[Interesting Article] Prime and Punishment

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K'Sennia Visitor
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[Interesting Article] Prime and Punishment Dec 29, 2018 4:35:06 GMT

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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Dec 29, 2018 4:35:06 GMT

I found a link to this really fascinating behind the scenes look of the amazon seller program. It's long, but worth it.

www.theverge.com/2018/12/19/18140799/amazon-marketplace-scams-seller-court-appeal-reinstatement

The first guy it talks about who got suspended actually did break TOS in a couple of ways, but the thing that actually got him in trouble wasn't actually his fault. (I don't remember what the thing was now because the article was so long, but it surprised me anyway.)

If you're looking for a new job you could always become a consultant to help people get back on Amazon after they're suspended. It happens so often you can get way richer doing that than you can selling on Amazon.

One person was selling picture frames and a customer got a sliver, so Amazon booted him and wouldn't reinstate him until he added a line telling customers to wear gloves. Another seller got booted because someone complained that the shoes they bought didn't fit. Adding a line telling people to wear thin socks got them their account back.

With Kindle you either get booted because you broke the TOS, a competitor is sabotaging you, there are some really scary tales in this article of that very thing happening, or it's something totally strange and innocuous that you just have to figure out through trial and error.

The article writer was definitely giving the folks interviewed the benefit of the doubt. The first guy they interviewed claimed total innocence, but he was offering discounts for reviews. Confessing to that and promising not to do it again wasn't enough though, and like I said it was the other thing that I don't remember that seems to have actualy got him in trouble. So sometimes, even when someone is clearly breaking TOS what they get in trouble for can be something really stupid.

Selling on Amazon is weird, complicated, and strange. You can do everything right and still be targeted by a competitor and be out of commission for months. You can do everything wrong and never get caught. Or get caught for something totally unrelated. Or possibly for the wrong things plus something unrelated. Only amazon knows!

While Faith Manages I'll be in the car.

corabuhlert
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[Interesting Article] Prime and Punishment Dec 29, 2018 4:38:26 GMT K'Sennia Visitor likes this

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Post by corabuhlert on Dec 29, 2018 4:38:26 GMT

There was a report about marketplace sellers getting booted on German TV a few weeks ago, which was very much "Poor innocent sellers, evil bad American Amazon".

Given my experiences with the rampant scamming in the Kindle store, I was much less sympathetic.

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K'Sennia Visitor
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[Interesting Article] Prime and Punishment Dec 29, 2018 6:06:58 GMT

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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Dec 29, 2018 6:06:58 GMT

Yep, there's a ton of scamming, so a lot of peeps getting booted deserve to. The article writers have an agenda of being anti-amazon usually, so they generally always take the authors/sellers at face value. But of course you can get in trouble without doing anything wrong, too, but because of everyone who is also proclaiming their innocence, no one believes the truly innocent. Or at least it takes a lot of proof before people will. Maybe don't tell anyone if you do get booted innocently so as not to deal with that crap on top of getting back in. Or tell people, but be super open and don't get mad when other authors are skeptical. Luckily, innocent authors get caught a lot less often than the truly guilty do, or at least we hope!

While Faith Manages I'll be in the car.

davidvandyke
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[Interesting Article] Prime and Punishment Dec 29, 2018 18:23:05 GMT K'Sennia Visitor likes this

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Post by davidvandyke on Dec 29, 2018 18:23:05 GMT

Most authors are such small fish that they don't get targeted for the backstabs by competitors. We're all pretty vulnerable, but few of us rise to the level that someone is willing to use underhanded tactics to undercut us.

But I feel a lot better wide, knowing Amazon now represents less than half my income.

K'Sennia Visitor
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[Interesting Article] Prime and Punishment Dec 29, 2018 19:36:28 GMT

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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Dec 29, 2018 19:36:28 GMT

Yes, wide is definitely the safest. I agree. And I also agree that most of us won't ever have to worry about being targeted by the uber scammers. Although indie publishing is not a career for folks who want guaranteed success and security. We should probably have more threads about wide tactics and ways to get traction for the KU folks who might want to switch but who are scared to.

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