One strategy that is definitely not recommended if you’re interested in selling on Amazon are exuberant shipping fees. In an Amazon message board thread titled “Amazon the new eBay“, third-party sellers exposed an Amazon Seller Central merchant that appears to have charged $60 shipping for a $2 media product - a strategy that eBay has long been known for (but is successfully eradicating on its site thanks to Detailed Seller Rating, Best Match and other improvements).

Needless to say the buyer, an Amazon media seller himself, is very upset:

I allowed my daughter to order a video game(6oz) from a seller who had it listed $20.00 below everyone else. I know how much standard shipping is on video games and dvd’s as I also sell them. I got the game today and saw on the invoice we paid $5.00 for the game and $60.00 for shipping.This is one of the reasons we left ebay and I had no idea anyone on amazon could set there own shipping prices. I know we are partly to blame for not reading it fully. Anything to good to be true…..If we send this game back does he just refund cost of game or will Amazon require him to pay back any of the shipping. We have emailed the co.and have gotten no response back yet. If he gets to keep shipping charges I do not want to return. Please give some advice.

Of course this is NOT what Amazon is hoping for and it seems the mess is now cleaned up. At the time of this posting the merchant does not have any available quantity on his listings, shipping rates have been restored and sellers report that the business has shut down.

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