Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

As far as Amazon goes, I’m a consignor.

And they’d like to see

their consignors buy more, just as a consignment shop does.

You see, I utilize the services of Amazon.com to “declutter” my office, just the way a consignor will consign a table, a seller will take clothes to a resale shop, or a donor will off-load excess gear to a thrift store. I’m an Amazon supplier. But Amazon has realized, of late, that all too often, I’m just dropping my stuff off and leaving their “store”… without dropping some bucks in their till.

But Amazon doesn’t have a sales counter to put darling little POPs on, nor can it set up a path that will guide me gently by the most intriguing “racks” in their store.

Or can they?

As an Amazon seller, I used to be directed specifically to my seller account, where I could do my business and get out of there. Which is what I did. I seldom, if ever, bought anything on their site.

Then Amazon realized exactly what we in the resale industry do every day… we’re not capturing our suppliers as customers.

So they rearranged their store.

Now, the first page that pops up at Amazon sellers is the electronic equivalent of your shop’s counter temptations: instead of bangle bracelets or scented votives, Amazon shows me books they think I’d like.

And darn it if I don’t linger and browse and, yes, spend some of the money they earn me, right there in the store before I leave.

Just like resalers do every day.