You can find a bargain at Amazon Marketplace
Written: Nov 24 '11
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Without a doubt, Amazon is my favorite online retailer. I am a loyal member of their Prime program, so not only do I enjoy the low prices, but I also receive 2 day shipping for “free”. Of course, the Prime membership is not free, but if you are a frequent buyer on Amazon, having Prime is a nice perk.
Many people do not realize that there are actually two websites on Amazon. There is the main website, and then there is also the Marketplace, where third party merchants who sell the same products as Amazon on Amazon, but are independent merchants.
If you would like to find the Amazon Marketplace, simply go to the regular Amazon website and search for the product you are looking for. On the product page, there is a box with pricing information that shows the new and used prices for that item. These prices are hotlinked, and clicking on the price will take you to the Amazon Marketplace listing for that item.
The prices are shown in ascending order with lowest priced items plus shipping shown first. There are some notes about the condition of the book, and about the retailer selling the book. You can check out seller ratings to ensure that you choose a trustworthy seller.
One of my favorite things about the Amazon Marketplace is that many sellers have paired up with Amazon and therefore, their products are eligible for Prime service. Products that are eligible for Prime shipping often have a special box on the product page announcing that a used copy is available with Prime shipping.
I have found this to be an unexpected perk/benefit of the Prime service. It seems that most merchants on Amazon Marketplace are charging $3.99 per book. Some of the books are priced as low as a penny, so there isn’t necessarily a huge amount of money being saved over buying a book for a penny and paying $3.99 shipping, but having the book in two days is very nice.
Sometimes, there is significant savings: I have purchased gently used DVDs for a fraction of the price of a new DVD. With three small children in the house, having the option to buy used things helps me to buy more for the same amount of money.
I have never had a problem with the quality of the items purchased on Amazon Marketplace. Everything has arrived quickly, and everything has been in good condition. Things are usually in better condition than I thought there would be. The used DVDs that I purchased have all worked, and the books have all been free of stains, odors, and marks.
Of course, everyone’s experience is going to vary, but I have dealt with at least a dozen different merchants in the last year or so, and I have been impressed with all of them. The ones whose items are eligible for Prime shipping arrived within two days, but even the ones who do not participate in the Prime program sent the items out quickly.
I think that Amazon Marketplace gets a bad reputation because of certain merchants who set wildly exorbitant prices for their merchandise. This leads people to say that Amazon is price gouging, which is a misconception, because it’s not actually Amazon, but rather a third party merchant. Not all third party merchants are charging $999 for that used book. Just roll your eyes at the one who is, and purchase the book from a more reasonably priced vendor.
Paying for your marketplace merchandise is easy because you’re using the same checkout and payment system as you do for Amazon. If you have an Amazon account, you’re all set. If you don’t, rest assured that Amazon is one of the biggest retailers on the internet, so your information is safe with them.
I definitely recommend Amazon Marketplace. They have a lot of nice things at low prices. Shipping is a flat rate, and many items qualify for Prime. So check out Amazon Marketplace, and find a bargain!
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? books, DVDs
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About the Author
Member: Maureen
Location: Boston area
Reviews written: 1083
Trusted by: 261 members
About Me: 1000 reviews down, 1000 to go!
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