The World’s Largest Online Retailer has refused to allow Fay Ray to sell our CDs through its site.
The band registered as a seller, jumping through all the hoops required to sell on Amazon. It met the labyrinthine requirements, and dealt with obfuscation from impersonal staff who answered questions with questions.
Three times.
Finally, having proved that, yes, Fay Ray had produced and paid for the manufacture of the CD, and yes, the band owned the rights… it was told it could not sell the CD on Amazon, and no further discussion would be entered into by the AI robots that seem to populate Seller Central.
Chastened, the band went to sulk in the corner, wondering why, as the manufacturer of its own product, The World’s Leasing Online Retailer would not allow it to sell that product.
The answer became clear a few weeks later. Bass player Anthony Travis said
“I was avoiding doing any real work, idly browsing the web. I put a search in for ‘Fay Ray Contact You CD’. As well as our own site and Facebook page, I got a load of hits on Amazon – both in Marketplace for between £11.95 and £21.10. With Amazon as the seller, the cost is £28.50 – nearly three times our RRP – for the CD we produced and supplied in good faith to our distribution partner in the U.S. No wonder they don’t want us selling it on there for £10 plus postage”