BUYER BEWARE - Buying Vacuum Tubes on Amazon

Summary

I want to start by saying that this is not an advertisement or endorsement for ourselves. We are simply stating the facts, hoping that someone will take this to heart. You don't have to buy from us, but we urge all tube aficionados to avoid buying on Amazon to protect both yourself and the industry at large.

The vacuum tube industry, once a thriving marketplace for audiophiles and musicians, is facing significant challenges again. A primary concern is the anti-trust tactics employed by Amazon, which have particularly affected small, US businesses. 

TL;DR:

• Amazon's Tactics: Amazon's anti-trust tactics are particularly damaging to small businesses in the industry. Tactics include selling at a loss to stamp out legitimate dealers, gouging prices when sellers leave, review manipulation, search manipulation, buy box manipulation. Worst of all is their active game-plan to run US-based third party sellers out of business.
• False Advertising: Industry insiders highlight illegal false advertising by Amazon FBA sellers, who claim to match their tubes but aren't even tested, risking damage to amplifiers and poor sound quality.
• Listing Hijacking: Amazon FBA sellers are hijacking listings created by established dealers, including ourselves.
• Market Shift: The number of legitimate tube dealers on Amazon has drastically reduced, with many considering leaving due to the monopolistic environment. Only third-party sellers with a reputation are to be trusted.
• Lack of Accountability: Customers cannot leave negative feedback for Amazon FBA sellers, leading to unresolved issues and misleading information.
• Quality Concerns: As of August 2024, no Amazon FBA dealers are known to test their tubes or provide any customer service. They use Amazon's AI bot, and that is all you get.
• Future Fears: There is a concern that genuine tube dealers might become extinct, limiting options for quality products.
• Replacing US sellers with Chinese FBA Sellers: Amazon's public strategy involves replacing US sellers with Chinese sellers using FBA, exploiting legal loopholes.
• Call to Action: Customers are urged to support small businesses to preserve the industry itself. If all that are left are fly-by-night sellers, there won't be any options for properly matched sets, or, sets at all for that matter. There are plenty of places to buy tubes. Just know what you are supporting if you buy them on Amazon.

How We're Better

• Support a Small Business: Buy from the experts who use tubes every day.
• 1-Day Shipping Options
• Affordable Prices
• Unbeatable Testing & Matching
• Massive Product Selection
• Combined & Worldwide Shipping
• Custom Requests Always Considered
• Bulk Discounts for B2B Buyers
• Regular Promotions and Sales
• Get Any Matching Configuration You Can Dream Of
• Special Services: Custom Ip and Gm ranges, extra tight matching, high gain, balanced, etc.
• 90 - 365 Day Guarantees with Free, Unconditional Returns
• We Care: We are passionate about tubes, music, and love serving our customers, knowing that we directly support artists, audiophiles, repair shops, and studios.

You will get none of this with Amazon, and there is a real risk that it will be the only option in time.

Article

Amazon may be tempting, but you get what you pay for. We urge all tube buyers to stay away from Amazon because of the damage they are actively and deliberately causing to the industry.

One of the critical issues raised by industry insiders is illegal false advertising. Amazon FBA sellers do not test their tubes, which would be impossible with the way inventory is stored and shipped from Amazon’s warehouses. Untested tubes can lead to potential damage to amplifiers or poor sound quality. We have made several purchases and have direct evidence of this. Even worse, these sellers are hijacking our own listings that we created.

The marketplace dynamic has shifted dramatically, with only a handful of the original 15+ tube dealers still selling on Amazon. Many are contemplating their departure due to the monopolistic and anti-trust environment that is Amazon. These sellers are unscrupulous, working with Amazon FBA to undercut established tube dealers, drawing parallels to tactics associated with large discount retailers.

Furthermore, there is a growing concern among these businesses about the inability to leave negative feedback for Amazon FBA sellers, which entirely stops the resolution of issues and misleads customers.

As of August 2024, we haven't seen a single Amazon FBA dealer that tests their tubes, provides customer service, or even provides relevant sets. They don't even know what tubes are; these are large companies peddling anything. This raises the fear of a future where genuine tube dealers are extinct, leaving no options for testing, matching, or purchasing large sets. The selection could be limited to a mere fraction of what companies like New Sensor and JJ offer.

Amazon's current public strategy is to replace all US third-party sellers with Chinese sellers who leverage Amazon FBA to appear as US companies. Amazon is doing this because of the lack of anti-trust and trademark laws in China. They use this loophole to break US law and stamp out competitors. Again, this is their forward and public strategy, and they are attempting to do it to the tube industry.

In conclusion, the vacuum tube industry is at a crossroads, with Amazon's business practices contributing to a decline in the market's health. The call to action for customers is clear: support small businesses and ensure the longevity of an industry that prides itself on quality and expertise. The future of vacuum tubes may depend on it.

We are confident that our customers will support us through this and beyond. Please help us weather this storm so we can see the precarious tube industry stick around.

Dave Mell,
VIVA TUBES

Founder