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Comment by coredog64 | Hacker News Reader

Chains in Manhattan put stickers on the merchandise that tell you where it came from. While you could remove them, it’s a PITA and cuts into your margins. If you don’t remove it, there is a clear signal to Amazon that these are stolen goods.

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There’s a whole industry based around arbitraging price differences between Amazon and brick and mortar merchants. Just search YouTube for “get rich with FBA”. How would Amazon know if it was stolen or retail arbitrage?

Who wants to buy a $10 deodorant from a NYC CVS when you can buy the same thing for much cheaper online. The thieves are only accelerating the demise of overpriced brick and mortar stores. Plus the experience of going into a CVS and having to press a button and wait for an employee to hand you a deodorant is horrible. (Not condoning theft, but at least the free market is speaking here somewhat)

I challenge you to find deodorant for under $10 on Amazon.

The first result on Amazon searching “men’s deodorant” is 4 for $15.66 [0] so less than $4 per stick.

These are about $10 in a bodega or cvs in Manhattan.

[0] Dove Men+Care Antiperspirant Deodorant With 72-hour sweat and odor protection Extra Fresh Antiperspirant for men formulated with vitamin E and Triple Action Moisturizer | 2.7 Ounce (Pack of 4) https://a.co/d/dR2J1B0

But then you have to buy 4... So not exactly an apples to apples comparison if you only want one.

What a nonsensical argument. Deodorant is a consumable good. In scenarios like this, 40$ for 4 == 10$ for 1, because you consume it at a steady rate, and what you don't buy now you will pay for later

Compare to an extreme example of a market selling one watermelon for 5 dollars, and 5 watermelons for 15. Sure, the latter is a better deal, but I definitely have no use for more than one melon, and the arbitrage opportunity is not worth my time. In the same sense, I and many others do not need more than 1 deodorant at a time and I would rather save my space.

Watermelons are perishable, so that's apples to eggs.

Do you live in a microhome? Deodorant sticks are tiny, surely you can store 3 of them under your sink for months without too much suffering.

Deodorant has a shelf life. If you stock too many, some go bad before you get to use them.

Do you know what that is? I typically buy 4-5 sticks at a time when my local pharmacy has a sale on the one I like, so I buy deodorant like once a year.

Never noticed any problems with them.

> Do you know what that is

Mine is 2 years

But you still need to store all four sticks in the meantime. Some people have extremely limited storage space.

It's not like it goes bad, you will use all 4.

The bodega is also likely selling stolen goods from CVS/Duane Reade/Walgreens.

I just checked Amazon UK and I can buy 6 sticks of Sure deodorant for £6.

Or one stick for £3.

> Who wants to buy a $10 deodorant from a NYC CVS when you can buy the same thing for much cheaper online.

…people who do not have any deodorant, who are in NYC, and would like to not stink now.

I was about to say, that's the going rate in any airport terminal whether you want deodorant, toothbrush or shit tickets.

> "Who wants to buy a $10 deodorant from a NYC CVS when you can buy the same thing for much cheaper online."

The reverse is usually true in the UK. Amazon is great for convenience, but most of the time, physical pharmacies and/or supermarkets are cheaper for these types of products. Not to mention discount stores like Poundland.

Wow this opened me up to a whole new world. Even managing to flip items with a 1% loss would let you spend $25k for only $250 (the amount of spend you need on delta co-branded cards to hit the MQD waiver for up to platinum).

Yeah and AA’s new system barely requires any flying, you can hit top status with $200k in CC spend

I've found these in CVS's near Detroit. I had no idea it was due to people stealing them and reselling on Amazon.

Is it illegal to sell deodorant you got from the store after they put a tag on it?

Of course not. But it is really hard to turn a profit reselling a product you purchased at retail.

...which means if Amazon wants to avoid criminal behavior, they could ban such objects and not hurt legit sellers.

But if Amazon doesn't care, this system is not enough to convict a criminal.

OTOH my friend has spent the past 5 or so years earning high six figures hunting good deals from big retailers and reselling on Amazon.

I’m sure he’s only one of many. There’s nothing Amazon can do without banning such sellers.

Sometimes consumers sell something they decided not to use. Either directly to another consumer, or to an aggregator who can turn a profit on the consumer's loss by obtaining lots of previously retail bought goods.

It's sunk cost fallacy to just think "I must use this thing if I can only sell it at a loss."

You can make a small but moderate side income reselling clearance LEGO on eBay. Even with the Walmart sticker still on it, no theft involved.

Or international arbitrage. Lots of stuff sold cheaper in USA than other places. Even stuff like a big bottle of ibuprofen or allergy pills are much more expensive in Canada.

While arbitraging deodorant sounds silly, I have bought EU roll-on deodorants online before because they're not much of a thing in North America. And they don't melt into a mess in a hot car.

Deodorants are hardly a thing in SE Asia, partly because of biology/genetic differences: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/business/china-consumers-...

There can also be customs arbitrage as small packages from little sellers can slip through.

Usually because you avoid tax legitimate business pay (import tarrifs, vat)

Tax evasion may be profitable, so is shoplifting.

Scalping deodorant as a startup?

The trick is to get it on clearance. Some local stores will sell for a massive discount off amazon.

I do more ebay as I won't touch selling used on amazon but in the past I have bought pallets of new stuff at local auctions and sold them on amazon for significant profit. Ended up with several cases of Ember mugs once. Forget the price per mug but think I paid ~$600 and sold em for ~$2400 on amazon.

> cuts into your margins

It's not as though the thieves hire workers to do this for them. It's something they can do themselves while tweaking.

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