Excellent way to save money (Amazon Marketplace)

Member Name: BRS82

Product:	Amazon Marketplace
Date:	29/05/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very cheap prices and good selection available

Disadvantages: None really

I'm writing this review from the perspective of a customer who has only purchased items using Amazon Marketplace (ie I'm not registered to sell items through the scheme).

The basic concept is that each Amazon listing also contains details of 'Marketplace' sellers who are offering the item you've searched for. These are individuals, or often companies, who will sell the item to you. However, you still make your payment using the standard Amazon system - this is something I particularly like about the system as it makes it feel far more secure.

I find it a very useful service, often providing an opportunity to purchase items at a fraction of the cost that Amazon itself would sell them for. To give one example, I got a book for 0.01p from Amazon Marketplace, so even with the £2.75 postage and packing, it was still so much cheaper than purchasing the item new would have been.

Each of the sellers also has a rating, based on previous customer's experiences of them - this is very helpful when you're trying to choose which of the available sellers to purchase from.

The only real drawback is that the Marketplace sellers often don't provide much detail about the condition of an item they're offering for sale, so it's find if you want a second-hand copy and are not too concerned about the condition of the item but if you're particularly fussy about its condition then you might not find much detail.

Overall though, it's a great service and a good way to save yourself some serious cash when shopping online. I've purchased around 10 items from Marketplace sellers and have been satisfied with every one of them.

Summary: Good value, and reliable service