Amazon web site scam

[Ready]

I seem to have got myself caught up in a scam playing out on the Amazon web site, so I thought I would share my experience hoping that I can save others from the aggravation.

I was looking for a TV cart on the Amazon web site, and the one I wanted seems to be in high demand so it's always out of stock. I keep it on my wish list so I can quickly scan it to see if any new inventory comes in. One day when I scanned it, a third party seller was offering it for sale. They priced it at $254.00, when the Amazon price is $399.00. They claimed to be having a clearance sale on the item. Their listing, under "Other Sellers", requests that your send them an email before placing the order. I figured maybe the box was damaged and they wanted to let me know before I place the order, or something like that. So I send them an email, and they respond confirming the item is in stock, and ask me for my shipping address and phone numbers to place the order. They inform me the order will be purchased through "Amazon Marketplace" but is still subject to a 30 day satisfaction guarantee just like any other Amazon product.

So I let them know I'd like to place the order. A few hours later I receive an email from what looks like Amazon, with the proper logos, a picture of the item, and an order number. The email requests that I purchase an Amazon gift card for $254.00 to process the payment, and then send them a screen shot of the gift card to confirm I've made the purchase.

So at this point, I know I've been scammed and I don't purchase the gift card, but it really bothers me that they have my name, address and phone number now. And I see that just today they've already set up shop under a new name, offering to sell the cart for the same $254.00, but with a new address to send an email to.

I've sent the spoofing emails to Amazon's fraud department, and I've called Amazon twice to report the scam. Amazon was very nice in taking down the information and filing a report, and they offered me a $50.00 credit for my inconvenience, which was very nice of them to do.

So...if you see a vendor on Amazon asking you to send them an email before placing an order, you can pretty much bet it's a scam and you should stay away from it. Hopefully Amazon will find a way to stop this from continuing to happen, but apparently it's very easy to become a third party vendor on Amazon.

 

[audreyh1]

Good thing you reported it.

I'm very wary of other sellers on Amazon. So many scammers trying to work them now.

 

[marko]

Good to know. But AFAIK Amazon will backup your purchase and not leave you holding the bag.

I order a ton of stuff from Amazon and their third parties, but one time I ordered something from a third party that was "in stock". Turns out they didn't have any but instead of just telling me so, they asked that I cancel the order and input it as "decided I didn't need it". Apparently points off as a vendor if you don't have something in stock.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

I'm done with Amazon third party sellers. I've been scammed twice recently. One shipped the item to somewhere in another state. It was interesting, since a tracking number was assigned, showing it being shipped to a wrong address. Since Amazon is not involved (except the "A-Z guarantee"), you have to contact the seller. In this case the seller ignored my email. So I filed a "defective item" complaint to Amazon (since there is no "shipped to the wrong address" complaint option). Eventually Amazon refunded the money, but that was a month after I ordered. I wasn't sure whether the seller simply made a mistake, or whether this is a scam (since the complaint process at Amazon is convoluted). Since the seller ignored my email, I suspect the latter.

Last week I filed a complaint because an item was marked as "shipped", but it never was never shipped. Email to the seller bounced. Amazon A-Z also refunded the money, but again it was a hassle.

I've had much better experiences on ebay, since the feedback rating seems to help a lot. I have found ebay sellers usually ship quickly, whereas I have experienced Amazon third party sellers sit on an order for weeks before shipping. Amazon has a feedback rating system, but it doesn't seem to mean much.

Anyway, no more Amazon third party purchases for me.

 

[REWahoo]

I am reluctant to buy from Amazon third party sellers unless the item says "Sold by (Third Party) and Fulfilled by Amazon." I figure the chances of some sort of scam are low if Amazon has the item in their fulfillment center.

 

[donheff]

Thanks for the post. I haven't been scammed but I also haven't often selected third party sellers. I will be very leery going forward.

 

[ERD50]

Thanks for the post. I haven't been scammed but I also haven't often selected third party sellers. I will be very leery going forward.

Yes, I prefer to go direct with Amazon, but sometimes the 3rd parties are the only option.

I always check the seller's ratings. They should be consistently in the high 90's. Be extra wary of a trend where recent satisfaction is low, older is high. I've actually received an email from a 3rd party asking me to change my score, and oh, by the way, we will then send you a discount coupon, or partial refund or something - a bribe. I suppose some people take it. I reported it to Amazon, but I don't know if they did anything, and they would not tell me.

By doing that check, I've had good luck with third party sellers, but it's a hassle to do this checking. Part of the reason I go to Amazon is their reputation, they lose some of that going 3rd party.

-ERD50

 

[euro]

Good for you to catch it before it was too late! I'm very reluctant to use 3rd party sellers too - only do it in really unusual circumstances.

 

[Whisper66]

Thanks for sharing. I do a lot of buying through the Amazon website. Things have gone so well, I haven't been looking for scams there. Now I will be much more careful and especially with 3rd party purchases. Good info, thanks.

 

[ERD50]

Good for you to catch it before it was too late! I'm very reluctant to use 3rd party sellers too - only do it in really unusual circumstances.

Yes, but an email direct from the seller is a BIG RED FLAG!!!!

The sellers should be going through Amazon's contact system. That stays in Amazon's record, so the conversation is documented and open to Amazon. For example, the ones in my mailbox from sellers have an address like:

xxxxxxxxxxxx@marketplace.amazon.com

-ERD50

 

[easysurfer]

Yes, but an email direct from the seller is a BIG RED FLAG!!!!

The sellers should be going through Amazon's contact system. That stays in Amazon's record, so the conversation is documented and open to Amazon. For example, the ones in my mailbox from sellers have an address like:

xxxxxxxxxxxx@marketplace.amazon.com

-ERD50

The same is true over at ebay. If someone tries to make a side deal instead of going through the proper communication channel, beware.

 

[Tadpole]

I avoid 3rd party especially for small appliances after I received some rather strange shipments in 2011. The one I remember best is a coffee pot made up of parts from several models and, maybe, even brands. It was supposedly a new coffee pot in a never opened box but the basket didn't fit and the carafe was not the one that went with it and didn't fit the upper mechanism of the flow. It had taken weeks to get and required postage since I wasn't Prime then. I just ate the loss and took it to the town disposal site.


I too look for the "fulfilled by Amazon" statement if Amazon isn't the vendor. I will preferential buy from a vendor fulfilled by Amazon. Also, I have an Amazon store card through Synchrony and like that method of purchasing. It has a low limit, a feature that gives me a degree of comfort.

 

[hesperus]

I saw this same type of scam when I was looking to purchase a sony alpha camera on amazon. The third party seller was offering it at a ridiculously low rate, which was the first red flag. The other was that it was a brand new business, opened something like the day before, and no reviews. If you use third party sellers, look for ones that have a good review rating, have been around for awhile, and it helps reduce the risk. I did end up purchasing a new camera from a well regarded third party seller and had a flawless transaction. They're not all bad. It's buyer beware.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Yes, but an email direct from the seller is a BIG RED FLAG!!!!

The sellers should be going through Amazon's contact system. That stays in Amazon's record, so the conversation is documented and open to Amazon. For example, the ones in my mailbox from sellers have an address like:

xxxxxxxxxxxx@marketplace.amazon.com

-ERD50

Just to be clear, in my case I purchased through Amazon from a third party seller. And to be honest, I didn't pay that much attention to the "third party seller" part, or the feedback reviews. That was my mistake. But there is no email direct from the seller- it's Amazon, right?

The only way to complain about not receiving your item is to "contact the seller". Amazon is completely hands-off after you buy the item from the Amazon web site, except if you figure out how to file a "A-Z guarantee" complaint (which requires that you email the seller first). Here's one response from Amazon:

"We are sorry to let you know that your email(s) below cannot be delivered. The recipients have decided to leave the Amazon.com platform or are not eligible to receive any further email communications.

For answers to any further questions please visit our online help:"

To Amazon's credit, they did respond quickly, and refunded the charges. But I think their "3rd party seller" process needs work. Certainly the complaint process needs help.

And since I didn't pay attention to the reviews before buying, here's what I found. Since all these reviews are from the past 2 days, I don't think it would have helped me, since there were no reviews.

I'll be more careful in the future. But surely Amazon should be screening their sellers. 0% positive reviews? Seriously?

 

[W2R]

Wow, thank you for all the discussion and warnings! I have not (yet) been scammed on Amazon, and didn't even know it ever happened to people. I'll be MUCH more careful about third party sellers, now, unless it says "fulfilled by Amazon".

 

[audreyh1]

I am reluctant to buy from Amazon third party sellers unless the item says "Sold by (Third Party) and Fulfilled by Amazon." I figure the chances of some sort of scam are low if Amazon has the item in their fulfillment center.

Yes - I buy items fulfilled by Amazon unless they are name brand electronics and electronic accessories as those items often are not the real advertised deal but knockoffs.

I still check the third party reviews even when fulfilled by Amazon on only use sellers that have a huge number of ratings - i.e. Been doing this for a while.

I still chuckle about the third party Amazon purchase of some A sized paper that was drop shipped from Sam's. Fine with me as I didn't have a Sam's Club membership. But all the seller was doing was accepting the order from Amazon and turning around and ordering the item on the customer's behalf from Sam's who provided free shipping. Creativity! I don't think they made much on the transaction - a couple of $ maybe as it was a cheap item.

There are quite a few sellers on Amazon who sell Costco items for a high markup. Amazing all the crap that goes down.

 

[Lsbcal]

I wanted to return an item Fulfilled by Amazon. The return was not allowed. The return policy on this stuff is pretty obscure.

Not a scam but something to be careful about.

 

[sengsational]

But all the seller was doing was accepting the order from Amazon and turning around and ordering the item on the customer's behalf from Sam's who provided free shipping.

Yeah, I've ordered from eBay and gotten drop-ship from Amazon. But I don't have Prime, so they made a couple of bucks. I've got no problem with that.

It seems like Amazon third-party is like eBay, but with fewer controls. Not that eBay is risk-free!

 

[CaptTom]

Maybe not a "scam" but for the first time, Amazon disappointed me. And we use Amazon a LOT.

Ordered a drawer pull-out shelf kit for a narrow kitchen cabinet. It was an Amazon "Warehouse Deal" and marked as returned, but in "new" conditions. It came wrapped in a tight-fitting cardboard box, with NO protection like foam on the corners. It was badly banged up, crushed and split at all the corners, and the box was frayed at all the corners.

It had a sticker on it proudly stating Amazon had "inspected and repackaged" it.

Amazon would have taken it back and refunded the full amount, but I was just finishing the new kitchen and didn't want to go through that process. They best they could do for me was a 10% refund.

My guess is it was poorly packaged by a third party seller, and Amazon took it back for a refund the first time. The inspection and re-packaging was obviously not adequate.

I'll never order anything heavy or fragile from "Warehouse Deals" again.

 

[48Fire]

Wow amazing! Thanks for sharing

Sent from my XT1254 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[skipro33]

3rd party sellers on Amazon are easy to vet. Just check their feedback as a seller. If they have relatively few, stay away.

 

[audreyh1]

I wanted to return an item Fulfilled by Amazon. The return was not allowed. The return policy on this stuff is pretty obscure.

Not a scam but something to be careful about.

Interesting. I didn't have any problem when the item sent to me was the one not ordered. When that happened twice in a row (the replacement was the same wrong item), I finally got through to them that they had an inventory control problem. I think I actually left a review on the item to report the problem. The review was not accepted, but the item was promptly removed as "unavailable" online with some note that Amazon had been notified of a problem with their inventory. So the system worked.

Anyway, had no problem returning the second item. I gave up on that item and got something slightly different.

I do always check the return policy, but I don't think I've had issues with returning items fulfilled by Amazon. The return policy gets tricky when buying items shipped from a third party seller. You always have to read the fine print on those, and ultimately I've decided it's usually not worth dealing with them because the return policies can be quite tricky.

 

[easysurfer]

3rd party sellers on Amazon are easy to vet. Just check their feedback as a seller. If they have relatively few, stay away.

That's what I do, but will keep the Fullfilled by Amazon in mind for the future.

I almost bought from a brand new 3rd party seller around Christmas who was selling a CPU I am looking at in an incredible low price of about $39-$49 instead of the regular $89-$99. But this seller was new and I though tempting, I went with the motto "If it's sounds too good to be true, then it probably is". Not sure if the seller was a scammer or just trying to dump stuff, but when I sent a message and had no reply, that was definitely the clincher for me to stay put and not buy.

 

[audreyh1]

On Black Friday a third party seller was offering the Instantpot Duo for $10 off the already slashed Amazon Black Friday deal price. But delivery wouldn't be for a month or more. I always wondered how many folks bought that one instead.

 

[REWahoo]

I wanted to return an item Fulfilled by Amazon. The return was not allowed.

That's interesting as the "Fulfilled by Amazon" (FBA) page states the following, which is the reason I have no concerns about purchasing from third parties using the FBA program:

When processing customer returns for units fulfilled through FBA, Amazon's Returns Policies are used to determine whether a unit is eligible to be returned. However, to ensure a great customer experience, Amazon will make case-by-case exceptions and accept returns for units fulfilled through FBA that may be past the stated return time frame.

When a customer returns a product, the returned product will follow the standard Amazon returns policy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200386180&ld=AZFSSOA-dT1

I've returned a number of FBA items, including one last week, with no problems.