Two parcels can leave an Amazon warehouse with the same ASIN and still be different offers. One may be sold by Amazon, another by a business using Amazon to store and post the stock, and a third by a seller who posts it themselves. The product photograph does not tell you which one you clicked.
Sold by and dispatched by
“Sold by” is the retailer for that offer. “Dispatched by” or “fulfilled by” is who hands the parcel to the carrier. Fulfilment changes speed and packaging more often than it changes your contract. Your contract is with the seller named on the offer. If you need a manufacturer warranty in the UK, check whether that seller and the brand both expect you to claim through them.
Returns are part of the offer
Do not rely on a return rule you remember from a previous order. The window and the method are shown for the offer you are buying, and they differ for clothing, made-to-measure goods, perishable food and items that have been unsealed. Large furniture and mattresses can require a collection rather than a drop-off. Read that line before you order, especially if you are buying a size you have not seen.
- Check whether the item must be unused, unsealed or in its original packaging.
- Check who pays for the return on that offer.
- For hygiene, grocery and personalised goods, assume the return may be limited and confirm it on the page.
- Keep the listing’s model number so a wrong item is easy to describe.
Business sellers
Marketplace sellers trading into the UK are expected to identify themselves. Where Amazon shows a business name and address, read it. A seller name that is only a string of letters gives you less to go on if the parcel is wrong. That is not a verdict on the product. It is a reason to look at the specification twice.
What Discover Cart links to
Our sponsored buttons open the product page, not a promise that one particular seller will still hold the buy box tomorrow. The note beside a link can mention what we checked, such as the plug type or the size chart. It cannot freeze the seller. When you arrive on Amazon, read “Sold by” again.