Where are Walmart and Amazon getting their Milwaukee tools from?
I came across a Milwaukee M12 ratchet listing at Walmart a few years ago, and it struck me as unusual. Why? Because the product was “sold and shipped by Walmart,” but Walmart isn’t an authorized dealer.
See? “Sold & shipped by Walmart.”
If you look at the site now, there are tons of other listings.
Here’s an M12 bare ratchet listing.
Amazon also has Milwaukee tools, such as the new M12 Fuel 1/4″ ratchet.
“Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.”
I like to think that I have a working knowledge of how retail distribution works. But I can’t quite figure this one out. If Amazon and Walmart are NOT authorized Milwaukee Tool dealers, where are they getting the tools from?
This is as strange as when Amazon had direct listings for Harbor Freight Bauer tools last year.
A few months ago, Amazon was selling the M18 Fuel 7-1/4″ cordless miter saw – also directly – and I asked Milwaukee about whether Amazon not being an authorized dealer could lead to warranty or service complications. They replied:
Since Amazon is not an authorized distributor, anyone who purchases our products from them is going to have warranty and service complications because their receipt will show that they purchased from an un-authorized dealer.
So, that’s one reason to stick with authorized dealers.
But the question remains – if Milwaukee Tool isn’t selling to Amazon or Walmart, where are they getting the tools from? Are they buying them from Home Depot or other authorized dealers? If not, where’s the source?
This is all really unusual, but it’s nothing new, either. I posted something similar 2 years ago, when I first spotted direct-from-Amazon listings for relatively new Milwaukee cordless tools. Things aren’t much different now, except for Walmart getting in on the action.
They even have a listing for the new 12Ah battery!
I’m hoping some of you know what’s going on and can clear things up for me.
