IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Amazon is ending all inventory commingling as of March 31, 2026

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Based on the Hacker News discussion about Amazon ending its inventory commingling practice, here are the three most prevalent themes:

1. Erosion of Trust Due to Counterfeits and Fraud

The most common sentiment is that Amazon’s commingling system bred a long-term, systemic problem with counterfeit and fraudulent products. Users expressed significant frustration at receiving fake or incorrect items, which eroded their trust in the platform.

  • "It's pretty optimistic. They certainly cannot 'uncommingle' existing stock, so you may be able to buy new product with better source assurance, but for existing products..." — brohee
  • "The cynical perspective is that they are facing a serious financial penalty either from the manufacturers themselves, or a large buyer that got burned by co-mingled products, or both." — xattt
  • "I bought an LG monitor, by part number, three times and always received the similar looking but half the price counterpart. We only realized the issue after using it for a few days..." — itopaloglu83

2. Skepticism Regarding the Timing and Effectiveness of the Change

Many commenters questioned why Amazon is making this change now, after years of complaints, and expressed doubt about how quickly and completely it could be implemented. There is a strong belief that the change is reactive, driven by financial or legal pressure rather than a proactive commitment to quality.

  • "Why now, and not 15 years ago when their reputation started tanking for this reason?" — mikkupikku
  • "This is the same company who creates internal systems that encourage wringing out every drop of effort... You’re telling me THAT style of company isn’t capable of achieving this goal for another 2 months?... That’s my cynical take." — sovietmudkipz
  • "It’s pretty optimistic. They certainly cannot 'uncommingle' existing stock..." — brohee

3. Recognition of Commingling as a Fundamental Flaw in Amazon's Model

A significant portion of the discussion focused on analyzing why Amazon allowed commingling for so long. Many concluded that while it offered logistical efficiency, it was fundamentally incompatible with maintaining product integrity and protecting brand reputation, effectively creating a system that enabled fraud.

  • "Amazon's assumption was that every box of 'Apple AirPods 4' is the same... Obviously this fails spectacularly if a seller ever lies about their product..." — wongarsu
  • "The fact that it ever did this is kinda crazy. Did they not imagine that someone would try to sell counterfeit products? Commingling means that a seller could be hit by a refund and bad review for a product that was never theirs." — mrweasel
  • "This change is important for safely buying genuine products, such as 3M respirators." — wongarsu (highlighting the safety implications of the flaw)

🚀 Project Ideas

Amazon SKU Authenticity Checker

Summary

  • A browser extension that scans Amazon product pages and flags the likelihood of commingled inventory or counterfeit risk.
  • Core Value Proposition: Restores trust in Amazon purchases by providing transparency into the supply chain and seller risk before checkout.
Key Value
Target Audience Amazon shoppers, deal hunters, and HN users concerned about counterfeit electronics, supplements, or replacement parts.
Core Feature Analyzes ASINs and seller history to predict if a product is subject to commingling or if the listing has been manipulated (hijacked).
Tech Stack Browser Extension (JavaScript), Python (scraping/API wrapper), SQLite.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium model (basic risk analysis free) with a paid tier for detailed supply chain mapping and historical data alerts.

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: As lazide and polski-g pointed out, returned/refurbished items often go back into the general stock, meaning you might receive a "new" item that is actually broken or tampered with. This tool would help users avoid those listings entirely.
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: Highly practical utility for anyone buying technical components or branded goods. It would spark discussions on data scraping methods, reverse engineering Amazon’s internal logic, and the ethics of "grey market" goods.

TrueSource Inventory Tracker

Summary

  • A centralized database and API that maps specific product SKUs to their verified manufacturing batch and origin, accessible via a QR code on the packaging.
  • Core Value Proposition: Guarantees provenance for high-value items (e.g., medical devices, lithium batteries, luxury goods) by preventing label swaps and supply chain mixing.
Key Value
Target Audience Manufacturers (like LEGO or 3M mentioned by rhplus and intexpress), B2B buyers, and consumers of high-risk products.
Core Feature Generates unique, cryptographically signed QR codes for products that link to a verified database entry, updated at every supply chain handoff.
Tech Stack Blockchain/DLT (for immutable logs), React (frontend), Node.js (API), IoT label printers.
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: B2B SaaS pricing charged to manufacturers per unit tracked or via API calls.

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: Addresses the frustration expressed by Noaidi and wongarsu regarding the inability to verify if the item received matches the item purchased. It shifts responsibility from the consumer back to the supply chain, which nkrisc noted has been lacking for a decade.
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: This would generate significant debate on the implementation of decentralized ledgers for physical goods (avoiding the "blockchain for everything" critique while finding a genuine use case) and consumer rights.

OpenAmazon: The Anti-Commingling Logistics Simulator

Summary

  • An open-source logic simulator that models Amazon’s FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) network, visualizing exactly where inventory goes and how it gets mixed.
  • Core Value Proposition: Educational transparency for sellers and curious engineers to understand the complexities and failure points of Amazon's logistics, demystifying the "black box."
Key Value
Target Audience E-commerce sellers, logistics engineers, and HN readers interested in systemic optimization failures.
Core Feature Interactive simulation of inventory flow from seller to fulfillment center to customer, highlighting where commingling occurs under current vs. new rules.
Tech Stack Web-based (D3.js or Canvas for visualization), Go (backend simulation logic).
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby: Open source project funded by donations or sponsorships.

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: Users like Fiveplus and ajkjk provided deep technical insights into why commingling happened in the first place (operational complexity vs. speed). An open-source tool to visualize this would appeal to the engineering mindset on HN.
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: A practical tool for optimizing seller logistics. It would spark deep technical discussions on graph algorithms, distributed systems, and inventory management strategies.

Verified Seller Watchdog

Summary

  • A community-driven platform that flags Amazon listings suspected of being "hijacked" or commingled, aggregating data from return reports and visual discrepancies.
  • Core Value Proposition: Crowdsourced quality control that protects buyers from fraudulent sellers before a purchase is made, effectively replacing Amazon's failed internal vetting.
Key Value
Target Audience Frequent Amazon shoppers, deal-finding communities, and consumer advocacy groups.
Core Feature Users upload evidence of counterfeit/fraudulent items; the system correlates this data across ASINs to identify compromised listings and alerts potential buyers.
Tech Stack Python (Flask/Django), PostgreSQL (for data correlation), Browser Extension (for alerts).
Difficulty Low to Medium
Monetization Hobby: Ad-supported or strictly non-profit to maintain credibility.

Notes

  • Why HN commenters would love it: embedding-shape shared a story of a seller buffing out used CDs and reselling them as new. AlexandrB mentioned reviews being "shadow-banned." This tool gives power back to the user to share unfiltered warnings, bypassing Amazon's censorship.
  • Potential for discussion or practical utility: Highly practical for avoiding scams. It would generate discussion on the reliability of crowdsourced data versus corporate algorithms and the ethics of scraping Amazon's review system.

Read Later