It’s been ages since I’ve really done some deal hunting online with how ubiquitious Amazon is I’ve realized I’m not up to date with the current ecosystem for finding trustworthy online storefronts. Do you have any sources/tips for finding good quality products (especially with all the AI slop that exists nowadays)?
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There are some simple steps:
- Use Amazon as a catalog to find what you want
- Copy the items name/brand and find it elsewhere
- Find out you live in a high cost are for deliveries and buying anywhere but on amazon outright doubles the price of the item.
- Give up and buy on Amazon anyway.
I’ve learned to live with less. I don’t need a new gadget or the latest shiny plastic distraction. I buy food, gas, beer. If I just have to have something, Costco or eBay. Closed my amazon, walmart, target accounts. Don’t miss them.
Here in Canada I’ve started ordering from the Canadian Tire app instead.
It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. I find I’m calling a lot of local stores lately, because I hate shopping in person, and selections are limited. I find I am spending about 10% more per item on average, but I’m also buying fewer things in general. I’m still shopping at chains, like Microcenter, Staples, Dick’s, and Lowes, but I’m trying to be intentional about going to local or thrift stores first.
I also shop on AliExpress more now, when I need some cheap garbage, but I’m trying to stop that, too.
Same for me. Im just trying to buy less.
Reminds me of a thread I saw here a while ago on “What if advertising were illegal?”
I’ve found the best method for reducing my need on Amazon is to just buy less crap. Online shopping is simple because you can get stuff immediately, but I don’t think anybody “needs” 3-4 new products per week.
Aside from that, I try and support local: find local shops that sell items similar to my style, or trust word of mouth for online retailers that are good. At the end of the day, as long as you’re buying good-quality stuff (which oddly seems to spend less on advertisements) it doesn’t really matter where exactly you buy from, as it’s all pretty similar in price / quality.
I’ve never used Amazon. eBay is pretty much where I get what I want and that has been true since 2004 according to my account.
Why eBay? I understand getting deals on used stuff but it seems like anything newer is usually overpriced.
I don’t really buy much new stuff.
I just built my daughter a computer for 1k that would have cost nearly double anywhere else though.
I’m also a creature of habit. I’ve been using eBay for more than 20 years now and I don’t have to fuck with setting up a new account and all that anywhere else.
I did try Facebook marketplace recently and I have been ripped off twice. Yay. The only two purchases I ever made there.
I just go directly to the company’s website and go from there. Usually it’s the same price, on rare occasions it’s a few dollars more but to me it’s worth it not to do business with Amazon. I’ve passed up on buying things entirely because they were only available on Amazon.
In fact, over the last couple years I’ve been transitioning from buying online to buying from small-business brick and mortar stores. Sure it’s less convenient but it’s also less wasteful, it keeps resources within my local economy and I’m buying a lot less junk that I don’t really need.
I try small brick and mortar as much as possible but the up charges for the identical product can really hurt, like why is the same brand of pet food twice the cost if I drive 10 miles for it vs if I order it online
Because retailers are middle-men by definition. Large online resellers just have much less overhead, so the cut they take for being a middleman is much smaller. They often also have the bargaining power to reduce their cost price with the supplier. You should look for things that are produced in large quantities locally, and find ways to purchase direct from supplier, if you want to save money buying locally rather than spending more to support local business. Buying from independent local retailers is for indirect social and economic benefit. We should all endeavour to do it as much as we can but it’s also very hard to justify when cost differences are large.
Because retailers are middle-men by definition.
Hell, a large amount of local businesses’ stock is probably bought on Amazon Business.
Usually it’s the same price
Notable exception to this would be the Spigen phone case I recently bought. It’s 20.99 on Amazon, but 39.99 on Spigen’s website.
It’s true for a lot of other things, though, Amazon especially here in Canada hasn’t been the cheapest place to buy stuff in quite some time.
My problem is that so many small businesses in my region are run by shitheads with terrible customer service, or they don’t treat their employees well, or they insult younger people, or they’re straight up broadcasting their politics in their business.
Unlike Amazon and all the other giant tech corporations?
When both sides are dickheads, you go for the one that’s best for you personally which for shopping usually means going for the cheapest depending on your morality stance and how strong it’s compulsion is.
I order directly from the companies or buy used off eBay, Craigslist, etc.
A lot of searching. Then I add good alternatives to a “buy Canadian” list I keep at Github. That makes it a lot easier the next time around.
If it’s a public list, feel free to share it on [email protected] :)
Just did!
Care to share that list? I may not be Canadian, but want to support people dealing with America’s bullshit if I can.
Hey, yeah, definitely.
It’s https://github.com/Visiblink/CanadianRetailers
I just started it when all the tariffy-goodness began, so it’s bound to see additions whenever I (or anyone who wants to add to it) shop for things.
If you are using Amazon, you can look for products from small businesses. There are many that only sell on Amazon. At least your helping someone else at the same time.
And you’re supporting one of the few companies that actually give immigrants, transgender people, mentally and/or physically disabled people, recovered felons/addicts/etc, the homeless, single parents, poor people, people facing eviction, and anyone else in horrible situations multiple chances at saving themselves, living real lives, being independent, and actually living. All while being the most flexible workplace so whatever life throws at you doesn’t ever cost you your job, and paying for their college tuition as a benefit alongside access to emergency loans on top of that.
Can Amazon be a better employer? Sure, there is much more room for improvement. But they are far from unethical or evil. Boycott all the big box retailers and shop exclusively on Amazon. You’re literally saving lives by doing nothing. You all wish for a button you could press to make people less poor and struggling, and you already have it. Buy your Pampers and cat litter on Amazon. Stream Prime shows. Watch Twitch. Shop at Whole Foods. Support the only actually ethical company.
No one cares about their employees, let alone their entry level employees, as much as Amazon.
Slickdeals!
I barely buy from Amazon nowadays, quit the subscription 3 years ago. Except for very specific items anywhere else is cheaper, better quality or both. Besides trying to search for something on Amazon has become a nightmare.
Buy directly from the seller. Due to most people using Amazon the past decade, created a modern shipping infrastructure. Everyone has similar shipping pricing and timeframes. Amazon doesn’t provide anything special now. Other big box store just use their stores as shipping hubs like edge computing. There’s a lot of same day delivery.
I’m in Germany and have never used prime. When I used to order stuff from Amazon, it would take 3-7 days to arrive. That’s how much they care about customers that refuse to pay their damn subscription.
I’m in Germany and next day delivery on Amazon is next day delivery.
Yeah that’s my point. You have to pay for Prime. Otherwise they’re slower than most retailers.
A lot of that is also Amazon, but an individual can only do so much
When Amazon started it was next day delivery, now a lot of stuff is two days.
What are you talking about? Amazon started as an online book store in 1994. They were not doing next day delivery, that’s for sure. Amazon had a big push for “Prime 2 day delivery” for a long time, but from my anecdotal experience it’s more than often longer than two days. Sometimes they offer one or two day shipping, but it’s not the norm.
Ten years ago two-day shipping meant two days from order to delivery. It now means two-day delivery once shipped in one to five business days. Most prime eligible purchases now just mean “free shipping.”
I got attached to Prime as a student where two-day shipping and a $50 annual student subscription made it a useful service. There are Prime features on parts of the Amazon website I couldn’t find my way back to the same way twice. The site is riddled with dark patterns from customer service to Prime video.
I haven’t been able to transition my household fully off Amazon, but I have switched to alibris.com as an alternative storefront for books and other media. Used sellers like thriftbooks, half-price books, and goodwill are all Amazon booksellers on alibris for the same price. They’re all shipping via media mail anyway, so Prime is useless on both sites.
Yes, they used to, and still do, do next day delivery depending on the item and where you live. It is certainly not the norm. That forum post is also not the evidence you think it is.
Regardless, you said when Amazon started it was next day delivery. That is simply not true. Perhaps you were talking about when Amazon was first available in your area it had next day deliver, which would be fair, but it’s not when it started.
Yeah, I meant to say up until just after the pandemic Amazon did next day delivery on almost everything, now it’s 2-3 days on at least half of stuff. …makes it lose its appeal.
The seller usually charges more on their own site. I think Amazon gives them incentives to sell on Amazon.
While I don’t put enough effort into it to really make a difference, I’ve had decent luck using Amazon to narrow down a search, then purchase from a company’s store.
Of course that’s quite possibly Amazon also
Yeah lol a couple of times I’ve tried to do this only to get to the cokpany’s site and see “pay through amazon” in the checkout
