We have “destruction” selected for damaged returns.
But something interesting - we did a short run with a unique bottle cap color, having run out of the usual color. Therefore, we know that these with the different color are “recently manufactured”.
And there it is, on eBay, at a price lower than the Amazon price, with the unique bottle cap color. Offered by TWO different sellers.
Looking at the other goods sold by these sellers, they sell a random collection of things, so it is reasonable to think that these eBay sellers are buying random assortments of amazon returns.
Can we trust Amazon to actually DESTROY what they say they will?
When you put in a “disposal” order you’re authorizing Amazon to do whatever they want with the item. This includes selling it to liquidations.
They never said they’re going to destroy the items, they said they’re going to “dispose” of them.
If you want the items destroyed, you need to do a return order and throw it in the trash, or utilize a 3rd party service that will accept return orders and actually throw them in the trash.
Also, if the ebay sellers are properly listing the items as some type of “used” and not new, then what they’re doing is perfectly legitimate. (If listed as “new” then file a Vero complaint)
Let me add that when Amazon has reimbursed you for lost or damaged merchandise, if they have it in hand, they can sell it in any way they wish.
You cannot expect any merchandise which is in FBA to be impossible to appear for sale anywhere on the planet. FBA>Liquidator>Hustler to any sales outlet.
Every seller should try to visit an Amazon Fulfillment Center. We toured, “The Beast of the East,” Amazon’s fulfillment center in Robbinsville, NJ a few years ago, and it was a huge eye-opener.
Among other things, we saw the robots in action ( they drop a lot of stuff that then has to be retrieved by humans, on their way to the packing stations), and the speed at which the packers were expected to work.
When we asked to see the receiving process, we were told NO.
There were free vending machines for items the workers needed, such as gloves, and painkillers.
It was modern day slavery, with low wages combined with locations in the middle of nowhere that required the use and ownership of a car to get to work. It was mind-boggling.
We also saw huge parcels addressed to local Goodwill locations. Clearly not all Amazon discards are really discarded.
“Liquidations” are defined as "Recovery value on eligible inventory by liquidating it through a liquidator, who will purchase it for about 5% to 10% of its average selling price."
“Return or Dispose” is listed as a separate option from “Liquidation”, thereby giving the impression that “dispose” means “destroy” or “throw away”.
Liquidations means it’ll definitely be sold off to someone, and not all products are eligible for liquidations. If it’s not eligible for liquidations and you choose disposal, it means it’ll be sold off for even less than 5 - 10%. Maybe 1 cent on the dollar, or even free (remember, someone taking it for free is cheaper than paying waste management to take it to a landfill). And there’s some chance it’ll actually be thrown in the trash. Either way, choosing disposal is signing over the item to Amazon. It’s now theirs and they can do what they want.
If you want to file a Vero complaint because they’re listing your items as “new” then you need to do a trademark complaint as they’re selling your product without a warranty but still calling it new. I’m assuming your products are trademarked. If not then you don’t have much legal protection there.
Has this been done successfully with eBay, or is this an assumption? I’ve found eBay to be very picky on Vero, in one case demanding that I provide an “online source” for the original that was being copied without permission, as if they had no concept of a copyright registration for a work being something sent to the Copyright office, and expected 100% of everyone’s “works” to be online. This works well for “he stole my photos off Amazon for his eBay listing”, but not for a counterfeiter who copies one’s trade dress (packaging and label).
It has definitely been done for both copyright and trademark. There’s others here who have done Vero reports with success. And yes, if you’re claiming copyright you generally need to have an image available online. You can upload an image on your website and link to it.
These days if a company has zero web presence most people will not take them seriously.