Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
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Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#2Overall this is great. This might have some problems though. Some frequently returned items might not have any issues, but might be getting ripped off more.
For example, I bought a warehouse deal controller. I opened the controller box and instead of a controller I found 2 bars of soap.
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#3Overall this is great. This might have some problems though. Some frequently returned items might not have any issues, but might be getting ripped off more. For example, I bought a warehouse deal controller. I opened the controller box and instead of a controller I found 2 bars of soap.
That's true, and admittedly, there's a part of me looking for a reason to dismiss this action. But at the same time, after a decade or more of doing nothing, Amazon is doing something, so credit to them for finally making an effort. I'll still never use the site or service, but it's good to know they're finally taking some action against unethical sellers.
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#4Overall this is great. This might have some problems though. Some frequently returned items might not have any issues, but might be getting ripped off more. For example, I bought a warehouse deal controller. I opened the controller box and instead of a controller I found 2 bars of soap.
I think if I knew something like that about a product, I would also not want to buy it. Those false positives are probably fine.
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#5Amazon's product management criteria has a threshold of (number of returns) / (number sold) within time-frames and if you hit the threshold (which is about 10% iirc), your product is automatically removed until you file an appeal. I guess that isn't sufficient enough.
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#6Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#7Edit: It seems that it is easier now to see the feedback broken down by seller than when I had last used Amazon or I didn't fully understand how it worked previously.
Will these be separated by seller?
Last I checked there was no way to review a seller on Amazon (or if there was, it was so well hidden that a week of effort and calling customer support only got me a refund). Rather Amazon lets you review "products". Given that a "product" can differ between sellers (either because the products are of varying natural quality like with used items or because one seller straight up sells fakes and broken items), it is much more useful to review the seller than the item.
Knowing that DVD copies of Jurassic Park are frequently returned (or that Jurassic Park has amazing reviews) helps me not one iota when I am buying from an unknown seller who might be sending out pirated DVDs with always-on Arabic subtitles.
Until Amazon breaks down user feedback (reviews, return rate) by seller, I will continue to urge friends, family, (and everyone else) to stay away from Amazon at all costs. You just never know who you are buying from or whether they are trustworthy.
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#8I know other retailers are already doing this, but Amazon adopting it will force behavior change due to their size.
It's possible to game listing details, product titles, brand names, and reviews. It's much harder to game customers are dissatisfied and constantly return your item.
I can't wait for a bespoke service in China that will mass order a competitor's products and return them for a refund to get them tagged with this warning. Kidding aside, I'm hoping at Amazon's scale, it'll be too much of a lift for someone to attempt it.
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#9I don't get they don't crack down on the product switcheroo scam [0] - it seems like a trivial problem to solve. I've reported items to them before and they don't care.
[0] this product for example, loads of the reviews are for something totally different - https://www.amazon.co.uk/WERPOWER-Windscreen-Invisible-Winds...
Re: Amazon starts flagging frequently returned products that you maybe shouldn’t buy
#10I had this come up recently, the issue is that it seems that products with multiple "styles" will show the same alert across all "styles". The problem is that often times the "styles" may be significantly different products, in my case they were monitors with extremely different specs all from the same manufacturer.