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Basically I love the convenience of amazon but don’t like amazon because Jeff Bezos is a big slime ball
Does anyone know any decent alternatives to shopping on amazon? Not too fussed about the next day delivery etc, just looking for a massive shop where you can buy all sorts from the same place
I’ve been using eBay which is great in terms of variety but I’d rather have them all arriving in one package than multiple different packages from all the different sellers
I've never had a problem with ebay
It will be inconvenient for you when the only choice available will become the mighty 'A' or Tesco. Support independent retailers, use them or lose them.
What specifically are you wanting to buy?
Yeah if you’re not wanting to use Amazon as you don’t like the owner may I suggest the high street a bit tricky just now though.
Jeff Bezos is a big slime ball
He is, but I don't think he's any worse than most CEOs of large companies.
Yep that’s my problem just now
Trying to buy a small plastic beaker to measure suspension fluid and a big syringe to put tubeless sealent in through the valve core - I’m sure the hardware shop in town would have them both in usual circumstances
I know what you mean hols2, it does seem a bit of a losing battle but I find him especially slimy. Think it’s cause he’s the richest man in the world and yet there seems to be a new story in the news every day about his cost cutting and workforce violations
There isn't one, even in normal circumstances.
I pay for Prime to get TV and movie content, free "next day" delivery is a massive attraction, especially here in the Scottish Highlands where shops are few, big shops mean a big drive for little choice and many companies either won't mail to or want me to pay extra and wait longer.
The high street annihilation is the major concern, but if a service has critical mass, it is difficult to change that. Amazon is there, I do not think there will be anything that people can do to change it either.
Both of those items from eBay or a lab supplies company.
I've pretty much kicked Amazon now. Down too only 1 or 2 orders a year.
I avoided it for 5 years due to their tax situation, but in the end I buckled. Initially I needed something for work the next day and only they could do it. Slippery slope from there..
It’s hard to deny that the services and customer service that amazon provide are brilliant and really good value... everything comes at a cost I guess, whether that’s monetary/convenience etc or morals/conscience-esque
Think I’ll just stick with eBay for the time being
Amazon is an awful company and Bezos is worse than almost any other CEO.
I won’t go into detail here, but I’ve seen practices (whilst working with them) used by them that are not even borderline anti-competitive/illegal, yet there seems very little that you can do about it. They really need to be broken up as they are now seriously abusing their position.
Much of what Amazon provides is actually through third parties (my businesses sell through seller fulfilled Prime, for example). I’d suggest seeing who is actually fulfilling your order then going direct to them; it will usually be cheaper, as Amazon takes a 15% cut on any items sold through marketplace, which has to be found frome somewhere.
I’d really like to organise a global don’t shop on Amazon day, but I think it would be hard to gain traction with it.
JP
I avoided it for 5 years due to their tax situation,
Did you avoid every other company that uses this perfectly legal tax situation?
Amazon used to be a fantastic database for searching out stuff, whether you bought it from them or elsewhere, but they manipulate search results so much now it's gone up the algorithm without a paddle.
I find the prices and convenience of Amazon hugely appealing, but have been thinking of a boycott too - [url= https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/may/04/amazon-tim-bray-resigns-working-conditions-coronavirus ]after this[/url]
@Drac - I made a conscious effort to yes. Not that I checked companies house before making any purchase, because that would just be stupid wouldn't it?
I’m sure the hardware shop in town would have them both in usual circumstances
Have you checked whether the shop in town is open? Hardware shops are allowed to trade currently.
Amazon used to be a fantastic database for searching out stuff, whether you bought it from them or elsewhere,
It is a strange scenario - a seemingly deliberately obtuse search facility. Search for something on amazon - get a load of results for other things. So google same item in the hope you'll find it from another retailer.... all the top hits are the item you want sold by amazon.
Not that I checked companies house before making any purchase, because that would just be stupid wouldn’t it?
Well possibly but it’s simple, if it’s a big company chances are they use that tax system. Basically the government could change the law but they don’t so companies use it.
Meh, think any of the bigger companies are any better? Plenty of awful small businesses as well, staff on minimum wage, bullied into working beyond contracts, if they even have them, SSP only, minimum pensions etc.
I bet there was more to the Amazon sacking story than we know, they're a big company and would be very aware of the media implications but still did it.
Boycott them if you want but it's little more than virtue signalling unless you are investigating the ethics of every you do business with.
I’d suggest seeing who is actually fulfilling your order then going direct to them; it will usually be cheaper
I’ve attempted this a few times and found the opposite to be true. Searching for moisturisers that have SPF for my baldy head. Went to suppliers sites after checking Amazon, all cost more to go direct.
Also found the whole slave labour warehouses thing very odd. I spent most of my working life, up to a couple of years ago, working in warehouses. Amazon appear to be better than some, worse than others. It’s physically demanding work for bugger all money. That’s warehouse work though.
I use Amazon sometimes when I can't find an alternative retailer for something, but I don't find that I have to do that very often. It's pretty easy to do an internet search and find an alternative supplier for most things.
Amazon is a very useful shop window, they are an internet leech so if they have something at a good price it because a major online outlet has it on offer. It doesn't take much thought to think who it might be.
As someone else mentioned if you see a seller on Amazon if you go direct to the sellers webpage if they have one there are often Good discounts to be had.
I use an old siracha sauce bottle to squirt sealant in. Have a look around your house/Garage you'll be amazed what can be repurposed.
That PX one looks good though.
I ended up using an old, unused avid bleed syringe! Took a while putting in 20ml at a time but got there in the end
Although the planetx link looks decent, cheaper than a lot of the syringes on eBay as well!
big syringe to put tubeless sealent in through the valve core
I have one of the small Stans bottles for exactly this job
£3.99 and you get some free Stans fluid with it.
OH will always use Amazon, I look elsewhere first. Putting the ethics to one side for a moment, I wanted a small angle grinder, from an independent trader I could get a Makita grinder for only a fiver more than Tack life or whatever the generic Chinese things Amazon List.
If I wanted a Makita one through Amazon it was a tenner more IIRC, Tool Station were less too but click and collect only at the time.
OK - for those unconvinced, let me give you an example of one of the many anti competition things Amazon does:
You have a product that starts selling well on Amazon Marketplace. Suddenly Amazon blocks you from selling it, then requires you to jump through hoops to get the product back on to the Marketplace (this includes sending documentation detailing from whom you bought the product). The reason for being blocked will be at the least spurious, at the most a downright lie.
In the meantime, Amazon has used the information you supplied to them to buy direct from your supplier. Then, when your listing finally gets back online, guess who now has the Buy Box? Even if you undercut them on price, their listing gets precedence.
We know that they do this because they’ve done it to us. With one of our companies, though, we are the manufacturer and retailer (under different company names) so we were able to tell Amazon to go forth and multiply when they blocked our listing then tried to buy the same product from us.
This is just one example of their practices. There are many others.
JP
That's shite I'll avoid them more in future.