order there. If they support Paypal for checkout, then I don't necessarily have to create yet another account and type in all my shipping details.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  Amazon seems to have noticed this and keep making it ever harder to identify who's selling and whether you're buying from Amazon or not. At this point I find eBay more trustworthy than Amazon.
  - fauigerzigerk 7y ago
    How are they making it harder to identify the seller? I have never seen an item without the usual "sold/fulfilled by" information.
    - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
      It's still there - downrated to being supplementary information somewhere below the buy buttons. It used to be highlighted, and in both the side box above the buy button and also in main product info right by the price which has now gone completely. If memory serves it used to be individually boxed or coloured, more as an actively highlighted "beware" this isn't from us. I can only assume that's all intended to get more people to buy from sellers without realising.
dahdum 7y ago
Amazon commingles inventory, so it doesn't matter which 3rd party you select from the product page. Any one of them can inject the counterfeit into the supply and affect sales from the others.
- ryanburk 7y ago
  just a note: this commingling only happens if it is "fulfilled by Amazon" vs buying directly from the 3rd party through Amazon.
  - x0x0 7y ago
    Not trying to be a jerk, but how do you know that?
    - dahdum 7y ago
      If it's not fulfilled by Amazon, it ships from the manufacturer or retailer.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - dahdum 7y ago
    A bit more clarification, the page right now says: "Sold by Spark Maestro and Fulfilled by Amazon." While this is a 3rd party sale, it will be fulfilled from the inventory Amazon has from any other seller. It has to ship from the 3rd party to be safe from counterfeiting.
    - tedmcory77 7y ago
      Not exactly correct; the seller has to allow comingling as well.
      - dahdum 7y ago
        Does the buyer have any way to tell if an item is commingled, and if the seller they selected does not commingle? The pressure to get the buy box on competitive items means missing out on sales if you don't commingle.
max76 7y ago
> A universal checkout experience (one login, saves CCs and contact information) would make Amazon obsolete in my opinion. Aside from the excellent checkout experience Amazon also offers good product search, a near complete product catalog, and cheap fast shipping.
- vkou 7y ago
  > a near complete product catalog Typing in "<product I want to buy>" into any search engine offers me a near-complete product catalog, with all the same guarantees of consistency and quality (That is, none) that I can expect from Amazon, circa 2019.
  - wolco 7y ago
    Really? Google has changed for me that I would never get the full list anymore.
- mhb 7y ago
  You must be joking. Their product search is terrible - hundreds of irrelevant results which are impossible to filter in any reasonable way.
- Regardsyjc 7y ago
  Also want to add that Amazon's customer service/return policy is great and their marketplace makes comparison shopping and thus competition easy ensuring cheap pricing for their customers.
x0x0 7y ago
I just paid more, with a worse experience, to buy toothpaste for my dog (trying to make him die with a mouth full of teeth) because I don't trust amazon to sell me non-counterfeit products. Over the last 3 years, I've cancelled standing orders for cereal, hand lotion, granola, cat food, dog food, dog shampoo, human shampoo and human toothpaste because Amazon isn't trustworthy. They simply don't care about counterfeit products.
- jedberg 7y ago
  Until this moment I never considered that I could be harmed by buying things that go in and on my body from Amazon. Thank you.
himaraya 7y ago
> A universal checkout experience (one login, saves CCs and contact information) Better known as PayPal?
- macintux 7y ago
  I lost confidence in PayPal after the massive eBay breach, probably unfairly. Need to revisit that, but it’s hard to ignore years of aversion.
YeahSureWhyNot 7y ago
I honestly think there is a giant opportunity in building a network of warehouses with quality inventory API to enable smaller businesses to tap into that delivery network by keeping their inventory closer to the customers and offer 2-3 day shipping. i think saving on FBA fees + Seller fees would balance out shipping/storage fees for those businesses. It looks like some businesses have been created for selling on amazon and are constantly optimizing for amazon while other honest businesses are constantly outperformed by those 'expert' sellers. from my observations more businesses are understanding that being locked into amazon's platform is not a smart investment in long term.
- randycupertino 7y ago
  I'd pay a 25% premium if I could ensure the products I want came direct from the actual manufacturer. I buy a lot of high end cosmetics online and it's so hard to source them without getting fakes from amazon. Currently amazon is overrun with counterfeits even more rampantly than ebay. For example, here's a fake: https://www.amazon.com/Jeffree-Star-Blue-Blood-Palette/dp/B07Q5HDJYX/ref=sr_1_2?crid=N2OQF5LDA8ZD&keywords=jeffree+star+blue+blood&qid=1556178485&s=beauty&sprefix=jeffree+star+blo%2Cbeauty%2C-1&sr=1-2-catcorr https://www.amazon.com/Jeffree-Star-Blue-Blood-Palette/dp/B0...
TMWNN 7y ago
>Just today I was browsing for new wine glasses. I finally found the product that I wanted and checked out a couple of options on Amazon. The first two reviews for the pair[1] I liked were complaining that they received counterfeit items. Another example: I need new brush heads for my electric toothbrush. I haven't bought them yet, in part because I can't be sure that the toothbrush manufacturer-branded refills on Amazon are genuine. Going with a generic, compatible refill with good reviews is preferable in this case, aside from the lower price, because presumably no one will counterfeit it.
- dazc 7y ago
  'Going with a generic, compatible refill with good reviews is preferable in this case, aside from the lower price, because presumably no one will counterfeit it.' And my immediate thought was: 'amazonbasics'.
- tzs 7y ago
  I just go straight to Walmart for such things now. The manufacturer branded heads are about the same price there as at Amazon. The only disadvantage I’ve seen buying in store at Walmart is that for generic heads they only carry their own generic brand (Equate) whereas Amazon has multiple generic brands. Even that is probably not much of a disadvantage, because I have more confidence in Equate generics than the assorted Amazon generics.
MetalGuru 7y ago
Isn’t that what PayPal is? A universal checkout experience.
danieltillett 7y ago
I know this is slightly off topic, but I highly recommend forking out for the hand blown fatto-a-mano glasses. Worth every cent if you drink wine regularly. I like and have this set as they are a rather interesting range of colours [1]. 1. https://www.riedel.com/en/shop/fatto-a-mano/cabernet-merlot-set-790000p98 https://www.riedel.com/en/shop/fatto-a-mano/cabernet-merlot-...
jiveturkey 7y ago
I have no reason to believe this is true, but OTOH I wouldn't put it past anyone. It could be a fake review by the manufacturer. List on Amazon to help you find the product, use fake review to drive you to the mfr website directly.

by iooi 7y ago

ansible 7y ago

I'm increasingly suspicious of all 3rd party sellers. Even on Newegg, I'm usually avoiding the 3rd party sellers, unless it is such a specialized item that it isn't sold by Newegg themselves. And I too am often looking at the manufacturer's website to see if I can order there. If they support Paypal for checkout, then I don't necessarily have to create yet another account and type in all my shipping details.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Amazon seems to have noticed this and keep making it ever harder to identify who's selling and whether you're buying from Amazon or not. At this point I find eBay more trustworthy than Amazon.
- fauigerzigerk 7y ago
  How are they making it harder to identify the seller? I have never seen an item without the usual "sold/fulfilled by" information.
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    It's still there - downrated to being supplementary information somewhere below the buy buttons. It used to be highlighted, and in both the side box above the buy button and also in main product info right by the price which has now gone completely. If memory serves it used to be individually boxed or coloured, more as an actively highlighted "beware" this isn't from us. I can only assume that's all intended to get more people to buy from sellers without realising.

dahdum 7y ago

Amazon commingles inventory, so it doesn't matter which 3rd party you select from the product page. Any one of them can inject the counterfeit into the supply and affect sales from the others.

ryanburk 7y ago
just a note: this commingling only happens if it is "fulfilled by Amazon" vs buying directly from the 3rd party through Amazon.
- x0x0 7y ago
  Not trying to be a jerk, but how do you know that?
  - dahdum 7y ago
    If it's not fulfilled by Amazon, it ships from the manufacturer or retailer.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- dahdum 7y ago
  A bit more clarification, the page right now says: "Sold by Spark Maestro and Fulfilled by Amazon." While this is a 3rd party sale, it will be fulfilled from the inventory Amazon has from any other seller. It has to ship from the 3rd party to be safe from counterfeiting.
  - tedmcory77 7y ago
    Not exactly correct; the seller has to allow comingling as well.
    - dahdum 7y ago
      Does the buyer have any way to tell if an item is commingled, and if the seller they selected does not commingle? The pressure to get the buy box on competitive items means missing out on sales if you don't commingle.

max76 7y ago

> A universal checkout experience (one login, saves CCs and contact information) would make Amazon obsolete in my opinion. Aside from the excellent checkout experience Amazon also offers good product search, a near complete product catalog, and cheap fast shipping.

vkou 7y ago
> a near complete product catalog Typing in "<product I want to buy>" into any search engine offers me a near-complete product catalog, with all the same guarantees of consistency and quality (That is, none) that I can expect from Amazon, circa 2019.
- wolco 7y ago
  Really? Google has changed for me that I would never get the full list anymore.
mhb 7y ago
You must be joking. Their product search is terrible - hundreds of irrelevant results which are impossible to filter in any reasonable way.
Regardsyjc 7y ago
Also want to add that Amazon's customer service/return policy is great and their marketplace makes comparison shopping and thus competition easy ensuring cheap pricing for their customers.

x0x0 7y ago

I just paid more, with a worse experience, to buy toothpaste for my dog (trying to make him die with a mouth full of teeth) because I don't trust amazon to sell me non-counterfeit products. Over the last 3 years, I've cancelled standing orders for cereal, hand lotion, granola, cat food, dog food, dog shampoo, human shampoo and human toothpaste because Amazon isn't trustworthy. They simply don't care about counterfeit products.

jedberg 7y ago
Until this moment I never considered that I could be harmed by buying things that go in and on my body from Amazon. Thank you.

himaraya 7y ago

> A universal checkout experience (one login, saves CCs and contact information) Better known as PayPal?

macintux 7y ago
I lost confidence in PayPal after the massive eBay breach, probably unfairly. Need to revisit that, but it’s hard to ignore years of aversion.

YeahSureWhyNot 7y ago

I honestly think there is a giant opportunity in building a network of warehouses with quality inventory API to enable smaller businesses to tap into that delivery network by keeping their inventory closer to the customers and offer 2-3 day shipping. i think saving on FBA fees + Seller fees would balance out shipping/storage fees for those businesses. It looks like some businesses have been created for selling on amazon and are constantly optimizing for amazon while other honest businesses are constantly outperformed by those 'expert' sellers. from my observations more businesses are understanding that being locked into amazon's platform is not a smart investment in long term.

randycupertino 7y ago
I'd pay a 25% premium if I could ensure the products I want came direct from the actual manufacturer. I buy a lot of high end cosmetics online and it's so hard to source them without getting fakes from amazon. Currently amazon is overrun with counterfeits even more rampantly than ebay. For example, here's a fake: https://www.amazon.com/Jeffree-Star-Blue-Blood-Palette/dp/B07Q5HDJYX/ref=sr_1_2?crid=N2OQF5LDA8ZD&keywords=jeffree+star+blue+blood&qid=1556178485&s=beauty&sprefix=jeffree+star+blo%2Cbeauty%2C-1&sr=1-2-catcorr https://www.amazon.com/Jeffree-Star-Blue-Blood-Palette/dp/B0...

TMWNN 7y ago

>Just today I was browsing for new wine glasses. I finally found the product that I wanted and checked out a couple of options on Amazon. The first two reviews for the pair[1] I liked were complaining that they received counterfeit items. Another example: I need new brush heads for my electric toothbrush. I haven't bought them yet, in part because I can't be sure that the toothbrush manufacturer-branded refills on Amazon are genuine. Going with a generic, compatible refill with good reviews is preferable in this case, aside from the lower price, because presumably no one will counterfeit it.

dazc 7y ago
'Going with a generic, compatible refill with good reviews is preferable in this case, aside from the lower price, because presumably no one will counterfeit it.' And my immediate thought was: 'amazonbasics'.
tzs 7y ago
I just go straight to Walmart for such things now. The manufacturer branded heads are about the same price there as at Amazon. The only disadvantage I’ve seen buying in store at Walmart is that for generic heads they only carry their own generic brand (Equate) whereas Amazon has multiple generic brands. Even that is probably not much of a disadvantage, because I have more confidence in Equate generics than the assorted Amazon generics.

MetalGuru 7y ago

Isn’t that what PayPal is? A universal checkout experience.

danieltillett 7y ago

I know this is slightly off topic, but I highly recommend forking out for the hand blown fatto-a-mano glasses. Worth every cent if you drink wine regularly. I like and have this set as they are a rather interesting range of colours [1]. 1. https://www.riedel.com/en/shop/fatto-a-mano/cabernet-merlot-set-790000p98 https://www.riedel.com/en/shop/fatto-a-mano/cabernet-merlot-...

jiveturkey 7y ago

I have no reason to believe this is true, but OTOH I wouldn't put it past anyone. It could be a fake review by the manufacturer. List on Amazon to help you find the product, use fake review to drive you to the mfr website directly.