Alert: Scams on Amazon

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Alright readers, when I stay up late and write a post 6 hours before it goes live – you know it is important! Let’s get to business here. In recent weeks, there have been quite a few scammers over on Amazon – over the weekend it got really bad and there were hundreds of bogus listings in the crafts category along with many others. Let’s talk about this really quick:

How Do You Spot a Scammer on Amazon?

Usually, the scammers have really low prices on high ticket items. Examples: Heat presses for $15, Silhouette Cameos for $50, and huge, huge bundles of vinyl for $5. All you really need to do is ask yourself, “Is this too good to be true?” If you think it is – IT PROBABLY IS!

So, you find a product you are dying to have for a low price. Great! Look up the seller, view their feedback, see how long they have been selling on Amazon, and look at their other products for sale. If the seller has lots of high ticket products for cheap and they “Just Launched” – it’s likely a scam.

Also, if a seller has lots of great feedback and has been selling for years, but it suddenly seems that all their products are listed for really (and I mean, really) cheap – it’s also probably too good to be true. They were likely hacked.

Why a “I’ll buy this and just hope this ships for the price listed” mentality is bad.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of people that see a listing, realize it is probably a scam, and buy it anyway – just being hopeful that it will actually ship and that you will actually get the product. This is bad. Please don’t do it. Why? Anyone on Amazon knows that they have amazing customer service, and they will refund you if you don’t receive the product. What you may not know is that sometimes, Amazon has to cover the costs from their own accounts. I know you don’t care where the refund comes from, but look at it this way – the more bogus refunds that Amazon has to provide, the higher their prices will become to cover it. When Amazon has to raise their prices – you’ll end up paying more! One more way to look at it – even if Amazon doesn’t have to cover the refund, their customer service is often contacted. The more customer service resources that are used, the more that they will have to hire. This can also lead to higher prices.

Should You Stop Shopping on Amazon?

In my opinion, no – absolutely not. I’m a proud Amazon Prime member and I will continue to shop there. I’m also a seller (see my listings) and will continue to sell on Amazon. I have no doubt that this is just a hiccup that Amazon will work out.

Get More Information

The forums over at Amazon often have information about scams and scam sellers.

You can find the forums at this link.

And, this running list of scammers that sellers are sharing caught my eye.

Please share this with another crafter:

Christine Schinagl, Cutting for Business

Since 2015, Christine Schinagl has been helping crafters start and run craft businesses through her blog, Cutting for Business. As a Silhouette and Cricut crafter herself, she has a unique take on what works and what doesn’t work in the craft business world. She also teaches a course on creating digital SVG designs, available at How to Design SVGs.

cuttingforbusiness.com