Official Amazon Quick Picks FAQ - READ 1st POST

[quote name='Jodou']

What disqualifies an item for Quick Picks?
Items in your wish list, cart, or existing purchases/pre-orders will not appear. Marking a game 'not interested/owned/rated' will also disqualify it, but for multi-platform titles it will not exclude it for any other console(s). Canceled pre-orders will not disqualify a game from showing up again; this has been proven and the game can show up again as early as the next day. Additionally, Amazon must have the item flagged for eligibility to show up (there is no way of seeing this).

Lastly, while this generally holds true for most items, certain games will bend this rule and can still appear again despite any of the above.[/QUOTE]

Jodou, this doesn't appear to be true anymore. I'm not sure if it's now a long-standing glitch in Amazon's recommendations system, or simply a change in the way they're doing things, but marking a multi-platform game 'not interested/owned/rated' now excludes all versions of that game (limited/collector's editions and other platform SKUs) from your recommendations and quick picks. I've tried it multiple times and across multiple titles and SKUs and I end up with the same result.
 
Really? Huh, guess I'll have to try it next time a mult-plat game hits my recs. I do know that I can keep only PS3 games in my recs after marking the 360 one not interested. In fact, Dark Souls is a great example of a recent one that stayed and I believe showed up in my box a few times. I was just leaving that one be until I was sure there wouldn't be a collector's edition.
 
[quote name='Jodou']Really? Huh, guess I'll have to try it next time a mult-plat game hits my recs. I do know that I can keep only PS3 games in my recs after marking the 360 one not interested. In fact, Dark Souls is a great example of a recent one that stayed and I believe showed up in my box a few times. I was just leaving that one be until I was sure there wouldn't be a collector's edition.[/QUOTE]

I used to do the same since I only own a PS3. Over the last month or so, however, I noticed my list of recommendations starting to get smaller and smaller until I was only receiving platform exclusive titles. Unchecked the 360 versions of multiplatform titles and, sure enough, all the SKUs popped back into my recommendations.
 
All my recommendations are video games, but my gold box is always electronics/non video games. I can't seem to get games in my goldbox picks anymore.
 
(Guide) L.A. Noire Signature Series
:360: Crackdown
:360: Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception
:wii: Sonic Colors
:360: Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
 
So after some extensive testing, I can conclude that: we're both right. Modern Warfare 3, for example would indeed cancel out other platforms if I marked even one of them not interested. However, when the new Oblivion anniversary games showed up in my recs, I was able to remove both PS3 and 360 without losing my recommendation for PC. Furthermore, it showed up in my quick picks immediately after. I will revise the OP to reflect that there is no longer safety in marking just one not interested and that you will need to test it yourself before removing recs.
 
I've noticed that if you preorder any game, you will get other preorders in your quickpicks.

Today I got:

Otomedius Excellent

Golden Sun
Unchrated 2 GOTY
 
I just checked my Quick Picks for the first time and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is there. I don't know if this has been posted but I thought I should mention it.
 
I finally got a video game today and it was Uncharted 3. Pre-ordered it anyway to get the slight discount, figured I'd get any promotional credits down the line added on anyway. So it's worth a shot.
 
[quote name='Jodou']So after some extensive testing, I can conclude that: we're both right. Modern Warfare 3, for example would indeed cancel out other platforms if I marked even one of them not interested. However, when the new Oblivion anniversary games showed up in my recs, I was able to remove both PS3 and 360 without losing my recommendation for PC. Furthermore, it showed up in my quick picks immediately after. I will revise the OP to reflect that there is no longer safety in marking just one not interested and that you will need to test it yourself before removing recs.[/QUOTE]

I figured out what's going on, though I obviously can't explain why Amazon is doing it. Multiplatform games (or games with collector's editions) that Amazon allows to be selected from within the product page are the ones that get swept together when rated/checked off; multiplatform games that have individual product pages (of which I can't find many) can be rated/checked off without affecting the other platform SKUs.

For example:

Resident Evil: Raccoon City Operation

If you notice on the product page, you can select which platform you want. For whatever reason, games with that type of product page are the ones that are getting lumped together, in spite of their unique ASIN numbers.

Contrast that with:

Oblivion 5th Anniversary Ed.

You'll notice you can't select which platform you want from within the page, despite the fact that the Oblivion is obviously a multiplatform game. Because of that, if you indicate you're not interested in the 360 version, you'll still get the PS3/PC versions in your recommendations/quick picks.

Why Amazon changed the way they do things is beyond me, but at least we know which games we can now safely rate/check off without impacting the other SKUs.
 
So I've had one person claim they got PSV wi-fi in their picks the other day. I tried desperately to get it this morning but failed. I can't get it in my recs no matter what I do, so just a heads up because I'd imagine this would get taken off the list pretty quick once Amazon finds out (if it hasn't already).
 
[quote name='Jodou']So I've had one person claim they got PSV wi-fi in their picks the other day. I tried desperately to get it this morning but failed. I can't get it in my recs no matter what I do, so just a heads up because I'd imagine this would get taken off the list pretty quick once Amazon finds out (if it hasn't already).[/QUOTE]

Same here. Tried everything possible to manipulate my quick picks with no success. Whoever got it got extremely lucky by the looks of it.
 
Got the 3G/wifi PSV in my recs today, but no dice on a pick. Either it only works for the wifi system or they took them off the list quick. Getting $15-20 off at launch would have been amazing.
 
where is the 'rate this item' section step 2 outlines that your suposed to click on. It says:
". Visit each game's product page and scroll down until you see a section 'Rate This Item to Improve Your Recommendations'. Tell Amazon that you own it and give it five stars for good measure"

but i dont see that anywhere. Im actually trying to get the new Fruits basket dvd set in my box, but when i click on the recomended links (like fruits basket viridian collection) i dont see this option anywhere
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']where is the 'rate this item' section step 2 outlines that your suposed to click on. It says:
". Visit each game's product page and scroll down until you see a section 'Rate This Item to Improve Your Recommendations'. Tell Amazon that you own it and give it five stars for good measure"

but i dont see that anywhere. Im actually trying to get the new Fruits basket dvd set in my box, but when i click on the recomended links (like fruits basket viridian collection) i dont see this option anywhere[/QUOTE]
You're right, they removed it. There's a new way to do it but requires doing a search, so it's added step now. I'll update the OP with the new system. Good catch.
 
[quote name='Jodou']You're right, they removed it. There's a new way to do it but requires doing a search, so it's added step now. I'll update the OP with the new system. Good catch.[/QUOTE]


Tnx Jodou, i'll check the update. One question btw. Today i somehow wound up with a bunch of screwed up stuff in my gold box deals A coffee pot, and junk like that. When i browsed around in 'recommendations' i noticed it was linked because of kingdom hearts re:coded' o_O i guess sometimes stuff is linked randomly like that? I only had like 2 games, everything else was nonsense links

I was actually wondering if theres an easy way to get rid of bad picks straight from the gold box page? A 'fix this recommendation' thing or something. I dont seem to see one. I think the only way might be to actually go to the recommendations page and manually hunt it down and delete it? Thats a huge pain since i have hundreds of them. Plus it doesn't seem to indicate what item brought it up. I need to see why todays pick was so jacked up
 
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[quote name='Kenshindono']Tnx Jodou, i'll check the update. One question btw. Today i somehow wound up with a bunch of screwed up stuff in my gold box deals A coffee pot, and junk like that. When i browsed around in 'recommendations' i noticed it was linked because of kingdom hearts re:coded' o_O i guess sometimes stuff is linked randomly like that? I only had like 2 games, everything else was nonsense links

I was actually wondering if theres an easy way to get rid of bad picks straight from the gold box page? A 'fix this recommendation' thing or something. I dont seem to see one. I think the only way might be to actually go to the recommendations page and manually hunt it down and delete it? Thats a huge pain since i have hundreds of them. Plus it doesn't seem to indicate what item brought it up. I need to see why todays pick was so jacked up[/QUOTE]

I don't think there is a way to correct that other than checking do not use this for recommendations. I always get cat food and litter because I buy RPGs. I hate cats.

EDIT:

Got FF Versus XIII 56.99
Resistance 3 56.99
Uncharted GOTY 26.59
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']Tnx Jodou, i'll check the update. One question btw. Today i somehow wound up with a bunch of screwed up stuff in my gold box deals A coffee pot, and junk like that. When i browsed around in 'recommendations' i noticed it was linked because of kingdom hearts re:coded' o_O i guess sometimes stuff is linked randomly like that? I only had like 2 games, everything else was nonsense links

I was actually wondering if theres an easy way to get rid of bad picks straight from the gold box page? A 'fix this recommendation' thing or something. I dont seem to see one. I think the only way might be to actually go to the recommendations page and manually hunt it down and delete it? Thats a huge pain since i have hundreds of them. Plus it doesn't seem to indicate what item brought it up. I need to see why todays pick was so jacked up[/QUOTE]
Your first question is actually answered in the maintenance section and the second one you can do on your recommendations page. It's called exactly what you wanted, so you should see it right away. Keep in mind anything you mark 'don't use for recommendations' might kill some legit games popping up, too. Unless you bought some cat food or something, it's better to just mark the items you don't want as not interested. Again, this is all covered in the OP.
 
hmm tnx guys. Is there a way to see why an item was put into your goldbox quick pick? I.E. the 'recommended because you bought..' page? I cant find it straight off the item. I have a second day of absolute shit. With a bunch of webber grill stuff for no reason. And 1 anime dvd, thats it. Im flabbergasted as ive ordered nothing but anime, games and artbooks for the past few months. I even went in over 200 items into the recommendations page and did NOT see the grill items or what prompted them to show up

isn't there a way to see what the heck recommended the garbage you dont want? Like i said i tried digigng in the recommendation page, but over 200 items in i still saw nothing. Is that the only way? If so my list will probably be ruined for a long time. Ive gotten unrelated crap for 2 days in a row now. It seems kindom hearts re: coded was adding a lot of random stuff, but not the latest grill items. Id really like to know what put the garbage on my list and get it the hell off. I would find it strange if they didn't put a way to do that with easier access
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']hmm tnx guys. Is there a way to see why an item was put into your goldbox quick pick? I.E. the 'recommended because you bought..' page? I cant find it straight off the item. I have a second day of absolute shit. With a bunch of webber grill stuff for no reason. And 1 anime dvd, thats it. Im flabbergasted as ive ordered nothing but anime, games and artbooks for the past few months. I even went in over 200 items into the recommendations page and did NOT see the grill items or what prompted them to show up[/quote]

No, but its a feature i wish was there.... You pretty much have to go through your recommendation page(s) till you find it...

Note: sometimes you have more than what Amazon will show you. Keep clearing till you see less pages than the max

Note 2: Sometime, but not often, you can see what the hang up by going to the offending item page and looking at what other people bought... Maybe one of those purchases is close to something you bought.

No games for me today... but I've been working on other things so and I got a bunch of them today. :D
 
ungh tnx INMATEofARKHAM.. that is REALLY dumb that theres no way to directly remove or see what caused a quick pick. I have another bs pick today. All random stuff that means nothing. stuff like Shany Professional Cosmetic Brush Set with Pouch..., and King Kooker 36JR Stainless-Steel 36-Hole Jalapeno Rack with Corer!

WTF! i tried your trick of clicking on the offending item and looking but i see absolutely nothing that i bought in the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" page. Im actually pretty damn annoyed right now since i spent 30-40 minutes the other night sorting through the recomendations page as suggested on the main page and clicked 'do not want' on tons of stuff. I even found 2 strange offendors that seemed to be adding grill items and other weird stuff: Dead space 2 collectors edition, and kingdom hearts Re:coded so if anyone bought those recently watch out

i just removed those two entirely and im still getting these weird things? I went through over 500 pages worth of crap! this is WAY too time consuming. Why doesn't Amazon streamline this? I cant even find a way to do a search on the recommendations page, unless its in the 'rate these items page' there appears to be no search page. That is a HUGE pain since you cant do a 'fix this recommendation' from there. The only option is to manually pan over hundreds of pages of items and check each one for linkage. Honestly this whole system seems like a complete mess the more i try to actually use it

Blea i think i may just give up. I read the first page and tried my damndest to get Fruits basket LE in my cart
http://www.amazon.com/Fruits-Basket...ef=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1308083710&sr=1-2

but even clicking i own it and rating 5 stars to just about everything in the 'people who bought this' tab has NOT put it in my recomended page. Yet im getting kitchen stuff, and grills, and even cosmetic garbage that doesn't appear to have ANY linkage to the items im buying? Im really flabbergasted
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']Blea i think i may just give up. I read the first page and tried my damndest to get Fruits basket LE in my cart
http://www.amazon.com/Fruits-Basket...ef=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1308083710&sr=1-2[/QUOTE]
The caveat to gaming the system like this is your item just might not be eligible. No matter how hard you try, if Amazon doesn't have it on their list then it will never show up. We've proven this with items like game systems. If it still doesn't pop up in a few days, then there's nothing you can do unfortunately.

I will work my magic and see if I can't get it tomorrow and then tell you how.
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']that is REALLY dumb that theres no way to directly remove or see what caused a quick pick.

*snip*

Why doesn't Amazon streamline this? I cant even find a way to do a search on the recommendations page, unless its in the 'rate these items page' there appears to be no search page. That is a HUGE pain since you cant do a 'fix this recommendation' from there. The only option is to manually pan over hundreds of pages of items and check each one for linkage. Honestly this whole system seems like a complete mess the more i try to actually use it[/QUOTE]
I think you're kind of missing the point. Amazon does not want it to be easy or convenient for us to manipulate the Quick Picks to get exactly what we want, when we want it. They are trying to spur impulse purchases on random items that you might be interested in. It's not supposed to just be a free 5% discount on any item you pick and choose. It makes sense for them to make manipulation unwieldy and unreliable, to the extent that it's possible at all.
 
Well Kenshin, the bad news is I couldn't even get the item you want in my recs. I spent half an hour toying with a few pre-orders and just marking stuff as owned, but your DVD never showed up. Then I tried using an alt account just in case I had ever marked it not interested; no dice. The reason you're getting junk is likely because you don't have any recent purchases, your recs simply have too many items, or it's just plain luck of the draw. I made it very clear that you're never guaranteed anything, but that these methods are proven to work (when the item is eligible).

Bottom line is it doesn't look like what you wanted is eligible, but now that you're experience with picks it may help you get something in the future. Best of luck, friend.
 
[quote name='Jodou']The caveat to gaming the system like this is your item just might not be eligible. No matter how hard you try, if Amazon doesn't have it on their list then it will never show up. We've proven this with items like game systems. If it still doesn't pop up in a few days, then there's nothing you can do unfortunately.

I will work my magic and see if I can't get it tomorrow and then tell you how.[/QUOTE]

Ahhhhh, i see. I wasn't aware of that, i thought just about anything could be made to go in the list. Its possible this item just wont go no matter what. .. and as i see from your follow up post it seems that thats the case =(

[quote name='Jodou']Well Kenshin, the bad news is I couldn't even get the item you want in my recs. I spent half an hour toying with a few pre-orders and just marking stuff as owned, but your DVD never showed up. Then I tried using an alt account just in case I had ever marked it not interested; no dice. The reason you're getting junk is likely because you don't have any recent purchases, your recs simply have too many items, or it's just plain luck of the draw. I made it very clear that you're never guaranteed anything, but that these methods are proven to work (when the item is eligible).

Bottom line is it doesn't look like what you wanted is eligible, but now that you're experience with picks it may help you get something in the future. Best of luck, friend.[/QUOTE]

Ya thank you for trying, i do appreciate it. It appears i can not get that item. The thing im concerned about now is why im getting garbage that is not game or BD/DVD related. As to why im getting such random crap as grill items, makeup, ect.. hmm Its not for lack of purchases. Ive bought 23 different items this month so far alone. All games and anime dvds. I suppose my rec list is rather large, but i didn't see any of the crazy stuff when i dove over 500 items deep into it. Should i go in and just click 'do not want' on most of those? The thing is i MIGHT want them at some point. I'll try to go clean it up a bit. If i click 'i already own this' will that add even more stuff to the list though? Thanks again for taking the time to double check on that item btw. Saves me the time of messing with it myself any more. Id still really want to get rid of the screwy pics im getting though


[quote name='Ryuukishi']I think you're kind of missing the point. Amazon does not want it to be easy or convenient for us to manipulate the Quick Picks to get exactly what we want, when we want it. They are trying to spur impulse purchases on random items that you might be interested in. It's not supposed to just be a free 5% discount on any item you pick and choose. It makes sense for them to make manipulation unwieldy and unreliable, to the extent that it's possible at all.[/QUOTE]

Im not even asking them to let us manipulate it to get the exact item we want when we want it. Though that is nice. Im asking them to make it easier to get rid of garbage we DONT want. Like i said, for two days in a row now ive gotten nonsensical BBQ items and cosmetics, and tools and junk in my box. I have no idea why as theres no way to verify what item caused it the way its layed out right now. The only method is going into the recommendations page and going item by item to try to see if something is linked to it, which takes forever. They really need to have a search option in there, or at the very least let you see the offending item, or remove items that are way off on the quick pick page. Maybe i'll get tampons in my box tomorow at this rate o_O

My only guess is that maybe for fathers day some screwed up stuff got thrown in there, but i removed the 2 biggest offenders. Kingdom hearts RE:coded, and Dead space 2
 
just a heads up because i saw it mentioned earlier in the thread but i was going through and cleaning out my list of recomendations, and i DO see the vita wifi listed there. I think theres 2 versions so i dont know which one this is (just says PlayStation Vita - WiFi) So looks like its still being added. I didn't have time to go through any E3 junk last week so i dont even know wtf this thing is or what the 2 versions are =P guess i better start looking it up
 
Yep, I've had the Wi-fi model in my recs for about 3 days now but it refuses to pop up in my picks. Guess Amazon caught it after the first day of people getting it. :\
 
I didnt know you posted whats in peoples quick picks in the OP. Ive been trying to get Uncharted 3 but no luck. Today I've got Dark Souls Collectors PS3 (even though I already have 2 copies on order..) and Resident Evil: Revelations for 3DS.
 
[quote name='ShockandAww']I didnt know you posted whats in peoples quick picks in the OP. Ive been trying to get Uncharted 3 but no luck. Today I've got Dark Souls Collectors PS3 (even though I already have 2 copies on order..) and Resident Evil: Revelations for 3DS.[/QUOTE]
Dark Souls will show up even if you have it ordered because Amazon is being retarded right now. If you look, there's two different product pages with the old one just saying we'll be upgraded to the new one. Why they didn't just replace the old one with the new is beyond me. If you're trying to get Uncharted 3, a good bet would be ordering that new Dark Souls CE TBH. I'd bet U3 would show up tomorrow for sure.
 
[quote name='Jodou']Dark Souls will show up even if you have it ordered because Amazon is being retarded right now. If you look, there's two different product pages with the old one just saying we'll be upgraded to the new one. Why they didn't just replace the old one with the new is beyond me. If you're trying to get Uncharted 3, a good bet would be ordering that new Dark Souls CE TBH. I'd bet U3 would show up tomorrow for sure.[/QUOTE]
Thanks went ahead and ordered the CE anyway since it was $1 cheaper than another I had on order. Hopefully I get UC3 soon.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']Usually I get a day of junk (non-gaming stuff) after I go through my recommendations. The next day it usually goes back to games.[/QUOTE]

hmm interesting this seemed to happen to me. Except the next day it disapeared =P i had zero quick picks the other day, today i only have 3 but they are games/BD's like they should be

I guess deleting a lot of stuff from your recomendations screws it up? is that normal?

I actually REALLY want to get Otomedius Excellent special edition
http://www.amazon.com/Otomedius-Exc...YZXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308223581&sr=8-1

to show up in my quick picks ore recommendations cart. Its late so i'll have to mess with it tomorow but just throwing gears of war epid editon and a few other linked items didn't seem to help (though it did throw a few other items in my recomendations coming soon section just by putting it in the cart) I actually had a question about trying to get it in my cart:

What would some of the best items to add be? Im thinking collectors edition stuff to the wishlist/or preorder then cancel. But i notice they have Otomedius Excellent regular edition linked too. Will buying that or putting that in my wishlist cancel out the special edition? Im thinking it would be a good choice to increase my chances if it doesn't
 
If they had separate product pages, I'd say yes but recently we found anything on the same page seems to be linked (in a bad way). There's no harm in trying, because as soon as you cancel it will be as if you never ordered at all. I haven't seen the CE show up in my recs yet, but the standard one did a long time ago and eventually ended up in my picks. It's not out for another month, so you could just sit tight for now and see if it just pops up on its own. If I see it in my recs, I'll let you know.
 
Thanks for the info. Sounds like its kinda iffy messing with the Otomedius Excellent in order to ge tthe collectors edition. It sounds like i should just avoid selecting 'i own it' or doing anything with it

Outa curiosity when you do the pre-order/cancel thing. How long should you leave it preordered for? just a day or so? or can you cancel it almost immediately? I think the problem is it will only link the item as long as the pre-order stays active right? I.e. if i stick, say Otomedius excelent and Disgaea 4 premium edition in pre order, will the chances of Otomedius Exelent collectors edition popping up go away as soon as i cancel them? or do they stay once its been pre-ordered?

thats something i wasn't very clear with when reading the OP. It almost sounds like the moment you pre-order it it should link for good. This is why i really wish there was a better search option. Its kinda hard to see what got put into my rec list. Except for the front 'new' page

*edit* i notice on the improve your recomendations page theres a tab for 'Items you've liked " its right under the 'items you've rated' section. It shows i have zero despite giving 5 star ratings to a lot of items. What exactly is that for? i dont see it mentioned in the OP anywhere
 
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You want to keep it pre-ordered until what you want shows up. It bases your picks on what you have recommended, and recommendations come straight from what you order or own. Usually if what I want doesn't show up the next day, I'll just cancel then and try something else. The idea is to keep your list fresh and new.

Liking items is just another way of creating recommendations. I toyed with it before but it didn't appear to do anything that owning items couldn't. Difference being that you weren't able to rate it. I also felt that telling Amazon you own something would hold more weight, since pre-orders are definite ways to get a pick.
 
Also got Dragon's Crown 28.49
SZIEQXg8HgzD7Hb73d1dv983Go3gz2+BQICiKJIkIYQ4jrtcrvv7e5vNZrFYbm9vZVm+ubkB8DeCIHAc93q9brcbwzCHw2G1Ws1ms8lkMhqNnU7HYDD8BT0BUUKNL1XOAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC
Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD 37.04
 
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