With a few keystrokes you can find almost anything on Amazon … and buy it with as little as a single click. It’s a wonderbox of capitalism. I once typed in “yak” for no good reason and Amazon’s algorithms suggested “yak cheese himalayan dog chews.” So I hit Enter and up popped “?
These days, almost anyone can sell items on Amazon in ” and “
The Zero Byte can help! Below are a few tips to help you better pay attention to what you’re purchasing at “.
Buy Directly From Bezos
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Whenever possible, you should buy items directly from Amazon. Amazon keeps a far better eye on its own inventory than it does on its third-party sellers. Items it sells directly are more likely to arrive as advertised and qualify for ” as an example of a product you might search for. It’s our pick for the best ” is an excellent tool to help you spot deceptive reviews. Just plug in an Amazon URL and it’ll give you a report. It isn’t a flawless tool, but it will give you a hint at whether a lot of reviews are fake or suspicious, and it spits out an AI-generated summary to try and help you parse the information further. We’ve got more advice on “. In recent years third-party manufacturers have taken to picking names very close to legitimate companies, so check the spelling closely if you’re in doubt.
For help with returns or other issues, check Amazon’s support site. Your recent orders should show up on this page if you want to initiate a return.
Now that I’m done yakking your ear off, let me know how you make smart buying decisions on Amazon. Have your own methods and techniques for not getting ripped off? Suggest them in the comments below.