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Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

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Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#331

Post by discardable_dan »

gerdesj wrote: post #292
alangibson wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've listed a few things on Amazon. This is very much true. If you don't have a registered trademark youre a second class citizen. You can't upload a video, for example.

Amazon isn't eBay. In theory, for us punters: we should be flogged goods by Amazon that conform to local standards. Beyond that all bets are off. eBay doesn't even bother with ... anything - it's all caveat emptor. So even in the wild west of Amazon at least there are a few standards. Sorry if you feel aggrieved but I'd rather buy stuff that had to follow a few standards that I nominally trust. By registering a trade…

I doubt many Amazon goods from those sellers legitimately adhere to local standards. For example, I outright refuse to purchase silicone for food use from Amazon.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#332

Post by powerhour »

AnssiH wrote: post #263
davidbanham wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that the items have different uuids, but there are no markings on the physical item. They’re identified by bin location. There are lots of bins in the warehouse. They contain up to around five items each. There is a theoretical possibility that two of the same thing from different sellers could end up in the same bin. At that point the picker wouldn’t know which is which.

> There is a theoretical possibility that two of the same thing from different sellers could end up in the same bin. At that point the picker wouldn’t know which is which. Amazon's seller-side stickerless inventory documentation specifically says that identical items from different sellers are never put into same physical bin so that the original source can be traced.

Sounds like virtual commingling. Better, but not much.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#333

Post by discardable_dan »

spicymaki wrote: post #188

The scam is enormously profitable for Amazon and the Chinese black hats. You can tell it is really profitable because Amazon will compensate you for up to $1000 for damages caused by this junk. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58163915 I believe that Amazon probably could not turn the screws on these companies even if it wanted to. It would be a massive loss to their revenue and share holders would revolt. It would…

I've stopped buying huge swaths of things from Amazon for this reason. I'm basically down to buying four categories of things:

1. Items whose brand absolutely don't matter so long as they work as intended (e.g., books, home goods like hangers).

2. Home goods it wouldn't be worthwhile to knock off (e.g., KIND bars, toilet paper).

3. Smaller brands whose market share and item appeal are not worth cloning (e.g., a mechanical keyboard breadboard kit).

4. Things I'd order from banggood /aliexpress anyway, that Amazon will get to me faster (e.g., some diodes).

For everything else, I'd rather get it at a local store or order it from Target/Best Buy/Whoever than risk the Amazon purchase.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#334

Post by discardable_dan »

jrnichols wrote: post #306
elliekelly wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m actually not sure that’s a safe assumption. I could be wrong but I believe Amazon co-mingles products of the same SKU. So if Amazon is selling a book and other sellers have listed the same item as “new” and sent it to Amazon’s warehouse I don’t believe there is any distinction between the two at the warehouse. So the stock picker might grab Amazon’s (presumably authentic) item from the bin when they pack your ord…

> I could be wrong but I believe Amazon co-mingles products of the same SKU. They do, and we have seen people get fake items. this is a huge problem for things like tourniquets. We tell people to go right to North American Rescue for example but so many people instinctively go to Amazon now and order things that it's a problem. the fakes look almost like the real thing but have no quality control and break easily.

This is frightening. I don't understand how Amazon isn't liable for these things.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#335

Post by starky »

decafninja wrote: post #171

I’ll be the odd person out and say that whatever it’s faults as a company, my shopping experience on Amazon has been great. Not perfect, but nearly so. Certainly better than most other online retail channels, plus the convenience of Prime, and being a “one stop shop” certainly is super useful. I don’t know what everyone is shopping for, But I’ve bought tons of items across a wide variety of categories. I usually avoi…

Other than getting a knockoff sheet pan once (which was still great quality, but missing the vendor's stamp on the bottom), everything I've gotten has been more or less what I expected. I don't know if it is because I deal with Chinese companies often, but the bad stuff is painfully obvious to me and easy to avoid.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#336

Post by indigodaddy »

colesouth wrote: post #200
eslaught wrote: post #110

Is it correct to say that when you get something "shipped and sold by Amazon.com", it really comes from them? It's the "fulfilled by Amazon" (the infamous FBA) that you need to watch out for. It's a bit screwy, but you can filter by seller by clicking into a specific product category, and then selecting Amazon.com in the bar on the left. Then all the items should be "shipped and sold by Amazon.com". But I've been sor…

OP here - no. "Shipped and sold by Amazon.com" items can be sent to Amazon's fulfillment centers by anyone with a Vendor Central account. There is still plenty of fraud going on there. In general I would say it is safer than an FBA or FBM offer, but not totally safe. Vendor accounts are highly sought after by black-hatters because: 1. It's much harder to track down shenanigans you run on them (since as you said the o…

Welcome to HN! Actually kind of surprised you’ve never posted here before today :)

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#337

Post by markdown »

eyelidlessness wrote: post #321
markdown wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, I'm not American, nor do I live somewhere where there is anti-jewish sentiment. Is calling a Jew "Hassidic" derogatory?

I had a similar interpretation of the wording. I’ll take your response in good faith once because I do get the impression you’re asking sincerely, but be warned that should you have further questions you’ll likely fare better taking some time to familiarize yourself with how antisemitism often proliferates: Noting a person’s Jewish heritage or faith or membership (or that of a business’s proprietor, or some noted por…

I appreciate the explanation, thank you. In my neck of the woods you'll often hear "chinese" used in that way. And yes, it's not always obvious that it's meant negatively.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#338

Post by markdown »

gerdesj wrote: post #313
markdown wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, I'm not American, nor do I live somewhere where there is anti-jewish sentiment. Is calling a Jew "Hassidic" derogatory?

Sorry mate - it sounds like I called you out too soon. Ideally, keep race or skin colour or religion etc out of any discussion. As a rule of thumb I try to avoid noting any difference beyond M:F and even then - advisadly. I don't think there is any reason to note Jew or Hasidic in your post. I have no idea whether a Jew might be offended by that because I would not even get to that point - no need to pontificate abou…

It wasn't my comment. But I appreciate the explanation. And I agree, their race wasn't relevant.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#339

Post by SMAAART »

For certain categories Amazon is a mess.

Case in point I recently got an iPad and I was looking for a rugged case, an alternative to OtterBox. It's a mess, with no real winners, and lots of questionable brands/products.

It was suggested before, the time is ripe for a disruptor search engine, The Innovator's Dilemma style; starting with some segment of search.

Re: Cheap junk flooding Amazon has brand names like MOFFBUZW

#340

Post by the__alchemist »

And in contrast to the focus of the (but alluded to), getting a legit seller account can be very tough. I tried and failed a year ago for my electronics business. I tried for about 2 months, with ~50 appeals. Ended up unable to get my account verified. I'll spare you the details since it's the typical FAANG tech support story that shows here regularly.
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