Amazon has had an interesting history with Apple products. It stopped selling the Apple TV for some time and only started offering it again as the Prime Video tvOS app launched this past December. Now, a new deal between Apple and Amazon will bring its products directly to consumers.
As reported by CNET, the deal between Apple and the retail giant comes as Amazon wants to increase the availability of products that “customers want.”
“Amazon is constantly working to enhance the customer experience, and one of the ways we do this is by increasing selection of the products we know customers want,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement Friday morning. “We look forward to expanding our assortment of Apple and Beats products globally.”
Until now, purchasing Apple devices and accessories on Amazon has been a bit tricky. While the listings always note Apple as the company up top, the retailers vary, and can be less than reputable.
For example, this iPhone XS Max is sold by TechnoMaster who has a 94% seller rating, while this Apple USB-C cable comes from DataVision Computer Video who has a 85% rating. It’s also important to look at how many reviews a sell has to get a picture of trustworthiness.
Meanwhile, some listings are already coming directly from Amazon, like this one for AirPods and the Apple TV 4K. You can tell from the “Ships and sold from Amazon.com” on the right hand side of the listing.
This new agreement between Apple and Amazon means that we’ll start seeing many more official listings, particularly for iPhone and iPad. It will also crack down on the third-parties that can sell Apple and Beats products.
Only Apple-authorized resellers will now be allowed to sell Apple and Beats products on Amazon’s marketplace.
The changes rolling out in the coming weeks to Amazon in the following countries:
US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and India, with the new products will hit Amazon sites in the coming weeks.
This move will be a win for both Apple and Amazon as we head into the holiday shopping season. CNET does note that some competing products like HomePod will be left out of the deal.
“We make assortment decisions all the time, based on terms and a large number of other factors,” Amazon’s spokesperson said about leaving out the HomePod.
As far as independent retailers, non-compliant listings will be removed on January 4, 2019 or work with Apple to become an authorized reseller.
Additionally, independent sellers who list new and used Apple products on Amazon will have those listings removed after Jan. 4, 2019. Those sellers will now have to apply with Apple to become authorized resellers on Amazon. An email to sellers about this change went out just after the deal was signed.
Meanwhile, this deal won’t change Amazon’s “Renewed Program” that sells certified refurbished devices.
As we head into the holidays, don’t miss out on all our Black Friday ad leaks and news to get the best deals. We’ve already seen Walmart, Target, Amazon and plenty of others drop their Black Friday ads with plenty more still to come.
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