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It is basically like eBay, if you ignore who is selling the product. It's pretty easy to tell when you are, for example, buying Panasonic batteries from Panaso
by leggomylibro 7y ago
It is basically like eBay, if you ignore who is selling the product.
It's pretty easy to tell when you are, for example, buying Panasonic batteries from Panasonic as opposed to buying no-name lithium cells from a seller with a name like, 'krazedeals'. And sellers with a brand to maintain are unlikely to opt in to the 'comingling' program.
I guess that Amazon could highlight the seller information a bit more, but it's already pretty prominent.
I'm also a little bit confused reading all of these comments - do people think that Amazon sells everything on their website? It's rare to see an ecommerce business run that way these days - new-ish entries like Walmart also have third-party sellers, and old mainstays like Newegg have switched to that style of selling too. Personally I'm not a huge fan, but things have been like this for awhile now across the web. Do people not use other major online retailers? Or does Amazon get more flack because they are the service that almost everyone uses?
- res0nat0r 7y agoI'm not sure why there are so many complaints on HN re: these junk items. I've had an account since 1999 and don't have issues. I just pay attention to who the seller is for an item I'm looking to buy from. If I'm looking for a new Sonos speaker, I buy from the seller named 'Sonos', not from 'Jims Secondhand Sonos Shop'. I would think most folks here would be savvy enough to know the difference and pay attention to whom they are buying from on Amazon.
- fignews 7y agoFor some products Amazon mixes inventory from various sellers. The seller tells you nothing about the origin of the product.
- res0nat0r 7y agoYes, but if you're concerned about buying a fake Sonos product, don't by from anyone other than the official 'Sonos' seller that's shipped and sold by Amazon.com.
- nkurz 7y agoI don't think you are understanding the point that others are making: for many products, Amazon commingles inventory. If you order from "Sonos Corp", but the closest warehouse has the same item that was sent in by "Sonos Clone", despite your explicit choice of vendor they may send the closer item and you may get a fake. Details about the approach are here: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/03/20/1553085361000/Amazon--sub-Prime-/ https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/03/20/1553085361000/Amazon-... If anything, rather than going out of your way to make sure the item is shipped by Amazon.com, if you want to avoid fakes, you probably should prefer items that are shipped direct by the manufacturer. And once you are doing that, the question arises why you are shopping on Amazon in the first place. Personally, I tend to agree with the approach of buying only items shipped by Amazon. While the chance of getting a fake might be higher, the return process if I have a problem is easier. But I can see why others might want to avoid Amazon altogether.
- lonelappde 7y agoI actually tried to buy a product from a manufacturer because of these concerns. Their website catalog just links to Amazon for purchase. It is a Shenzhen company, though. People gripe about "Chinese" companies, but everything is made by some Chinese company. Chinese companies who build a reputation for their brand are good.
- imtringued 7y agoYou're wrong. People gripe about Chinese brands because they are usually terrible.
- JohnFen 7y ago> do people think that Amazon sells everything on their website? No, but people hold Amazon responsible for everything on their site -- which I think is totally fair.