Amazon does not universally comingle. There are many exempt product categories in addition to the seller's ability to opt in/out. If you buy a product from a specific seller which arrives with a stuck-on barcode in addition to the UPC, that product probably wasn't commingled.
(The fact that this information is so important and hidden is of course inexcusable)
Except go read the seller's forums. Sellers who (claim to) opt out are constantly complaining that their product still gets mixed in. Even sellers who do their own asin / personal barcodes have problems with it.
Amazon is either ignoring the preference when it suits them, or has significant flaws in how they're implementing the policy.
Either way, they're destroying their brand reputation.
Actually not if the item is in commingled inventory. When the item is commingled, the seller does not place any identifying markings, such as their unique asin bar code, on the product. Nor does Amazon place seller identifying information on commingled items. They rely on the UPC at that point for automation.
They could select the "Amazon barcode" option (instead of the default "Manufacturer barcode") under "Barcode preference" which prevents commingling (but requires the seller to apply seller-specific barcode labels to all units).
If the unit has an UPC barcode, the unit is commingled (also called "stickerless" inventory). Commingling means Amazon can use one seller's inventory to fulfill another's order - the units are never stored in the same bin to allow tracking origin.
If the unit has an Amazon seller-specific FNSKU barcode, the unit is not commingled.
The used barcode type can be configured by the seller.
The barcode configuration option does not mention commingling at all (but help pages do), so I can understand some sellers getting confused on whether they are affected by commingling or not.
Yep. They commingle because they use the UPC code as the identifying barcode for the item. If any party wants to avoid commingling, they either need to manufacture with a different barcode, or cover over the barcode with a different, vendor specific one.
According to [1] if the product has an EAN/UPC/ISBN barcode, it gets commingled, but vendors can put a sticker over it with a different barcode to prevent commingling.
Or the FBA label service [2] can apply the stickers for you, at 0.15/item
Amazon says that by default they are comingled: "Important: Items in your inventory that are identified and tracked using manufacturer barcodes are commingled with items of the same products from other sellers who also use manufacturer barcodes for those items."
Not true. Commingled inventory does not get a unique barcode for each seller, it just uses the default UPC. So there's no way for Amazon to even tell who sent it. This is why many sellers avoid commingled inventory altogether, because you end up selling something that's counterfeit and getting a hit to your account when you didn't even send it to Amazon. Over time, I think this probably means that commingled is really becoming a market for lemons, with counterfeits making up a higher and higher percentage.
> For inventory tracked with the manufacturer barcode, each seller’s sourced inventory of the same ASIN is stored separately in our fulfillment centers. We can also track the original seller of each unit.
> To fulfill your orders exclusively with your inventory, you can switch to the Amazon barcode at any time (see Changing your barcode setting below).
It seems vendors can choose to have their items commingled or not. Commingling allows them to possibly offer faster deliveries, and they don't need to add extra barcodes to their products.
Even if comingling is enabled, it seems it's not exactly what HN had made me believe. Amazon still tracks and separately manage each seller's inventory, but might choose to ship you another's seller item if it is closer to you for faster delivery. Again, sellers can opt out of this if they don't want it.
It seems some products aren't allowed to be commingled:
> To qualify, products must: Be in new condition. Have only one scannable barcode that is matched to one ASIN in the Amazon catalog. Have no expiration date. Not be consumable or topical products such as skin creams, shampoos, or cosmetics. Not be dangerous goods.
I think beyond offering sellers the option to opt out of comingling, I'd like to see it offered to buyers as well. At checkout, it could let me know that I have the choice to get it from my chosen vendor's stock which would result in X days delivery time. Or to get it from alternate vendor Y for Z faster days delivery.
But the issue here seems to be that even if you order directly from Amazon or a reputable seller, you could still end up with a product coming from a less reputable seller if it has the same barcode.
Also vendors buying UPC codes off eBay. Ends up getting merged because surprise, those “unique” codes are not so unique. Amazon needs a better system for that.
You are wrong. Though I'm not sure how common it is. You can get a free Amazon seller account and see for yourself. Many common items that you might want to sell have the option to commingle inventory. The benefit to the seller is that you can print out multiple copies of a single barcode and stick it on all of your items and just send them in. Whereas non-commingled will need a unique barcode on each item.
As far as I understand it, that just means that sellers have the option to opt in/out of the commingling program (Settings => Fulfillment by Amazon =>
FBA Product Barcode Preference).
Yes, there is a cost for the seller if opting out - they need to apply their own barcodes to the products in that case.
I'm not sure you really understand how commingle works?
If you have something with a UPC code, say the DVD Back to the Future, the latest edition... it will get put on the same shelf as other people with the same identical product, with the same identical UPC.
They aren't just dumping all DVDs in a big pile and picking out a random one.. its for literally identical products.
Does someone pirate DVDs and put the proper UPC on them? I guess it might happen, but how often? And if it did you tell Amazon and get a full refund and the seller is banned.
I can see reasons to not trust Amazon (the fake reviews, etc), but commingling of sealed goods is not one of them.
This is not entirely true. Sellers have the option to send in items to the Amazon warehouses with the UPC as the barcode OR with an FNSKU barcode. The FNSKU is a unique barcode that identifies that particular product to you, the seller.
If you send items in to the warehouse with the UPC, they will be considered co-mingled which means anyone else sending the same product with just the UPC will all be stored together. THIS is where you have the issue of the possibility of buying counterfeit products.
If you send the items in with the FNSKU, they will be considered separate from the co-mingled inventory. Anyone that buys from a seller that has the FNSKU will get the items THAT seller sent in, and not from the co-mingled batch.
For retail items, it's really up to the seller how they want to send the items in. For the sake of seller metrics, it would be wise to send in items with an FNSKU so you avoid the issue of a customer buying from you as the seller, but possibly getting a counterfeit item.
To clarify another incorrect statement in this thread: Amazon does not charge extra to not co-mingle the items. They do offer a service where they will add the FNSKU label to your items at .20/piece, but that's only if the seller doesn't want to do it prior to sending the items in.
There is no way to tell from the listings page unfortunately. Once you receive the product non-commingled items will have a sticker over the EAN/UPC/Barcode which includes the sellers own SKU, barcode, item condition (New, Used) and item name. If the product doesn't have one of these stickers and the EAN/UPC is uncovered it is most likely commingled.
No, when they get the product shipped in they stick a seller-specific label on it, then commingle it. When I order an Xbox an employee goes to the Xbox bin, picks any of them and scans it out of the system. Amazon now knows which one I got and where it came from, because the barcode identifies it as originating from seller X. If I complain to Amazon or send it back they can now look up what they shipped me and see if some seller consistently ships them bad product.
In essence commingling prevents you from efficiently grabbing something from a specific seller, but it doesn't prevent you from knowing which one you grabbed.
(The fact that this information is so important and hidden is of course inexcusable)
reply