Amazon. com Help: Third Party Software

Courier 10 Pitch is licensed under (c) Copyright 1989-1992, Bitstream Inc., Cambridge, MA.

You are hereby granted permission under all Bitstream propriety rights to use, copy, modify, sublicense, sell, and redistribute the 4 Bitstream Charter (r) Type 1 outline fonts and the 4 Courier Type 1 outline fonts for any purpose and without restriction; provided, that this notice is left intact on all copies of such fonts and that Bitstream's trademark is acknowledged as shown below on all unmodified copies of the 4 Charter Type 1 fonts.

BITSTREAM CHARTER is a registered trademark of Bitstream Inc.

Amazon. com Rolls Out Anti-Phishing System for Third-Party Sellers

By Steve Weber

Amazon. com is testing a new order-notification system that may give the retailer a perceived safety advantage over rivals like eBay and PayPal. New desktop software will provide encrypted order alerts, replacing the emails Amazon sends to third-party sellers.

Amazon's Marketplace sellers range from individuals selling a few used books per year to regional bookstore chains with thousands of daily transactions. After several seller accounts were compromised by scammers using phishing techniques in 2006, Amazon began a security crackdown and warned sellers it would discontinue the order emails this month.

"When Amazon scraps the emails, they'll be forcing sellers into a more secure environment," said Kevin O'Brien, founder of SpaceWare. com, a provider of software tools for Amazon sellers. "They'll also be forcing sellers to maintain their customer information in a more secure manner. This is good for sellers and buyers alike."

Since Amazon invited third-party merchants onto its site in 1999, it has sent order notifications via "Sold, ship now" emails containing buyer names, shipping addresses, and email addresses. Most sellers have used the emails as their primary customer-service tool, cutting and pasting the transaction details onto shipping labels and packing slips. Many high-volume sellers also depend on the emails, which they parse and import into databases.

Amazon's security crackdown started last year, when it began restricting public access to its seller email addresses. Seller email addresses had been visible to anyone visiting Amazon's site, then the retailer installed a secure Web contact form similar to eBay's Message Center. Now, initial contact between buyers and sellers must go through the encrypted Web form, unless the buyer and seller have already completed a transaction.

Easy access to email addresses had proved tempting for phishing scammers. Unsuspecting sellers received bogus messages demanding that they log into a Web site and "update" their Amazon account information. When sellers provided their login information, scammers could then hijack the accounts. Scammers used the accounts to create phantom listings for expensive items, then collected the funds until Amazon received nondelivery complaints and shut the accounts.

The problem is industry-wide, and another big target of scammers is eBay and its PayPal unit, both of which email transaction details to sellers. Besides Amazon's new encryption program, its major difference with eBay/PayPal is that Amazon sellers are required to use an internal system, Amazon Payments - the same checkout used for purchasing new items from Amazon. Buyers automatically receive $2,500 of money-back coverage per transaction with any Amazon seller. eBay/Paypal provides up to $2,000 in coverage, but only for certain sellers -­ those with exemplary feedback ratings of 98 percent or greater - and only when using PayPal to pay for the transaction. Otherwise, eBay provides up to $200 in buyer protection for PayPal-funded transactions.

Amazon's new software, Amazon Services Order Notifier (ASON), was released in late January and provides Secure Sockets Layer encryption. But the beta-test version of the software was short on convenience features, and sellers clearly were disappointed. "I can't think of any reason I need this new software. Am I going to lose anything by not downloading what appears to be a cumbersome and unnecessary program from Amazon?" was a typical complaint in the comments section of this post on my blog: http://weberbooks. com/selling/2007/01/missing-manual-for-amazon-services. html

Sellers complain that ASON doesn't allow customized packing slips or batch printing. However, providers of third-party software say the limitations of ASON may make their products more appealing to Amazon sellers.

For example, FillZ says it will add new order retrieval-features that take advantage of the underlying communication protocol for ASON but exceed its limitations:

The ability to check for orders more frequently than ASON's maximum of once every 15 minutes. Exceeding ASON's storage limitation of only 30 days of previous orders, up to a maximum of 5,000 orders. Expanding availability to Mac users. (ASON runs only on Windows machines.)

Although ASON has some limitations, it also has some important advantages, said Shaun Jamison, business development manager at FillZ. "The upsides are no log-in requirement, and it's always running, and it's reliable," he said.

SpaceWare's O'Brien said ASON will certainly be improved as new beta versions are released. But no matter how much Amazon manages to improve it, some sellers have vowed to never use ASON. A vocal minority believes that the software will enable Amazon to spy on its sellers. O'Brien discounts that idea: "Amazon is rolling this out to improve privacy, they're not doing it to snoop on people."

Sellers who decline to use ASON or third-party software will still have a couple of options, though not as handy as Amazon's familiar emails. Sellers can log into their payments accounts on Amazon's site, and Pro-Merchants can download fulfillment reports in a spreadsheet.

Yet another problem with email notifications is spam filtering. To cope with increasing amounts of junk emails, some Internet providers have begun filtering out bulk messages more aggressively. Even emails from legitimate companies like Amazon and PayPal are sometimes deleted before reaching in-boxes. Amazon's ASON system overcomes this problem, since the software runs in the background and periodically polls Amazon. com and retrieves new orders.

About the author:

Steve Weber is author of "The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site." He also writes about online bookselling at his "Selling Books" blog: http://www. weberbooks. com/selling/selling. htm

You may quote up to 50 words of any article on the condition that you attribute the article to EcommerceBytes. com and either link to the original article or to www. EcommerceBytes. com.

All other use is prohibited.

Email this story to a friend.



2 of 5

Start selling online

Why Sell on Amazon?

Since 2000, Selling on Amazon has been helping individuals and businesses increase sales and reach new customers. Today, more than 50% of Amazon's total unit sales come from third-party selection. Consider all the benefits of Selling on Amazon, then choose a selling plan and find out how selling on Amazon works on the How it Works page ›

All sellers can list products in more than 20 categories. Professional Sellers can apply to sell in at least 10 additional categories. Learn more about product categories ›

Amazon. com. au Privacy Notice

Last updated: 5 December, 2017. To see what has changed, click here.

Amazon knows that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. This notice applies to information collected by Amazon Commercial Services Pty Limited or its affiliates ("Amazon") in connection with amazon. com. au and other sites and services operated by Amazon as we disclose to you.

What Personal Information About Customers Does Amazon Gather?

The information we learn from customers helps us personalize and continually improve your Amazon experience. We use the information to handle orders, deliver products and services, process payments, communicate with you about orders, products, services, for marketing communications, to update our records and generally maintain your accounts with us, display content such as wish lists and customer reviews and to recommend merchandise and services that might be of interest to you. We also use this information to improve our services, store, websites and applications (together "sites"), prevent or detect fraud or abuses of our sites and enable third parties to carry out technical, logistical or other functions on our behalf.

Here are the types of information we gather.

Information You Give Us: We receive and store any information you enter on our sites or give us in any other way. Click here to see examples of what we collect. You can choose not to provide certain information, but then you might not be able to take advantage of many of our features. We use the information that you provide for such purposes as responding to your requests, customizing future shopping for you, improving our stores, and communicating with you. Automatic Information: We receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with us. For example, like many websites, we use "cookies," and we obtain certain types of information when your browser accesses sites or advertisements and other content served by or on behalf of Amazon on other websites. Click here to see examples of the information we receive. Mobile: When you download or use apps from Amazon Appstore, we may receive information about your location and your mobile device, including a unique identifier for your device. We may use this information to provide you with location-based services, such as advertising, search results, and other personalized content. Most mobile devices allow you to turn off location services. For more information about how to do this, click here. E-mail Communications: To help us make e-mails more useful and interesting, we often receive a confirmation when you open e-mails from Amazon if your device supports such capabilities. We also compare our customer list to lists received from other companies in an effort to avoid sending unnecessary messages to our customers. Information from Other Sources: We might receive information about you from other sources and add it to our account information. Click here to see examples of the information we receive.

What About Cookies?

Does Amazon Share the Information It Receives?

Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and we are not in the business of selling it to others. We share customer information only as described below and with subsidiaries Amazon. com, Inc. controls that either are subject to this Privacy Notice or follow practices at least as protective as those described in this Privacy Notice. These Amazon entities may be located in other countries.

Third-Party Businesses We Do Not Control: We work closely with other businesses. In some cases, such as third-party sellers, these businesses operate stores at Amazon. com. au or sell offerings to you at Amazon. com. au. When you place an order from a third-party seller, information related to the order will be provided to the seller, and such information will be subject to the seller's privacy policy. In other cases, we operate stores, provide services, or sell or market product lines jointly with these businesses or make available third party features or services you may choose to use on Amazon. com. au. You can tell when a third party is involved in your transactions, and we share customer information related to those transactions with that third party. These third parties may be located in other countries. Third-Party Service Providers: We employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include fulfilling orders, delivering packages, sending postal mail and e-mail, removing repetitive information from customer lists, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, providing search results and links (including paid listings and links), processing credit card payments, and providing customer service. They have access to personal information needed to perform their functions, but may not use it for other purposes. These service providers may be located in other countries. Marketing Communications: Sometimes and with the required consent we send communications to selected groups of Amazon customers on behalf of other businesses. When we do this, we do not give that business your name and address. You can manage the types of communications you receive, and opt out of certain communications, by adjusting your Customer Communication Preferences Business Transfers: As we continue to develop our business, we might sell or buy stores, subsidiaries, or business units. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of the transferred business assets but remains subject to the promises made in any pre-existing Privacy Notice (unless, of course, the customer consents otherwise). Also, in the unlikely event that Amazon. com, Inc., or substantially all of its assets are acquired, customer information will of course be one of the transferred assets. Protection of Amazon and Others: We release account and other personal information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law; enforce or apply our Conditions of Use and other agreements; or protect the rights, property, or safety of Amazon, our users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction. Obviously, however, this does not include selling, renting, sharing, or otherwise disclosing personally identifiable information from customers for commercial purposes in violation of the commitments set forth in this Privacy Notice. With Your Consent: Other than as set out above, you will receive notice when information about you might go to third parties, and you will have an opportunity to choose not to share the information.

How Secure Is Information About Me?

What About Third-Party Advertisers and Links to Other Websites?

Our sites may include third-party advertising and links to other websites. For more information about third-party advertising at Amazon. com. au, including personalized or interest-based ads, please read our Cookies and Internet Advertising policy.

Which Information Can I Access?

Amazon gives you access to a broad range of information about your account and your interactions with Amazon for the limited purpose of viewing and, in certain cases, updating that information. Click here to see some examples, the list of which will change as our sites evolve.

What Choices Do I Have?

Are Children Allowed to Use Amazon. com. au?

Amazon. com. au does not sell products for purchase by children. We sell children's products for purchase by adults. If you are under 18, you may use Amazon. com. au only with the involvement of a parent or guardian.

Complaints, Contact Information and Changes

If you have any concern or complaint about privacy at Amazon. com. au, please contact us with a thorough description, and we will try to resolve the issue for you. Our business changes constantly, and our Privacy Notice and the Conditions of Use will change also. We may e-mail periodic reminders of our notices and conditions, but you should check our site frequently to see recent changes. Unless stated otherwise, our current Privacy Notice applies to all information that we have about you and your account. We stand behind the promises we make, however, and will never materially change our policies and practices to make them less protective of customer information collected in the past without the consent of affected customers.

Examples of Information Collected

Information You Give Us

You provide us information when you search, buy, post, participate in a contest or questionnaire, or communicate with customer service. For example, you provide information when you search for a product; place an order through Amazon. com. au or one of our third-party sellers; provide information in Your Account (and you might have more than one if you have used more than one e-mail address when shopping with us ) or Your Profile; communicate with us by phone, e-mail, or otherwise; complete a questionnaire or a contest entry form; use our services such as Amazon Prime Video; participate in community features; provide and rate Reviews; and use product availability alerts. As a result of those actions, you might supply us with such information as your name, address, and phone numbers; credit card information; people to whom purchases have been shipped, including addresses and phone number; people (with addresses and phone numbers) listed in 1-Click settings; e-mail addresses of your friends and other people; content of reviews and e-mails to us; personal description and photograph in Your Profile; financial information; and driver's license numbers or other information used to verify your identity.

Automatic Information

Examples of the information we collect and analyze include the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet; login; e-mail address; password; computer and connection information such as browser type, version, and time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system, and platform; purchase history, which we sometimes aggregate with similar information from other customers to create features like Best Sellers and recommended products; the full Uniform Resource Locator (URL) clickstream to, through, and from our sites, including date and time; cookie number; products you viewed or searched for; and the phone number you used to call our customer support. We may also use browser data such as cookies, Flash cookies (also known as Flash Local Shared Objects), or similar data on certain parts of our sites for fraud prevention and other purposes. During some visits we may use software tools such as JavaScript to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page. We may also collect technical information to help us identify your device for fraud prevention and diagnostic purposes.

Mobile

Most mobile devices provide users with the ability to disable location services. Most likely, these controls are located in the device's settings menu. For information about specific devices, click here. If you have questions about how to disable your device's location services, we recommend you contact your mobile service carrier or your device manufacturer.

Information from Other Sources

Examples of information we receive from other sources include updated delivery and address information from our carriers or other third parties, which we use to correct our records and deliver your next purchase or communication more easily; account information, purchase or redemption information, and page-view information from some merchants with which we operate co-branded businesses or for which we provide technical, fulfilment, advertising, or other services; search term and search result information from some searches conducted through the web search features offered by our affiliate, Alexa Internet; search results and links, including paid listings (such as Sponsored Links); and credit history information from credit bureaus, which we use to help prevent and detect fraud and to offer certain services to some customers.

Co-branded and Joint Offerings

We may from time to time offer joint or co-branded products, offerings and services in conjunction with third party businesses.

Information You Can Access