3 ms·

I think it worked because you could buy a lot of CD's each week on behalf of folks who needed the ratings bump, then when the 30 days were up you could return t

I think it worked because you could buy a lot of CD's each week on behalf of folks who needed the ratings bump, then when the 30 days were up you could return them. So amazon was covering labor and shipping both ways on large quantities of these - stock, then pick and ship, then dealing with the returns and restock etc. Of course I hope the account would get canceled, but based on other areas these folks seem able to create reasonable numbers of accounts.

erichocean 4y ago
The problem is that no one on Earth buys used music CDs due to the Amazon.com best seller ranks. The whole SEO spammer idea is nonsensical in this case, and I highly doubt Amazon is trying to target SEO spammers buying thousands of copies of used Audio CDs. I'm like 99.9% certain it's a mistake. USB chargers? HDMI cables? Sure, I'd buy your SEO spammer theory that people are messing with the product rankings somehow. But not used music CDs. You search Amazon for the used CD you already know you want, pray they have even one copy, then buy it. I don't think in 20+ years of buying CDs online, I've ever looked at a best seller rank. But the real problem with your theory is that there aren't many copies of these things! Certainly not "thousands" as you implied. There's like…two (if you're lucky, a lot of times Amazon doesn't have any 3rd party sellers and you have to check eBay or whatever). I don't see how buying two used CDs, then returning them 30 days later to a 3rd party seller, helps anything with the best seller ranking.
- tempnow987 4y ago
  Sorry, if this was just used / out of production CD's then I'm probably wrong. However, this IS an issue in everything from book lists (which predate Amazon actually and happen outside of amazon with bulk book buys) to I thought regular music "sales" which have become easier to manipulate because total unit sales are low (given streaming etc etc).

erichocean 4y ago

The problem is that no one on Earth buys used music CDs due to the Amazon.com best seller ranks. The whole SEO spammer idea is nonsensical in this case, and I highly doubt Amazon is trying to target SEO spammers buying thousands of copies of used Audio CDs. I'm like 99.9% certain it's a mistake. USB chargers? HDMI cables? Sure, I'd buy your SEO spammer theory that people are messing with the product rankings somehow. But not used music CDs. You search Amazon for the used CD you already know you want, pray they have even one copy, then buy it. I don't think in 20+ years of buying CDs online, I've ever looked at a best seller rank. But the real problem with your theory is that there aren't many copies of these things! Certainly not "thousands" as you implied. There's like…two (if you're lucky, a lot of times Amazon doesn't have any 3rd party sellers and you have to check eBay or whatever). I don't see how buying two used CDs, then returning them 30 days later to a 3rd party seller, helps anything with the best seller ranking.

tempnow987 4y ago
Sorry, if this was just used / out of production CD's then I'm probably wrong. However, this IS an issue in everything from book lists (which predate Amazon actually and happen outside of amazon with bulk book buys) to I thought regular music "sales" which have become easier to manipulate because total unit sales are low (given streaming etc etc).