This thread is about FBA, and I suspect you're referring to non-FBA sales here.

>First, a lot of middlemen ALWAYS email the seller after placing an order, expecting the seller to omit any mention of the seller and how much the product cost on Amazon

The order is fulfilled by Amazon, and the seller has no control over this. The middleman can email all he wants, but it's no use.

I don't think the middleman even has the ability to contact the seller easily. How exactly can they get the person's email address?

>Often they'll email again ("angrily", though it's just a canned response) if an item hasn't arrived 3 or so days after they placed the order.

Fulfilled by Amazon. The middleman is in entire control on the shipping. They want it faster? They should select faster shipping.

>If there's an issue with the order, the middlemen often do not pass on details of the issue to the seller. Instead they just say (effectively) "There was an issue. I demand a full refund." Often issues can be resolved with exchanges or returns, but so many middlemen just demand full refund with no returns.

This is Amazon policy for FBA. It is no different from you buying from Amazon or some other store and returning without an explanation. When you sell via FBA, you are required to accept this as a consequence. This has little to do with middlemen. I myself have had perfectly functioning items returned as defective, and I have no recourse.

>Due to poor listings wherever the middlemen are relisting the Amazon products, the middlemen's customers often aren't aware of all the details of what they order. We'd regularly get things sent back and the complaint was "it's a used book" when that's exactly what was listed on Amazon.

I too get pointless returns. As do almost all retailers out there. Why do you expect things to be different? As long as you sell via Amazon FBA, Amazon has a return policy you need to accept.

I could go on and on about your other bullets, but it is clear you are complaining about a different problem from the one in this thread. Most of these issues are non-issues with FBA. Customers will not get your contact info via FBA. Middlemen do not get it either. If a middlemen puts "No Invoice" on an FBA order, Amazon will deal with it (likely by literally shipping to that address).

Now getting to your case, where you are likely a business selling via Amazon, but not having them fulfill your orders, the larger thread is very relevant to you. If a big chunk of your business is dependent on Amazon's existence, you are vulnerable. It is hard for me to sympathize with you. At the end of the day, you list on Amazon because Amazon is creating value for you - despite all these annoyances. You are seeing all the annoyances of middlemen, but you likely do not know how much business they are generating for you.

2 questions:

1. For orders like (No Invoice), would it be beneficial for you to just cancel the order and not get the money (assuming Amazon gave you that option, with no repercussions to your Amazon rating)? If not, you are benefiting.

2. How can you tell which of your orders that go smoothly involve middlemen? If you cannot, you have no idea if it is benefiting you or not.