31–40 of 438 posts
Umm, good? I want genuine products with an assured supply chain, not any random counterfeit that gets commingled.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Grocery stores don't operate as a "marketplace" though. Grocery stores curate their offerings, vet vendors, deal with returns etc... Amazon is more like shopping mall that decides to start operating their own stores and competing with their tenants.
Facile argument. Grocery stores actually rent shelf space in many cases and do not take on product liability. It’s a different business entirely. Amazon is totally within their right imo, those sellers can go back to eBay if they dislike amazon.
I would compare this to a supermarket allocating shelf space to maximize its profits, either by placing its own brands front and center or by featuring brands that have made a deal for prime shelf placement. I don't see this as scandalous or even new. Coincidentally, Amazon brand products are usually pretty good in my experience, so this might not be a terrible outcome for users who have already decided to come shop…
> Coincidentally, Amazon brand products are usually pretty good in my experience, so this might not be a terrible outcome for users who have already decided to come shop at Amazon's store. So it's fine they're shafting other vendors on their platform because their products are good?
Obviously it's grossly unfair to their vendors, but from a strictly user-centric view it's an improvement.
Otherwise, Amazon feels like AliExpress with faster shipping and better English.
I would compare this to a supermarket allocating shelf space to maximize its profits, either by placing its own brands front and center or by featuring brands that have made a deal for prime shelf placement. I don't see this as scandalous or even new. Coincidentally, Amazon brand products are usually pretty good in my experience, so this might not be a terrible outcome for users who have already decided to come shop…
A better analogy would be a walmart in a small town hosting a bunch of small business to showcase their products, then kicking out the top sellers and replacing them with a store brand version. You could argue that those producers should just open their own store but most people won't go out of their way to a different store to buy paper towels.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Grocery stores don't operate as a "marketplace" though. Grocery stores curate their offerings, vet vendors, deal with returns etc... Amazon is more like shopping mall that decides to start operating their own stores and competing with their tenants.
You have a point but I think the fact that grocery stores sell private label goods is the counter-point. Grocery stores re-package goods like rice, beans, paper towels, etc. to compete with their vendors all the time. We call them supermarkets, right? A grocery store is simply a more organized open market. Which is very comparable to Amazon. I think the problem is that they present the results on good faith that "the…
That was the original point I was arguing against.
My point is that grocery store is not a good analogy because Amazon is not the same as a retail store, they are a combination store and marketplace.
Of course. Good for them. It’s their fucking store! > Amazon has adjusted its product-search system to more prominently feature listings that are more profitable for the company Unthinkable. A store trying to make a profit selling things. How crazy.
You might want to add some supporting information why you feel that way instead of just sharing your opinion and dropping the mic
Two not-entirely-random examples of similar behaviour:
Supermarkets place their own brand merchandise where they feel it'll sell best. Undeniably good business, and certainly no reason for concern.
Perhaps more questionably, but bare with me - Google place AMP content, which is to say content they have made their product by merit of some ToS/caching slight of hand, front and center. Is it exactly the same as what Amazon are doing? Well, no. Is it placing content they want consumed above other content irrespective of merit or consumer benefit? Probably.
Similarly Amazon are doing what businesses do and promoting their most profitable products, straddling both the above examples. Whether it's best for the customers is open to debate, but it doesn't change that it's entirety their prerogative.
Umm, good? I want genuine products with an assured supply chain, not any random counterfeit that gets commingled.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Grocery stores don't operate as a "marketplace" though. Grocery stores curate their offerings, vet vendors, deal with returns etc... Amazon is more like shopping mall that decides to start operating their own stores and competing with their tenants.
You have a point but I think the fact that grocery stores sell private label goods is the counter-point. Grocery stores re-package goods like rice, beans, paper towels, etc. to compete with their vendors all the time. We call them supermarkets, right? A grocery store is simply a more organized open market. Which is very comparable to Amazon. I think the problem is that they present the results on good faith that "the…
That’s not true though right? Don’t grocery stores buy the products that are on their shelves and they are reselling them? That’s fundamentally different from a marketplace.