Can Amazon please show mercy to the brands and products we love?

DPreview may prove to be a lesson on how to sell your company

Digital Photography Review (best known as DPReview) was regarded as one of the best review and news sites, bolstered by a strong community. It was founded at the dawn of the internet, back in 1998, and in 2007, Amazon bought it.

The staff was slowly replaced with contractors and freelancers over the years until Amazon killed it in March. The backlash was intense, and the company promised to put the site into an “archive state” so people could still read it, even though no new content would be added.

After Amazon very loudly announced it was going to shut the site down, it seemed there was a chance it could still survive. Sources tell me that a number of entities reached out to Amazon to see if they could buy it. Private equity saw opportunities but were rebuffed.