I just noticed Apmex has an Amazon Storefront

[dualstow]

Weird.

Since it's third party, you can't use your Chase Amazon card to reap a deep discount/cash reward.
For the same reason, you can't have it shipped to a handy Amazon pick up site, I'm pretty sure.
So no advantages.

Disadvantages:
The price can't possibly get refreshed every moment along with the change in spot like at Apmex dot com.
Therefore, must be heavily marked up. If you search for a 1989 nugget, BU, at both sites...yep.

Is this just for people who only trust Amazon? For would-be gold buyers who don't know any better?

[sophie]

Wow that is hilarious!

Why couldn't you use your Chase Amazon card for a 5% reward? I get the reward regardless of whether it's a 3rd party seller.

It's a hefty premium allright (they are asking $1759 for a 2013 Gold Eagle with "no mint mark"), but I really don't care what the price is. What are the chances of getting a counterfeit coin, do you think? My guess is somewhere between "high" and "100%". There's no way to know that the storefront has anything to do with the real APMEX - could be some dude in China for all you know. APMEX doesn't mention the Amazon storefront on its website.

[dualstow]

You can use the card, Soph, but I believe it says in the fine print that there is no 5% back when the vendor is not Amazon. Still a great card, especially if you’re going to buy Prime anyway. May as well earn it back.

As for whether the storefront is really Apmex, I guess I would contact Apmex directly with a link and ask, “Is this you?”
Although, I tried to do that with a Chinese company once regarding an oil-filled electric heater, and the response was that I should “contact the vendor (on Amazon) directly.” Ok then. Hey guys, are you fake, and just pretending to be this other company’s storefront? Answer honestly now.

[dualstow]

Discover Card also has 5% back on Amazon this quarter, and it includes any purchase there, regardless of third party. I have Chase Freedom also; not sure where you saw that restriction, IIRC it was all of Amazon.

I would be very happy if that’s not the case, as more and more of our purchases are 3rd party, even though I try to avoid that. Maybe it’s ok if it’s “fulfilled” by Amazon? I will revisit the fine print sometime.

[dualstow]

follow-up: I’m having trouble finding the fine print, but I went to my order history.
I click Order Details.

The most recent orders say “i: earned 5% back...”
but there is an order of a powerbank that says “sold by AnkerDirect” and no line about earning 5% like above.
There is an order for cat litter bags sold by blahblahblah and no line about 5%.

{I also noticed our point balance is zero which is weird considering all those orders that earned 5% and no redemption, but that’s another story.
EDIT: it shows up as Pending at Chase's site (details/breakdown page) for about a month, even if it says zero elsewhere.
I see that we earned more than the cost of Prime. Good enough. }

[sophie]

follow-up: I’m having trouble finding the fine print, but I went to my order history.
I click Order Details.

The most recent orders say “i: earned 5% back...”
but there is an order of a powerbank that says “sold by AnkerDirect” and no line about earning 5% like above.
There is an order for cat litter bags sold by blahblahblah and no line about 5%.

{I also noticed our point balance is zero which is weird considering all those orders that earned 5% and no redemption, but that’s another story.
EDIT: it shows up as Pending at Chase's site (details/breakdown page) for about a month, even if it says zero elsewhere.
I see that we earned more than the cost of Prime. Good enough. }

I just checked my recent purchases. All of them, regardless of whether it's from "Amazon" or "AMZN Mktpl" had the 5% credit points. Maybe it just takes time to show up?

[dualstow]

Were they fulfilled by Amazon?
I get credit on many items that say Amazon Marketplace as well.

[sophie]

I checked a transaction that definitely was not "fulfilled by Amazon" as it was shipped directly by the third party seller. I got the reward points.

[dualstow]

I checked a transaction that definitely was not "fulfilled by Amazon" as it was shipped directly by the third party seller. I got the reward points.

I'm feeling abused
by Amazon.

[sophie]

Worth a call to Amazon to straighten out?

[dualstow]

Worth a call to Amazon to straighten out?

I’ll probably write to them. I mean I got the card thinking that some purchases would be ineligible, just like many items are ineligible for pick up at a pick-up center. But, even though the rewards are plenty, I’d like to find out more.