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Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

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Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#161

Post by technothrasher »

xvector wrote: post #136
TuringTest wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I prioritize a locally owned store if possible, second option is a reputable specialty web store that specializes in the kind of item I want. Serious question, how do you find reputable specialty web stores nowadays? (for items which are not your professional specialty, i.e. when you don't have direct knowledge of the market or trusted contacts that can recommend those for you). Trying to google for items of medium…

B&H - general electronics, tax-free Headphones.com - headphones, tax-free Drop.com - general hobbyist goods DigiKey/Mouser - miscellaneous parts Your local bougie salon - high-quality body products (bodywash, hairspray, etc) Bed Bath and Beyond - bedding and bath products Design within Reach - furniture Ubiquiti - wireless APs, PoE switches, and the nicest Ethernet cables I've ever used ProtectLi - firewalls Crowdsup…

> B&H - general electronics, tax-free

B&H has been collecting sales tax for about two years now. Still a great place to get electronics from though.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#162

Post by [deleted] »

xvector wrote: post #136
TuringTest wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I prioritize a locally owned store if possible, second option is a reputable specialty web store that specializes in the kind of item I want. Serious question, how do you find reputable specialty web stores nowadays? (for items which are not your professional specialty, i.e. when you don't have direct knowledge of the market or trusted contacts that can recommend those for you). Trying to google for items of medium…

B&H - general electronics, tax-free Headphones.com - headphones, tax-free Drop.com - general hobbyist goods DigiKey/Mouser - miscellaneous parts Your local bougie salon - high-quality body products (bodywash, hairspray, etc) Bed Bath and Beyond - bedding and bath products Design within Reach - furniture Ubiquiti - wireless APs, PoE switches, and the nicest Ethernet cables I've ever used ProtectLi - firewalls Crowdsup…

[deleted]

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#163

Post by ajmurmann »

noduerme wrote: post #92
andreareina wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By their actions, not so much: - commingling of inventory means you're not necessarily getting the stuff from the merchant you're ostensibly buying from - which doesn't really matter anyway because merchant reviews are hard to find (couldn't find them at all on mobile) - being able to change the product being sold while keeping the rating and review history. WAT

In the olden days, the seller was prominently listed in every Amazon listing, and you could click on a seller and browse their entire inventory along with reviews. AFAIK you can't do that anymore. They make it intentionally opaque who is actually selling or shipping.

I'd like to believe that all these bad practices will eventually result in their reputation going down and then losing significant market share.

However, I'm afraid our discussion here is far removed from the average consumer. I bet that the merchant info was made harder to find because so few people ever clicked it.

For most products I now prefer other sources where possible. However, the convenience still drives me there for many purchases. At the same time it anecdotally feels like I see more Amazon trucks come by my neighborhood. I'm sure most people fall into a spaces where they don't care enough and it's just too convenient to so in Amazon. Their great shipping and return logistics also make up for a lot. Their deliveries are so much faster and reliable than most competitors. I can order from a great vendor, but if they ship via FedEx it will take forever to get here and frequently the delivery date just changes to "pending" for weeks. This had never hairnet with Amazon. It might be fake, but I know when I get it and when it's ten stops away. If it's crap, I can drop it off without envelope or box next time I buy my groceries at Jeff's/Whole Foods.

It's shitty and maybe even offensive but so convenient.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#164

Post by arbuge »

mananaysiempre wrote: post #19
civilized wrote: post #3

I don't understand what Amazon thinks it's doing with its legions of data scientists, analysts, product managers and engineers that they consider so much more important than solving this problem, which will destroy their reputation long-term and create space for a competitor. At this rate, Amazon will be on its way to becoming Yelp -- untrusted, irrelevant, ultimately deserted.

Ensuring a competitor can’t arise in other ways? Unlike Yelp, Amazon has oodles of expensive and difficult-to-replicate physical infrastructure, hordes of low-level staff, exclusive supply contracts aplenty, enough cash reserves to price-dump anybody into oblivion, and probably many other things I don’t even know I don’t know about. Competition only works when barriers to entry are absent, small, or at least surmount…

> Amazon has oodles of expensive and difficult-to-replicate physical infrastructure, hordes of low-level staff, exclusive supply contracts aplenty, enough cash reserves to price-dump anybody into oblivion, and probably many other things I don’t even know I don’t know about.

The playbook to disrupt this was made clear when AirBNB disrupted, or at least bit a good chunk out of, the hotel industry, which could have been described in very similar terms. And they didn't have to replicate any of their physical infrastructure to do it.

Shopify, BigCommerce, and similar players are already doing it to Amazon. I predict this trend will continue.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#165

Post by arbuge »

It gets worse. Amazon mixes products from different third party vendors in its marketplace for the same product listing. So even if you find a listing for a brand item with clean reviews which actually pertain to the item in question, you could still very well end up with a cheap low quality knock off when you order it.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#166

Post by Grakel »

the_real_me wrote: post #157
noduerme wrote: post #56

I wish I could say I stopped buying things off Amazon for ethical reasons, but the truth is, I stopped buying because if you look closely at the reviews, you realize that almost everything for sale there is now a scam or a knock-off. This was a slow creep for awhile, but now the problem has grown exponentially. Amazon is what Canal Street was in the 90s - somewhere to buy fakes, stolen goods, and electronics that mig…

Could you please share a couple of scams/knock-offs from Amazon? I would like to know what to avoid, otherwise your below quote is rather incendiary. > Amazon is what Canal Street was in the 90s - somewhere to buy fakes, stolen goods, and electronics that might catch fire.

I bought a Kershaw Leek from the Kershaw store on Amazon last month. I received a knife that was clearly used, it was dull, dirty, and scratched.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#167

Post by xxs »

ctchocula wrote: post #155
devoutsalsa wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking of quality, I bought a 4+ star review can opener from Amazon that couldn’t open a single can I used it on. Good times.

You should try one of these P-38 can openers they use in the army [1]. A bit challenging to get the hang of, but they'll last the rest of your life and inexpensive to boot. [1] https://burnsarmysurplus.com/product/p38/

Swiss army knife can opener has lasted me 20 or so years (along with the knife, itself). A similar design.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#168

Post by stewx »

Amazon makes it very hard to flag listings that have this problem and they often take no action when you do report it.

I recently complained to Amazon about some flagrantly irrelevant 5-star reviews on wireless headphones that were actually reviews for backpacks or CDs. It took about a month and numerous, numerous emails to different places to get them to deal with it.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#169

Post by discardedrefuse »

arbuge wrote: post #165

It gets worse. Amazon mixes products from different third party vendors in its marketplace for the same product listing. So even if you find a listing for a brand item with clean reviews which actually pertain to the item in question, you could still very well end up with a cheap low quality knock off when you order it.

They use blended inventory to ship the item faster (cheaper). And yes, this means that the "Sold and Shipped from Amazon" badge doesn't mean shit. You're actually better off buying from someone who ships it themselves, because its their reputation on the line.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#170

Post by AutumnCurtain »

maeln wrote: post #103
noduerme wrote: post #56

I wish I could say I stopped buying things off Amazon for ethical reasons, but the truth is, I stopped buying because if you look closely at the reviews, you realize that almost everything for sale there is now a scam or a knock-off. This was a slow creep for awhile, but now the problem has grown exponentially. Amazon is what Canal Street was in the 90s - somewhere to buy fakes, stolen goods, and electronics that mig…

What start to really annoy me is how it as become almost impossible to buy quality product anymore. And the issue is not even limited to Amazon. Recently, at work, we had to make a bunch of RJ45 cables. So we bought some cable, terminals and a crimper and a tester. The crimper was so horrible, we add to cut and re-crimp new terminals 2-4 times before having a working cable. So we said fuck it, lets go buy another one…

You can still buy from Mcmaster-Carr. You'll pay more, but reliable quality is there if you need it.
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