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March is coming to an end. Just as Amazon sellers are complaining that this month has been full of twists and turns like a "tribulation" and lamenting their bad luck, some brands feel that the start of the year has been too smooth and are always looking for ways to make some changes. Just yesterday, Weibo once again became a "battlefield" to defend sovereignty , just because the H&M brand, which has always been known for its affordable prices, "touched" Xinjiang cotton, which aroused public anger. The incident started when several sharp-eyed netizens found a statement about Xinjiang cotton on H&M’s official website: ▲ The picture comes from H&M official website To sum up, the translation actually means that because the people of Xinjiang are "forced" to pick cotton, they refuse to use Xinjiang's long-staple cotton. This wave of "scam" operations made many netizens laugh. Some netizens joked: I have always wondered why the quality of HM's clothes is so poor. Today I finally found the reason: the material is not good . The discussion on the brand's political stance sparked by H&M also swept the seller communication group. While following the hot topics, the sellers were also worried about whether Amazon would encounter any problems because of this. After all, when it comes to regulating platforms, Amazon also had its own problems. ▲ The picture comes from the seller communication group Amazon's car overturned in those years
This is not the first time that Amazon has tested the bottom line of Chinese people . As early as 2018, a white boy on its website was wearing typical Chinese clothes, holding his eyes with his hands, squinting his eyes, and making a racist gesture. As soon as the picture came out, Amazon's official website was flooded with complaints and criticisms from insulted Chinese people and Chinese sellers. ▲ The picture comes from the Internet
However, this situation has persisted despite repeated bans . After it was revealed in August 2019 that it was selling a number of "Hong Kong independence" T-shirts on the platform, Amazon once again "took advantage" of China's hot spots during the COVID-19 pandemic. ▲ The picture comes from the Internet
At the most severe moment of the epidemic, many netizens revealed that Amazon actually allowed some merchants to openly sell T-shirts, hoodies, water cups and other products printed with the words "Coronavirus Made In China " on its English mall. ▲ The picture comes from the Internet
There is no doubt that Amazon's behavior has aroused the indignation of netizens. Many netizens believe that Amazon's behavior is like "taking drugs", crazy and evil! They have @Amazon and its customer service Weibo accounts, demanding the latter to give an explanation. ▲ The picture comes from the Internet
Amazon, however, is experienced and has gotten away with it by skirting the rules. Even though it eventually removed the products that were complained about, the trend of "racial discrimination" has never been suppressed. Not only did Chinese people feel offended, but many black compatriots were also affected. For example, Luchuan Bridal Shop used Nigger Brown to describe the color of its cotton bath towels in its advertisement, which aroused the anger of consumers. The product is also available in two colors: Grey and Tan. ▲ The picture comes from the Internet In addition to Nigger, Pikey is also an offensive word, which is a derogatory term for Gypsies in English. After this wave of "inaction", the anger of the offended people is visible to the naked eye. The ultimate reason for everyone's anger is Amazon's perfunctory attitude and weak supervision. This shows that sellers must choose words carefully when describing products. Otherwise, not only will consumers not buy them, but Amazon may also "settle accounts" with them if they are not careful.
Put Amazon's sales rules on the public screen! When selling on Amazon, I believe that sellers already have a clear idea of what the red lines are that cannot be crossed. After counting the cars that Amazon has overturned , the rule that prohibits the sale of products that promote hatred and discrimination should become an important red line in the minds of sellers. ▲ The picture comes from the Internet
This brings us to the website of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the United States. As the name suggests, this website exists to protect American citizens from defamation . Now many human rights organizations abroad will spontaneously search for platforms that sell products that spread hatred and discrimination, and after discovering them, they will ask the platforms to rectify and remove them from the shelves. So if you accidentally sell these things, you will be under pressure from Amazon and local organizations. ▲ The picture comes from ADL official website In addition to complying with the offensive product policy, there are several Amazon policy red lines that sellers should keep in mind:
- Product Anti-Counterfeiting and Intellectual Property Policy . Products sold on Amazon must be authentic. The sale of counterfeit and substandard products, including illegally copied, imitated, or manufactured products, is strictly prohibited.
- Product Review Policy . Sellers may not attempt to influence or inflate customer ratings, feedback, and reviews.
- Product variation policy . Creation of duplicate ASINs is prohibited.
- Product safety policy : Amazon’s control over product safety runs through the stages of product launch, sales, and after-sales.
- FBA Dangerous Goods Policy Dangerous goods . Such as mobile phones, laptops, household cleaners, cosmetics, etc.
After the H&M incident, all domestic e-commerce platforms have removed the brand’s products from their shelves, and everyone is giving a big thumbs up to this action! But in fact, there are many "two-faced" brands like H&M that shoot themselves in the foot on Amazon. In this regard, we believe that in the current complex international environment, although we cannot expect Amazon to do anything , as a Chinese seller engaged in cross-border trade, we should first strictly abide by the platform's red line rules, ensure the quality of our goods, and not deliberately provoke ethnic conflicts. Finally, I sincerely wish all sellers a prosperous business and a burst of orders soon~ If you have any other opinions on the topic of H&M plagiarizing Xinjiang cotton and want to share them , please leave a message in the comment section!
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