How to Avoid Scams and Shoddy Wares on Amazon (2025)

With a few keystrokes you tin find almost thing connected Amazon ... and bargain it pinch arsenic small arsenic a azygous click. It’s a wonderbox of capitalism. Take, for example, powerfulness banks. Search “power bank” connected Amazon and you'll get backmost much than 40,000 results, ranging from well-known brands for illustration Anker aliases Belkin to obscure names pinch zero reviews. There are hundreds of companies and sellers to sift through, pinch varying capacities, larboard options, and charging speeds.

Which brands are precocious quality? Which listings are legitimate? What’s a bully value to pay? Are these powerfulness banks really immoderate of nan best deals connected Amazon Prime Day, aliases are nan discounts fake?

These days, almost anyone tin waste items connected Amazon successful three easy steps. The tract hosts millions of sellers, making it much for illustration eBay than Target. But Amazon does not vet everything connected its virtual shelves thoroughly, if astatine all, and that intends you person to beryllium observant astir what you’re buying. The tract has known problems pinch fake reviews and counterfeit items, and a increasing number of sellers person flooded nan tract pinch unusual caller off-brand products. Amazon does person reasonably bully return policies, including an A-to-Z guarantee for items sold by 3rd parties. But ideally, you'll debar having to woody pinch a return successful nan first place.

WIRED tin help! Below are a fewer tips to thief you amended salary attraction to what you’re purchasing astatine The Everything Store, successful an effort to take items that are much apt to get arsenic advertised.

Updated June 2025: We've refreshed this communicative pinch existent tips and information.

Buy Directly From Bezos

Whenever possible, you should bargain items straight from Amazon. Amazon keeps a acold amended oculus connected its ain inventory than it does connected its third-party sellers. Items it sells straight are much apt to get arsenic advertised and suffice for free two-day Prime shipping. Because Amazon manages everything, returns are usually painless. I’ve gotten refunds for defective items without moreover having to return them astatine all.

If you’re already checking retired a merchandise connected Amazon, for illustration our favourite iPad, ever make judge nan seller info says "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com." This accusation is typically successful 1 of 2 places. Either it’s nether nan reddish value (and greenish "In Stock") aliases it's nether nan yellowish Add to Cart and orangish Buy Now buttons connected nan correct rail. If you're connected nan Amazon app, it's besides nether those buttons.

If you’re browsing done Amazon listings, filter nan site’s hunt results to only show items sold by Amazon.com. It will apt amended nan value of nan items you see, cutting retired a batch of less-relevant, lower-quality hunt results. And again, nan items are vetted, truthful you’ll astir apt get what you expect and person an easier clip returning it, if request be. I'll usage nan Google Pixel 9A arsenic an illustration of a merchandise you mightiness hunt for. It's our prime for nan best affordable phone.

Step 1: Search for a peculiar point successful Amazon’s hunt container pinch class group to “All.” In this case, I searched for "Pixel 9A."

Step 2: Amazon's hunt should take nan correct Department automatically, but if needed, you tin navigate to nan apical of nan near obstruction and click connected a Department that fits.

Step 3: Once nan page refreshes, scroll to nan bottommost of nan near obstruction and take "Amazon.com" arsenic your Seller.