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.
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If I’m being honest, the only thing stopping me from shopping at other sites is having to put my personal and payment details in yet another site for it to go stale, or fall out of my memory, or get leaked in the next big hack.
Some sites have “pay with Amazon” (more likely PayPal, but… ugh. I don’t remember why, but I hate it), but I’d love to see some universal adoption of some sort of payment and shipping details lockbox. Like SSO where you can revoke access to subscribers or something.
An SSO-like payment system with tracking and revocation is a great idea and would be amazing for us consumers. I’m just not holding my breath waiting for the corpos to implement it.
While nowhere near perfect (far from it, really), as long as the sites you are shopping on are PCI-compliant (most should be), you don’t have to worry too much about a compromised site leaking your payment details for use elsewhere.
Basically just use a password manager and don’t worry about saving credit card (NOT debit card) details in the site as long as they aren’t extra-sketchy.
That already exists with PayPal and Apple Pay for example. The remote site never sees your credit card, just an approval token. You won’t be able to get away from address though as they need to know how to get it to you.
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.
But not shipping. And sometimes, that’s the difference.
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.
I tend to buy straight from vendors. like I ordered some underwear straight from Hanes the other day.
We need a new Amazon rain forest.
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.
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.
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.
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?
I personally use temu and I’ve had the same experience as amazon but for a far better price, my 60 dollar temu headphones had an almost studio quality microphone and metal frame
Also learn to solder and fix your own stuff to buy less, shave with a straight razor and razorblades and you’ll save hundreds over the year in razors
I’m honestly not sure why you’re being down voted. At this point temu is basically Amazon with longer shipping times.
It sort of is the next logical progression.
Because Temu is even worse for the environment and somehow has even worse labor practices than Amazon
You got a source for that claim? Specifically being worse than Amazon
I mean, Chinese companies are well documented as being incredibly shitty. I don’t have a specific source to reference but any amount of casual research backs up my claim.
But the cheap no name brand stuff from Amazon still come from the same factory in China. Only difference is you’ll get it in 2 days, pay more even though Amazon workers are underpaid and overworked and just make Bezos richer.
All the cheap no name brands are just the same Chinese products. One good example I have is, last year I got a knockoff Apple Watch band from Amazon as a gift for Christmas which was $10. Since it was the wrong size I bought one myself from AliExpress. When it arrived it had the same packaging and product number on it. Only difference is that it was $1 and took 2 weeks.
If you don’t buy cheap no name brand stuff from Amazon then this doesn’t apply to you but from my experience people buy the cheapest product and hence temu became popular.
They shipped malware in there mobile app
Hard pass for me
I’ve been going to Walmart more because of all the Chinese sellers. I fine with it if it’s not on Temu for cheaper and if they disclose it’s going to take three weeks to ship. It pisses me off to no end when they indicate it’s going to take 3 or 4 days to get to me and then I check the tracking a couple days later to see a Chinese mail tracking number.
So try Walmart, if you want stateside stuff then use the retailer filter and select “Walmart.”
Another alternative, if it’s likely made in China or cheap, then check Temu. I’ve found things all over Etsy which is just crap bought from Temu and posted on there for double the price. And I mean they get the package, repackage it, and send it to you. No alterations or anything.
You can also look at ordering directly from manufacturers. Sometimes you’ll get deals.
Temu is such a sketchy company. Do not buy from them unless you like Chinese malware
I would never buy anything electronic from them for that reason.
I won’t buy anything period
They literally had there app pulled from the Play store because it was malware
Good for you.
But there is… Walmart.com in the US offers basically the same and often with 2 day shipping and in most cases same easy return.
I think he was hoping for something better than Amazon, as opposed to worse.
Every big name store has something similar the issue is that its worse or the same as Amazon, never better.
Probably not aligned with the OP but id like a place that aggregates quality things from all over no cheap sketchy plastic things but also not just common big items that are already in every big box store.
You’re on a federated website, but think what we need is more centralized marketplaces?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Not sure what you are looking for but I can easily buy the same stuff on eBay or Walmart or directly from the retailer. I do a search of Amazon and then google the same product to look at different website options.
One problem I’ve been having with ebay lately is that I’ve ordered items and they’re coming drop shipped from Amazon or Walmart.
They’re always sellers with ratings in the upper 90s and with like 1000ish or less reviews. A lot of times they list is as only having 1 or 2 left in stock. I’ve been having some luck going into the reviews and seeing people say “came in an Amazon box” to avoid them.
It’s one thing to wholesale stuff and resell it, it’s another to just drop ship it from Amazon and Walmart. Been ordering on ebay for many years and I’ve never seen this before.
That happened to me a few times before. I got the shipment in 2 days through Amazon even though I ordered through eBay.
Outside of NA there are.
Amazon is convenient and two day shipping rules
Barely anything I order comes in 2 days anymore. It’s almost always 3 to 5 days.
I have a Amazon warehouse near me so that probably helps
Same here. Alot of things are even available for same day shipping.
Of course it is, but why does convenience have to be built on exploitation? I would gladly pay higher prices for an ethical alternative.
Then by all means, do so. I’ll keep doing as I do.
Not sure how you interpreted my comment as criticism, but it wasnt. Nevertheless, there is no comparable alternative, so unfortunateIy cant “do so”.
The difference is I don’t feel bad nor care about where I shop. I go where the deals are
Um, sure.
