This isn’t exactly where this belongs so feel free to delete this. I’m mildly infuriated there is no usable alternative to Amazon.com. I’m more than willing to buy products elsewhere, but it’s so easy to default to Amazon. Please help.
You must log in or register to comment.
Find what you want on Amazon, look at reviews, and then go to the actual website of the producer and buy it directly from them. It’s not hard, it just takes an extra step.
You’ll probably buy less junk, too.
Yeah but sometimes the only producers are QAMEQHEJAK and you can’t even find what real brand sells your thing. Or sometimes they don’t do direct sales.
That means you’re buying mass produced shit from China, the brand means nothing, and you’ll have better luck on aliexpress.
I do this all the time. If it’s going to be cheap chinesium grade stuff I’d rather buy it from AliExpress for cheaper and wait a couple days
I do this, but be warned some companies use Amazon for fulfillment. I have ordered directly from manufacturer websites and still ended up with an Amazon package at my door. I just make a note to find a different brand if I ever need that thing again.
It’s not hard, it just takes an extra step.
Is there some version of “hard” that’s not related to extra steps?
Yes… Something that’s actually difficult? I’m not sure what you’re asking.
I’m more than willing to buy products elsewhere, but it’s so easy to default to Amazon.
One of the practices that the FTC sued Amazon over was their requirement that sellers list their lowest prices on Amazon and outsource fulfillment (and give up a huge cut) to Amazon in order to qualify for Prime and good search results.
The result is that even though most sellers can afford to sell on their own store and keep a larger percentage of the sales revenue, they’re not allowed to actually undercut Amazon’s prices. And so Amazon has shielded itself from price competition, despite engaging in pretty expensive practices (free 2 day shipping for most items and places, free 1-day or even same day shipping for some items in some places). And they did it with contracts instead of actually competing.
Amazon is one issue, but I think the larger enshittification is the proliferation of “marketplace” websites that allow any random imported junk to appeat right alongside quality products with actual manufacturer support.
We need a new Amazon rain forest.
I don’t live in the US but here Amazon is like a last resort if we can’t find what we’re looking for.
This is always the problem: Monopolies are popular with consumers because their centralization makes everything easy. The trappings of convenience.
Buy stuff directly from stores. Every time I’ve looked, the price elsewhere often exactly matches what Amazon charges because their pricing algorithms are constantly price matching anyhow.
I’d honestly pay a bit more to buy from better vendors. Price, options, shipping aren’t the things why I end up using Amazon mostly (despite not liking it).
It’s the fact that if I need to return something I just click 2 buttons and no questions asked a guy shows up at my door tomorrow to pick it up and my refund is back in my account by the evening.
If other vendors started doing that without all the caveats and conditions and such, I’d never look back.
Companies pay for free returns by increasing their prices by about 10% to cover the cost of reverse logistics. Most of the items returned in online shopping end up in landfill.
Most of what it worthwhile to buy from Amazon can be found in a physical store or from the manufacturers website. Do a bit of research beforehand and it’s very easy to be confident that you’re not going to need to return what you buy.
But not shipping. And sometimes, that’s the difference.
When I want a cheap plastic thingy, or cheap hardware and electronics to play around with, I get it off aliexpress. It’s virtually the same stuff as amazon just for the patient. Most of that stuff is made in China already even if I get it from an online or local brick and mortar retailer, so it seems more direct to me, avoiding needless retransportation, warehousing and waste.
When I want a quality thing I buy it from a local shop, especially when I need to see it or compare before buying. I can often find a Canadian online retailer too with just a bit of sleuthing.
I can often find a Canadian online retailer too with just a bit of sleuthing I’ve tried this a few times and most of them end up just being drop shippers with their own website dedicated to a type of product (and are questionably Canadian), sometimes shipping from whatever country warehouse to me. Any ideas how to tell vs an actual located in Canada shop?
Look at their address and their warehouse, look at the website of the brands of products they sell and find their address. Are they Canadian or are they just a reseller of the same stuff coming from overseas?
For cheap plastic “thingies” if you know a friend with a 3D printer they can be of massive help. Even if you don’t have such a friend, there are domestic businesses that will print and ship things for you. Granted they aren’t always as cheap, but easily better for the environment due to being more local.
Also, check your local library for “creator” services. Our local libraries have 3d printers you can either use, or have them print stuff for you for dirt cheap. Really, really cool service.
This right here! If you are looking at something on amazon go to Ali or Temu.
Quitting Amazon to use AliExpress or Temu is like quitting drinking alcohol by switching to heroin instead.
Environmental issues aside, cheap disposable shit that you have to replace constantly actually costs you way more in the long run.
I think the point behind made is that the stuff on Amazon is literally the same items. People buy off Alibaba / express and resell on Amazon… With a pretty good markup.
I see way more dropshipping on Amazon than before. It’s gonna end up just being a front for the chineese stores.
I agree, but sometimes you just need some cheap shit. I’d rather pay 2$ for stickers for my kids than the same ones for 9$ on amazon.
If you don’t mind waiting a while for whatever it is you’re buying, ali-express isn’t too bad. If you’re near a city and it’s not too specialized of a thing you need you can probably find it at a a brick and mortar store.
Seconded that. Aliexpress is Amazon with longer shipping and worse return policy. They also have better reviews since they’re not mostly AI garbage.
One thing I’ve realized about Amazon, at least lately, is that they don’t always have the lowest prices. For many items, I can go directly to the manufacturer’s site and get the same product for a lower or equal price with free shipping. If I have to wait a couple extra days, so be it. At least I’m not lining Bezos’ pockets.
I tend to buy straight from vendors. like I ordered some underwear straight from Hanes the other day.
deleted by creator
You’re on a federated website, but think what we need is more centralized marketplaces?
Honestly after moving into our current home, we were able to avoid Amazon almost completely. We don’t buy cookware, as carbon steel, cast iron, and stainless steel cookware lasts at least decades if not forever; we have way too many mugs from market and thrift store; and all of our clothes are thrifted with some from Costco.
we get groceries from farmers market, local ethnic stores, or super market. We get shelf stable products like toilet paper or drinks from Costco in bulk. We barely replace our electronic, because I would fix them with spare parts from ifixit and eBay; when it do need to get replaced, I get them from bestbuy or manufacture. We get most of the cleaning products from refil store or supermarket; we would buy soap from farmers market or local supplier.
We would only buy very obscure product from Amazon, like replacement knob for pot lid etc, but they are very very rare. One particular product we unfortunately relied on Amazon is the bamboo electric toothbrush brush head, we are trying to find some local salers that carry that, but cannot find any.
its the obscure parts and items that get me going back to Amazon…
Same here. Sometimes the same/next day shipping can help in an emergency, but otherwise it’s local if possible, or direct from the vendor if not.
Amazon’s shipping has declined and everyone else’s has caught up to the point it’s not much of a difference anymore.
but otherwise it’s local if possible, or direct from the vendor if not.
The problem I find is that local usually means “you’re gonna pay a lot more for the same item you can get shipped for free off Amazon”.
So, who am I benefitting? It’s a horrible consumer dilemma that I hate to be caught up in.
And it’s not even an “Amazon” issue. Our local bike shop, as much as I really do like to support them, sells tires for 2-3x more than what I pay to get them shipped in from an online bike store out of Germany (I’m in Canada!). Supporting local only works when local isn’t trying to screw you over.
It isn’t really a good alternative, but Walmart.com has nearly as wide of a selection and the same delivery times.
Not that Walmart is a better company.
Idk, Amazon doesn’t even exist in my country
I’ve never used Amazon, so I really don’t need a new one. Or the old one.
I’ve bought the occasional book from it. It doesn’t seem that useful or good value for other things (I’ve only lived in Europe and Australia)
My problem is the algorithm. There is no way to browse categories and drill down into the features to find what you are actually looking to find.
You search for xxx company Product, and you may get that product on the first page, but it will be surrounded by dozens of cheap alternatives. I find a lot of those alternatives aren’t comparable to the one I actually seek.
If you don’t know the specific product you are looking for, you will never be able to sort the wheat from the chaff.
