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I think buying a shirt is different from buying a book. The author got exactly what he wanted. He wasn't expecting a different book, or even one with a slightly

I think buying a shirt is different from buying a book. The author got exactly what he wanted. He wasn't expecting a different book, or even one with a slightly different colour, or a different fit. The real problem is that merchants can't state that they don't accept refunds in cases where people bought and received what they asked for but they didn't actually want the think they bought. Kind of a corner case I'd think, but one that led to the disappointment of both people in this transaction.

tibbon 15y ago
That's true. But it really could be any product. You get what you want, realize you already had one, find that you no longer have the use for it you imagined, etc. One problem inherent to buying books online is that you aren't always sure of their content. Google Books and previews help with this, but they aren't of all books. Sometimes you get a book and realize that it just isn't what you wanted (Oh... this book on Ruby assumes you're using 1.8.6, etc). If the seller has a return policy that accepts it in that time, and its in good condition, then the retailer should accept it back. This is how I view it to work on Amazon anyway. Other places like eBay, it doesn't work like that, but it is known. Order a pair of shoes from Zappos. Get them. Look at them, and then send them a return note saying, "They are exactly as I wanted, and fit perfectly, but I just realized I don't need them", and you will not get a return note about how you might have 3D scanned them. Overall, I really feel that if you're going to sell in Amazon's house, then you've gotta act like Amazon. If not, then you should consider selling elsewhere.
alexleavitt 15y ago
But I see an interesting parallel between clothing and media, in terms of "trying them out," if you will. Over the years, Amazon has (at least anecdotally -- would be interesting to confirm this empirically) adopted a try-and-return policy on a lot of clothing, taking a hit on the shipping so that people can retain the "in-store experience" of making sure everything fits. Why does that necessarily have to be different for books and other media? Is it just a question of physical weight + price?
- tibbon 15y ago
  I think the difference between Amazon Inc and Amazon Marketplace sellers is that Amazon knows you'll come back if you're happy. Marketplace sellers will probably/likely never see you again, happy or not. So Amazon sees it as an investment in the future, but the Marketplace sellers just see it as a loss.
rmc 15y ago
merchants can't state that they don't accept refunds in cases where people bought and received what they asked for but they didn't actually want the think they bought As an aside, in some juristictions, customers are legally entitled to a full refund if they buy something online and within 7 days, decide they don't want it.

tibbon 15y ago

That's true. But it really could be any product. You get what you want, realize you already had one, find that you no longer have the use for it you imagined, etc. One problem inherent to buying books online is that you aren't always sure of their content. Google Books and previews help with this, but they aren't of all books. Sometimes you get a book and realize that it just isn't what you wanted (Oh... this book on Ruby assumes you're using 1.8.6, etc). If the seller has a return policy that accepts it in that time, and its in good condition, then the retailer should accept it back. This is how I view it to work on Amazon anyway. Other places like eBay, it doesn't work like that, but it is known. Order a pair of shoes from Zappos. Get them. Look at them, and then send them a return note saying, "They are exactly as I wanted, and fit perfectly, but I just realized I don't need them", and you will not get a return note about how you might have 3D scanned them. Overall, I really feel that if you're going to sell in Amazon's house, then you've gotta act like Amazon. If not, then you should consider selling elsewhere.

alexleavitt 15y ago

But I see an interesting parallel between clothing and media, in terms of "trying them out," if you will. Over the years, Amazon has (at least anecdotally -- would be interesting to confirm this empirically) adopted a try-and-return policy on a lot of clothing, taking a hit on the shipping so that people can retain the "in-store experience" of making sure everything fits. Why does that necessarily have to be different for books and other media? Is it just a question of physical weight + price?

tibbon 15y ago
I think the difference between Amazon Inc and Amazon Marketplace sellers is that Amazon knows you'll come back if you're happy. Marketplace sellers will probably/likely never see you again, happy or not. So Amazon sees it as an investment in the future, but the Marketplace sellers just see it as a loss.

rmc 15y ago

merchants can't state that they don't accept refunds in cases where people bought and received what they asked for but they didn't actually want the think they bought As an aside, in some juristictions, customers are legally entitled to a full refund if they buy something online and within 7 days, decide they don't want it.