Amazon Has A Problem

Amazon is where most of the world seems to shop. It’s where we go to check prices, do research on products, and most importantly buy products. They are known for having everything. The largest inventory out there and lowest prices.

The cost of this large inventory and selection is becoming a hindrance to the buying experience. To have such a large selection, Amazon has relyed on third party sellers. People the either send their products to an Amazon warehouse and use Fulfill by Amazon. Or people that have a seller account on Amazon and ship from their own location.

Many of the things we buy on Amazon come from these third parties. Sometimes we never notice the difference, sometimes it’s very noticeable. Products being sold as new, but not in original packaging, or actually refurbished. Poor packing and damages. Wrong products being shipped. Browse the review section and sometimes you’ll see fake products being sent in it’s place. This can also cause wild price fluctuations depending on who is actually selling the product and how.

It’s a growing problem on Amazon. It’s caused me to change the way I shop on Amazon. I first check the seller and check if I can buy direct from Amazon. If I can’t, I’ll try to shop somewhere else to get the product I need. Even going to a physical store. Most of price matching now anyways.

I’m not sure how Amazon solves this problem. If they begin eliminating or cleaning up the third party sellers, they’ll lose that feeling of selling everything. Has anyone else noticed this with Amazon? Do you see it as a problem?