While I cannot comment on a startup's or Amazon's perspective on this matter, I had interactions with Amazon employees that was in fact deceptive.
Short story: Amazon representative tried to trick influencer into sending their traffic without compensation.
Long story:
At the time, I commercially represented an influencer (largest in a mainstream niche with an active targeted fanbase) who had been approached by Amazon to sell access to our online course on Amazon (as in: let customers buy a coupon code for our content platform). The paperwork we received to sign did not reflect the terms we had negotiated. It included some kind of fees etc. that had never been mentioned, basically shifting percentage in favour of Amazon using fine-print. This felt dishonest.
We decided to do it anyway due to their promises of considerable sales for our program including projections. Then the representative showed us a listing of a direct competitor and told us the number of sales this competitor was able to generate. While it's nice to be on the receiving end of such information, it's unethical. Who knows how truthful the numbers were anyway.
But then the week of deals started and nothing happened. No sales.
This could have had many causes but instead of revisiting the offer or the listing or just say "bad luck", the representative kept insisting that the influencer send their traffic to Amazon which is usually a business transaction but that wasn't part of the deal. They kept insisting anyway, even a second representative.
I'm not keen on doing business with Amazon after that encounter.
Short story: Amazon representative tried to trick influencer into sending their traffic without compensation.
Long story:
At the time, I commercially represented an influencer (largest in a mainstream niche with an active targeted fanbase) who had been approached by Amazon to sell access to our online course on Amazon (as in: let customers buy a coupon code for our content platform). The paperwork we received to sign did not reflect the terms we had negotiated. It included some kind of fees etc. that had never been mentioned, basically shifting percentage in favour of Amazon using fine-print. This felt dishonest.
We decided to do it anyway due to their promises of considerable sales for our program including projections. Then the representative showed us a listing of a direct competitor and told us the number of sales this competitor was able to generate. While it's nice to be on the receiving end of such information, it's unethical. Who knows how truthful the numbers were anyway.
But then the week of deals started and nothing happened. No sales.
This could have had many causes but instead of revisiting the offer or the listing or just say "bad luck", the representative kept insisting that the influencer send their traffic to Amazon which is usually a business transaction but that wasn't part of the deal. They kept insisting anyway, even a second representative.
I'm not keen on doing business with Amazon after that encounter.