Did you know that 49% of Amazon's top sellers are BASED out of China? Only 47% are based in the US.

https://www.marketplacepulse.c...sellers-on-amazoncom

And not just because they thought Amazon was great, but because Amazon is actively recruiting them?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a...-at-risk-11573489075

https://americanmanufacturing....on-has-gone-to-China

So in addition to harming your local businesses, you're supporting a platform that supports China, even when buying US products.

Amazon is loosing the 3rd party seller race to their rival in China, Alibaba.

The practice is called Daigou which means 'to buy on behalf'
It ventures into the Grey Market, and promotes the culture of unrestrained opportunism. Basically the ugly side of capitalism without any boundaries or, social mores.
This article lays out some of the issues.

This video covers the practice and how a woman and her husband in the US got called-out for it. You can go to 28:20 to move off the couple and into the practice of Daigou

quote:

Daigou

At one time we called them smugglers......


At one time we valued American Merchandise, now we value convenience over origin..

What do we expect, we're demand driven, and they provide immediate satisfaction, by delivery or price or both. I think it's call convenience...

Access to goods, when we want them, no searching multiple sources to find the item, in fact Amazon isn't always the best price, but it is the easiest, one place for your information, cc number, one source for goods, click and go...

The only problem I have with either is that I didn't figure it out and get it to market first..

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Daigou

At one time we called them smugglers......

Smuggling is the black market, products obtained via illegal means.

Daigou sellers obtain their product thru legal means, however their unrestrained re-selling depresses the marketplace which crushes those legit & authorized wholesale vendors.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Daigou

At one time we called them smugglers......

Smuggling is the black market, products obtained via illegal means.

Exactly, as the definition states, below



Daigou - is an emerging form of cross-border exporting in which an individual or a syndicated group of exporters outside China purchases commodities for customers in China, in order to either illegally or legally use loopholes to circumvent import tariffs imposed on overseas goods . Wikipedia

Names: Daigou, Overseas personal shopper,

Professional shopper

Activity sectors: Smuggling

Related jobs: Smuggler

Synonyms: Haiwai Daigou

Fields of employment: Self-employed

My wife and I shop at Amazon as little as possible. But the problem is local stores are stocking less and less variety than ever--particularly of higher-quality, more expensive, lower-demand things. I can't count the number of times we've found something we like and the local stores one day just up and stopped carrying it. Had to go to Amazon to find it.

Or take the structural screws which were my latest Amazon purchase. Nobody locally carried them. Nobody I could find, anyway. One of the big box stores would order them for me. Yeah, ok, but if I have to order them, anyway, why not just order them from Amazon?

It surely isn't just a price thing. We often find things locally at prices lower than Amazon. But even if they're a bit higher, we'll shop locally first... when we can.

Computer and network stuff? Forget about it. There are no computer stores around here any more. And all Best Buy and the like carry are common, el cheapo consumer-/residential-grade product. I have to go to Amazon, Newegg or the like for the product I want.

Small electronic-y parts? Used to shop at Radio Shack all the time. Radio Shack is gone.

CD/DVD/BD rentals? Used to rent at the local video rental stores often. They're gone. Now it's either buy 'em at Walmart or whatever, or pay Amazon's digital rental fees. (Which are 2-3 times what a DVD/BD rental used to cost from a local place.)

I could go along in this vein forever

Hey, I won't be buying my new safe lock from Amazon, so there's that

Speaking of which: When I tried my local locksmith for all new locks for the house, three locking levers and three deadbolts, their response was "We don't carry that line. We could order it in for you, but it'll be very expensive." So I bought them from... Lowe's, I think? Not going to give somebody my business when they actively discourage me from it.

Given that treatment, I'm disinclined to even go over there to ask them about my safe lock requirements.

More on-topic for this forum: I almost never buy firearms on-line. In fact I think I've done so only... once? A limited-run six-shooter nobody had, save one gun shop over in...Montana? I'm thinking.

I do buy ammo on-line because often the LGS' either don't have what I want or charge an arm and a leg for what they do have.

I do buy most of my tools at local tool stores. The tool cribs at Lowe's or Home Depot when that fails. On-line as a last resort.

Not only that China is a hotbed or counterfeit and knock offs.
I was shopping for some Kreg Corner Clamps the other day and apparently the same thing shipped direct from China was half price even with a small time wait and shipping charges.
This is not the only example - Computer Software such a Corel Draw Suite is $400 +/- from the company but Ebay and maybe Amazon offer at under $50.
I have seen Therapens that are allegedly counterfeited too.
Tell me those deals are Kosher.
I will always pay more to support local/US companies if I can.
True a lot of their stuff is made in Chi-land anyway so what is the difference you may say?
There is a difference to me.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Exactly, as the definition states, below



Daigou - is an emerging form of cross-border exporting in which an individual or a syndicated group of exporters outside China purchases commodities for customers in China, in order to either illegally or legally use loopholes to circumvent import tariffs imposed on overseas goods . Wikipedia

You're not wrong, however its not a strict definition.
The point is, Amazon is attracting 'overseas' vendors, in order to secure a larger market share of the 3rd party sellers. They're willing to roll-the-dice to attract these unscrupulous sellers, undermining authorized wholesale dealers on their platform. Basically, their going down the tech mantra of Its better to ask for forgiveness, than ask for permission

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Exactly, as the definition states, below



Daigou - is an emerging form of cross-border exporting in which an individual or a syndicated group of exporters outside China purchases commodities for customers in China, in order to either illegally or legally use loopholes to circumvent import tariffs imposed on overseas goods . Wikipedia

You're not wrong, however its not a strict definition.
The point is, Amazon is attracting 'overseas' vendors, in order to secure a larger market share of the 3rd party sellers. They're willing to roll-the-dice to attract these unscrupulous sellers, undermining authorized wholesale dealers on their platform. Basically, their going down the tech mantra of Its better to ask for forgiveness, than ask for permission

You know we agree, right?

The smugglers was a reference to Daigou, not as much Amazon, I should have been clear earlier

Agree Amazon is a powerhouse and dangerous to the us economy, however the real problem is in the US hopefully we can weather the storm that is the result of taking on China and return some manufacturing to the USA, while getting people to return to buying US goods.

Problem is that Wal-Mart, Amazon have created a consumer profile of instant gratification, ease of use, no hassles on returns fortified with cheap goods aka Price.

Thats a hard combination to beat...

I've said before - I'm increasingly dis-enamored with Amazon over time. Each time I want to buy something, unless I specify a specific brand and not just a product type, I'm likely inundated with shitty PRC offerings which I would never buy, will never buy.

Amazon should get a clue since it's monitoring my purchase and search behavior. If it's trying to tailor my shopping experience, FILTER THAT SHIT OUT. Because one day, Amazon will become just a content source, not a product source for me. I've already started to order direct from manufacturer or some other retailer for many things.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I've said before - I'm increasingly dis-enamored with Amazon over time. Each time I want to buy something, unless I specify a specific brand and not just a product type, I'm likely inundated with shitty PRC offerings which I would never buy, will never buy.

Indeed. I'm currently researching items to stock my new home's kitchen, and searching for generic things like measuring cups and kitchen towels on Amazon merely returns page after page after page of shitty no-name Chinese products.

(But now that I think about it, the alternative would be page after page of shitty brand-name Chinese products stocked at places like Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond, right? So is it just an Amazon problem, or a typical American consumer marketplace problem, where the demand for cheap and fast products has grossly overtaken demand for quality and durability?)

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
You know we agree, right?

The smugglers was a reference to Daigou, not as much Amazon, I should have been clear earlier

Agree Amazon is a powerhouse and dangerous to the us economy, however the real problem is in the US hopefully we can weather the storm that is the result of taking on China and return some manufacturing to the USA, while getting people to return to buying US goods.

Problem is that Wal-Mart, Amazon have created a consumer profile of instant gratification, ease of use, no hassles on returns fortified with cheap goods aka Price.

Thats a hard combination to beat...

Pretty easy to wander down the road of semantics on forums. We're all good.

I think what we're seeing and possibly coming to a head, is the realization that American consumers, are taking a harder look at where their purchases are coming from. Hopefully a revitalization for a return of American manufacturing. The discerning shopper make a return. You have every right to buy from whomever you wish, I have a choice and choose not to shop at the lowest priced option.

The Dems are going to have to relax their environmental and employment regulations, meanwhile the GOP is going to have to put their foot down on companies who've off-shored their manufacturing. And both are going to have to get serious about enforcing and getting punitive on import tariffs violations.

With the amount of fakes people get from/through amazon, I rarely shop there. I’ll instead order from a reputable online or local dealer.

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
With the amount of fakes people get from/through amazon, I rarely shop there. I’ll instead order from a reputable online or local dealer.

You can do that on Amazon, you just need to dig and peel the onion back on who's the seller, not to mention read the reviews and ratings. If you received a knockoff or, feel the descriptor on the page is incorrect, you need to contact Amazon. Basically, insert shitty review, if you and many others do the same, their rating goes down and thus, their selling ability is compromised.

quote:

I think what we're seeing and possibly coming to a head, is the realization that American consumers, are taking a harder look at where their purchases are coming from. Hopefully a revitalization for a return of American manufacturing

^^^^^
I would have to agree. I am hopeful this is the case. I remember when goods from Japan were seen as junk by the American public.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
With the amount of fakes people get from/through amazon, I rarely shop there. I’ll instead order from a reputable online or local dealer.

You can do that on Amazon, you just need to dig and peel the onion back on who's the seller, not to mention read the reviews and ratings. If you received a knockoff or, feel the descriptor on the page is incorrect, you need to contact Amazon. Basically, insert shitty review, if you and many others do the same, their rating goes down and thus, their selling ability is compromised.

Disclaimer - I have intimate knowledge of this, due to prior employment. Amazon’s supply chain is contaminated, as they commingle 3rd party and 1st party products at their warehouses, and if you return a product in new/sealed condition it’s also returned to the same bin as 1st party.

Steer well clear of Amazon for anything that is faked, best to source that from a reputable supplier.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
My wife and I shop at Amazon as little as possible. But the problem is local stores are stocking less and less variety than ever....

CD/DVD/BD rentals? Used to rent at the local video rental stores often. They're gone. Now it's either buy 'em at Walmart or whatever, or pay Amazon's digital rental fees. (Which are 2-3 times what a DVD/BD rental used to cost from a local place.)

You should check w/ your local library....They're FREE to rent there!

Our local library is part of a multi-library consortium and has a reciprocal borrowing agreement with other libraries that are part of the system, which covers most libraries in Southern NH. We get current/just released to DVD/BD movies and have a least a half dozen out at any given time....My wife is a prolific borrower/library customer! She actually puts in requests for movies as we're watching previews, and if they can't borrow it, they often purchase it....on Blu-Ray!

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
With the amount of fakes people get from/through amazon, I rarely shop there. I’ll instead order from a reputable online or local dealer.

You can do that on Amazon, you just need to dig and peel the onion back on who's the seller, not to mention read the reviews and ratings. If you received a knockoff or, feel the descriptor on the page is incorrect, you need to contact Amazon. Basically, insert shitty review, if you and many others do the same, their rating goes down and thus, their selling ability is compromised.

Disclaimer - I have intimate knowledge of this, due to prior employment. Amazon’s supply chain is contaminated, as they commingle 3rd party and 1st party products at their warehouses, and if you return a product in new/sealed condition it’s also returned to the same bin as 1st party.

Steer well clear of Amazon for anything that is faked, best to source that from a reputable supplier.

Doesn't that only apply if its FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)? If its FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) then you have a bit clearer recourse.

Of course, fulfillment by merchant is the gold standard - but in many cases, you can get similar pricing directly from that merchant.

I try to buy only fulfilled by merchant. The problem with buying direct from the merchant is credit card security...