Wonder how the new shipping agreement (or rather a break up of the old international shipping agreement : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20810142 ) will affect this. This might make it less attractive for items from China.
Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
311–320 of 438 posts
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#312Earlier quoted context omitted.
Microsoft had a monopoly, and they leveraged it to create a monopoly, but that does not mean abuse requires a monopoly. Abuse does not require emulating any particular prior instance of abuse.
But the abuse only becomes a problem when a monopoly creates a lack of alternatives for consumers or suppliers. Amazon sellers have a plethora of other retailers who they can use to reach customers if they don't like Amazon's behavior. Netscape had no such options.
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Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#313Earlier quoted context omitted.
They do care about the quality of their own products. I posted a negative review on an Amazon product, and they called me(!) so that I could further elaborate. It was very odd because they called within an hour of the review. At some point I must have given them my phone number. This was a review for their TV Cube. I was trying to buy something with good voice control to allow a paralyzed person to browse YouTube, an…
If you're still looking for a good way to browse YouTube - I've made a Chrome extension that let's you browse the web using voice control - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lipsurf-voice-cont... Hope this helps.
I was hoping from something like Roku- basically an appliance, not a computer. It should be always listening (not tap to listen), and screen should be far away for casual viewing, not in front of your face like a laptop which causes eye strain.
The TV Cube is almost there, the problem was that the voice commands are not built into its OS, instead each app has to implement them and the YouTube app didn't. It means the voice commands only work well with the Amazon native apps.
Voice is really in an abysmal state on all platforms. Pretend you can't touch anything, then read this for the fun:
https://www.techhive.com/article/3373853/how-to-use-roku-voi...
For appliances, you have the usual problem of not being able to accept terms to use institutional WiFi (lack of a good web browser).
Also for computers with a screen in front of your face, there already is a better solution: eye tracking.
But there is an annoying secondary problem with YouTube on a laptop: I can't lend my YouTube Red account (for an ad-free experience) to someone without also being fully logged into Google (they would have access to my email). With something like YouTube on Roku, this does not matter since you are only logged into only a single app. Google does have a family plan, but it's not cheap.
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#314Shocking. If you go into a candy store where the owner also makes their own brand of candy, what do you think will be the most prominent item on the shelf?
That's not really comparable. The candy store owner is still paying for the other brand of candy to collect dust.
Amazon isn't exposed to the same risks in a lot of product listings.
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#315Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really enjoy the LockpickingLawyer's videos, but I'd imagine that the threat model of the average Amazon (or Walmart/Home Depot/etc.) buyer is such that any basic lock is enough deterrence for 95%+ of scenarios. It could just be that their evaluation criteria don't match his.
You are correct. Locks keep honest people honest.
That should really be the takeaway from any of his videos. Anything you buy consumer-grade can be cracked instantly by a skilled locksmith or within maybe a few tens of minutes by an average thief. The number of locks that I've ever really seen him struggle to pick can probably be counted on a single hand.
Like a safe - a lock buys you time, and hopefully the thief chooses a loud method of entry that attracts attention.
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#316Considering how shopping at Amazon now feels like shopping at an electronics bazaar in Singapore with giant bins of random knock-off products of suspicious quality, tweaking the algo to push name-brand options (even if it's their own name-brand) would be a welcome move to me as a buyer. Obviously it's grossly unfair to their vendors, but from a strictly user-centric view it's an improvement. Otherwise, Amazon feels l…
I think the big changed needed on Amazon is the "Seller". With their commingling of all products with the same SKU, "seller" is an irrelevant term. If people could review actual sellers, it could put a dent in the knock-offs. I'm not sure if there are just enough people who can't tell the difference or don't want the trouble of returning it to make this a profitable strategy for everyone.
What does commingling mean? In real world terms?
I ask because I'm unclear if shared SKU is a physical thing, a logical implementation detail, or some mix.
Is there a bin full of white 3' USB cables of the same type, regardless of supplier?
I had the impression that fulfillment centers weren't organized by product. Everything is everywhere. The robots retrieve the bins of whatever from wherever for the pickers to grab from. If this is mostly true, I'm not clear how similar white 3' USB cables get commingled.
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#317Earlier quoted context omitted.
The only reason bundling IE was an issue is because Microsoft had a monopoly on PC operating systems. The monopoly is a necessary precondition for the antitrust action.
> The monopoly is a necessary precondition for the antitrust action. If it is, it shouldn't be, and we need some similarly concise term for "action to eliminate biased incentives and promote competition for the good of the individual".
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Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#318Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was told by an ex-amazon employee that amazon basics were all designed in-house. As in, they're explicitly not white-labels.
That's not the case. Take a look at amazonbasics monitor arms - they're rebadged ergotrons.
I think at one point, it was the case that they were made in-house, when they had a limited, well-tested selection of AB products, but recently (as the emphasis on profit over brand reputation has increased) they've begun also slapping it on white-labels.
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#319Earlier quoted context omitted.
The only reason bundling IE was an issue is because Microsoft had a monopoly on PC operating systems. The monopoly is a necessary precondition for the antitrust action.
> The monopoly is a necessary precondition for the antitrust action. If it is, it shouldn't be, and we need some similarly concise term for "action to eliminate biased incentives and promote competition for the good of the individual".
> promote competition for the good of the individual
C'mon, this is ridiculous. There is no need to promote competition when competition already exists. Hence a monopoly (or cartel) being a necessary precondition of antitrust action.
Re: Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
#320Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except its not just the lower prices that are important -- the quick order processing and shipping are a huge reason why Amazon is succeeding. Living near a metro area, I can get items from Amazon items within 24-48 hours (with Prime). Sometimes it even arrives later the same day. Plus the whole free shipping (as long as you're Prime) thing..
The free shipping is weird....I recently noticed that my father was looking up something he wanted me to order for him....his price was less, same item and amazon seller. I logged in and boom my price was $3 higher on a 20 dollar item. So, I'm not sure how "free" the shipping is anymore. I do agree that fast shipping is a big part of amazon but I think another big player could match the processing speed.
Amazon has multiple sellers with different shipping options and prices for most items, and always tries to show you the best "deal". This sometimes includes the likelihood that you prefer the two-day shipping.
The listing being offered to you father probably wasn't eligible for prime (not shipped by Amazon) so the price+shipping was lower than Amazon's price+non-free-shipping (and the third party was likely intentionally undercutting Amazon to be shown first). Once you signed it, it offered you the one with prime shipping because the total was cheaper.