Prompt Cast
The Complicated Relationship Between Amazon and Third-Party Vendors
TLDR Amazon's reliance on third-party vendors has led to a decline in trust for the platform, as sellers manipulate the search algorithm, engage in fake reviews, and sell counterfeit products. This has made it difficult for Amazon to police and take action against scammers, leading to a decrease in the platform's reputation.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
A woman purchases an electric toothbrush on Amazon, but receives an old, European toothbrush instead and is offered a partial refund in exchange for taking down her negative review.
04:47
Amazon's reliance on third-party vendors has led to a complicated relationship and a decline in trust for the platform.
08:52
Amazon's success in incorporating third-party vendors into their inventory and handling their shipping and customer service has led to an increase in sellers on the platform, but also new problems such as gaming the search algorithm to get products to the top of the results.
12:05
A company was using strategies like adding their product to carts and wish lists and hiring people to leave fake reviews in order to manipulate the Amazon algorithm and get their product to the top of search results.
15:34
People realized that in order to stay ahead on Amazon and get more reviews, they needed to join Facebook groups where sellers would pay them to review their products.
19:11
Amazon started facing competition from Alibaba, which made the problem of fake reviews on Amazon much worse.
24:23
The decision to allow international sellers on Amazon, particularly from China, led to an influx of sellers and made it difficult for Amazon to police and take action against scammers and fake reviews.
28:03
Counterfeiters on Amazon are hijacking listings and engaging in price wars, leading legitimate sellers to consider leaving the platform due to the difficulty of combating counterfeit products and the potential for dangerous and defective items to be sold.
31:30
Amazon is no longer the magical store it once was, as it has become more like any other website where you can either find a great deal or get ripped off.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
