How Amazon Black Friday Sale is Fooling Indians
Black Friday, which originated in the U.S., is now a significant event for Indian e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra.
These sales events have been promoted as offering enormous savings to attract millions of Indian customers.
A closer look, however, reveals several concerns: misrepresentation of discounts, misuse of personal data, fake reviews, and dubious practices such as selling returned items to fulfill quick delivery promises.
The Myth of Discounts
Amazon is claiming discounts of 40% to 50% on its Black Friday Sale. However, the actual discount that a customer receives often does not cross 10%-15%.
For example, if something costs ₹10,000, it will be raised to ₹12,000 at the last moment before Black Friday and then will be sold at ₹9,500 during Black Friday. This makes the saving look huge but the savings are actually meager.
This is what is called “price anchoring,” very common across online platforms. Competing e-commerce sites such as Flipkart and Myntra also bundle cashback offers and bank discounts with slight price reductions, making the overall savings look larger than they are.
Customers who do not have a history of prices or tracking tools fall into such deceptive pricing strategies.
Reselling Returned Products
Among the many hidden practices of e-commerce, one of the most not so well-known practices is reselling returned products to consumers without prior notification. Some of the returned items are repackaged and sold to other consumers in order to fulfill Amazon Prime’s one-day shipping guarantee.
Though some of the returned items might be in good condition, others could have been returned because they were defective or damaged, or simply not meeting expectations for quality.
Reports indicate that such practices lead to poor customer experiences. For example, a customer who ordered a “new” product might receive an item with signs of prior use or incomplete packaging.
This violates customer expectations and raises ethical questions about transparency in e-commerce.
The Problem of Fake Reviews
Fake reviews continue to undermine online marketplaces’ credibility. Sellers commonly encourage people to leave them positive reviews through monetary rewards or products, thus artificially inflating ratings.
Such reviews can appear as “verified” if the reviewers purchased a product legitimately, even if they got it at a deep discount.
For instance, a product that has glowing reviews may turn out to be of poor quality, disappointing the genuine buyer. This is not only misleading consumers but also puts ethical sellers at a disadvantage.
Data Privacy Concerns
A Facebook post by Swati Singal in August 2024 highlighted possible privacy issues on Amazon. Singal described a case where two orders placed on the same day—one through Cash on Delivery (COD) and the other through online payment—resulted in identical invoices. This has led to confusion over data management and customer confidentiality.
These kinds of incidents highlight the need for strict data protection policies, especially during peak shopping seasons.
Consumers need to be careful about sharing their personal information and ensure that sites comply with high privacy standards.
Exploiting Consumer Psychology
Sales like Black Friday are utilizing psychological tactics to influence more purchases. Time-limited offers, countdown timers, and terms such as “only a few left in stock” create an element of urgency that makes one make spontaneous purchases.
Most buyers feel pressured into acting fast without comparing the prices or reading reviews thoroughly.
These strategies use the concept of FOMO, which is going to be very beneficial in such big events. Research shows shoppers will perceive more value when scarcity is presented to them even if there is no significant discount being used.
Regulatory Oversight: Need for Action
E-commerce market is growing in India, with no broad regulation to fight concerns such as misleading pricing, returned products, and fake reviews.
For instance, the Consumer Affairs Ministry and Competition Commission of India, or CCI, only occasionally step in to rectify this issue.
For example, there could be mandatory disclosures on historical prices, clearer refund and return policies, and transparency over the conditions of products. Penalties for non-compliance would surely deter unethical practices.
How Shoppers Can Protect Themselves
Here are the steps shoppers can take to avoid being misled:
1. Price Tracking: Use tools like Keepa or Price Tracker to verify the authenticity of discounts.
2. Read the Reviews Thoroughly: Find reviews that are detailed and fair and avoid relying on only “verified” ratings.
3. Inspect the Packaging: If a product is suspected to be re-sold or used, check the packaging for tampering and parts missing, and complain right away.
4. Don’t Impulse Buy: Take the time to compare prices, read specifications, and other things before buying.
5. Secure Payments: Pay using secure payment gateways and avoid saving your credit card details on e-commerce sites.
Black Friday sales present great savings opportunities for consumers, but they need to be wary of such events.
Starting from false discounts to the reselling of returned products, the issues surrounding e-commerce underline the requirement for greater transparency and accountability.
These require that such platforms as Amazon proactively improve their handling of returns, review validation, and truthful pricing.
Consumers should become better aware of these issues and remain careful about shopping. Regulatory bodies should ensure stricter guidelines and the interests of consumers are well guarded.
As online shopping continues to grow in India, addressing these challenges will be essential to maintaining trust and ensuring a fair marketplace for all.
