The GPS tracker technique does not seem foolproof, basic QA on returned goods would likely be trashing the GPS trackers.
This. The false positive rate is unknown and therefore the data could be highly misleading.
Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
81–90 of 351 posts
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#82> Fulfillment by Amazon Donations, which Amazon says will help sellers send returns directly to charities instead of disposing of them. So the seller ends up having to take the loss?
The seller has the option of taking the item back if they prefer. If they don't want it back, they can donate it.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#83In Germany there are companies that buy up returns by the kilogram (mostly clothes), sometimes the e-commerce companies even pay them to take the goods off their backs. They then ship them to countries like Irak, Serbia or Lebanon to prevent those perfectly goood items to "flood" the European market. That way especially clothing brands protect their inflated prices.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it depends a lot on category. What you said about kids clothing is spot on, but I'd expect similar dynamics for women's clothing (tighter fits = lower tolerance, also lower tolerance for color mismatch etc) and there are a couple of categories that I've outright stopped buying on Amazon because of the enormous problem rate, namely whitelabeled consumer electronics. In 2020 I've returned ~5%: markers that were…
I've also stopped buying at Amazon after 15 years. Even consumables and small items are problematic. Just in the last year, I encountered many issues including: * Showerhead that came without box, and clearly used. It still had a lot of water inside! * Underwear from a brand that sells items inside a sealed bag and discards returns came used, without bag (yuck!) * A module of Samsung RAM had visible wear signs and di…
I'm always shocked when I read these comments on HN. I swear it must be just the American Amazon that's so shit, because I literally never had any problems nor know anyone with these problems here in UK. Just this year I'm on 108 orders and counting, every single one of them was fine, working, definitely not used, definitely not counterfeit and delivered within 1 day as promised with Prime. Last year I've had 140 orders total, year before that 122 orders, and again never had any of those problems. I think the only return I did was a lightbulb that broke after 3 months and Amazon refunded me but only after I shipped it back, which I thought was very wasteful.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#85In Germany there are companies that buy up returns by the kilogram (mostly clothes), sometimes the e-commerce companies even pay them to take the goods off their backs. They then ship them to countries like Irak, Serbia or Lebanon to prevent those perfectly goood items to "flood" the European market. That way especially clothing brands protect their inflated prices.
I think the alternative would be to destroy the fashion items. I prefer the method you describe. I’m not saying it’s right. It’s just how the world of fashion works.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#86Rhetorical question: if the returns are unsellable, why don't they give them away for free to the poor?
It says they have a program to donate the items to charity in the US and UK, but it's not available in Canada.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#87While this may seem shocking, logistically it makes sense. It’s potentially easier to destroy or dump a returned product than re-preparing it for sale. I went out on a date with a program manager for one of Amazon’s return programs and she told me her job was basically finding out ways to repurpose returns as cheaply as possible. Apparently destroying and dumping it’s the easiest and least resource consuming way to d…
I wonder why someone couldn’t build a business like this. Basically contract with Amazon to handle all of their returns. That company then salvages and resells anything they can.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#88The GPS tracker technique does not seem foolproof, basic QA on returned goods would likely be trashing the GPS trackers.
My read of that was that so little human attention is devoted to returned items that no one noticed a super-suspicious greenboard kicking around in the box.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've also stopped buying at Amazon after 15 years. Even consumables and small items are problematic. Just in the last year, I encountered many issues including: * Showerhead that came without box, and clearly used. It still had a lot of water inside! * Underwear from a brand that sells items inside a sealed bag and discards returns came used, without bag (yuck!) * A module of Samsung RAM had visible wear signs and di…
I'm always shocked when I read these comments on HN. I swear it must be just the American Amazon that's so shit, because I literally never had any problems nor know anyone with these problems here in UK. Just this year I'm on 108 orders and counting, every single one of them was fine, working, definitely not used, definitely not counterfeit and delivered within 1 day as promised with Prime. Last year I've had 140 ord…
I've had counterfeit issues with chargers a few times, other than that no issues, Amazon Germany in my case.
Re: Cameras and secret trackers reveal where Amazon returns end up
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've also stopped buying at Amazon after 15 years. Even consumables and small items are problematic. Just in the last year, I encountered many issues including: * Showerhead that came without box, and clearly used. It still had a lot of water inside! * Underwear from a brand that sells items inside a sealed bag and discards returns came used, without bag (yuck!) * A module of Samsung RAM had visible wear signs and di…
I'm always shocked when I read these comments on HN. I swear it must be just the American Amazon that's so shit, because I literally never had any problems nor know anyone with these problems here in UK. Just this year I'm on 108 orders and counting, every single one of them was fine, working, definitely not used, definitely not counterfeit and delivered within 1 day as promised with Prime. Last year I've had 140 ord…
I second this. I’ve tried to give other online retailers a shot but nothing beats the customer service and reliability of Amazon in the UK, even if something is slightly more expensive I’ll always go with Amazon