Sold on eBay, Shipped by Amazon

[engine]

Amazon.com, the online retailer, is expanding a program designed to allow independent sellers to use its network of distribution centers to store and ship their products, according to Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chief executive.

Since last fall, the program, Fulfillment by Amazon, has allowed independent sellers who list their goods on Amazon.com to use its network of more than 20 distribution centers around the world to fill orders. Now Amazon, which is based in Seattle, is opening the program to vendors who list their items elsewhere on the Web — on their own site, through Google, or even on Amazon’s e-commerce rival, eBay.

Sold on eBay, Shipped by Amazon [nytimes.com]

How does that work for you?

[phranque]

i have already had a SOE/SBA shopping experience that worked well...

[bodine]

If I still owned an online ecommerce biz, I don't think I would like this. How would this work well for me? Amazon.com is a competitor with most products now. Let's say I sell a product to a customer. If Amazon.com ships a package that has "amazon.com" on the side of the box, the customer may think it came from amazon.com and will go back to them to "re-order." If Amazon.com does not sell it, however, it may be okay...well, until they start selling that product...

[sun818]

Its a no brainer for web merchants that already sell on Amazon's Marketplace platform since the fulfillment service would allow Amazon buyers to save by receiving free shipping (or at least discounted combined shipping) on multiple items. This gives an advantage on Amazon to merchants using the fulfillment service over those that do not.

Even though the NY Times article states Amazon is considering using unmarked boxes, I do not see this happening. Part of automation requires uniformity and I do not see Amazon giving up their branding and use unmarked boxes for their entire shipping operation.

[stajer]

I buy a lot of books online - especially older, out of print onoes. At one point I was a big ebay buyer.

I once bought a book on ebay from a seller who just ordered it on Amazon and had it shipped directly to me from them. I checked the Amazon price and saw the guy made $5 without having to hold the inventory - all arbitrage.

[I check Amazon before I buy anything now.]

[joeking]

It's quite common to find people bidding more for something on eBay (especially when postage is included) than the same item sells via amazon and other e-tailers. Must be something to do with the thrill of the chase.

[crates]

This is hands down the most exciting thing I have seen since breakfast (erotica excluded).

*rubs hands fiendishly*

It's going to be a busy month.

[yallknowho]

they want everyone to shop at their site anyway. this lets them expand their product base and test the market to see what sells. once they find stuff that does well, they will start carrying it themselves and push you out. they also take a fat percentage of your profit.