AMAZON

Company uses videoconferencing to check for new sellers amid pandemic

Amazon is testing the use of videoconferencing to verify the identity of merchants who wish to sell goods on its websites, in a new plan to combat fraud without the need for face-to-face meetings during the pandemic, the company said on Sunday.
The world's largest online retailer has long faced a scrutiny of how to check its platform for counterfeits and supposedly unsafe products. Counterfeit products frustrated big brands like Apple and Nike and discouraged some from selling on Amazon.
Amazon said its pilot program started earlier this year and includes face-to-face appointments with potential sellers. However, it switched exclusively to videoconferencing in February due to coronavirus-related social distance requirements.
The interview verification, in addition to other risk analyzes carried out by Amazon, took place with more than 1,000 candidates from China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Increased moderation may make it difficult for some Chinese sellers, who have registered multiple accounts using private internet networks or fake utility bills. Merchants in China accounted for 40% of Amazon's 10,000 top sellers in Europe, Marketplace Pulse's second 2019 survey.

Reuters