Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products

Post by stickfigure » Mon, Sep 16, 2019, 7:14 PM UTC

emiliobumachar wrote: post #178

pixelpoet wrote: post #140

ANTITRUST! If Microsoft can get hammered for packaging Internet Explorer with Windows (and probably rightly so, given the market conditions at the time), there is a direct analogy to be made here. Pick what you want to be: if you want to be the greatest goods index and shipment company in the world, fantastic. But you have to accept that you cannot sneak some of your own other-products to the top using that power. In…

Tangential, but MS got hammered for a package of practices, including worst stuff (IMO, IIRC), such as exclusivity deals, i.e. hiking Windows prices or outright refusing to sell Windows to PC manufacturers unless they ditched Linux from all product lines. For some reason, the browser bundling is what stuck to the public consciousness.

Post by papln » Mon, Sep 16, 2019, 7:21 PM UTC

jhallenworld wrote: post #145

Pxtl wrote: post #34

Considering 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…

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…

Post by calibas » Mon, Sep 16, 2019, 7:26 PM UTC

spike021 wrote: post #214

Honestly, what's the big deal? Google prioritizes certain websites/results when I enter queries too, it doesn't mean I'm required to click on them. What ever happened to people spending a few extra minutes looking for the result they want? If the first few aren't correct for you then move on. Unless you're spending an extra 30+ minutes because the search doesn't work correctly at all then there's no issue here.

Post by papln » Mon, Sep 16, 2019, 7:26 PM UTC

gambiting wrote: post #205

Pxtl wrote: post #34

Considering 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 can only guess you are American) - American experiences with Amazon are so different to mine over here in the UK it's incredible. I buy tonnes of different stuff from Amazon(multiple hundred orders last year) and I have never ever gotten anything counterfeit or had any issues. In fact every time when their 1-day delivery arrives late they just extend my prime by a month, no questions asked. And yet every time I go…

Post by logfromblammo » Mon, Sep 16, 2019, 7:29 PM UTC

goatinaboat wrote: post #20

kenforthewin wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the solution to counterfeits on Amazon is to only buy Amazon brands? I'd prefer they address their counterfeit problem directly.

I would like it if when you specifically bought “sold by Amazon” products or chose that as an option you were guaranteed a genuine item but with “shipped by Amazon” that ship (hah!) has unfortunately sailed. They won’t be accepting anything from third party sellers that has Amazon branding on, so it’s safe.