4 ms·

Can someone explain why (legally) amazon is not itself, "the culprit?" What are the obligations/liabilities of a retailer?

• astura 7y ago
  They claim they are just a platform for their third party sellers so if a third party seller send you a fake or dangerous product then they are "the culprit," not Amazon, Amazon is just a middleman. Of course, most third party sellers who send counterfeits are Chinese fly-by-night operations that can't be located to sue when someone gets hurt.
  • nkrisc 7y ago
    I wonder how tested in the court is this theory? Is it established precedent? Because as a consumer, I'm shopping on Amazon.com and I pay Amazon.com and I receive goods from Amazon.com. Maybe they're legally sound, but it sure looks like I'm transacting with Amazon.com and not some third-party seller most of the time.
    • slowmovintarget 7y ago
      Uber and Lyft have been losing this argument in court. I suspect this will come to impact Amazon too, which actually is a "platform". This would be a good outcome.
    • qtplatypus 7y ago
      Yes it has been tested in court and amazon has lost. In the case of Oberdorf v. Amazon.com Inc a woman was able to sue Amazon. However this ruling depended on the original seller not being available.
      • nkrisc 7y ago
        Nice, thanks for the reference case. I'll check it out.
  • deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]