5 ms·

“Amazon Warehouse“, for those not familiar with it, is an option you can select specifically to buy an item that was previously returned. Amazon has done a cos

by zaroth 6y ago

“Amazon Warehouse“, for those not familiar with it, is an option you can select specifically to buy an item that was previously returned. Amazon has done a cosmetic inspection of the item and gives it a ranking on how it appears which you see when you are buying it. There are certain types of items where you can save a huge amount of money and get great deals using Amazon Warehouse. Hard drives are obviously not one of them due to the assumption that everything is returned for a reason. An example of a type of item that I’ve always had good luck with is pots and pans. The interesting thing about this is assume that the tracking is in place to identify who returned the original item. What would you do? Maybe the actual scam (I don’t mean in this specific case) is buying perfectly good Amazon Warehouse items but, knowing that they had been previously returned, claiming the item was swapped out after swapping it out yourself. So Amazon can’t really know who to blame from a single incident. But certainly I would expect accounts would accumulate warning flags and at some point be banned.

vinhboy 6y ago
I feel like this needs to be the top comment. Buying warehouse items is risky, that's why it's cheaper. Also, you can just return it if you don't like. I don't think this deserves the scrutiny it's getting here.
- amiantos 6y ago
  Outrage drives clicks... link has been up for 5 hours and is on the front page of HN, while other links with (probably) more worthwhile content stagnate and die. It's just how the internet works.
- paradoja 6y ago
  I'd think that it's cheaper not because it's risky (specially since Amazon says it inspects the item), but because it's second hand. Trying to pass the risk to the user is probably not what most people would expect.
- skinnymuch 6y ago
  You can return things if you don’t like them. A quick search shows the excuses you can give that not only allow you to return them, but get free return shipping too.
hn_check 6y ago
"But certainly I would expect accounts would accumulate warning flags and at some point be banned." https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-style-rating-helps-brands-track-shopper-returns-2019-7 https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-style-rating-helps-bran... Though there seems to be a bit of a conflict with such a system -- wouldn't every retailer want to say everyone is terrible, you surely don't want to deal with them, etc.
- stingraycharles 6y ago
  But isn’t the fact that it’s anti-retailers the whole purpose, that it holds retailers more accountable? The whole reason it’s controversial with Uber is that the drivers are more like independent contractors, rather than businesses, and as such is very stressful for them. Whereas with e-commerce, the way the retailers present themselves and operate as is much more like a proper business. Holding them more accountable here isn’t as bad as with Uber.
  - hn_check 6y ago
    In this case it is retailers secretly rating customers, and sharing those ratings between each other. Retailers can and purportedly do use this to determine how to interact with you, how forgiving to be, etc. My only real concern with it is that it kind of has the incentive for every retailer to say that every customer is terrible, in a way that ostensibly lead their competitors to treat customers worse.
stordoff 6y ago
I got a set of Hue bulbs for less than half price (packaging was beat up, but the contents were fine), and a pair of headphones for 25% off the new price (had a cable missing). I've also had stuff arrive in _far_ worst condition than was noted on the listing. It's a bit hit and miss.
danielfoster 6y ago
I often wonder if Amazon even inspects returns. I will often order items with listed cosmetic defects (major scratches) but receive brand new items in sealed packaging.
SomewhatLikely 6y ago
This really confused me when I bought an industrial label printer from them. I didn't know what "Amazon Warehouse" was and assumed it was just a used device they used in their warehouse. Didn't get around to using the device for a couple months and it turned on but wouldn't print because the motor wouldn't turn. Too late to return it, and I won't be buying anything from warehouse any more.
- skinnymuch 6y ago
  I made that mistake too of not using an iPad keyboard once coronavirus began. I can’t remember if I properly used it before then or not. At best I tried it once. A few weeks ago I got around to it again and it didn’t work any more.
rju 6y ago
"But certainly I would expect accounts would accumulate warning flags and at some point be banned." They do exactly that, but sometimes, it goes wrong. It happened to me in October 2019 and I'm still trying to get out of this nightmare. I bought a high-end desktop for $2700 from amazon, it was shipped with a GTX 660 instead of a RTX 2080Ti! The graphic card had been swapped by the previous person and Amazon blames it on me. - They say they checked the item before sending it, they obviously didn't - There was no indication when buying that this item had been previously returned - They say I did this scam several times before but I order a couple of times a year and for low value. I never returned anything - They refuse to listen to me and consider they made a mistake. The India-based chat support is entirely useless, they keep telling me "there is nothing I can do", "so sorry", etc. I sent an email to jeff@amazon.com and they tell me "we'll not be able to offer any additional insight or action on these matters, and any further inquiries on this matter won't receive a response."
- randomchars 6y ago
  That's awful to hear. Did you try to do a chargeback?
- Jnr 6y ago
  In these cases go directly to your bank or payment card provider (Visa, MasterCard, etc.). You usually have ~6 months from the day of the purchase to make chargeback request.
  - anaisbetts 6y ago
    If you chargeback Amazon, assumedly you'll never be able to use Amazon again which seems like a pyrrhic victory at best
    - lazylizard 6y ago
      The gap between the 2080ti n the 660 could be worth it....
    - aronpye 6y ago
skinnymuch 6y ago
I have had two swaps happen to me with Walmart and Amazon. Now I’ve started opening anything more than $50 or so in front of our Ring doorbell. My thinking is what you said, don’t want to seem like a scammer.
- cerberusss 6y ago
  Yup, me too. I set up the iPad, tap recording and then unpack the ordered item. It's zero hassle and potentially saves a lot of discussion.
  - skinnymuch 6y ago
    Yeah that works great. Good thinking m
croutonwagon 6y ago
Amazon definitely keeps metrics. There was a point where I had a string of returns that bumped my overall return rate up above 30%. I got an email saying they noticed excessive returns and would cancel my account and amazon prime If it continued. I started doing more diligence in screening vendors I was buying from as a result (and stopped ordering as much from amazon).

by zaroth 6y ago

vinhboy 6y ago

I feel like this needs to be the top comment. Buying warehouse items is risky, that's why it's cheaper. Also, you can just return it if you don't like. I don't think this deserves the scrutiny it's getting here.

amiantos 6y ago
Outrage drives clicks... link has been up for 5 hours and is on the front page of HN, while other links with (probably) more worthwhile content stagnate and die. It's just how the internet works.
paradoja 6y ago
I'd think that it's cheaper not because it's risky (specially since Amazon says it inspects the item), but because it's second hand. Trying to pass the risk to the user is probably not what most people would expect.
skinnymuch 6y ago
You can return things if you don’t like them. A quick search shows the excuses you can give that not only allow you to return them, but get free return shipping too.

hn_check 6y ago

"But certainly I would expect accounts would accumulate warning flags and at some point be banned." https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-style-rating-helps-brands-track-shopper-returns-2019-7 https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-style-rating-helps-bran... Though there seems to be a bit of a conflict with such a system -- wouldn't every retailer want to say everyone is terrible, you surely don't want to deal with them, etc.

stingraycharles 6y ago
But isn’t the fact that it’s anti-retailers the whole purpose, that it holds retailers more accountable? The whole reason it’s controversial with Uber is that the drivers are more like independent contractors, rather than businesses, and as such is very stressful for them. Whereas with e-commerce, the way the retailers present themselves and operate as is much more like a proper business. Holding them more accountable here isn’t as bad as with Uber.
- hn_check 6y ago
  In this case it is retailers secretly rating customers, and sharing those ratings between each other. Retailers can and purportedly do use this to determine how to interact with you, how forgiving to be, etc. My only real concern with it is that it kind of has the incentive for every retailer to say that every customer is terrible, in a way that ostensibly lead their competitors to treat customers worse.

stordoff 6y ago

I got a set of Hue bulbs for less than half price (packaging was beat up, but the contents were fine), and a pair of headphones for 25% off the new price (had a cable missing). I've also had stuff arrive in _far_ worst condition than was noted on the listing. It's a bit hit and miss.

danielfoster 6y ago

I often wonder if Amazon even inspects returns. I will often order items with listed cosmetic defects (major scratches) but receive brand new items in sealed packaging.

SomewhatLikely 6y ago

This really confused me when I bought an industrial label printer from them. I didn't know what "Amazon Warehouse" was and assumed it was just a used device they used in their warehouse. Didn't get around to using the device for a couple months and it turned on but wouldn't print because the motor wouldn't turn. Too late to return it, and I won't be buying anything from warehouse any more.

skinnymuch 6y ago
I made that mistake too of not using an iPad keyboard once coronavirus began. I can’t remember if I properly used it before then or not. At best I tried it once. A few weeks ago I got around to it again and it didn’t work any more.

rju 6y ago

"But certainly I would expect accounts would accumulate warning flags and at some point be banned." They do exactly that, but sometimes, it goes wrong. It happened to me in October 2019 and I'm still trying to get out of this nightmare. I bought a high-end desktop for $2700 from amazon, it was shipped with a GTX 660 instead of a RTX 2080Ti! The graphic card had been swapped by the previous person and Amazon blames it on me. - They say they checked the item before sending it, they obviously didn't - There was no indication when buying that this item had been previously returned - They say I did this scam several times before but I order a couple of times a year and for low value. I never returned anything - They refuse to listen to me and consider they made a mistake. The India-based chat support is entirely useless, they keep telling me "there is nothing I can do", "so sorry", etc. I sent an email to jeff@amazon.com and they tell me "we'll not be able to offer any additional insight or action on these matters, and any further inquiries on this matter won't receive a response."

randomchars 6y ago
That's awful to hear. Did you try to do a chargeback?
Jnr 6y ago
In these cases go directly to your bank or payment card provider (Visa, MasterCard, etc.). You usually have ~6 months from the day of the purchase to make chargeback request.
- anaisbetts 6y ago
  If you chargeback Amazon, assumedly you'll never be able to use Amazon again which seems like a pyrrhic victory at best
  - lazylizard 6y ago
    The gap between the 2080ti n the 660 could be worth it....
  - aronpye 6y ago

skinnymuch 6y ago

I have had two swaps happen to me with Walmart and Amazon. Now I’ve started opening anything more than $50 or so in front of our Ring doorbell. My thinking is what you said, don’t want to seem like a scammer.

cerberusss 6y ago
Yup, me too. I set up the iPad, tap recording and then unpack the ordered item. It's zero hassle and potentially saves a lot of discussion.
- skinnymuch 6y ago
  Yeah that works great. Good thinking m

croutonwagon 6y ago

Amazon definitely keeps metrics. There was a point where I had a string of returns that bumped my overall return rate up above 30%. I got an email saying they noticed excessive returns and would cancel my account and amazon prime If it continued. I started doing more diligence in screening vendors I was buying from as a result (and stopped ordering as much from amazon).