Amazon Warehouse Deals is not related to Amazon?

cageymaru

cageymaru

Fully [H]
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Apr 10, 2003
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I purchased my first steering wheel on an impulse buy from Amazon Warehouse Deals.

Here is the link to the page.

Link to general Amazon Warehouse Deals page. Note the diagram at the top of the page explaining how items are returned to Amazon and sold again as used.

Anyway the item was broken as the plastic on the bottom was cracked. I called Amazon and they informed me that Amazon Warehouse Deals sells items from other sellers than Amazon. That these products are NOT returns but items that 3rd party sellers have listed. Is this true? Or did I just get an uninformed customer service rep?

Amazon is sending UPS out tomorrow to pick the item up free of charge and I'll get a refund as soon as they receive it. So that's no big deal. Slightly let down that the items wasn't in working order. But still wondering why Amazon would put Amazon Warehouse Deals as the seller but the item actually came from someone else. That's bad business if they are doing that.
 
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Amazon Warehouse Deals is Amazon's warehouse system itself I believe.

As far as 3rd parties go, if it's a non-FBA merchant, then I don't think it's possible that it was a 3rd party. However, FBA merchants (merchants who are paying Amazon to warehouse, ship, pack, pick) might possibly be in that boat. The difference is that a non-FBA merchant is someone like us, and the item never goes through Amazon's warehouse -- only the 3rd Party's warehouse. A FBA merchant basically is just supplying Amazon with stock and doing customer service. They pay Amazon to basically do half of the work.

If you buy from a non-FBA merchant ( a marketplace order ) then basically Amazon is acting like a middleman and taking a fairly large cut of your order payment to the merchant. Otherwise, for a FBA merchant Amazon is doing most of the real work + collecting a fee.

So basically, I'm not really sure what happens with a return on a FBA merchant. The description seems a little odd to me, but it's semi-plausible (I think).

-Lee
 
From my understanding all Warehouse Deals are items that have been returned to Amazon for some reason and then sold again as open box or used. I sometimes have seen a refurbished item. Think someone is misinformed or maybe wasn't paying attention to what/where you purchased. However you have to be careful because sometimes in the used section other, third-party companies are selling items as Amazon fulfilled. (they send the item to Amazon to hold at their facility and Amazon ships when/if it sells.)

No matter, if it has the Amazon Warehouse logo it should be backed by Amazon as their own item and have the same return policies as anything else they sell. I would give up on it just because of one mishap. Warehouse deals it actually a really nice place to find deals on products that are like new. And if it's not to your liking you can always send it back for a replacement or refund.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht...d_t=101&pf_rd_p=1523197482&pf_rd_i=1267877011

On the Amazon.com site, Amazon Warehouse Deals functions like any other "Fulfilled by Amazon" merchant with items listed under the link on an item's detail page.

screenshot.png


In some cases, we sell customer-returned products that have never been opened but have slight box damage that prevents Amazon.com from selling the product as "new."

Most products sold on Amazon Warehouse Deals should be considered "used."
For example, a TV may have been opened and watched by the previous customer, a coffee maker might have been removed from its original packaging and the previous customer may have tried to make coffee,
a book may have been read, and a digital camera may have been used to take a picture or two.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about the merchant part. But I believe if you do Amazon Fulfillment as a seller and the customer returns the item, then Amazon will relist it themselves.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=106096011
 
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I contacted another customer service rep and he said that they treat the Amazon Warehouse Deals as a 3rd party sale. So the first rep was correct in saying that it's not Amazon products as Amazon Warehouse Deals is a subsidiary of Amazon and not Amazon it's self. Which just seemed to be them covering their butts legally or something. Personally I was happy that they took the return hassle free. I was just curious as to why the rep would say that Amazon and Amazon Warehouse Deals was two separate entities. And now I know why. :)

I doubt I'll be ordering items from there again though. There has to be a good reason why it's considered 3rd party sales by Amazon. I avoid third party sales on Amazon in general; I rather go to their website and purchase it so they get maximum profit. Just me. :)
 
I have had good luck with Amazon Warehouse deals, but some of the items are clearly used.

I have bought a router, various household items (thermostat, temperature probe, etc.) and while the packaging has been ripped up, the items have been fine.
 
Grentz said:
I have had good luck with Amazon Warehouse deals, but some of the items are clearly used.

I have bought a router, various household items (thermostat, temperature probe, etc.) and while the packaging has been ripped up, the items have been fine.
Click to expand...

Likewise I've had good experiences with them. But I'd rather deal with Amazon directly rather than a subsidiary that Amazon doesn't recognize as a part of their company directly. They told me that the item I received came from another party and was fulfilled by Amazon Warehouse Deals. So is that a used, used item or just considered really used. :)
 
I got a Netrunner core set off of Amazon Warehouse for pretty cheap, and the only thing wrong with it was that the front of the box had a small gash in it, like it accidentally got cut with a box cutter when they were unpacking or something. Everything inside was untouched.
 
As a side note I tried to see if there was any warranty on the item. I didn't have high hopes, but I was curious as to what a manufacturer's response would be. Initially they were very happy to accommodate me but when they saw how much I paid for it their song changed.

Dear XXX,
Regarding your F430 Force Feedback.

Thank you for the information you have sent us.

Following your Email we have determined that the product was bought at a lower price than recommended, therefore we are recommending you to have the racing wheel exchanged at the retailer.

We rest at your disposal for any further inquiries.

Called Thrustmaster and they said that you have to pay full retail for an item to be able to even purchase replacement parts. Guess they are completely against sale prices! Glad Amazon has a great return policy though. I would be SOL otherwise. Guess those SquareTrade warranties are a must for all purchases I make from those type of websites in the future.

If I hear anything different I'll let you'll know. Dropping off the item at a dropbox since I canceled the home pickup because I thought Thrustmaster was going to replace the item yesterday. Small inconvenience to gain a wealth of knowledge. :)
 
Wait, so because you paid less than MSRP for it, they won't honor the warranty or even allow you to buy replacement parts?

That's the most absurd bullshit I've ever heard. I'd never do business with that company again.
 
MavericK96 said:
Wait, so because you paid less than MSRP for it, they won't honor the warranty or even allow you to buy replacement parts?

That's the most absurd bullshit I've ever heard. I'd never do business with that company again.
Click to expand...

That's what they told me in emails and over the phone. They sent another email and said deal with Amazon and not us. Like I said I just wanted to know what would happen if I tried to get it fixed. Just in case something like this happened in the future and I truly did need manufacturer assistance.
 
I have had that happen with another auto part company autoloc with some stuff I bought from Amazon as well not just Thrustmaster.
 
Have had good and bad luck with Warehouse Deals. I once bought a camera lens and what I received was a completely different and much crappier lens from a different manufacturer in the correct box.

Seriously, how could that pass a screening??

Luckily Amazon has been good about returns.
 
Purchased many things through the WH deals, only had one issue and they took care of it for free.

Have had good and bad luck with Warehouse Deals. I once bought a camera lens and what I received was a completely different and much crappier lens from a different manufacturer in the correct box.
Click to expand...

That's similar to the one issue I had. It's probably the swap-a-roo fraud on a "new item" purchase and Amazon didn't catch it when it was returned. They looked, saw it was a lense and relisted it.
 
Bought a 2TB Seagate 64mb cache 7200 RPM drive a month or two ago from Amazon WH for $77 and has been rock solid.
 
It looks like it just links you to normal used items that you could find on the normal site. If you look up an item on the normal site and clicked 'Used', Amazon Warehouse shows up as a seller.
 
I have bought a lot of items from Warehouse Deals and have had mostly good results. I have bought tools, kitchen vent hoods, bathroom fixtures, toasters etc. The prices were too good not to take a chance. I have noticed that the bargins are not as good as they used to be but still can save a lot of $. The items that were bad were returned on Amazon's dime. I try to buy the items that are graded used like new. Most of the items have been it excellent unused condition. I have had a couple of items missing minor parts like screws on some bathroom towel racks. The items that were bad included a USB 3.0 flash drive that when I got it was not in operable condition and should have never been sold. Amazon's return policy is one of the best around right now and returning the items was not any problem at all.

I am a prime member and use their store card. I don't know if that makes any difference but sure makes it easy (sometimes too easy) to order stuff.
 
curlysir said:
I have bought a lot of items from Warehouse Deals and have had mostly good results. I have bought tools, kitchen vent hoods, bathroom fixtures, toasters etc. The prices were too good not to take a chance. I have noticed that the bargins are not as good as they used to be but still can save a lot of $. The items that were bad were returned on Amazon's dime. I try to buy the items that are graded used like new. Most of the items have been it excellent unused condition. I have had a couple of items missing minor parts like screws on some bathroom towel racks. The items that were bad included a USB 3.0 flash drive that when I got it was not in operable condition and should have never been sold. Amazon's return policy is one of the best around right now and returning the items was not any problem at all.

I am a prime member and use their store card. I don't know if that makes any difference but sure makes it easy (sometimes too easy) to order stuff.
Click to expand...

I concur with what you're saying. But I was just saying that Amazon Warehouse Deals is NOT Amazon; it's a subsidiary and treated as any other 3rd party sale. Also in my case the item I purchased was denied warranty because I didn't pay full retail for it. So still if you're going to buy high ticket items don't expect warranty work after the 30 days return warranty.
 
I've bought a laptop and most recently a 60" LED TV from them. Both worked perfectly out of the box. Most electronics fail quickly if they are going to fail, so the 30day warranty should be plenty.
 
Is it possible that ordering new from Amazon results in a low chance of getting a previously returned item simply because they have the Warehouse for rejects?
 
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