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Unauthorized listings: Palm Springs shop Bobo Palm Springs found its products listed on Amazon without permission
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Amazon’s explanation: The company says the listings came from a “Buy For Me” beta program that lets Amazon buy items on customers’ behalf
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Why it matters: The shop says the listings caused refunds, customer confusion, and diverted traffic from its own site
A small southern California boutique is raising concerns about how major online retailers are handling small business products after discovering some of their items listed on Amazon without permission.
Bobo Palm Springs, a boutique stationery shop located in Palm Springs, claims Amazon displayed products from its catalog on the e-commerce giant’s marketplace, despite the business never enrolling in any selling program.
How the listings were discovered
Shop owner Angie Chua says she first noticed an increase in orders for items that were out of stock. The mystery grew stranger when she noticed every one of these orders “had a jumbled Amazon email address titled ‘@buyforme.amazon.’”
Chua then took her investigation to the Amazon website and found that their entire product catalog was listed on Amazon, even products that no longer existed on their site.
None of this happened with her knowledge or consent.
Amazon’s explanation: A beta program called ‘Buy For Me’
When contacted for comment, Amazon confirmed it’s running a pilot program known internally as “Buy For Me.” Under this program, Amazon may display products from other retailers and allow shoppers to buy them indirectly.
According to the company, customers click a “Buy For Me” option and Amazon purchases the item on the customer’s behalf using AI tools.
Amazon says it proactively introduced certain shops to the program and that participating businesses can opt out if they choose. The company frames the initiative as a way to increase visibility and potential sales for small merchants.
However, Chua strongly disagrees with that portrayal, pointing out that she never asked to be part of the program, and that the impacts on her small business have been anything but beneficial.
Small business concerns
For Chua, the unauthorized listings aren’t just a technical glitch, they represent a deeper problem with how large platforms interact with small merchants:
Unauthorized Product Listings: Items no longer sold or controlled by Bobo Palm Springs appeared on Amazon, suggesting the system is pulling product details without business approval.
Customer Confusion: The shop had to honor refunds for orders it never actually listed for sale, potentially confusing loyal customers and straining relationships.
Traffic Diverted: Even after removing her products from Amazon, Chua says there are still “shell” listings with search keywords that could funnel potential customers away from her own website.
Small businesses often spend years to earn the trust of their loyal customers. Chua feels Amazon has potentially damaged that trust. As she noted, “We spend a lot of time building trust with our customers. It takes a long time for us to earn their dollar, and for Amazon to come in and undercut us and just step in under the guise of, ‘we are supporting these small businesses,’ is like appalling.”
What this means for other small sellers
Chua believes that any small business using platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce could be unknowingly included in similar programs unless they actively check for how their products are being distributed.
Her public alert aims to prompt other small business owners to:
- Review their Amazon presence (including listings they haven’t created).
- Monitor third-party orders coming through their sales platforms.
- Understand the terms of any beta programs or integrations they might be automatically enrolled in.
