ebay item a 'gift' from Amazon ???

[NadiaWadia]

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a book from ebay, because I (wrongly it turned out) thought it was cheaper there than on Amazon.

When the book turned up it was delivered from Amazon, and the Amazon packing slip/invoice stated it was a 'gift' from the ebay seller.

Instead of having the book in stock, the ebay seller had, 2 or 3 days after I placed my order, placed an order with Amazon for the book to be sent to me. The difference between what I paid them and the Amazon price was their profit (£2-3).

I am annoyed with myself as I am a regular Amazon customer myself and could have got it cheaper and qucker ordering direct. I had searched on Amazon, but for the wrong ediition - silly me.

Have you heard of people doing this before and is it legitimate? I mean what would Amazon think, or wouldn't they care?

I suppose I got what I agreed so shouldn't complain, but feel a bit miffed!

And now the Ebay seller is asking for feedback ...

I know that a lot of people do this as a means of trading on Ebay. I couldn't, personally, because I'd be worried in case Amazon let me down.

I can understand you being miffed, but I think it would be harsh to give the seller poor feedback though. Did he deliver within the timescale he stated he would? Was the product what you wanted??

If so, the seller has done what they said they would. You got caught out, but you clearly thought the deal was o.k. originally....your bad, as far as I can see!

OK, I guess you're right so I'll give some positive feedback (not going to gush though). And next time I'll check more carefully!

Loads of people do that. I live in Australia where books cost almost as much as a house so our e-bay is full of them. Some have names like 'amazon-seller' or 'your-depository'.

It is called dropshipping. Usually an ebayer would use a dropship wholesaler who would send the purchased item on their behalf direct to the customer. This means the ebayer doesn't need to carry stock or invest money. The package would arrive with no reference to the wholesaler and you would be none the wiser. However Amazon is a retailer and they should not give your address to them without your approval.

I was going to post about this also as the same thing has just happened to me. A toy I ordered for ds has arrived as 'gift' from Amazon. It is on offer for pound off in Amazon and was only total of one pound cheaper in Amazon than I paid on ebay. It came via Amazon free delivery and I was not charged any postage by the seller. I am not complaining because I have got the item I wanted and it is reasonable price which I was obviously willing to pay for it.
It left me bit confused though. For one thing the seller offered a 14 day return policy. If I wanted this would it need to be dealt with by seller or Amazon?
He was listing it as '10 available', what happens if it were to get delayed/out of stock at Amazon?
He was selling it at only a pound more so surely he wouldn't end up with much after ebay and paypal fees? Not my concern I know but just curious. I suppose he must sell loads and make small profits each time which all add up.
Good point Lynli, what is the rule regarding data protection on this because obviously my details have been passed on to Amazon? Now I use Amazon anyway so I have no problem with this but could it result in people ending up on a mailing list if they didn't previously use the company?
I am questioning what to do about the feedback also. I would not leave negative for this as it has worked out fine for me but I am not that keen on this set up as it has left me confused about who is reponsible if there is a problem. I am not that keen on leaving positive unless it was with a comment to say it turned up fine from amazon. I am thinking of just not putting feedback at all to be honest.

cupofcoffee - yes I agree it is very strange isn't it? But I suppose if you wanted to return it it would be to the ebay seller, as your contract was with them.

I just wondered if this practice violates any ebay or Amazon rules.

To be honest I was thinking of doing as you say, and leaving no feedback at all, but on ebay you have to be so careful don't you. All the stuff about retaliatory negative feedbacks, and so on, and all the general gushiness with the feedback 'top ebayer' etc etc which seems to be expected as a minimum for a perfectly average standard transaction.

Ebay is a weird place!

I know a man at work who used to do this, using Play.com to dispatch the item directly to the ebay buyer, and make a pound or two on the postage. He used to do it around Christmas and literally make thousands of pounds.

It never quite sat right with me, and I told him so, but he's a bit more ruthless than me. I suppose if you can get away with it, why not? Apparently, it's very common.