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I remember baby formula from Amazon arriving with the tamper seal opened. I immediately realized what happened. Someone purchased baby formula, used it, filled

I remember baby formula from Amazon arriving with the tamper seal opened. I immediately realized what happened. Someone purchased baby formula, used it, filled it with powder, sold it at the Amazon market place, and then Amazon shipped it to me (Amazon thought the tampered product was indistinguishable from its factory purchased products). I stopped ordering anything food related from Amazon. Pay attention to the tamper seal. That's all I could do. I bought all my formula direct at the grocery store after my Amazon experience

jrumbut 6y ago
That's terrifying! You would think such an issue would be worthy of a major investigation, what would happen if a baby lived on that powder for weeks?
- martamorena943 6y ago
  Yeah, that's should be something along the lines of: * Fraud: Selling a product not as advertised * Tampering: Selling a product with the tamper seal broken * Intent of causing bodily harm to newborns Yeah that should give a nice little jail sentence lol. If this doesn't warrant an investigation then I don't know.
- astura 6y ago
  I mean, there has been investigations, many investigations, and they've found this sorta thing is Amazon's MO. Example: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/report-finds-more-than-4100-unsafe-or-recalled-listings-on-amazon/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/report-finds-mor... >Among the Journal's findings: 116 products falsely listed as FDA-approved, including toys, which the agency does not regulate; 80 listings for infant "sleeping wedges" the FDA says can cause suffocation and that Amazon had previously banned; 1,412 electronics listings falsely claiming to be UL-certified; 2,324 toys that failed to include federally mandated choking hazard warnings; and more. >The WSJ commissioned tests of 10 specific children's products it bought on Amazon, many carrying the enigmatic "Amazon's Choice" badge. Of those, four failed tests based on federal safety standards, including one that contained excessively high levels of lead. >A 23-year-old man in Missouri purchased a motorcycle helmet from Amazon that was at the time listed as certified as meeting US Department of Transportation safety standards. Later that year, however, he was killed in a crash while riding. A federal investigation later found that the helmet did not meet DOT standards and was recalled. The WSJ, however, found the product still for sale, with an active listing promising compliance, until the WSJ contacted Amazon to inquire about it. >The WSJ's investigation found 157 products for sale that Amazon has already banned from sale on its site. The motorcycle helmet was one of more than 2,300 product listings altered or pulled after the WSJ drew them to Amazon's attention. Yet, within two weeks, the WSJ found that at least 130 of these problem items reappeared, "some sold by the same vendors previously identified by the Journal under different listings."
  - tehjoker 6y ago
    I guess Amazon wants to get every possible item into its marketplace so it can declare victory and corner the market. It's already a near monopolist so it can do this stuff. Terrifying what they'll do when they increase their market share further.
    - klipt 6y ago
      I guess you don't get Bezos rich by caring about customer well-being.
  - jrumbut 6y ago
    Sorry for the late reply, should have been more specific. I mean a law enforcement investigation into tampered baby formula sales, targeting the actual sellers rather than only quantifying the problem.
spoonjim 6y ago
No the lesson is don’t order food products from Amazon! Order them from Target which has a far more controlled supply chain.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  Unfortunately, Target has also introduced third party sellers on their website so it's no longer as easy to trust them as it once was. Costco or the brand's website itself is my most trusted source for now.
  - bluGill 6y ago
    My most trusted source is find the major players (make sure they are competing companies and not just brands of the same one), follow the "where to buy links", and find a small niche company that sells both brands. They tend to only sell one type of thing so they are experts and can give good reviews. They don't care which item I buy, just that I buy from them. They can thus tell me the real differences. I then buy from them as the prices are generally good and I get good service.
- koolba 6y ago
  More generally don’t purchase anything that gets absorbed into your body from Amazon. That’s food, creams, gels, toothpaste...
afandian 6y ago
What country are you in? Is that a serious criminal offense? Did law enforcement get involved?
BrissyCoder 6y ago
What was the replacement powder exactly do you know? Sounds like something you should have involved police in.
- SilverRed 6y ago
  Whatever was the cheapest I'd guess. Flour sounds like a good candidate.
- megablast 6y ago
  What do you think?? They tested it in a lab??
  - aaron695 6y ago
    Since if true it could kill a baby, yes? It's far more serious than someone putting glass or needles in food.
bagels 6y ago
Is there anywhere online with a large selection (electronics or food) that doesn't allow third party selling and actually sells legitimate product?
- dec0dedab0de 6y ago
  It's not the third party that makes it a problem. It's the comingling. So if you buy it from one company it could have actually came from another. So there is no way for the bad 3rd party to be held accountable. As far as I know Amazon is the only marketplace that does this.
- klipt 6y ago
  I trust Target and Walmart over Amazon for anything food related.
slacktide 6y ago
This also sometimes happens with returns at retail stores. I bought a $20 gallon of Acetone at Home Depot, took it home, and all it contained was water.

jrumbut 6y ago

That's terrifying! You would think such an issue would be worthy of a major investigation, what would happen if a baby lived on that powder for weeks?

martamorena943 6y ago
Yeah, that's should be something along the lines of: * Fraud: Selling a product not as advertised * Tampering: Selling a product with the tamper seal broken * Intent of causing bodily harm to newborns Yeah that should give a nice little jail sentence lol. If this doesn't warrant an investigation then I don't know.
astura 6y ago
I mean, there has been investigations, many investigations, and they've found this sorta thing is Amazon's MO. Example: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/report-finds-more-than-4100-unsafe-or-recalled-listings-on-amazon/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/report-finds-mor... >Among the Journal's findings: 116 products falsely listed as FDA-approved, including toys, which the agency does not regulate; 80 listings for infant "sleeping wedges" the FDA says can cause suffocation and that Amazon had previously banned; 1,412 electronics listings falsely claiming to be UL-certified; 2,324 toys that failed to include federally mandated choking hazard warnings; and more. >The WSJ commissioned tests of 10 specific children's products it bought on Amazon, many carrying the enigmatic "Amazon's Choice" badge. Of those, four failed tests based on federal safety standards, including one that contained excessively high levels of lead. >A 23-year-old man in Missouri purchased a motorcycle helmet from Amazon that was at the time listed as certified as meeting US Department of Transportation safety standards. Later that year, however, he was killed in a crash while riding. A federal investigation later found that the helmet did not meet DOT standards and was recalled. The WSJ, however, found the product still for sale, with an active listing promising compliance, until the WSJ contacted Amazon to inquire about it. >The WSJ's investigation found 157 products for sale that Amazon has already banned from sale on its site. The motorcycle helmet was one of more than 2,300 product listings altered or pulled after the WSJ drew them to Amazon's attention. Yet, within two weeks, the WSJ found that at least 130 of these problem items reappeared, "some sold by the same vendors previously identified by the Journal under different listings."
- tehjoker 6y ago
  I guess Amazon wants to get every possible item into its marketplace so it can declare victory and corner the market. It's already a near monopolist so it can do this stuff. Terrifying what they'll do when they increase their market share further.
  - klipt 6y ago
    I guess you don't get Bezos rich by caring about customer well-being.
- jrumbut 6y ago
  Sorry for the late reply, should have been more specific. I mean a law enforcement investigation into tampered baby formula sales, targeting the actual sellers rather than only quantifying the problem.

spoonjim 6y ago

No the lesson is don’t order food products from Amazon! Order them from Target which has a far more controlled supply chain.

lotsofpulp 6y ago
Unfortunately, Target has also introduced third party sellers on their website so it's no longer as easy to trust them as it once was. Costco or the brand's website itself is my most trusted source for now.
- bluGill 6y ago
  My most trusted source is find the major players (make sure they are competing companies and not just brands of the same one), follow the "where to buy links", and find a small niche company that sells both brands. They tend to only sell one type of thing so they are experts and can give good reviews. They don't care which item I buy, just that I buy from them. They can thus tell me the real differences. I then buy from them as the prices are generally good and I get good service.
koolba 6y ago
More generally don’t purchase anything that gets absorbed into your body from Amazon. That’s food, creams, gels, toothpaste...

afandian 6y ago

What country are you in? Is that a serious criminal offense? Did law enforcement get involved?

BrissyCoder 6y ago

What was the replacement powder exactly do you know? Sounds like something you should have involved police in.

SilverRed 6y ago
Whatever was the cheapest I'd guess. Flour sounds like a good candidate.
megablast 6y ago
What do you think?? They tested it in a lab??
- aaron695 6y ago
  Since if true it could kill a baby, yes? It's far more serious than someone putting glass or needles in food.

bagels 6y ago

Is there anywhere online with a large selection (electronics or food) that doesn't allow third party selling and actually sells legitimate product?

dec0dedab0de 6y ago
It's not the third party that makes it a problem. It's the comingling. So if you buy it from one company it could have actually came from another. So there is no way for the bad 3rd party to be held accountable. As far as I know Amazon is the only marketplace that does this.
klipt 6y ago
I trust Target and Walmart over Amazon for anything food related.

slacktide 6y ago

This also sometimes happens with returns at retail stores. I bought a $20 gallon of Acetone at Home Depot, took it home, and all it contained was water.