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📲 (MORE!) Seller TOS violations via Facebook advertising
Please see the following topics from @AZEthos for some context:
- Perfect example of FB review and sales manipulation
- I wish Amazon would monitor Facebook for seller review manipulation
(I’m not certain why vitamins/supplements seem to employ these black hat, violating Seller tactics more frequently…except that they probably work. 
)
Scrolling through Facebook, I see:
“More…” includes:
Clicking on the ad forces the user into Facebook Messenger. Once a user engages with a Message, the Seller then has access to the user’s Facebook profile information and access to them via Messenger. This clearly violates Amazon’s policies against off-Amazon marketing and contact, as well as prohibitions against exploiting Amazon’s platform to build a Seller’s client list.
Note that the message says “2 easy steps”. The comments on the ad make clear that these steps include purchasing 1 bottle of the product at $24.99 and then submitting a screenshot of the order with order number via Facebook Messenger, in order to receive the 2 free bottles directly from the Seller1:
A further comment confirms that only Amazon purchases receive this deal, thus artificially inflating sales figures (rank, totals, etc) on Amazon’s platform while also violating prohibitions about currying side relationships with Amazon’s customers.
This Facebook “deal” is not generally available to any Amazon customer, i.e., it is not a promotion that is visible on the PDP or at checkout. It is only available if users give the Seller contact and demographic data access via Facebook.
And to be clear, this product’s price for 30 pills is 2-3x competitors’ prices for 200 to 2000 pills–so the Seller is not losing money by offering 2 free bottles with the purchase of 1.
@SEAmod, what is the most efficient way to report actions like this to Amazon, such that the Seller will (at a minimum!) see restrictions on these types of violations going forward? It is difficult enough as it is to report Sellers’ malign actions occurring on Amazon, much less off Amazon. 
1Without further investigation, it was not clear whether the Facebook users also needed to leave a positive product review, in order to receive their 2 free bottles.
SEAmod
I have reported it.
158 replies
Seller_fGluy2Rns9Cfx
The first free bottle is shipped with proof of purchase off Amazon
The second free bottle is shipped with a submitted review.
Seller_3N7yVnTXPzLkL
The level of competition for these products is high enough that sellers actually believe the reviews are essential to their sales.
I have my doubts, but I do not sell these products or any other which are dependent on reviews.
I suspect many buyers do not value reviews but are willing to sell themselves for free product, since they lose nothing but a little time spent making their supplier happy.
I guess you might say that I question the system, and am not surprised by how well sellers work to use any tool available to them.
I would rate vitamin and supplement sellers on repeat sales and returns and refunds, and on the usual fulfillment metrics. I would show no reviews. This is not the only category which I would not offer reviews on.
Seller_jZWpyInw8RkYT
Of course, maybe @Rushdie has just been right all along…
…yep. 
I just can’t quite bring myself to believe that trying to fight these things is pointless. Not just yet, anyway.
Seller_T5Mv3ZCUSh7Zl
Just another reason not to have a Facebook account (if you needed one aside from the whole harvest private data and sell it in bulk on the web so advertisers can bombard you with targeted marketing).
And to think Sellers threatened to close their Seller Accounts because Amazon published their business information. When for $0.0005 anybody can tell Facebook I want a list of white, middle-aged, married men between the age of 51 and 52 with birthdays on July 12th, who have ED and listen to classic rock and have recently searched online for “why are my toenails clubbed” in the past 48 hours, that live at 1256 Cherry Trail, in Oxnard, TN?
Seller_spBEmM4GC9jW1
I was going to say… Isn’t that an @ASV_Vites product? LOL
Seller_JbHZqS8QHRs06
At least there is some effort in violating the policies here LOL, I still can’t get over the fact that other sellers can change a product listing to represent a different product and show they have 1000s of reviews. That’s not even something that is not on Amazon like in this case, and yet so many sellers get away with it.
Seller_jcx9zKHIbPR63
I took the 2nd vaccine shot today. Passover starts Saturday night, I’m trying to clean out the house, and my brain, and my life, and use the holiday to make some changes. I’ve been trying to lose weight too, and that might help me get off a lot of medications. If I drop 75 pounds, as I have been able to do in the past, I would not need high blood pressure medicine. If I stopped being so distracted by everything in sight, and focused more on my work, my home would be cleaner, my finances would be better, and I might not need to be on depression medicine.
I think that its important for me to focus on the good things in my life, and there are enough of those if not many, and I need to stop focusing on the toxic people that are taking up too much space in my head.
Happy holidays to everyone,
Uncle Charlie
Seller_6Zsxhzbxhbvo5
Yes, I have seen many posts on Facebook from Amazon sellers, using free products in exchange for a good review, and even many will give extra commission, I hope that Amazon officials can join forces with Facebook to crack down on these unfair competition sellers, which is a serious infringement on us sellers who follow the rules
Seller_XFj8akGqahG0f
MODS, since you are so concerned about our tags and deciding what is important here and everything else can we tag this one as #amazonallowspolicyviolations#
