@liw48 (liw48) posted a new topic, subject "Is Amazon working on cleaning up the catalog?". It read:

   Geez! When I go to list an item there are tons of the same item (ex: DVD, movie, Scissors) with different skus/ASIN numbers.  
    It's very frustrating trying to figure out which one to list under. Does anyone know if AMZ is working on this problem?  
    (Don't have the problem with Walmart!)  
    (Note: Barb please do not reply)

After which, @toys_and_hob (Toys and Hobbies) added

    Since the Chinese started pouring in on Amazon, there can be dozens of listings for a single product all with their company name added to branded products. The toy catalog for Amazon has become an absolute mess over the last year. It is not even searchable anymore. It is affecting sales.

Then @tolarbookyard (tolarbookyard) said

    We have been selling on Amazon for 17 years. Since they allowed anyone to create a listing from the beginning there is now an atrocious mess that seems beyond repair. Perhaps the Chinese could devise a better system?

Then @Aardvark_Book_Depot (Aardvark Book Depot) said

    Ha ha ha. You're joking, right?

So @thegrumpybookpeddler (thegrumpybookpeddler) replied

    Try selling books. The Amazon employees in Bangladesh have been told to combine all books with the same title and author. Doesn't matter if it's hardback, paper, a hundred years old or brand new. And no, Seller Support doesn't care. So when a customer complains after not reading my description that they got a paper and wanted hard, I tell them the problem is Amazon.

So @t_shirt_lad (t-shirt lady) replied

    Good luck with that  
    You need to see the mess in the tshirt section  
    I've been talking with the catalog team for 5 months and they did not fixed a single listing! All they say is “we are working on it”

@amazingary_books (Amazingary Books) replied

    Since Amazon raised their fees, the comics catalog is a mess. I have to go to the Amazon home page to enter the correct product. There has been no communication from Amazon regarding their catalog. In most cases, it just takes a little longer to enter the right product.

So @nom_nom_nom_nom (Nom Nom Nom Nom) replied

    Branding has made a disaster of the catalog. So 5 sellers are selling the same exact item bought from the same exact manufacture but 1 seller wants to add a plastic bag to the item and now call it branded and this causes all the sellers to do the same thing and now there are many many listing for 1 item. This is all caused out of a seller not wanted anyone to under price them. I blame branding for all these same listing.

So @Arizona_Dave (Arizona Dave) replied

    > It's very frustrating trying to figure out which one to list under. Does anyone know if AMZ is working on this problem?
    
    It sounds like you are searching by the title? The correct way to list the item is by the UPC number.

@amazon_sycopha (Amazon Sycophant) replied

    Catalog is a _TOTAL DISASTER!_

So @Designs_by_Nathan (Designs by Nathan) replied

    liw48:
    
    > Geez! When I go to list an item there are tons of the same item (ex: DVD, movie, Scissors) with different skus/ASIN numbers.  
    >  It's very frustrating trying to figure out which one to list under. Does anyone know if AMZ is working on this problem?  
    >  (Don't have the problem with Walmart!)  
    >  (Note: Barb please do not reply)
    
    Hi.
    
    If you have a choice of listings, and using the UPC isn't helpful (some categories don't use UPCs, like jewelry), then you have the choice to strategically list on the ASIN that is most advantageous to you.
    
    For instance, I would consider all ASINs that have decent rankings and/or reviews (avoiding those with obviously fake reviews). Then I would look at the pricing among those candidates, and look for the listing where the price you need to sell the item at is consistent with the other sellers on the listing. You don't want to trigger a price war, and often the most frequented ASINs with the strongest rankings have already had their price driven down until all profitability is destroyed. It doesn't matter that the ASIN may get the most sales. If you don't make any money, or lose money, than what is the point of selling at a higher velocity  It is better to have sales on an ASIN that supports your profitability. Even non-profits actually have to turn a profit, in order to stay viable!
    
    Another factor is the quality of the listing. Are the pictures done well? Do the title and the bullet points really market the item accurately and persuasively?
    
    Best of luck,  
    Nathan

To which @cabinfeverbooks (CabinFeverBooks) replied

    They've been at it for months…Often combining hard cover books with soft covers…
    
    Notion sellers can “brand” the same item is a little nuts

@bastables (bastables) replied

    G and G Distribution:
    
    > Apparently they're merging things… [https://www.amazon.com/2017-Newest-Lenovo-Premium-Laptop/dp/B0711FGGS9/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1499781993&sr=8-5&keywords=Acer+Spin+1+SP111-31-C2W3]
    > 
    > Laptops and carpet cleaners. For those days when you really need to clean carpets, but would rather surf the internet and catch up on facebook.
    
    Wow! That's really a versatile PC!

So @Antique_Bulb_Co (Antique Bulb Co.) replied

    In the Home and Tool category Amazon has been adding several items, which they may or may not sell (they are not actively selling them) and putting the wrong information in the catalog.
    
    I have several new items that I tried to add to the catalog, but the brand and manufacturer information in incorrect and they can't seem to figure out how to correct it…Or seller support cant notify the catalog team because Bezos won't let the catalog team have telephones.

To which @G_and_G_Distribution (G and G Distribution) replied

    Apparently they're merging things… [https://www.amazon.com/2017-Newest-Lenovo-Premium-Laptop/dp/B0711FGGS9/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1499781993&sr=8-5&keywords=Acer+Spin+1+SP111-31-C2W3]
    
    Laptops and carpet cleaners. For those days when you really need to clean carpets, but would rather surf the internet and catch up on facebook.

Then @JimbosCountryStore (Jimbo's Country Store) said

    tolarbookyard:
    
    > We have been selling on Amazon for 17 years. Since they allowed anyone to create a listing from the beginning there is now an atrocious mess that seems beyond repair. Perhaps the Chinese could devise a better system?
    
    Of course! Those of us of a certain age can offer a wry smile at the phrase “Chinese Fire Drill”.

To which @liw48 (liw48) replied

    Truthfully, this needs to be reported:
    
    _Lightweight weighs less than 19 pounds. 8-Feet Ready-To-Use Hose and Upholstery Tool to deep clean stairs and hard-to-reach areas._  
    _Easy to Fill, Empty & Clean with Smart Tank system making emptying and filling easy with no mess, no tools and no waste of time. The recovery tank comes with a quick pour spout._
    
    What idiot listed that item and that description?

So @G_and_G_Distribution (G and G Distribution) replied

    Lol! Yes, it is. But since it said nothing about that 20 ft cord being retractable, I decided to pass. 20 feet is a lot of cord to wrap back around a laptop with all that hose and attachments, too.

@G_and_G_Distribution (G and G Distribution) replied

    liw48:
    
    > Truthfully, this needs to be reported:
    > 
    > What idiot listed that item and that description?
    
    And how could 4 or 5 other sellers jump right on there without noticing the description?! Does no one actually ever check what they've listed under?

Then @Schadenfreudist (The Schadenfreudist - Annoyer of Mods, Bane of TM Bullies, Destroyer of IPVs) said

    You have to clean it yourself… I went on a tear a few months ago about got about a 1000 ASIN merged and nuked, and when every some new “brand of the day” seller starts creating dups I get their dups merged into the baseline ASINs. It really helped with sales, up about 30%.
    
    For some reason in search results Amazon will put the JL brand of the day sellers 1st very often, so you really to crush their ASIN quick before the ART Team decides to protect the bad ASINs.

Then @system (system) said

    


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