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Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

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Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#451

Post by phaedrus »

linuxftw wrote: post #446
phaedrus wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue with fakes (or deceivingly advertised) items on Amazon is something that seems to have gotten worse in the past year, and is a big reason I'm not renewing my Prime either. In one case I ordered a name-brand transmission rebuild kit but received a knock-off with a similar name. Unfortunately I didn't notice the difference before I dropped off the kit with the friend who was rebuilding the trans for me. He ke…

Don't buy car parts from Amazon, they are almost always overpriced compared to competitors, let alone the risk of fakes (That you claim, I personally don't know of any counterfeit products I have purchased). Rockauto or Advance is the way to go in the US.

Funny you should mention, as Rockauto came to the rescue for the transmission kit, and Advance for the spark plugs. Now I only go to Amazon if the car part isn't on Rockauto, but it begs the question - if this part is so obscure it's not on the specialty site, can I really trust this Amazon listing is actually the part I need, and that I will not instead receive, say, a used birdhouse?

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#452

Post by dragonwriter »

linuxftw wrote: post #449
dsr_ wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you don't regulate them in the interests of the people at large, they will conspire to advance their own interests. The free markets need regulation, or they stop being free.

Fraud is not allowed in the 'free market.' Regulation need not apply, proper courts and remedy for fraud are required. We used to live in a world where a retailer or manufacturer would stand behind their product and not let anyone sully their name. Since today's consumers seem to lack the ability to discriminate between 'cheap' and 'value' we are in the world we're in. One particular retailer I'm fond of in this rega…

> Fraud is not allowed in the 'free market.' Regulation need not apply, proper courts and remedy for fraud are required

Courts apply laws. Laws defining and providing remedies for comemrcial frauds are regulations of the market.

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#453

Post by robotkdick »

cs702 wrote: post #142
arbuge wrote: post #19

Their basic underlying assumption appears to be that they're no longer in danger of losing customers and can now act accordingly. Now that they've captured 50%+ of US ecommerce, they've also raised many prices, to the point where they're far from the cheapest price in many cases. A random example... the cat litter I just purchased is $17.89 at Amazon, $13.49 at Walmart. Last week I bought a chair mat for $21.95 on Eb…

> Their basic underlying assumption appears to be that they're no longer in danger of losing customers and can now act accordingly. Speaking as a longtime customer, I agree: this is what Amazon's behavior feels like to me nowadays. Search no longer works well for me. Reviews and product ratings are no longer trustworthy. The authenticity of products in key categories (e.g., electronics) can no longer be taken for gra…

I agree completely. Before I buy anything, I check the manufacturer's website first as I'd rather see 100% of the money go to the company I'm supporting as opposed to Amazon, who I only use now when I need something fast, which is an area of their business I'm willing to support because it's the best in terms of fast delivery.

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#454

Post by markrages »

linuxftw wrote: post #446
phaedrus wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue with fakes (or deceivingly advertised) items on Amazon is something that seems to have gotten worse in the past year, and is a big reason I'm not renewing my Prime either. In one case I ordered a name-brand transmission rebuild kit but received a knock-off with a similar name. Unfortunately I didn't notice the difference before I dropped off the kit with the friend who was rebuilding the trans for me. He ke…

Don't buy car parts from Amazon, they are almost always overpriced compared to competitors, let alone the risk of fakes (That you claim, I personally don't know of any counterfeit products I have purchased). Rockauto or Advance is the way to go in the US.

I have Prime, but I buy auto parts on walmart.com. Free shipping to the store that I drive past every day, better prices, no commingled inventory.

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#455

Post by ajmurmann »

maaaats wrote: post #10

Unless you know exctly brand/make/model you wan't to buy on Amazon, the search is useless. Hundreds of similar results from dozens of vendors of varying quality. I liked it better when they sold things themselves, now they're just an eBay clone selling cheap knockoffs trying to hide the fact.

Omg! This! I strongly disliked the market place model from the moment they introduced it and have come to only dislike it more.

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#457

Post by linuxftw »

dragonwriter wrote: post #452
linuxftw wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fraud is not allowed in the 'free market.' Regulation need not apply, proper courts and remedy for fraud are required. We used to live in a world where a retailer or manufacturer would stand behind their product and not let anyone sully their name. Since today's consumers seem to lack the ability to discriminate between 'cheap' and 'value' we are in the world we're in. One particular retailer I'm fond of in this rega…

> Fraud is not allowed in the 'free market.' Regulation need not apply, proper courts and remedy for fraud are required Courts apply laws. Laws defining and providing remedies for comemrcial frauds are regulations of the market.

> Courts apply laws.

No, courts are arbiters, sometimes of the law, sometimes of civil disputes, such as contracts.

> Laws defining and providing remedies for comemrcial frauds are regulations

That is true, laws that apply to contracts are regulations, however, they are not necessary for remedy.

If I have a contract to receive "A spoon product id xyz as created by Sir Porky Pig of 123. Main, CA USA" and anything other than that is delivered, it's a breach of contract at least and fraud at worst. I could sue for damages. What regulation is needed for this transaction? If someone were to deliberately intend to deceive me, that is fraud, and there are already laws for that.

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#458

Post by linuxftw »

phaedrus wrote: post #451
linuxftw wrote: post #446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't buy car parts from Amazon, they are almost always overpriced compared to competitors, let alone the risk of fakes (That you claim, I personally don't know of any counterfeit products I have purchased). Rockauto or Advance is the way to go in the US.

Funny you should mention, as Rockauto came to the rescue for the transmission kit, and Advance for the spark plugs. Now I only go to Amazon if the car part isn't on Rockauto, but it begs the question - if this part is so obscure it's not on the specialty site, can I really trust this Amazon listing is actually the part I need, and that I will not instead receive, say, a used birdhouse?

I got my tranmission rebuild kit from RockAuto as well ;)

The auto parts world is a tricky beast. If it's not sold by a major retailer, there's often the manufacturer or specialty sites for various classes of autos, especially classic cars and 4x4s. Ebay is another great place for used parts as well.

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#459

Post by bsder »

jachee wrote: post #263
lechiffre10 wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) The day Amazon feel threatened they can become the cheapest in the market quickly again. The problem with that statement is that you assume customers will flock back. It might be true in the short term however when you lose customers specifically because of pricing and the monopoly behavior, clients aren't going to quickly forget this behavior. You really think people will come running back and allowing Amazon to…

Ever seen a Black Friday stampede? Price is king.

True.

Except that consumer electronics companies like Frys now get low warranty, extra shitty, extra cheap models to suck the Black Friday morons in since they know those consumers won't buy anything else.

I have, in fact, been warned at several stores (not just Frys) on the weekend afterward: "That's our Black Friday model. This model over here is nominally more expensive ($20-50 max), has the normal manufacturers warranty, and is a really good deal as it's 50-75% off our normal price anyway."

Re: Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads

#460

Post by bamboozled »

com2kid wrote: post #442
arbuge wrote: post #19

Their basic underlying assumption appears to be that they're no longer in danger of losing customers and can now act accordingly. Now that they've captured 50%+ of US ecommerce, they've also raised many prices, to the point where they're far from the cheapest price in many cases. A random example... the cat litter I just purchased is $17.89 at Amazon, $13.49 at Walmart. Last week I bought a chair mat for $21.95 on Eb…

> They can do that because so many people don't price compare anymore before going to Amazon. There is also the fact that Amazon already has my info, it is worth a buck or two to not have to type all that in on my phone, or at least go through someone else's checkout process. With Amazon, I can think of something I need, pull out my phone, and with their app have it ordered in minutes. If I shop around and it takes m…

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