2023 Amazon Prime Day Deals!

[dascrow]

With numerous Amazon Prime deals anticipated in the coming days, I thought it would be beneficial to start a thread where we can discuss and share potential deals that may interest our community. Let's keep each other posted!

Amazon.com | Prime Day 2023

Prime Day is Amazon's annual deal event on July 11-12 exclusively for Prime members, featuring two days of epic deals on top brands. Don’t miss out on Prime Day 2023 deals at Amazon.com. Enjoy big discounts, special promotions, and exciting offers on a wide range of products for a limited time only.

www.amazon.com

 

[Musicphan]

I refuse to do business with Amazon... they lack all ethics.

 

[Admin]

It's so convenient it's hard for me to cut them out.

 

[Musicphan]

It's so convenient it's hard for me to cut them out.

I get it... but when you look into their business practices, you may think twice (or at least I did). The straw that broke the camel's back was when they lost $2000 worth of coffee (I was selling on their platform), and they could give two shits that they lost it (and I had proof of delivery). I couldn't even get anyone engaged to help. They came back almost 1.5 years later and said, "Hey, we found your product, but it's expired now, and we can't sell... we can destroy this for you or return it on your dime"...

 

[shadow745]

I get it... but when you look into their business practices, you may think twice (or at least I did). The straw that broke the camel's back was when they lost $2000 worth of coffee (I was selling on their platform), and they could give two shits that they lost it (and I had proof of delivery). I couldn't even get anyone engaged to help. They came back almost 1.5 years later and said, "Hey, we found your product, but it's expired now, and we can't sell... we can destroy this for you or return it on your dime"...

Even as just a periodic buyer I don't bother with them that much. I have found some quality items that I couldn't source elsewhere and 'take advantage' of the free 30 day Prime or even buy 1 week for like $2 when available. My main beef with them is the very lenient return policy as no doubt many things are slapped back on the shelf without being inspected and the next buyer ends up with open/used crap advertised as being new in the box. Also, get tired of the constant 'Amazon Best Seller' reviews that mean nothing as most is likely falsified or based on free product evaluation to boost recommendation. To put it mildly, billionaires achieve what they do by pretty much any means necessary and it damn sure isn't for the good of mankind!

 

[Musicphan]

Even as just a periodic buyer I don't bother with them that much. I have found some quality items that I couldn't source elsewhere and 'take advantage' of the free 30 day Prime or even buy 1 week for like $2 when available. My main beef with them is the very lenient return policy as no doubt many things are slapped back on the shelf without being inspected and the next buyer ends up with open/used crap advertised as being new in the box. Also, get tired of the constant 'Amazon Best Seller' reviews that mean nothing as most is likely falsified or based on free product evaluation to boost recommendation. To put it mildly, billionaires achieve what they do by pretty much any means necessary and it damn sure isn't for the good of mankind!

Their lenient return policy is changing due to the abuse... all returned products are liquidated - nothing goes back in stock. Tell me someone isn't getting screwed if they can afford to liquidate all returns at .10 on the dollar. And they do little/nothing to stop counterfeit products. I recently bought a small piece of equipment which was from a premium French brand. When I got it it was clear plastic wrapper vs. professional packaging which made me question the authenticity. I called the French company and they confirmed it was a fake. Amazon wouldn't acknowledge or attempt to stop this seller from selling. Purchased a Kalita wave several years ago from them - fake.

 

[Genas]

I get it... but when you look into their business practices, you may think twice (or at least I did). The straw that broke the camel's back was when they lost $2000 worth of coffee (I was selling on their platform), and they could give two shits that they lost it (and I had proof of delivery). I couldn't even get anyone engaged to help. They came back almost 1.5 years later and said, "Hey, we found your product, but it's expired now, and we can't sell... we can destroy this for you or return it on your dime"...

That sounds incredibly frustrating and disappointing. Have you found an alternative platform or solution for selling your coffee since then, or are you still exploring your options? It’s unfortunate when a platform’s customer service doesn’t meet expectations, especially in such a critical situation.

 

[Musicphan]

That sounds incredibly frustrating and disappointing. Have you found an alternative platform or solution for selling your coffee since then, or are you still exploring your options? It’s unfortunate when a platform’s customer service doesn’t meet expectations, especially in such a critical situation.

I sell directly... I knew going in that profitability would be less but here is a reality check of who is making money (Amazon):

Revenue Calculator

I plugged in a Pete's coffee which sells for $12.99 for 18 oz.

Price: $12.99
Amazon Fee's: $2.03
Fulfillment Fee's: $4.99
Storage Fees: $.20 (average)
"Profit" = $5.77

Cost of Green Coffee $3.50
(for cost comparison I used the C market price which is half the price of specialty at minimum)

Cost to Ship Products into Amazon Fulfillments (which they also profit from) $.50

Net Profit is $1.77 which doesn't account for your packaging costs, labor, time & effort. When you put it all together you make pennies. Now certain products and volume pennies may be fine. But in the coffee world, it simply doesn't add up. Add in the fact they are often not in climate controlled warehouses, the 'freshness' date is up to year and there is no ability to sell first in/first out. Sellers beware... its not all its cracked up to be.

 

[MarcBeck]

I'll offer up two consumer experiences:

More than once I have bought coffee syrup from Amazon and what I received wasn't even close to what I ordered. It was the correct brand but wrong flavor. One time the box was the correct flavor but the 4 bottles in the box were random. Anyway, I contacted Amazon and because it's a food product they don't want it back and issued a refund. Of course I reordered what I had ordered in the first place and got the correct product.

As for coffee, I recently order two 2.2 lb bags of Lavazza (it was a two bag special). The two bags arrived sealed inside a clear bag inside a large shipping envelope. One of the bags of coffee had been cut open and beans were freely piling up inside the clear bag. Once again I contacted Amazon expecting they would send one replacement bag....NOPE...full refund. In my tiny brain I have to wonder why the person who put the clear bag inside the shipping envelope thought that a cut open bag was OK.

Of course I've had other experiences with non-coffee products where I wrote a review for the product that had either failed or was flawed shortly after using it, and had the seller contact me and again refunded the cost. Say what you like about Amazon but considering where I live it's still the best way to shop. I only wish shipping was faster. Sometimes I order a product and it doesn't ship for 30 days! What's that about when other products ship in less than 24 hours?

 

[Genas]

I sell directly... I knew going in that profitability would be less but here is a reality check of who is making money (Amazon):

Revenue Calculator

I plugged in a Pete's coffee which sells for $12.99 for 18 oz.

Price: $12.99
Amazon Fee's: $2.03
Fulfillment Fee's: $4.99
Storage Fees: $.20 (average)
"Profit" = $5.77

Cost of Green Coffee $3.50
(for cost comparison I used the C market price which is half the price of specialty at minimum)

Cost to Ship Products into Amazon Fulfillments (which they also profit from) $.50

Net Profit is $1.77 which doesn't account for your packaging costs, labor, time & effort. When you put it all together you make pennies. Now certain products and volume pennies may be fine. But in the coffee world, it simply doesn't add up. Add in the fact they are often not in climate controlled warehouses, the 'freshness' date is up to year and there is no ability to sell first in/first out. Sellers beware... its not all its cracked up to be.

Selling directly allows you more control over your product's quality and pricing, which can be crucial in the coffee industry. It's important to weigh profitability against factors like freshness and customer experience when choosing sales platforms.

 

[Musicphan]

If there is any thought that Amazon is an ethical company you should watch this: