My new found love of Amazon Sellers

[MrFleharty]

So for a while I shied away from amazon sellers, but lately I have taken a liking to them. I had a hard time trusting them before, but lately have been getting really good deals. Most recently I got the movie Two For The Money (Not exactly a fav or mine, but what can I say) for 89 cents brand new and factory sealed. Still had the stickers on the top and everything. 2 bucks shipping, but still...not bad at all. I got Adventureland for 13 bucks brand new and sealed. Now...I also will get used occasionlly. i REALLY have a hard time trusting most sellers on used because their "comments" don't say much usually about whether or not it even comes in the case or not...so then i have to email them and wait for a response on whether or not I will be satisfied with my purchase. I got Dazed and Confused Criterion collection for 17 dollars, The Rock Criterion Collection for 8 dollars, and a couple older movies for a couple bucks each...they were The Chase starring Charlie Sheen and Freeway starring Reese Witherspoon and Mr. Sutherland.

So...I just figured Id come in and share. Im sure everyone already knows about amazon sellers.

Also...just got Six Feet Under complete series boxset for 105 from ebay. Thats with shipping ofcourse. brand new factory sealed.

[danwiz]

I'd be very curious to know why somebody was selling an unopened box set "Six Feet Under" on ebay?! I suppose it could have been a gift and they had no interest in it, or somehow they ended up with 2 sets, but if they were selling more than 1 of them I'd be suspicious! Or maybe it "fell off a truck", eh?!

[hal9000]

Actually even so called "reputable" sellers need to be questioned. During the recent Big Lots box set craze, I bought The Flintstones Season One box set from Newbury Comics through Amazon. They had it listed as "new" and "factory sealed." When I received it, not only was it not sealed, two of the discs had massive scratches. Needless to say I won't be buying anything from Newbury Comics ever again because they can't be trusted.

[Proglodite]

I buy a lot (used and new) from Amazon sellers. In general I've gotten some really great deals and items have arrived exactly as described. If a seller has less than a 98% feedback rating, I will generally read through feedback to see what's being complained about. Sometimes the complaints are pretty tacky. Being an Amazon seller myself, I've seen both sides of the fence; some buyers use the threat of negative feedback in order to get a partial or full refund and still keep the item they ordered.

Recently I jumped on John Adams for $4 - Used Acceptable. Arrived with no packaging, but the discs were in mint condition. While I feel that should have been in the description, the price was so low that I don't feel it worthy of complaining.

Another recent order was Criterion's Grand Illusion; I think that was Used - Good; described as an ex-rental with some stickers. Everything was fine, but no booklet was included. I contacted the seller who offered to refund if I shipped it back. Upon further reflection, I decided to keep it but did warn him he should note when Criterions do not have their booklet. This was an early Criterion release and most of their early ones did not have significant printed liner notes. Had this been Children of Paradise or Pandora's Box I would have taken the refund (those are examples where the booklet is integral to the presentation).

I generally shy away from obvious resellers like Game Exchange and CD Wherehouse - I'm sure they bought their collectible discs for pennies, then list them at extortionate prices. I much prefer dealing with an individual who is selling stuff from his personal collection (like myself).

As for Six Feet Under - I bought that during an Amazon Deal of the Day for maybe $50 last year. It's still sitting on my shelf, unopened. If the economy tanks again, I may have to sell it. That did happen to be a couple of years ago with the complete Homicide collection. I still regret having to sell it, but getting nearly three times what I paid for it was just too good to pass up.

Peter

[Drake]

Actually even so called "reputable" sellers need to be questioned. During the recent Big Lots box set craze, I bought The Flintstones Season One box set from Newbury Comics through Amazon. They had it listed as "new" and "factory sealed." When I received it, not only was it not sealed, two of the discs had massive scratches. Needless to say I won't be buying anything from Newbury Comics ever again because they can't be trusted.

Newbury Comics can be frustrating at times, recently I bought a Used Capricorn One special edition and inside was the disc for the regular edition you would think they would be more careful when they buy back.
Also bought The Haunting and the front cover had a tear in the artwork that Newbury Comics conveniently put a price sticker in front of it, if I had seen this I would have passed on it.
It's Hit or Miss sometimes.

[creekdipper]

It really is hit or miss.

The majority of my buying experiences have been great. Occasionally, though, someone lists bundles or sets that turn out to be imports, even when they swear it's the authentic, official Region 1 release. Same thing happens on half.com and eBay (only worse).

Most of the time, the items are exactly as described. Of course, packing varies. As someone who puts extra bubble wrap around DVDs mailed in bubble mailers & always ships box sets in boxes with plenty of padding inside, I am appalled when someone drops a box set into a manila mailer (sometimes not even padded) and ships.

It does pay to read the comments even with 100% feedback. What kills me is to see someone give a hugely negative rating because the order arrived a couple of days later than expected. While I have 100% positive ratings on half, eBay, AND Amazon Marketplace, one customer posted something about not ordering if you need the order in less than a month! I had proof of mailing the package the day after the order was placed; once it was in the hands of the USPS, it was out of my control. Of course, the buyer never contacted me before leaving the negative comment.

Every once in a while I'll read a negative comment that has absolutely nothing to do with the seller or the service...the customer was dissatisfied with the product itself. Evidently Best Buy, Target, etc. should also be held accountable if I buy a movie or CD and they turn out to be disappointing when I view or listen to them.

Anyway, I agree that some great deals & service can be found. The biggest caveat I've found is to be a little suspicious if the deal is too good to be true. Unfortunately, the few bad apples hurt the majority of us honest sellers/buyers.

[RM811]

Recently I jumped on John Adams for $4 - Used Acceptable. Arrived with no packaging, but the discs were in mint condition. While I feel that should have been in the description, the price was so low that I don't feel it worthy of complaining.
Peter

I bought this as well. The description said no packaging. The discs arrived in perfect condition like they have never been watched. Great deal.

[grozier]

I'd be very curious to know why somebody was selling an unopened box set "Six Feet Under" on ebay?! I suppose it could have been a gift and they had no interest in it, or somehow they ended up with 2 sets, but if they were selling more than 1 of them I'd be suspicious! Or maybe it "fell off a truck", eh?!

Unfortunately a lot of the large box sets, especially the HBO complete series, that you find on eBay are bootlegs. Sometimes they are listed as "imports".

I recently received the Six Feet Under box through swapadvd.com. It was sealed, but I was suspicious. The green "grass" on the top of the box was cheap flat felt instead of astro-turf like. When I opened it, I found that the printing was cheap and all of the discs were single-layer. I spot-checked a few discs and even had trouble playing them. Fortunately I was not out any money.

However $105 is a fair price for a legitimate copy. I seem to recall thet even Best Buy had it on sale for less than that once.

[TheBigDave]

As a customer, I've never had any problems buying at Amazon Marketplace that didn't get fixed in the end. Sellers are almost always willing to refund or replace any defective or incorrect items. And in the rare case where the seller didn't come through, Amazon has a Guarantee Policy that applies to Marketplace orders. I had to use that once, but got a full refund.

[jeffbase34]

As a customer, I've never had any problems buying at Amazon Marketplace that didn't get fixed in the end. Sellers are almost always willing to refund or replace any defective or incorrect items. And in the rare case where the seller didn't come through, Amazon has a Guarantee Policy that applies to Marketplace orders. I had to use that once, but got a full refund.


Unless it has been changed, Amazon does have a policy where you can only file three lifetime claims for refund. They do this to prevent scam buyers from ripping off sellers. I sell on Amazon some, and a buyer can file a claim, get their money back and keep the merchandise. That's stealing, IMO.

The thing that baffles me is there are several dvds selling for $0.01. Are you that fucking desperate to get rid of your stuff? I would rather keep the dvd than just give it away.

[statcat]

I never had a problem with anything I've bought from a seller there but I do judge by their reputation before buying for sure.

[ratnamedted]

I never had a problem with anything I've bought from a seller there but I do judge by their reputation before buying for sure.

Usually I find that this is done so that seller's dvd is listed first. If you check shipping, it will often be 2-3x the amount that everyone else is charging. Amazon needs to change how they list items so that they are listed in the order of total cost rather than just the listed price.

[Jacoby Ellsbury]

This is an excellent deal, I purchased several titles

[drmar35mm]

Every few months I'll send in a batch of orders to Amazon sellers--usually DVDs, but sometimes CDs and books. Lately, every batch has had one screwed up order. A CD that was unplayable and physically filthy; a DVD badly scratched up from floating around in the case all the way to my door; right movie but wrong edition and wrong region. It's a minor hassle, but an e mail quickly corrects the problem with a new shipment or a refund. These sellers may screw up from time to time, but they make it good because Amazon is constantly watching them and isn't afraid to spank them. Not a bad system, considering the good deals it can provide.

[Al_Tahoe]

Usually I find that this is done so that seller's dvd is listed first. If you check shipping, it will often be 2-3x the amount that everyone else is charging. Amazon needs to change how they list items so that they are listed in the order of total cost rather than just the listed price.:confused::confused::confused:

Amazon has fixed-price shipping on DVDs. Marketplace sellers who sell DVDs (like myself) have absolutely no ability to change the shipping costs, which are exactly the same for everybody.

[Nugent]

Usually I find that this is done so that seller's dvd is listed first. If you check shipping, it will often be 2-3x the amount that everyone else is charging. Amazon needs to change how they list items so that they are listed in the order of total cost rather than just the listed price.

Seriously, how did you come up with this? As noted earlier this isn't even close to correct. Are you sure you aren't talking about eBay? Even eBay has placed limits on the amount sellers can charge. Even on eBay if the average cost is $3 to ship a DVD you aren't going to see sellers getting $9 to ship the same DVD.

[Space_Monkey]

I sell on Amazon ever since I dumped Paypal after they screwed me out of $100 and therefore stopped using ebay. I do fairly well selling through Amazon even though I despise the low fixed cost for shipping any DVD (like I could ever ship my complete series of the Sopranos for under $3) and I find the commission to be excessive. It forces me to list items for higher than I'd normally like to cover that cost but they still end up selling.. All my stuff is listed as like new since I try to keep my stuff pristine, pack it well and ship it fast so I never get any complaints (except for the one unhappy grandma that thought I personally put the forced trailers at the beginning of her Disney DVD...), keeping my feedback at 100%. However, feedback is less integrated into selling on Amazon than ebay so you're lucky if you get even half of your buyers to leave you feedback.

[JohnnyDaBull]

I have used Amazon sellers a total of 20 times, and only 3 have been bad. Overall I would say it a seller has a rating higher than 90% then they are on the up and up.

[MrFleharty]

I buy a lot (used and new) from Amazon sellers. In general I've gotten some really great deals and items have arrived exactly as described. If a seller has less than a 98% feedback rating, I will generally read through feedback to see what's being complained about. Sometimes the complaints are pretty tacky. Being an Amazon seller myself, I've seen both sides of the fence; some buyers use the threat of negative feedback in order to get a partial or full refund and still keep the item they ordered.

Recently I jumped on John Adams for $4 - Used Acceptable. Arrived with no packaging, but the discs were in mint condition. While I feel that should have been in the description, the price was so low that I don't feel it worthy of complaining.

Another recent order was Criterion's Grand Illusion; I think that was Used - Good; described as an ex-rental with some stickers. Everything was fine, but no booklet was included. I contacted the seller who offered to refund if I shipped it back. Upon further reflection, I decided to keep it but did warn him he should note when Criterions do not have their booklet. This was an early Criterion release and most of their early ones did not have significant printed liner notes. Had this been Children of Paradise or Pandora's Box I would have taken the refund (those are examples where the booklet is integral to the presentation).

I generally shy away from obvious resellers like Game Exchange and CD Wherehouse - I'm sure they bought their collectible discs for pennies, then list them at extortionate prices. I much prefer dealing with an individual who is selling stuff from his personal collection (like myself).

As for Six Feet Under - I bought that during an Amazon Deal of the Day for maybe $50 last year. It's still sitting on my shelf, unopened. If the economy tanks again, I may have to sell it. That did happen to be a couple of years ago with the complete Homicide collection. I still regret having to sell it, but getting nearly three times what I paid for it was just too good to pass up.

Peter

I want Homicide!!!! Its SO dang expensive though on amazon...it was over 250 i think last time i checked. Ill get it eventually probably. Im workin on my law and orders and my saturday night lives right now. My only "bad" experience was ordering Tommy Lee goes to College or whatever it was called on DVD and the case was crap and the UPC was cut off...very badly...i use collectorz movie collector and needed that upc! It was easy enough to googl and find though.

[UAIOE]

I've never had a problem with Amazon Sellers. Granted, most of the things I've bought were CD's that were under $10.

I bought Electronic's first CD and the seller listed it as "used-new, played only a few times" and he wanted like $3 for the CD. I get the CD and its pristine condition.



The only thing I don't like about Amazon Sellers is there is no "market" for older computer parts. Either there is a pathetic selection, or people want $75 for a used 10yr old Soundblaster 16. -ohbfrank-

[Al_Tahoe]

I want Homicide!!!! Its SO dang expensive though on amazon...it was over 250 i think last time i checked.It's being re-released on October 20th, and Amazon has it available for preorder at $135...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002BLNGTS/ref=nosim/dvdtalk

Better yet, wait a couple extra weeks and get it during DD's November sale for probably $100 or less.

[smirnoffski]

KEY difference between Ebay and Amazon Marketplace is as follows:

When Amazon suspends a seller, they have a system in check to actually make sure that seller STAYS booted off.

On Ebay, when a seller is suspended, they can neatly open another account and sell anew (albeit with feedback at zero)

BUT on Amazon, there are ways of detecting if the suspended seller has opened another seller account:
- if the billing address is the same
- if the linked credit card is the same
- if the linked checking account is the same
- if the inventory is the same or substantially similar to that of a suspended seller, etc.

Any or all of the above or other factors raise red flags to automatically suspend new or existing seller accounts that appear to have links with suspended accounts.


ALSO, FEEDBACK is a completely different beast on Amazon than on Ebay:
- the buyer has absolutely NO stake in the feedback game and thus feedback is left for far fewer transactions on Ebay than on Amazon.
- this allows for feedback to be a far more accurate reflection of a seller's performance on Amazon than on Ebay.
- hence why I always feel more confident buying from a Amazon seller with a 90-94% positive feedback rating than an Ebay seller with 98-99% positive feedback rating


Amazon is a tightly regulated sandbox as the above illustrates as Amazon demands as much as, if not more, from 3rd party sellers than expects from itself.

[Living Dead]

I never get any complaints (except for the one unhappy grandma that thought I personally put the forced trailers at the beginning of her Disney DVD...)

What the... are you serious? I have to know what happened and how it ended up. That's hilarious.

[mraw]

I've been purchasing from the Amazon Marketplace for a few years now and I've found some pretty good deals (like Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy on blu-ray for less than $30 shipped- brand new), but there have been some misses on CDs. Granted, they only cost me a few dollars before shipping, but a description will clearily read New and sealed, but when I've received the product the case is completely shattered and the only thing keeping it together is the cellophane wrapping- so techincally it is new, but in bad condition.

Amazon doesn't make room for that type of problem and sellers can get away with it unless they are honest from the start and make a note of it in the product description. I've continued to purchase from there, and I love stocking up on Christmas CDs for cheap around this time of year.

[spainlinx0]

I have bought and sold on the third party side. I only sell stuff from my personal collection. I don't have a storefront. It's mostly just my girlfriend's used textbooks, and then I sold videogames and books I didn't want anymore. I think the commission and forced shipping charges are crap, but since the process is so simple I just accept it.

However I did laugh at one complaint that a buyer had of me. It was something like "shipped fast, but the game was played." Yeah lady, you bought a used game. Why would you think it would be unplayed since I always say in my description "From my personal collection." She must have assumed that everything being sold on Amazon is new or something.

[skapooj]

I too have found some great deals recently on a few criterions (Do the Right Thing and Traffic) each for about 6 bucks shipped and the Stanley Kubrick collection that so many others jumped on months ago. This leads me to the question... Is there a single thread where people post the deals they've found (similar to the Big lots finds thread?)

[Kent2000]

However I did laugh at one complaint that a buyer had of me. It was something like "shipped fast, but the game was played." Yeah lady, you bought a used game. Why would you think it would be unplayed since I always say in my description "From my personal collection." She must have assumed that everything being sold on Amazon is new or something.

That's as bad as the people who post a product review on Amazon that reads: One-star, not because I didn't enjoy the movie, but because it was slow to arrive."

[UAIOE]

However I did laugh at one complaint that a buyer had of me. It was something like "shipped fast, but the game was played." Yeah lady, you bought a used game. Why would you think it would be unplayed since I always say in my description "From my personal collection." She must have assumed that everything being sold on Amazon is new or something.

It seems the idiot eBay buyers went to Amazon as well...

[kahuna]

I have purchased almost 300 hd-dvd and blu-ray movies from Amazon.com Market Place. 72 New/sealed, 137 Used Blu-ray & about 88 hd-dvds. As for the blu-ray purchased I have had 4 sellers send me the standard dvd version. 3 of the 4 refunded my money plus my shipping cost as soon as they got the dvd back. The other seller said that is what I ordered even though it shows I ordered the blu-ray version. Then he blamed the listing on Amazon.com. I had to file a claim with Amazon.com. Another seller Newbury Comics sent me the hd-dvd version of Nip/Tuck Season 3. They emailed me a return shipping label and send the right one. I have been only disappointed with one seller who send me a blu-ray movie that had the plastic on the case all ripped, no cover art. He claims that was how he described it. Told me to check his other sales. He was right but on my order it said Like New and that was it. I filed a claim with Amazon.com when he told me how stupid I was and that Amazon.com would agree with him. Well he lost. I also purchased a used Spiderman Trilogy on Blu-ray for $25. When I received it there was 2 copies of Spiderman 2 in it. I contacted them they told me they get back to me. The next day they told me they could not find Spiderman in their stock. So told me to keep it and gave me a full refund. I found Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray for under $5. I have had 15 refunds also where the seller said the prices were to low because a glitch with Amazon.com.

My biggest problem is the length of time it takes for movie to arrive here in HI. Since the $2.98 is for media mail it can take as long as over 3 weeks to arrive. I usually pass on sellers from the East Coast unless they offer 1st class shipping in their comments. In fact I always look for sellers who say they ship first class mail now.

[Norm de Plume]

The problem with Amazon Marketplace is the ripoff flat-rate shipping. Fix that and I'd be on board.

[ProfessorEcho]

The thing that baffles me is there are several dvds selling for $0.01. Are you that fucking desperate to get rid of your stuff? I would rather keep the dvd than just give it away.

I cannot figure out how these sellers make ANY money when they sell something for a penny. Moreover, what commission can Amazon take from an item that sold for a penny? How exactly does this work to anyone's benefit besides the buyer? If someone can enlighten me, I would appreciate it.

[Trevor]

I cannot figure out how these sellers make ANY money when they sell something for a penny. Moreover, what commission can Amazon take from an item that sold for a penny? How exactly does this work to anyone's benefit besides the buyer? If someone can enlighten me, I would appreciate it.
First, after the commission and shipping credit, if they use media mail or first class they still make a small profit.

Second, they are trying to build feedback.

[ProfessorEcho]

Trevor, I've considered that, both with regards to leftover postage and the potential for increased feedback (something that often tends to be futile on that site), but what commission does Amazon get from a penny?

[awil1026]

Trevor, I've considered that, both with regards to leftover postage and the potential for increased feedback (something that often tends to be futile on that site), but what commission does Amazon get from a penny?
Amazon has variable and fixed commission. Commission on a DVD is 15% of the sales price. There is then a $0.99 per-transaction fee and a closing fee ($0.80 for a DVD).

[hindolio]

i have a difficult time with this too, but i think it goes further than trying to build feedback. heck, it seems most sellers selling items for a cent already have 3,000+ transactions, so even a bunch of positive feedback is negligible.

rather, im thinking the seller just has tons of stock (i notice a lot of ex-rentals or no cover art or the like at $.01) that need just need to be gone. even if the seller makes nothing from a penny transaction, there is the cash flow.

[ProfessorEcho]

Amazon has variable and fixed commission. Commission on a DVD is 15% of the sales price. There is then a $0.99 per-transaction fee and a closing fee ($0.80 for a DVD).

So what is 15% of a penny? Does the seller go into debt with Amazon when they sell something for a penny? I still don't get why a seller would do it.

Hindolio makes good points. But I don't see any advantage if the seller winds up paying AMAZON more than what they will make by selling something so cheaply.

[Al_Tahoe]

So what is 15% of a penny?And you call yourself a professor! ;)

If you sell a DVD for a penny, you still get $2.98 for shipping. From that total of $2.99, 80 cents would be deducted for Amazon's DVD closing fee, leaving you with $2.19 income (the 99 cent transaction fee is waived for "Pro Merchant" sellers).

So, if you're a Pro Merchant seller and can pack and ship for less than $2.19, you will make a tiny profit.

As to why this would remotely be worth the effort involved... I have no idea. Personally, if I can't sell for $5 or more, I just give the DVD to friends or family.

[creekdipper]

Unless somebody is desperate to build feedback, I would think it would always be better to give the DVD away rather than selling it for .01. If you don't have any friends or relatives who would enjoy it, donate it to a charity, a shelter, or send it to the troops overseas.

[ProfessorEcho]

And you call yourself a professor! ;)

If you sell a DVD for a penny, you still get $2.98 for shipping. From that total of $2.99, 80 cents would be deducted for Amazon's DVD closing fee, leaving you with $2.19 income (the 99 cent transaction fee is waived for "Pro Merchant" sellers).

So, if you're a Pro Merchant seller and can pack and ship for less than $2.19, you will make a tiny profit.

As to why this would remotely be worth the effort involved... I have no idea. Personally, if I can't sell for $5 or more, I just give the DVD to friends or family.

Well, being a professor does not automatically guarantee one's math skills. :helpme:

But I have never sold anything for a penny on Amazon, so I had no idea that they took their percentage from the shipping rates. I thought the shipping rate was fixed no matter what you sold something for, ergo my lack of knowledge, or, if you will, just plain old ignorance. LOL. I'm also not a Pro Merchant, so am unaware of policies and perks regarding same.

As someone once said in a movie or TV show long forgotten: "That's why I asked you! That's how you learn, by asking questions you dumb ass!" (Does anyone remember what that's from?).

Anyway, thanks for the clarification, Al. I'm with you on this, anything that's under five bucks is headed for friends or a thrift store.

[styl3s]

I'd be very curious to know why somebody was selling an unopened box set "Six Feet Under" on ebay?! I suppose it could have been a gift and they had no interest in it, or somehow they ended up with 2 sets, but if they were selling more than 1 of them I'd be suspicious! Or maybe it "fell off a truck", eh?!
or they could be dvd collectors and want to keep them sealed to preserve value? i have angel, buffy and alias complete sets still sealed for that reason, once you open the complete set value drops, like opening an action figure.. same goes with steelbooks.

[Norm de Plume]

Unless somebody is desperate to build feedback, I would think it would always be better to give the DVD away rather than selling it for .01. If you don't have any friends or relatives who would enjoy it, donate it to a charity, a shelter, or send it to the troops overseas.
:thumbsup: And if you truly want to sell something for a penny, don't deceptively build your profit into the shipping. I would rather pay $5 for an item and pay at-cost shipping than pay $.01 for the item and $8.99 for shipping.

[Trevor]

:thumbsup: And if you truly want to sell something for a penny, don't deceptively build your profit into the shipping. I would rather pay $5 for an item and pay at-cost shipping than pay $.01 for the item and $8.99 for shipping.
Maybe you're switching gears and talking ebay, but Amazon's shipping is set and not changeable.

And I have no problem with being charged $8.99 for shipping on ebay, as long as it is clearly spelled out before I bid. The $8.99 probably doesn't cover all the ebay fees, paypal fees, packaging cost, and mailing costs for even a single DVD.

[greymatter]

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="0" height="0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.photosnag.com/pages/4210//info.html"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.photosnag.com/pages/4210//info.html" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="0" height="0"></embed></object>The problem with Amazon Marketplace is the ripoff flat-rate shipping. Fix that and I'd be on board.

I think thats how some of the sellers are selling things for $0.01...lol...crooks

[hindolio]

...Hindolio makes good points...

i surprise myself at times -wink-

but going back to the cash flow thingy, allow me to clarify. i dont think any of the sellers on amazon selling dvds for a penny are collectors, hobbyists, movie afficionados, or the like. my guess they are dvd rental stores, dvd retail stores, liquidators, and so on. im guessing they have hundreds of dvds, in some cases thousands, that they need to get rid of quickly.

if they make a $.25 clear profit on each transaction, 1,000 transactions equates to $250. that is chump change yesh? and if they make exactly zero on each of 1,000 transactions, what it the point right? i dont think of it that way, as cash flow may be very important for a business. if your books show 1,000 transactions at $3 per transaction ($.01 plus $2.99 shipping), that is $3,000 in gross revenue. sure, from my example above, maybe $250 or even zero net profit, but that $3,000 in cash flow could help grow a business in many ways (getting a loan, accruing interest in a bank account, using that money to purchase more goods, etc).

just saying :D

[jeffbase34]

And you call yourself a professor! ;)

If you sell a DVD for a penny, you still get $2.98 for shipping. From that total of $2.99, 80 cents would be deducted for Amazon's DVD closing fee, leaving you with $2.19 income (the 99 cent transaction fee is waived for "Pro Merchant" sellers).

So, if you're a Pro Merchant seller and can pack and ship for less than $2.19, you will make a tiny profit.

As to why this would remotely be worth the effort involved... I have no idea. Personally, if I can't sell for $5 or more, I just give the DVD to friends or family.

It costs me about $1.90 to ship a 4 oz dvd and that's not counting the cost of printer ink, mailer and mailing tape. Maybe a 5 cent profit if they got the dvd for free??

And usually the $0.01 dvds have several people trying to sell for $0.01. Check out Miami Vice for example:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000J4QWMC/sr=8-3/qid=1253626804/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1253626804&sr=8-3&seller=&colid=&condition=used

[Norm de Plume]

Maybe you're switching gears and talking ebay, but Amazon's shipping is set and not changeable.
Yes, I know. Amazon.com Marketplace international shipping rates are wildly expensive. $12.29 per DVD or VHS. $6.89 per CD. $12.49 per book. That might be reasonable if you're ordering from Timbuktu, but not from Canada.
Plus, if I order several items from the same seller, I expect shipping to be markedly discounted. You don't just add up all the 12.29s. What, I'm supposed to pay $50 to ship four DVDs? Ridiculous! I refuse, refuse, refuse to buy from Amazon marketplace anymore. Get real, Amazon. And while you're trying to get real, work on opening up an easily accessible customer service email. You call yourself an internet business yet you make it a near-impossibility for people to write in with question. Thanks, but that kind of contempt is beyond the pale.

[UAIOE]

I agree that shipping should be combined when buying multiple items from one seller.

[rexinnih]

I agree that shipping should be combined when buying multiple items from one seller.

That has been my biggest pet peeve with ordering from Marketplace.

[GreenVulture]

:confused::confused::confused:

Amazon has fixed-price shipping on DVDs. Marketplace sellers who sell DVDs (like myself) have absolutely no ability to change the shipping costs, which are exactly the same for everybody.
I think what he's talking about is not the used option, but the "More Buying Options" that's listed on the right hand side. Sometimes other stores will offer the same product for far less than what Amazon is selling it for, but it'll come with a high shipping price, and would actually cost less to go with Amazon.

[kahuna]

Moved this from a different thread. Here is my latest purchases of Blu-ray movies from a seller at Amazon.com Marketplace. All are new and shipping included. Yes it would of been nice if I could of gotten a reduction on shipping cost since I brought these all from the same seller. I ordered the first 4 at the same time last week & Braveheart last night.
1. Wedding Crashers - $10.18
2. Andrea Bocelli: Vivere - Live in Tuscany - $12.19
3. Barbra Streisand: Live in Concert 2006 - $9.34
4. War: Greatest Hits - Live - $8.96
5. Braveheart - $12.16

[Superdaddy]

Despite the per-item shipping charge, I enjoy Amazon Marketplace a good deal. Always buy from sellers with feedback in the high 90's, and so far have had no problems and gotten some great deals. Now I often check these sellers first before looking at amazon's own prices for items.

Factory-sealed two-disc DVD sets for $10 shipped (or less), pristine copies of long out-of-print hardcover books for $4.00-$7.00 shipped...just a few of the great deals I've scored there.

[abintra]

Apologies but I wanted to vent a little. I'm about done with buying cheap DVDs from marketplace sellers.

Had good luck with buying the closeout HD DVDs from a couple of the sellers earlier this year so recently I've taken to look for titles that are being sold for about $3-$4 shipped and would have to look up to see if any of them arrived as advertised.

In the last two months, I've received obvious resealed items from pieceofmindbooks/media (item in generic white case w/ a generic "security device enclosed" as the top white title security strip that was held together with glue that was still stuck on the outside of the shrink wrap on all sides). A DVD that was still technically sealed but with most of it ripped off with cuts into the case. One that was sealed but looked like it was in a game of football. An item from Newtown Videos that was supposed to be new but arrived completely open, dirty and with scratches.

My closest to as advertised just might be an obviously new and factory sealed item that has the hub broken inside with plastic pieces floating around and the loose disc. I figure, at best, I've been 50/50 whether things arrive as advertised. I'm just going to wait until they turn up at the various stores at this point or stick to Amazon itself. Doesn't seem to matter who the seller is when dealing with titles for less than a few dollars shipped.

[hindolio]

^ regarding amazon marketplace, from my experience it is very important who you buy from. for example, pieceofmind, moviemars, inflatable madness, white elephant, et al... they are huge non-existent customer service, dont care about anything, sell a thousand items and make a dime each, etc... type of sellers. they drop ship from the same warehouses, they sell stuff they dont have, they buy used and re-seal to sell as new (coincidentally, from the amazon dvd trade-in program too), and so on. they are sellers you want to avoid.

then there are the okay guys, like newtownvideo, gohastings, secondspin, etc. again imho, these guys actually have customer service, though you may get a dud of a dvd from time to time.

just saying :D

[SpinalGuffman]

In the last two months, I've received obvious resealed items from pieceofmindbooks/media (item in generic white case w/ a generic "security device enclosed" as the top white title security strip that was held together with glue that was still stuck on the outside of the shrink wrap on all sides). I've read about this quite a few places lately. This smells like grounds for a class action suit. Unbelievable that a large seller would adopt this as a standard business practice.

I have had mostly good success on Amazon, but I usually either buy cheap paperbacks (quality isn't that important on these for me, if I can read it I am happy) or hard to find movies (pretty picky on these), so I have no experience trying to get a brand new recent DVD for $4 shipped.

When I do buy from a seller there, I don't usually buy the cheapest one available. After some trial and error I try to buy from small and medium sized sellers with only 99 - 100% ratings. I look at it this way. A 99% seller means you have 1 chance in 100 that you might not be satisfied. a 98% seller is a 1 in 50 chance, and so on.

I learned the hard way that if a seller has thousands of ratings chances are you won't get fast or personal customer service. Plus their ratings are always 94-95%. If you buy from a seller with a 95% rating, you have a 5 in 100 chance you won't be happy. 1 in 20 is not great odds.

[styl3s]

my only complaint is most users lie in the description, for instance i bought the oc complete series for 40, description said "disc mint, nothing missing full set" i got it and the hard plastic cover was missing.. no problem but the box was damaged heavily and half the disc were scratched, luckily i could get the scratches off..

and ive been burned a few time with blu-ray seasons (lost s1 and s2) came in multiple black cases with printed artwork.. i know alot of people dont care if that happens but i cannot stand non original packaging or damaged..

[JohnnyDaBull]

my only complaint is most users lie in the description, for instance i bought the oc complete series for 40, description said "disc mint, nothing missing full set" i got it and the hard plastic cover was missing.. no problem but the box was damaged heavily and half the disc were scratched, luckily i could get the scratches off..

and ive been burned a few time with blu-ray seasons (lost s1 and s2) came in multiple black cases with printed artwork.. i know alot of people dont care if that happens but i cannot stand non original packaging or damaged..

Stuff like that has happened to me on marketplace. Email the seller a couple of times and give them a few days to reply. Then report their ass and get your money back.

[SpinalGuffman]

my only complaint is most users lie in the descriptionYes I had that problem several times when I first bought there, I would just get the cheapest from a 95% seller. Sometimes when I bought from that kind of seller everything was fine, but it was very hit and miss.

Hasn't happened lately now that I am only buying from higher rated sellers. I also make a point to go through several pages of feedback to see what their neutral and negative feedbacks say. If there are any "not in condition as described" comments I stay away.

[Superdaddy]

Yes I had that problem several times when I first bought there, I would just get the cheapest from a 95% seller. Sometimes when I bought from that kind of seller everything was fine, but it was very hit and miss.

Hasn't happened lately now that I am only buying from higher rated sellers. I also make a point to go through several pages of feedback to see what their neutral and negative feedbacks say. If there are any "not in condition as described" comments I stay away.

This is very important. I'll gladly pay a buck or two more to get a higher-rated seller. Sometimes the difference between a seller with 95% rating and a 98% rating is much less than that, even pennies. I hardly ever buy from the person with the cheapest price.