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Add to this the fact that a lot of these brands don’t even manufacture their items in the first place: they source manufacturers and slap their logo and marketi

Add to this the fact that a lot of these brands don’t even manufacture their items in the first place: they source manufacturers and slap their logo and marketing on, then markup the item price. Does that really add value? In some cases the private label even uses the same manufacturers, the people producing the product still get paid in the end.

Spivak 6y ago
Sooooooo many no-name brands that just buy something on Aliexpress and put their logo on it. I'm happy to wait the long shipping times just to get the unbranded version.
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
> Does that really add value? The value add is that you can have decent confidence the product isn't so crappy that the brand is unwilling to put their name on it. Presumably Walmart, Harbor Freight, Amazon, whoever at least got a test batch of the product and made sure it actually worked before ordering millions of them. The consumer can just buy the widget at a slight markup for $1.99 and know it will work instead of going on Ebay or Alibaba and buying direct from exporters and wondering whether they should get varieties A, B or C for $1.59, $1.69 or $1.79.
sidlls 6y ago
The value in those private label items is sometimes the aesthetic is more appealing. One example: the pattern on a textile such as a curtain or blanket, or the colors/patterns on casing for an electronics item. There are considerations people have that are above and beyond the purely utilitarian.
- chillacy 6y ago
  Yea in those cases I agree that they do have more involvement than slapping a logo on. That's the case of sunglasses and luxottica: companies are selling a design/logo which is the distinguishing factor, and the manufacturer is simply building it. On the opposite end is where a manufacturer of pasta/salt/milk puts the exact same product in boxes with different labels.
mjevans 6y ago
I would really LOVE if Amazon required all sellers to disclose the company and country of original origin. Including for Amazon products. If it's an electronics part, I would also like the FCC submission numbers, UL submission numbers, etc. For every regulatory agency in which a filing was made, I would like to be able to see those filings. Those filings should also count as the advertised product specification. If they change chips or designs outside of the specified list I should be able to return the product for it being different than the listed item.
robryan 6y ago
I think what Amazon is saying here is if it is just about slapping a logo on something Amazon can do it better and cheaper than all of these 3rd parties. In some of these categories it is basically heaps of 3rd parties slapping logos on the same stuff and the winner is whoever best games the reviews for search rankings. They are now annoyed that in some cases Amazon decides that there is no winner.

Spivak 6y ago

Sooooooo many no-name brands that just buy something on Aliexpress and put their logo on it. I'm happy to wait the long shipping times just to get the unbranded version.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago

> Does that really add value? The value add is that you can have decent confidence the product isn't so crappy that the brand is unwilling to put their name on it. Presumably Walmart, Harbor Freight, Amazon, whoever at least got a test batch of the product and made sure it actually worked before ordering millions of them. The consumer can just buy the widget at a slight markup for $1.99 and know it will work instead of going on Ebay or Alibaba and buying direct from exporters and wondering whether they should get varieties A, B or C for $1.59, $1.69 or $1.79.

sidlls 6y ago

The value in those private label items is sometimes the aesthetic is more appealing. One example: the pattern on a textile such as a curtain or blanket, or the colors/patterns on casing for an electronics item. There are considerations people have that are above and beyond the purely utilitarian.

chillacy 6y ago
Yea in those cases I agree that they do have more involvement than slapping a logo on. That's the case of sunglasses and luxottica: companies are selling a design/logo which is the distinguishing factor, and the manufacturer is simply building it. On the opposite end is where a manufacturer of pasta/salt/milk puts the exact same product in boxes with different labels.

mjevans 6y ago

I would really LOVE if Amazon required all sellers to disclose the company and country of original origin. Including for Amazon products. If it's an electronics part, I would also like the FCC submission numbers, UL submission numbers, etc. For every regulatory agency in which a filing was made, I would like to be able to see those filings. Those filings should also count as the advertised product specification. If they change chips or designs outside of the specified list I should be able to return the product for it being different than the listed item.

robryan 6y ago

I think what Amazon is saying here is if it is just about slapping a logo on something Amazon can do it better and cheaper than all of these 3rd parties. In some of these categories it is basically heaps of 3rd parties slapping logos on the same stuff and the winner is whoever best games the reviews for search rankings. They are now annoyed that in some cases Amazon decides that there is no winner.