While working with the platform, users sometimes encounter a situation when one seller is displayed in the Buy Box in the inventory link, but upon checking the listing on Amazon you can see a completely different offer in Buy Box. Buy Box on Amazon listing is a very subjective concept and is often dynamic. Amazon may display different offers in the Buy Box depending on many factors and its internal recommendation system.
For most listings, Buy Box is steadily dominated by certain sellers, but it important to understand that the Buy Box is not directly tied only to the listing, but also depends on a buyer viewing the listing. On some listings Buy Box may appear differently for different:
- devices
- browsers
- locations
- buyer accounts.
If Amazon itself sells on the listing, as well as FBA / Prime sellers, then the Buy Box will also depend on the distance from the buyer to the warehouses, the availability of items in nearby warehouses, and many other factors. In the screenshot you can see an example of a listing where the Buy Box displays different offers for New York and Fort Worth – the only difference is in the delivery address (the screenshot was taken in the same browser window):
Not Just Buy Box
The system shows Buy Box status (as well as shipping and stock) based on the data it receives at that particular point in time and for a particular location when the system checks the listing. System’s servers are scattered throughout the US, thus each time the listing is checked from a different location. This means that if the seller has specific settings for different locations, then the system may receive different data based on the location of the server checking the listing. This will affect the Buy Box view, shipping and even availability of the listing in the system. This way, data in the system may sometimes differ from what you can see when opening the listing in your browser.
If you notice Buy Box changing frequently in My Inventory section in the system, this means the Buy Box on such a listing is unstable due to the above factors. At the same time, it can serve as a hint for you to optimize your offer in a way that tilts the Buy Box “scales” in your favor.