How to Avoid Amazon Shopping Fraud
Amazon’s business is thriving, but scams from fraudulent third-party sellers are on the rise. Here’s how to shop safely and not buy a big box of trivia.
Beware of Big Discounts
You should probably know this already, but if something looks too good to be true, it probably is . Yes, sometimes you can find crazy legitimate deals on Amazon, but when an expensive item is over 30% off, you must be wondering why. This is doubly true for any product sold from a new, “just launched” third-party vendor. However, keep in mind that not all third-party sellers are scammers. Most of them are fine.
Know how to spot fake reviews
Wow, this product has all 5 star reviews! Nope. Just because a product has multiple customer reviews does not mean that the seller is legitimate. It’s easy to fake reviews, and if you don’t see the “verified purchase” mark, you probably shouldn’t take reviews seriously anyway .
If you are a careful reader, you may find fake content by reviewing certain keywords and phrases . Fake reviews have a lot of verbs, adverbs, and frequent use of the first person singular. They also often refer to other people, such as spouse or family, and tend to provide accurate information about a product or service. There are also online tools that can analyze reviews to determine if they are most likely fake.
Don’t fall for the seller’s gimmick
Amazon scammers are usually third-party sellers who try to convince you to do something out of the ordinary, such as redirecting you from the Amazon site or asking for an unusual type of payment. For example, Alexandra Garcia, a YouTube makeup and beauty blogger, told her story to BuzzFeed News :
The seller posted a note asking potential buyers to email them before making a purchase. While it sounded odd to Garcia, she still sent an email and received a confirmation of her order from an email account that looked like Amazon was telling her to buy a camera with an Amazon gift card. A few days later, the seller stated that he would not ship the camera unless Garcia sent another gift card code to cover shipping insurance.
Asking the seller by email is a red flag, but they are being asked to pay with gift cards. Amazon support strongly discourages doing this . Stay on Amazon and only pay through their system.
Double check who you are buying from
So, you know to be careful with third party sellers, but do you always know when to buy from them? Amazon isn’t always clear about who is selling an item at the bargain price you see. So, you click “Add to Cart” and pay before you realize you didn’t buy on Amazon. This works fine in most cases, but your complacency about online shopping can help you.
However, even if you take an extra second to see who you are buying from, you might not know what each seller’s description means. Here’s a basic breakdown, courtesy of Chris Hoffman of How-To Geek :
- Delivered and Sold by [Seller] : This is a third-party seller who ships the item directly to you (eg eBay). Amazon never touches the product, they just get a cut. Scammers thrive here.
- Sold by [Seller] and Done by Amazon : Done by Amazon does not mean the product is being sold by Amazon. A third-party seller ships the item to Amazon’s warehouse and then Amazon ships it to you (and probably doesn’t verify the content or legitimacy of the item). These items are often eligible for “Prime” but are still third-party.
- Shipping and Selling on Amazon.com : This is a real deal and almost certainly not a scam of any kind.
These first two are the ones that you should look out for and study before buying. Again, the Prime logo doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe. If you want to avoid all the trouble, narrow your product search results to only “sold by Amazon”. Search, then scroll down the left sidebar to the Salesperson section. Click the Learn More button and select Amazon.com.
Contact Amazon Customer Service if this happens to you
If you were tricked and actually paid through Amazon, please contact customer service and tell us what happened. You will likely get your money back as it is part of Amazon’s A to Z guarantee . They “guarantee purchases from third-party sellers when you pay through the Amazon.com website or when using Amazon Pay for qualified purchases on third-party websites. “. Their warranty also includes the condition of the item you purchased and delivery on time, and covers up to $ 2,500 of the purchase price including shipping.