To summarize:
In short, how do you identify a really good tech plan during Amazon Prime Day?
If you’re too lazy to read this article, here are the top criteria for avoiding scams during Amazon Prime Day 2022:
- Check if the strikethrough price displayed is inflated via the Keepa platform
- Select Offers for Amazon Selling and Shipping
- For offers from third-party marketplace sellers, please check the reliability of the seller by consulting the seller’s Amazon page (if their VAT number is valid and if they are located in France or at least the EU)
Spotting Inflated Strike Prices: The Basics
It’s literally every online shopper’s darling during Amazon Prime Day 2022 or any other online business operation. According to French law, Amazon Prime Day is not a sale period. Therefore, traders do not benefit from legal exceptions that allow them to sell products at a loss to dispose of their inventory.
To check if the crossed-out price shown by Amazon is really the price before Prime Day, I recommend going through the Keepa.com platform. Simply copy/paste the URL of the promotional product of your choice in the search bar. But you can also search for your Amazon deals directly from Keepa (be sure to select Amazon.fr on the home page).
Keepa also exists as an Android and iOS app.
You can view the history of every product on Amazon France on Keepa and even search for your offers right from the app / © kwgeek
This online tool lets you track the history of Amazon references for the past three months. With the filter system, you can see how much of this new product Amazon is selling before Prime Day 2022, either directly (sold and shipped by Amazon) or through its marketplace.
There are other online comparators that use it regularly, such as le Dénicheur.fr and Idealo.fr. Both have web versions as well as Android and iOS apps.
You can view the history of every product on Amazon France on Keepa and even search for your offers right from the app / © kwgeek
Compare prices, but don’t just compare
Your online shopping cart is your biggest tool to avoid online scams during Amazon Prime Day. If Keepa is still Amazon’s preferred solution, comparators like le Dénicheur or Idealo are very powerful tools and I also use them when I want to check a good technical plan.
But it must also be taken into account that the price comparator is based on an algorithm, and the algorithm is bound to be biased. Their biggest flaw is that in order to calculate the PMC, the average price observed, the comparator mixes offers from manufacturers and e-retailers (Amazon, Fnac, Darty, Bolanger, etc.) with offers from third-party sellers hosted on the marketplace. Together. the e-retailer said.
Filter “official” offers from the market to compare prices efficiently and realistically / © kwgeek
Often, the same Samsung, Xiaomi or Apple smartphone will be cheaper on the Amazon marketplace (a third-party seller) than on Amazon itself. I’ll explain these market stories below, don’t worry. But basically, you have to compare what is comparable.
For example, let’s say you found a Google Pixel 6 on Amazon France. The smartphone is marked as “Sold and Shipped” by Amazon. This means you buy directly from Amazon. Therefore, when you compare prices on Keepa or PriceSpy, you must compare the prices charged by Amazon, not Amazon Marketplace. You can filter the results for this (except Idealo).
Identifying offers from third-party sellers
For Amazon Prime Day, not all products on sale must be sold by Amazon. Three cases must be distinguished:
- product is Sold and Shipped by Amazon: You buy directly from Amazon
- product is Sold by *insert third-party seller name* and fulfilled by Amazon: You buy from a third-party seller through the Amazon marketplace, and Amazon takes care of the delivery
- product is Sold and shipped by *insert name of third-party seller*: Amazon only acts as a middleman and does not sell or ship products directly
This mention is always specified on the right side of the Amazon product page, just below the button Add to cart and Buy now. But on the Amazon page, the offers on Amazon sales and those from third-party sellers are mixed.
If the product is not “sold” by Amazon, it is an offer from a third-party marketplace seller / © kwgeek
In the first case, the product is sold and shipped by Amazon and you don’t have to worry about it. In the other two, the reliability of the third-party provider must be verified.
Check the reliability of third-party sellers
At kwgeek, we use a very advanced three-step method, and you don’t necessarily have the necessary motivation or time. But I’ll detail it for you and let you decide if you want to apply it. In any case, every good technology program we share with you is subject to these checks.
Since 2021, platforms like Amazon will be legally obliged to verify that third-party sellers they host on their marketplace pay VAT. So, in theory, unpleasant surprises from hidden customs fees are a thing of the past. On the other hand, third-party sellers located in China will not necessarily offer the same after-sales service, nor under the same conditions, as third-party sellers located in France or the EU.
Therefore, the purpose of these checks is to ensure that the third-party sellers that Amazon hosts on its marketplace are indeed located in France or at least the EU.
Check the VAT number
The intra-EU VAT number facilitates and secures commercial transactions between EU companies. It can identify related companies, simplify customs procedures, and monitor and refund VAT under deductible VAT. To check if a third-party seller’s VAT number is valid:
- click seller name have access his page
- Scroll the screen until you find the section Detailed seller information
- copy it 11-digit VAT number No FR code
- Meet VIES platform European Commission
- In the Member States box, Choose French FR, Paste the 11-digit VAT number Then the following confirm
- Check that the number is valid and take note of the company name and its address
The VAT number is valid and the company name matches the name the seller displays on their Amazon page / © kwgeek
You can not only see if the VAT number is valid. But you can also see the registered company’s real name and its stated address, and compare that to what the seller displays on their page.
Check the business registration number
Here, the question is to see if the company that the third-party seller is affiliated with is indeed registered in the French or at least the European Union’s commercial register.
- Copy company name found in the previous step
- Meet European Gateway It brings together the trade registers of member states
- Paste company name in the corresponding field
- under Search in participating countries, select all
- fill in verification code and tick terms and conditions box Then confirm
Here we can see that the company name matches and is indeed registered in Italy as its VAT number says / © kwgeek
This step can be quite daunting, as the captcha system from EU developers is simply notorious and you have to go through it a few times.
At kwgeek, we do not consider the two elements a valid VAT number and a company registered in France or the EU to be cumulative. So if one or the other is good, the seller is considered reliable.
You can of course do these checks by looking at the seller’s customer reviews and feedback on the Amazon page. But I find Amazon lacks clarity, especially when it comes to counting negative reviews.
So much for this guide, it’s designed to help you find good tech deals online by avoiding major pitfalls and potential scams. What do you think of the advice provided in this guide? Are you already applying them during your research? Are you reluctant to buy smartphones, wearables or connected objects from third-party sellers in various marketplaces?