Overview

Amazon has introduced two new features—“Buy for Me” and a brand‑direct checkout tool—that automatically pull product data from independent merchants’ websites and display the items inside the Amazon shopping app. The listings appear without any opt‑in request, often with stale prices or wrong images, and orders are routed through generic Amazon proxy emails, leaving sellers unable to communicate directly with buyers. This development threatens inventory accuracy, profit margins, and the customer‑service relationship that many small brands rely on.

Key Points

• Automatic enrollment — Products from thousands of third‑party sites show up in Amazon’s app even though the owners never agreed to participate.
• Brand‑direct checkout — Amazon creates its own purchase flow around scraped listings, processing payments and shipping under the Amazon brand.
• AI‑driven ordering — Automated agents browse merchant sites, add items to a virtual cart, and place orders using Amazon‑issued proxy email addresses.
• Data‑quality issues — Scraped entries frequently display outdated pricing, mismatched photos, or items marked “in stock” that are actually sold out.
• Communication block — Orders are tied to generic Amazon email aliases, preventing sellers from sending order confirmations, tracking updates, or answering buyer questions.
• Revenue leakage — When Amazon displays a lower price than the merchant’s current rate, sellers feel compelled to honor the Amazon price or cancel the sale, eroding margins.
• Inventory mismatch — Listings remain live after a merchant’s inventory is depleted, leading to fulfillment errors and potential negative feedback.
• Brand reputation risk — Incorrect product descriptions or images can mislead shoppers, damaging the seller’s brand perception and trust.

How “Buy for Me” Works

1. Site crawling — Amazon’s bots scan publicly accessible merchant webpages, extracting titles, images, prices, and stock signals.