eBay sellers are still using Amazon as a drop shipper, according to a buyer who was describing what they called one of their worst buying experiences.
In a
thread on the eBay discussion boards yesterday, the buyer said they thought it was strange when an Amazon driver delivered their eBay order in Amazon packaging. But when the item they'd purchased from eBay was defective, they went digging for information about the product.
In describing their revelation upon searching Amazon for the product, the buyer wrote: "All of a sudden it dawned on me...this is why the shipment came from Amazon. The seller had simply purchased the item on Amazon, doubled the price, and had it shipped to me. Really dishonest and unethical I thought. I then did some research, and quickly discovered this is against eBay policies, but is not all that uncommon unfortunately in certain circumstances."
When the buyer complained, the seller asked for proof of the defect. The buyer then placed a return request through eBay, which was accepted immediately - "and sure enough, the return label sent by the seller had the return going to an Amazon return center," the customer wrote.
The buyer left a negative review for the seller after receiving a refund, but they became upset when eBay removed their feedback within the hour. Another poster on the thread explained in part, "Because you were refunded you could not leave negative feedback that would stick. The item is no longer paid for, and if you mentioned a dispute in any way that too would qualify the feedback for removal."
Regardless of whether the seller violated eBay's policy or not, if buyers learn they overpaid for an item, it's vexing to them - especially if they feel they've been duped.
And while some sellers may blame the buyer for not comparison shopping, the fact is, buyers who feel fooled may think twice before purchasing on the platform again.
Another eBay user asked in the discussion thread if there had been a gift receipt in the package. "That would indicate that the seller violated both eBay and Amazon policy and had the CD shipped through his Prime account."
But they also noted there were a growing number of sellers who sell on both eBay and Amazon and use Amazon for fulfillment.
The eBay buyer confirmed there was an Amazon gift receipt inside the package, indicating the seller may have used their Amazon Prime account in order to get free shipping.
There have been a number of cases of law enforcement going after marketplaces sellers who commit fraud. It's possible Amazon could decide to report sellers who fraudulently use their Prime accounts to ship commercial orders to buyers. Though why Amazon seemingly hasn't found a way to stop such shipping abuse is a mystery.