Amazon is a very trusted source and let’s be honest it’s fairly easy to find what you’re looking for and delivery is usually pretty quick. But what do you actually look at when buying on Amazon? Are you getting the best deal? Are you falling for the hidden traps? Well, here are my top 5 tips for buying on Amazon.

1. Check Product Reviews
OK, this one might seem a bit obvious and I’m sure you probably do this already but it’s important that you look at the reviews in detail. A really great product could have a one star review. Don’t just avoid a product because it has a bad star rating, the product might have only had one review and that one review was from one customer who had a bad experience with the product – everyone else who has bought the product may not have felt the need to leave a review because they were more than happy with it. We are much more likely to leave bad reviews then good ones. So, always look at the number of reviews the product has had as well as the star rating. Remember there are some people out there who find it almost impossible to leave a positive review!

 

 

No reviews aren’t always a bad thing either. The product might be newly launched or newly launched to Amazon. The seller may not understand exactly how Amazon works and getting the product in front of the right people has been tricky, so led to very few sales. If you like a product that doesn’t have any reviews, I wouldn’t let that necessarily put you off buying it.

 

2. Check Seller Reviews
Do you check seller reviews at the moment? These are different to reviews you see on product pages, these are the reviews that tell us how good the seller is and past experiences people have had with the seller. If you find a product you like the look of but you have no idea who the seller is it might be worth checking to see if they are reliable and really will get the product to you the next working day! To check seller reviews just click on the seller name – this will bring up a star rating for the seller, where they are based, feedback from past buyers and a bit about their warranties and refunds policies. You can also see other products by the seller here – they might be selling a similar product at a better deal!

 

So, check the feedback. Read the good reviews and read the bad ones. Do they look like a company that stick to their promises? If you want to return the product do you think there will be any issues. It’s up to you to make a judgement call but ready reading reviews about the seller will certainly help.

 

 

3. Check all sellers of the product
In terms of selling on Amazon, more than one seller can sell the same product and all sellers are competing with each other to win what they call ‘the buy box’ . When you click onto a product and see ‘Add to Basket’ one seller has won that buy box. Where it says ‘other sellers on Amazon’ these sellers have lost out, however they might be selling the product cheaper! The winner of the buy box is determined on a number of factors and it’s not always to do with price, it could be down to how much stock they have and how good their seller reviews are. So, always check to see if you’re getting the product for the cheapest price.

 

 

4. Check Delivery costs – Free Delivery doesn’t always mean you’re getting the best deal.
As buyers it’s very tempting to see ‘free delivery’ and think great, I’ll go with these guys, however, if there are other sellers of the product you should always check what they’re selling the product at and what their delivery costs are and add them together – are you really getting the best deal? This goes for ‘Prime’ products as well – are you really getting the best deal?

 

As online buyers we also want things now, so next day delivery is something we are always on the look out for. It may worth paying that little bit extra to get your product the next day!

 

5. Contact the seller
If you see a product you like and you are looking to buy a number of items from the same buyer you may want to contact the seller to let them know what you are looking to order, how many and could they do a deal or offer any discount to you. There’s nothing wrong with asking the question!

Finally, group all of the above together. Check product reviews, check the seller reviews, see if you’re getting the best deal and it may be worth spending that bit extra to buy from a trusted seller with excellent reviews or to get your products delivered the next day.

 

If you are interested in selling your products on Amazon we run an intensive one day ‘in company’ workshop where we come to your premises and embed the Amazon selling skills into your business. Learn more about Amazon Selling Training here.