[Shop-talk] amazon ..was Shop-talk Digest, Vol 8, Issue 44

[Karl Vacek]

Eric, I can see your side here, but it's distinctly different from my
experiences.  As a casual seller, with 100% positive and complimentary
reviews from buyers and never a return or complaint, I feel screwed by
Amazon.

- Does Amazon publish their commission schedule somewhere?
- Do they allow you to determine your shipping charge?
- And do they require every seller to provide banking information rather
than mail them a check, keep the money in an Amazon account, or deposit the
payment to a credit card ?

I sold a $10 book plus Amazon's decreed $3.99 USPO Media Mail shipping -
total sale $13.99.  Actual USPO Media Mail shipping was $5.29.  A week after
the sale I received a notice that the buyer had received the book, and given
me 5 stars across the board with a nice compliment.  A few weeks later
Amazon then says they will pay me $4.28 as soon as I give them my banking
information.  They apparently make $4.42.  If I wait 3 months and close my
seller account, they'll send me a check.  Won't put the money on my Amazon
account, won't deposit it to a credit card even if I pay the fees.  Close
the account and wait.

I understand and appreciate Amazon's wanting to help customers, and more
than once "Amazon Partners" have burned me and ignored me or refused to help
after 5 or 6 emails, at which time I've gone to Amazon for help.  FWIW, I'll
only buy from Amazon directly if given a choice, and it it's an Amazon
Partner without at least 97% - 98% positive reviews, I'll pass.  The other
side of that is that I've sometimes gone directly to highly-rated partners
and bought directly.  If they're good to deal with, why should Amazon take
their profits?

I spent close to $4,000 on Amazon last year, between lots of little stuff
and a few big items.  But for now at least they've lost me.

Karl


-----Original Message-----
From: eric at megageek.com
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] amazon ..was Shop-talk Digest, Vol 8, Issue 44

Actually, I've been buying and selling on Amazon for years.  Here is what is
happening.

Amazon wanted to ensure that it's CUSTOMERS (and NOT their vendors) are well
taken care of.  If you buy something from Amazon, you don't need any reason
to return the items for a full refund.  The sellers are the ones that bear
the costs.

Here is an example from real life...

A guys buys a brand new floppy drive from me.  He gets it, opens it, uses it
(more than likely he just needed it to read and old disk) then he returns it
to me.  I HAVE to give him 100% of his money back with shipping (or Amazon
will just take it from me without refunding my commission payment to them.)
Now I have a used drive for sale.  8>(

Since I do sell many other items there, I don't mind taking a burn once and
a while.  But I can tell you that Amazon (AND ebay) will bend over backwards
for a buyer and pass all the costs to the seller.

Ebay is worst this way.  A guy bought a pool pump from me.  He didn't want
it months later (and never replied to my emails when I was trying to find
out why so I could resolve it.)  Then he just dropped it in a box with NO
packaging and mailed it to me.  I received a totally smashed up pump, I even
took pictures of everything.  Ebay's answer was that I needed to refunded
this entire purchase price!  (after multiple calls to ebay, I finally found
someone that looked at the facts and relized this guy was the problem.  They
credited my account for the money, but I still had to issue the refund to
the guy first!

Again, most buyers are good people, but some know the system and beat up the
sellers.  In your case, I would be surprised if Amazon didn't allow you a
full refund or another replacement at no cost.

Eric P
"Be as beneficent as the sun or the sea, but if your rights as a rational
being are trenched on, die on the first inch of your territory." Ralph Waldo
Emerson