Amazon Prime

[this4chris2012]

I purchased on eBay some lotion which came today from an Amazon Fulfillment Center, Amazon Prime on the tape and box and an Amazon gift card inside.

Another case of an eBay seller using Amazon for free shipping. I usually have a live and let live attitude, but for some reason this bugs me.

[omgitlightsup]

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@pikabo-icu wrote:

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@omgitlightsup wrote:

Michael Sandel's series of lectures on justice are a good watch. Better than spending time in these forums anyway. After listening to him for 20-30 minutes, you should begin to realize that "fair" is a very subjective term.

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So are:

ETHICS

INTEGRITY

and the dreaded..........

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

But the Golden Rule "Do unto others...." still applies.

The problem is; too many people are seeing all of the above as the exception rather than the RULE. Just because others may be doing it, doesn't make it right.

Eventually there will be a slew of people complaining their PRIME got cancelled, their Amazon & eBay account suspended... It may take them time to catch up but they will... 

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The value of gold has been in a slump lately.

But putting the Golden Rule to use here, the "right" thing to do would be to contact your seller with a friendly reminder that using Amazon Prime as a drop shipper is in violation of Amazon's terms. 

That's what I'd prefer someone do, before they skip straight ahead to opening a complaint or judging my character. We have no idea if that person is even aware of the policy he's violating, when you think about it.

[missjen831]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@missjen316 wrote:

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@sg51 wrote:

I still don't see what the problem is?

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Most of the time the problem is that the buyer could have saved money by simply ordering from Amazon. Its a hard lesson for some buyers, who did not do price comparisons before they pulled the trigger on the eBay item. 

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That actually wasn't my problem with it.  I absolutely took responsibility for failing to do my due diligence prior to ordering.  I wasn't ticked at the seller for this, I was ticked at myself for this... and I did learn.

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Oh I know that. I was actually referring to the majority of buyers who come here and to the answer center complaining and asking if the seller is allowed to do this. Most admit to being upset because they could have gotten it cheaper if they had bought it on amazon themselves (or whatever site the seller ordered from). A few aren't upset over paying more, their issue is with the vendor the seller used, some purposely avoid buying from certain retailers because of personal beliefs/politics.

[Anonymous]

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@omgitlightsup wrote:

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@pikabo-icu wrote:

---

@omgitlightsup wrote:

Michael Sandel's series of lectures on justice are a good watch. Better than spending time in these forums anyway. After listening to him for 20-30 minutes, you should begin to realize that "fair" is a very subjective term.

---

So are:

ETHICS

INTEGRITY

and the dreaded..........

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

But the Golden Rule "Do unto others...." still applies.

The problem is; too many people are seeing all of the above as the exception rather than the RULE. Just because others may be doing it, doesn't make it right.

Eventually there will be a slew of people complaining their PRIME got cancelled, their Amazon & eBay account suspended... It may take them time to catch up but they will... 

---

The value of gold has been in a slump lately.

But putting the Golden Rule to use here, the "right" thing to do would be to contact your seller with a friendly reminder that using Amazon Prime as a drop shipper is in violation of Amazon's terms. 

That's what I'd prefer someone do, before they skip straight ahead to opening a complaint or judging my character. We have no idea if that person is even aware of the policy he's violating, when you think about it.

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Then they should read their Amazon Prime agreement.  Once Amazon realizes this "buyer" doesn't have a couple thousand relatives they are gifting items to, they will get the boot from Amazon.

I knew when I signed up for Amazon Prime it was a really big no no.  BTW, the seller has already gotten numerous negs and nuetrals over this..... THEY KNOW

[llllady]

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@lintbrush* wrote:

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@omgitlightsup wrote:

Violating the Prime rules is not the same thing as stealing from the shopping mall. It's more like stocking your corner bodega with food from Sam's club. Amazon just doesn't want you to do it, because you're cutting into their profits.

Prime is a grossly overpriced bundle of free shipping and a whole bunch of garbage nobody wants, like streaming movies and Kindle loans.

The US Postal Service used to have a problem with people stocking up on Priority Mail flat-rate boxes and putting Parcel Post labels on them. They countered that by printing "Priority Mail" on both the inside and outside surfaces. FedEx and UPS are similarly annoyed when you use their competitors' boxes to mail things. But you won't go to Hell for doing it.

I'm honestly shocked that people think this is an ethical matter. Like a person who would drop-ship with Amazon Prime would beat a child or sell drugs to homeless people. You probably have a pirated MP3 or two on your hard drive, and I don't care in the least.

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It's stealing no matter how you slice it.  And it's absolutely not the same as buying from Sam's to sell at your corner store.  Sam's club sells items that are actually intended to be sold by other merchants/vendors. 

Your Amazon Prime account is intended and personal use - not business use.  

Their TOS says:

Prime members are not permitted to purchase products for the purpose of resale, rental, or to ship to their customers or potential customers using Prime benefits.

It more than an ethical matter.  It's outright theft no matter how small you think it might be.  It affects all of us as companies have to raise their prices to cover this type of shrinkage/theft. 

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Interestingly, today I received an email from Amazon asking if I wanted to open a business account.  I didn't know they had such a thing, but it makes sense.  I read up on it, and there is a verification process, etc.

Anyway, the bottom line here is what if the seller in the OP has a business account, and their business is a procurement business, one that was verified by Amazon?  Would that solve the issue of stealing or not stealing?

Food for thought.

[llllady]

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@pikabo-icu wrote:

---

@omgitlightsup wrote:

Michael Sandel's series of lectures on justice are a good watch. Better than spending time in these forums anyway. After listening to him for 20-30 minutes, you should begin to realize that "fair" is a very subjective term.

---

So are:

ETHICS

INTEGRITY

and the dreaded..........

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

But the Golden Rule "Do unto others...." still applies.

The problem is; too many people are seeing all of the above as the exception rather than the RULE. Just because others may be doing it, doesn't make it right.

Eventually there will be a slew of people complaining their PRIME got cancelled, their Amazon & eBay account suspended... It may take them time to catch up but they will... 

---

And then they will be getting what they deserve.  Yes?

[onemoreinboston1]

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@llllady wrote:

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@lintbrush* wrote:

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@omgitlightsup wrote:

Violating the Prime rules is not the same thing as stealing from the shopping mall. It's more like stocking your corner bodega with food from Sam's club. Amazon just doesn't want you to do it, because you're cutting into their profits.

Prime is a grossly overpriced bundle of free shipping and a whole bunch of garbage nobody wants, like streaming movies and Kindle loans.

The US Postal Service used to have a problem with people stocking up on Priority Mail flat-rate boxes and putting Parcel Post labels on them. They countered that by printing "Priority Mail" on both the inside and outside surfaces. FedEx and UPS are similarly annoyed when you use their competitors' boxes to mail things. But you won't go to Hell for doing it.

I'm honestly shocked that people think this is an ethical matter. Like a person who would drop-ship with Amazon Prime would beat a child or sell drugs to homeless people. You probably have a pirated MP3 or two on your hard drive, and I don't care in the least.

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It's stealing no matter how you slice it.  And it's absolutely not the same as buying from Sam's to sell at your corner store.  Sam's club sells items that are actually intended to be sold by other merchants/vendors. 

Your Amazon Prime account is intended and personal use - not business use.  

Their TOS says:

Prime members are not permitted to purchase products for the purpose of resale, rental, or to ship to their customers or potential customers using Prime benefits.

It more than an ethical matter.  It's outright theft no matter how small you think it might be.  It affects all of us as companies have to raise their prices to cover this type of shrinkage/theft. 

---

Interestingly, today I received an email from Amazon asking if I wanted to open a business account.  I didn't know they had such a thing, but it makes sense.  I read up on it, and there is a verification process, etc.

Anyway, the bottom line here is what if the seller in the OP has a business account, and their business is a procurement business, one that was verified by Amazon?  Would that solve the issue of stealing or not stealing?

Food for thought.

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No one here knows. They think they know.

And ask the OP to post details that will prove whether or not their seller is stealing the shipping from Amazon or have a business account. Or FBA.

After poring over the minutiae they will pronounce their judgement and with pitchforks drawn and will tell the OP to REPORT! their seller.

honestly? Maybe they seller is stealing (yeah I have a Prime account too) but I'm not the Amazon police.

Don't care.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

If the seller used FBA or a business account then the box would come with a packing slip. If it comes with a gift slip and PRIME tape then it's a misuse of Prime. Plain and simple.

There have been people on the boards who have lost their Prime accounts forever for doing this. I still say if they will steal from Amazon they will steal from you.

[onemoreinboston1]

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

If the seller used FBA or a business account then the box would come with a packing slip. If it comes with a gift slip and PRIME tape then it's a misuse of Prime. Plain and simple.

There have been people on the boards who have lost their Prime accounts forever for doing this. I still say if they will steal from Amazon they will steal from you.

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Don't be ridiculous. If I bought from this seller eBay's MBG would protect me or really any buyer.

[tunicaslot]

When people through their morals and ethics out the door - they just contribute to the ever growing problem. Because someone else does it - does not mean you have too.

[tunicaslot]

But you must have missed the threads then of buyers losing because the items get returned to Amazon fulfillment is there's a problem and not back to the original Ebay seller - so the seller can argue that they never received the item and win.

[beautiful-4-you]

Sam's Club actively encourages people to buy to resell. At least they did when I worked there a few years ago. So, it's not really the same as Prime.

[llllady]

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@beautiful-4-you wrote:

Sam's Club actively encourages people to buy to resell. At least they did when I worked there a few years ago. So, it's not really the same as Prime.

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It sure isn't.  A Sam's Club membership is only about half the cost of what a Prime membership is.  😉

[Anonymous]

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@onemoreinboston1 wrote:

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@llllady wrote:

---

@lintbrush* wrote:

---

@omgitlightsup wrote:

Violating the Prime rules is not the same thing as stealing from the shopping mall. It's more like stocking your corner bodega with food from Sam's club. Amazon just doesn't want you to do it, because you're cutting into their profits.

Prime is a grossly overpriced bundle of free shipping and a whole bunch of garbage nobody wants, like streaming movies and Kindle loans.

The US Postal Service used to have a problem with people stocking up on Priority Mail flat-rate boxes and putting Parcel Post labels on them. They countered that by printing "Priority Mail" on both the inside and outside surfaces. FedEx and UPS are similarly annoyed when you use their competitors' boxes to mail things. But you won't go to Hell for doing it.

I'm honestly shocked that people think this is an ethical matter. Like a person who would drop-ship with Amazon Prime would beat a child or sell drugs to homeless people. You probably have a pirated MP3 or two on your hard drive, and I don't care in the least.

---

It's stealing no matter how you slice it.  And it's absolutely not the same as buying from Sam's to sell at your corner store.  Sam's club sells items that are actually intended to be sold by other merchants/vendors. 

Your Amazon Prime account is intended and personal use - not business use.  

Their TOS says:

Prime members are not permitted to purchase products for the purpose of resale, rental, or to ship to their customers or potential customers using Prime benefits.

It more than an ethical matter.  It's outright theft no matter how small you think it might be.  It affects all of us as companies have to raise their prices to cover this type of shrinkage/theft. 

---

Interestingly, today I received an email from Amazon asking if I wanted to open a business account.  I didn't know they had such a thing, but it makes sense.  I read up on it, and there is a verification process, etc.

Anyway, the bottom line here is what if the seller in the OP has a business account, and their business is a procurement business, one that was verified by Amazon?  Would that solve the issue of stealing or not stealing?

Food for thought.

---

No one here knows. They think they know.

And ask the OP to post details that will prove whether or not their seller is stealing the shipping from Amazon or have a business account. Or FBA.

After poring over the minutiae they will pronounce their judgement and with pitchforks drawn and will tell the OP to REPORT! their seller.

honestly? Maybe they seller is stealing (yeah I have a Prime account too) but I'm not the Amazon police.

Don't care.

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If the seller is doing nothing wrong, then the report will do no harm.

BTW, I looked at some of the seller's 10s of thousands of items and was easily able to see the EXACT item on Amazon since they almost exactly copied the title of the listing on Amazon and used the pictures and description in the listing.  Unless the "seller" here on eBay has a bunch of different selling accounts in a bunch of different states, they're using their Amazon Prime account to drop ship. 

They are also using a bunch of add-on items for their lower priced items, this too is stealing.  The idea of add-on items isn't so you can have them all shipped for free to all different addresses.

Do we "know" this is what the seller is doing?  Well, I didn't eyewitness it myself, but we do know.  People have been sent to death row for less evidence... now granted. every once in a while they find someone on death row innocent.  I don't know the exact percentage, but I'll bet it rivals with winning the jackpot in the lottery.

[sg51]

If the seller is doing nothing wrong, then the report will do no harm.

Apparently Amazon takes this so seriously that they have provided no way to report its occurrence.

[Anonymous]

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@sg51 wrote:

If the seller is doing nothing wrong, then the report will do no harm.

Apparently Amazon takes this so seriously that they have provided no way to report its occurrence.

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I haven't looked lately, but I could and DID find where to report the seller.  As I said, they closed down his dozens of 30 day free trial accounts, and the CSR even told me that.