[perl4ever]

I have the mindset now that when I want something that I would otherwise look on Amazon for, I search for a specialty online retailer who will (of necessity) beat Amazon and local businesses in all respects, from reliability to selection. For instance, if I want chocolate, there is a site devoted to chocolate. If I want car parts & accessories, there are sites specializing in that. If I want computer cables, there is a site specializing in those. It's a given that everybody has to compete with Amazon, so non-Amazon retailers, if they're well established, tend to be really good in their niche. I think this is actually an overlooked positive externality of Amazon's dominance.