Your Amazon tips

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Mon, Jul 6, 2020 10:03 PM

So I realized I'm a complete Amazon dumbass.

1) I've ordered products and forgotten or set them aside, only to discover it's not what I needed AFTER the window for returns closed.

2) I don't pay close enough attention to the vendor or who fills the order - if it's not filled by Amazon you can really get screwed with a 50% re-stock fee. I will never again spend more than $20-$30 if the vendor doesn't have a stellar rating.

3) On more expensive items, it's worth reading all the 1-3 star reviews. Sometimes critical information you don't even think of is only informed thru the reviews.

4) Track your damn packages because they get lost and delivered to the wrong place (see #1 above).

Also, I know about fakespot. I've found it handy in the past, but it seems like a lot of solid listings are now B/C with the true fakes getting an F (maybe a D on occasion).

justincredible Honorable Admin

37,969 posts 250 reps Joined Nov 2009

Mon, Jul 6, 2020 10:09 PM

Fakespot for cheap electronics, for sure. And I try to always buy directly from Amazon.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Mon, Jul 6, 2020 11:02 PM

posted by justincredible
Fakespot for cheap electronics, for sure. And I try to always buy directly from Amazon.

I'm steaming. One poor vendor simply copied the manufacturer faulty description, and STILL offered a full refund (I had to pay return shipping). I felt bad that it wasn't his fault, and a small business, so I said charge me the $60 for shipping and handling.

This other clown is going to flip it for maybe even more than he sold it to me. And said he charged a 50% re-stock fee because it wasn't in original condition. And 50% re-stock is egregious on its face. That's 3-4X shipping & handling (which good sellers waive), and he probably re-sold it the same day he received the return.

Trimmer36 Junior Member

25 posts 5 reps Joined Nov 2010

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 8:05 AM

I'm lost. What is a Fakespot?

justincredible Honorable Admin

37,969 posts 250 reps Joined Nov 2009

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 8:43 AM

posted by Trimmer36
I'm lost. What is a Fakespot?

https://www.fakespot.com/

You can paste in a product link from Amazon and it will analyze the reviews and grade them based on the number that seem spammy. Some products are loaded with fake reviews to make it seem better than it actually is.

like_that 1st Team All-PWN

29,228 posts 321 reps Joined Apr 2010

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 9:49 AM

Whenever I return an item I pick "inaccurate description" and for the reasoning I just type "inaccurate." This way you don't have to pay for the shipment back to Amazon. I haven't been called out on it yet.

like_that 1st Team All-PWN

29,228 posts 321 reps Joined Apr 2010

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 9:50 AM

posted by like_that
Whenever I return an item I pick "inaccurate description" and for the reasoning I just type "inaccurate." This way you don't have to pay for the shipment back to Amazon. I haven't been called out on it yet.

Edit: I use this technique a lot when I see 2 or more items can't decide on. I just order them both/all and return the item(s) I end up not choosing.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 2:31 PM

posted by like_that
Whenever I return an item I pick "inaccurate description" and for the reasoning I just type "inaccurate." This way you don't have to pay for the shipment back to Amazon. I haven't been called out on it yet.

Not sure if I've seen that on some of my returns. Again, no issues when sold and fulfilled by Amazon.

The seller I referenced came back with an offer of 20%, which is still BS but decided $50 was better than $125. What pisses me off is they said "it was used, we can't do better than 20%". It was a frickin' fitness bench that I'm sure they re-sold as brand new. I probably would have done better just re-selling it myself.

The question is if they should be able to charge you shipping & handling on a return. Theoretically, an allowance for returns is baked into their pricing. But that's assuming they are otherwise operationally competitive. And I agree that's not my problem.

iclfan2 Reppin' the 330/216/843

9,465 posts 100 reps Joined Nov 2009

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 2:38 PM

I try to only buy items that offer free returns. Also use Camel Camel Camel to see if the price you are getting is reasonable compared to the past few months. Sometimes things spike and you can wait a month if you don't need it right away. I also go in and pick a return reason that is free, if it isn't one that does free returns.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Wed, Nov 3, 2021 12:48 PM

Not sure where to put this or which Amazon thread to bump.

So I purchased quite possibly the dumbest product ever invented. Should have paid more attention to the reviews. Noticed one or more reviews even mentioned being paid to delete a negative review.

Obviously I trashed the product. A month later, I get an email offering me $10 to delete it. Then another email the following day. And now another, from a different email address, offering me $30! The product (which I had no issue returning) was like $8.

justincredible Honorable Admin

37,969 posts 250 reps Joined Nov 2009

Wed, Nov 3, 2021 12:56 PM

What’s the product?

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Wed, Nov 3, 2021 1:15 PM

posted by justincredible
What’s the product?

It was an ice cube tray....actually quite the engineering feat to turn such a simple product into an epic failure.

j_crazy 7 gram rocks. how i roll.

8,623 posts 30 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 10:27 AM

i try to pay attention to who the seller is. for instance, i just bought some levi's jeans. the same pair was available from a few sellers one of which was amazon. it's like $5 bucks more but i just got them direct from amazon. i've been burnt in the past going for the low cost option and getting a clear fake product.

Laley23 GOAT

33,369 posts 133 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 11:26 AM

I only ever buy if they have a guaranteed refund/return policy.

brutus161 The Navy Guy

1,688 posts 25 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 1:26 PM

When doing returns, do none of you live close to a Kohls?

I do all of my Amazon returns at Kohls.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 1:32 PM

I've used Kohl's. It's very easy and convenient, and I think early on they were also offering gift cards.

Normally I use the UPS store that's close by. Some small items they'll even package for you.

So both options are great for returns. But I've also learned to only purchase from people offering free returns, and try to use "fulfilled by Amazon" when possible even if a few bucks more.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 1:37 PM

Got another email from these clowns again. This one pretty specifically asked me to go back and respond to their FIRST email, which was only offering me $10 (first offer might have just been a gift card).

I don't really know what to do. I could report them to Amazon and make the world a better place. But obviously they have all my contact info. I might just delete the review and move on.

Laley23 GOAT

33,369 posts 133 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 2:22 PM

posted by brutus161
When doing returns, do none of you live close to a Kohls?
I do all of my Amazon returns at Kohls.

I have the Khols option. And USPS. But you have to package them.

UPS is preferred and usually an option on like 90% of my returns. Just take the item and have them scan the recurn code. No packaging or labels needed.

brutus161 The Navy Guy

1,688 posts 25 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 2:23 PM

posted by Laley23
I have the Khols option. And USPS. But you have to package them.
UPS is preferred and usually an option on like 90% of my returns. Just take the item and have them scan the recurn code. No packaging or labels needed.

I don't have to package shit to return to my local Kohls. I've taken loose item into them and theyt package it up for me.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Thu, Nov 4, 2021 2:45 PM

posted by brutus161
I don't have to package shit to return to my local Kohls. I've taken loose item into them and theyt package it up for me.

I've only done a few Kohls returns, so I don't really know. On the return labels for UPS, though, it tells you if you have to package the item yourself or not.

Also, if you guys are ever shipping something heavy, by far the best option is USPS flat rate boxes, which go up to 70lbs (not sure if they have bigger boxes with higher weights). It's something like 5-10X more expensive to ship heavy stuff with Fedex or UPS.

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