Amazon Enables Thievery

Sellers Should Find Another Platform

Many people likely have utilized Amazon’s seller feature to generate some extra income. This has been the case for me for a long time, even before Amazon changed their terms and marketing making it the seller central it is today. It used to be something like Amazon Auctions, or some such.

In the past, Amazon protected both buyers and sellers from scams and dishonesty. They do this no longer, and the game is rigged to one side.

I am leaving the Amazon marketplace, but let’s make no mistake. Amazon does not care.

Recently, I received a request for a refund for a book I sold. The person requested the refund because the product “smelled like smoke.” This is often a fake reason buyers request refund. It was a fake reason because the book was new, and hence, did not smell like smoke. Nevertheless, I send back message saying, refund will be given if you send back product. I even agreed to pay for the return sipping. No response. 2 weeks later, another request was sent to me to refund.

I called seller central help, and asked advice since buyer was non responsive to first email. Seller central help said, send another email requesting return and reiterate you will pay for shipping. I did that. No response.

This morning I woke up to receive a message from Amazon that they have refunded this person for the reason stated—the person claimed the book was never received. Since I had the tracking number, I checked to see if that was indeed true. It wasn’t. The book was delivered to their mailbox.

I therefore called Amazon seller support to complain for their complicity in what amounts to theft. In the process, the person on the phone told me, “I hear a lot of sellers complain that buyers are protected, but sellers are not.” We aren’t. Amazon’s system enables people to rip off the sellers. And, they know it, and yet, do nothing about it.

Amazon assistant on the seller help line then issued a claim on my behalf, but, I doubt anything will come of it. Why? There is a separate division that does with their A-Z claims. They refund for any reason and for any claim, even if the buyer lies about said reason. Corporate mega-companies being what they are, have no financial incentive to change their business practices. Corporate structure likely prevents sellers from justice because of the separate nature of each part of the company—each has control over their own turf.

I will be leaving the Amazon marletplace as a result. It is not worth the risk when Amazon has stacked the deck against the sellers and offer them no protection. It would seem that justice would demand Amazon set up a system whereby the sellers are not stolen from, but, this is not the case. The seller system at Amazon is rigged against the very people who are selling, and from which Amazon takes a share of the sale.

For the first time this week, I checked the seller forums to see if I was the only one experiencing such dishonest business practices. Apparently this is a systemic problem. I kid you not. Amazon treats their independent sellers like serfs. I have only scratched the surface here.

Amazon knows they are assisting in fraud; they refuse to do anything about it. Amazon’s business model is increasingly, you work, I eat.

Goodbye to a shitty company. If anyone kows of a more reputable vendor, note it in the comments.