When Bloomberg asked me to comment on what we see of the inner workings of the "
By Chris McCabe · June 25, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
When Bloomberg asked me to comment on what we see of the inner workings of the "shadow market" --selling access to Amazon employees -- I described how bad actors reel brand owners in:
Their message is always the same: "I’m going to show you screenshots to prove I have inside access... It starts with the internal notes. That’s the bait on the hook.”
As I noted, this type of abuse never really went away. It continues despite past investigations and employee terminations, and Amazon's efforts to police their internal teams more effectively.
You might say Amazon is treating the symptoms but not the disease.
What’s rather sad and extremely alarming is how many brands who sell on Amazon keep trusting the lawyers, “consultants,” or other 3rd party sham services that rely on these types of shady (and illegal) practices.
Anyone who tells you "I have contacts inside Amazon, but can't say who/ what they do" is a giant red flag. No transparency = no legitimacy.
Are you really willing to risk all your Amazon sales?
Remember, any Amazon account owner who fails to vet their service provider will be considered a “seller code of conduct” violator, with “dispute only” appeals paths. Hard to dispute if you paid for it, too.
If anyone sees this behavior and wants help reporting it, contact us on Whatsapp at 617-319-8767.
Link to the full Bloomberg piece in the comments below.