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I AM thinking about buying a TV and have noticed advertising for Amazon Prime Day. I always buy electrical goods in retail stores as I have heard horror stories about people purchasing things online. I’m wary of making such a large purchase online. Is there any difference in my consumer rights when buying directly from “Amazon” as opposed to the “Amazon Marketplace”? Can you help?

Amazon Prime Day is an annual shopping event where items can be bought at discounted prices online.

The event is usually held on June 15 but has been postponed this year due to the pandemic and instead was held yesterday and today.

Amazon Prime Day can only be accessed by using an Amazon Prime account.

This either requires you to be subscribed to the Amazon Prime service or utilise the free trial of this today.

You should be aware of the differences between Amazon Prime and other Marketplace sellers when making purchases on Amazon Prime Day.

Amazon is the online retailer of various products.

Amazon Marketplace is an online shopping network where other retailers can sell products through the site.

Amazon Marketplace allows the sale of new and used items, where Amazon does not.

Vistalworks have created a simple tool to use when shopping online to ensure the purchase you are making is all it seems and this can now be used on Amazon.

By entering the web address of the item that you intend to buy, the query tool provides warnings if there is potential risk of the item being fake, illicit, or dangerous.

This can be accessed through the Knowledge Centre at www. consumeradvice.scot.

When making purchases online, it is also useful to check the prices for the same items being sold by other retailers to ensure that you are getting value for money.

This allows you to make an informed choice before making a purchase.

You should check thwat the new sale price is lower than alternatives and factor in additional charges, such as delivery and extended warranties.

If you have to return anything you purchase, Amazon clearly state that the returns policies offered by Marketplace sellers must be the equivalent, or better than the returns policy offered by Amazon.co.uk (with the exception of Amazon’s extended Christmas returns policy which not all Marketplace Sellers follow).

When you are shopping on Amazon Marketplace, you can also view information on the seller in question by clicking on their name and read reviews that other customers have uploaded.

If you need to return something to a seller outside the UK, the Marketplace seller is required to provide a return address within the UK, a pre-paid returns label, or offer a full refund without requesting the item be returned.

If a seller on Amazon Marketplace does not offer these methods to return items, you may be able to file an A-Z Guarantee Claim with Amazon.

Consumers are encouraged to use the relevant tracking/signed for service on return deliveries for items over £50 and insurance on items valued at £100 or more.

The Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee is in place to ensure that any disputes are resolved as quickly as possible.