News outlets like the Wall St. Journal have shared that Amazon is full of fake products, counterfeits, and listings with exaggerated prices. In today’s WSJ, Amazon shares it removed 1 million fake health products related to the Coronavirus. Amazon’s action supports the accusations that Amazon often fails when it comes to policing its marketplace. It’s rare ‘action’ is actually a sign of larger ‘inaction.’ While these Coronavirus products may have been addressed, what about the millions of other products regarding other health topics?
Amazon is letting just about anything be added to its site, and often letting consumers buy at their own risk. As we can see with the current health concerns, this approach is dangerous and may result in an accidental death. The WSJ shared how motorcycle helmets falsely listed as certified were sold via Amazon, and these helmets kept popping up again and again after consumers reported them. One of these Amazon purchased helmets was worn by a driver in an accident whose death was attributed to the cracked helmet.
American diners used to be full of cigarette vending machines, which kids used to buy cigarettes. Thankfully, our government stepped in to stop this free market convenience.
While Amazon's site does not allow the selling of products with nicotine, including cigarettes, Amazon’s marketplace reminds me of these machines. Amazon has removed some ‘cigarettes’ from its ‘vending machine,’ but that doesn’t fix the larger issue of it allowing anyone to add cigarettes to its vending machines. Amazon rarely polices what it’s selling via its current business model, and that is hurting people.
Maybe we need a warning label with a crusty lung picture attached to Amazon Prime products: “This product may cause the disease of your community, be unsafe, or result in death.”