Much like Amazon (AMZN), Sears has given space on its e-commerce website to a "marketplace" of third-party sellers who advertise and in some cases sell their wares through the site. The sellers get the benefit of showing up on a major retailer's website, and Sears gets a commission from the sales. But the upshot is that, sometimes, even if you make a purchase on Sears.com, you aren't actually buying the item from Sears.

And that means you won't get customer service from Sears either. While Amazon guarantees the purchases made on its marketplace, Walmart (WMT) and Sears make it clear that they're just middlemen in the transaction. Walmart, for instance, notes that you have to "contact the Retailer directly if there is a problem with your order" (though it does say it will attempt to resolve the situation on your behalf if the seller is unhelpful). And Sears has a special page explaining which marketplace purchases are and aren't covered under the Sears return policy.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
That is the only explanation I can see. A lot of my friends keep harping on about Amazon, but everything I seem to want is always more expensive on that site than if I track down a store that sells it, either irl or online.