ecommerce
Bulletins

Amazon removes another Chinese seller

RavPower reportedly had offered gift cards for positive reviews.

An Amazon facility.

An Amazon facility.

Photo: Yender Gonzalez/Unsplash

Amazon has booted popular consumer electronics brand RavPower, owned by a Chinese company, from its marketplace, according to a report in the Verge.

Amazon didn't specify the reason for the removal, but the move followed a Wall Street Journal report Sunday that found RavPower, a phone battery and charger brand, gave consumers a $35 gift card in exchange for a positive review. Financially incentivized reviews violate Amazon's policies.

RavPower is one of six consumer electronics brands owned by the Shenzhen-based Sunvalley Group, which has offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. The company started selling on Amazon in 2008.

In the past decade, many Chinese brands, backed by strong supply chains and savvy branding strategies, have crossed borders to sell on global marketplaces like Amazon. Nearly half of Amazon's third-party sellers are based in China, and they are concentrated in the tech hub of Shenzhen. In the first quarter of 2021, third-party sellers accounted for 55% of the products and 63% of the value of merchandise sold on Amazon.

While exporting brands and products, some sellers have also replicated tactics that are commonplace on Chinese ecommerce platforms, like fabricating reviews and sales, or creating multiple seller accounts to increase inventory flexibility within Amazon's warehouses.

Amazon has already blocked some big Chinese brands this year, including Mpow and Aukey, likely for manipulating product reviews.

Shen Lu

Shen Lu is a former Protocol reporter, covering China's tech industry.

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