[shanebellone]

I've spent ~100k on Amazon and have been a Prime member since introduction. Last month, I canceled my membership and stopped using Amazon altogether. I've never had a problem returning product. But Amazon pivoted from a discount retailer to a premium retailer of convenience. In some cases, products are 3-4x the price of local retailers. I'd rather spend the money locally than pay a premium to Amazon.

[thfuran]

>But Amazon pivoted from a discount retailer to a premium retailer of convenience.

While it's true that they don't always have the best prices on everything, that's pretty much the exact opposite of my main gripe with Amazon. They pivoted into being a shitty bazaar.

[the_snooze]

> shitty bazaar

Such a great way to put it. Amazon doesn’t care about the quality or reputation of the stuff they (through random foreign listings) sell. Unless you know ahead of time exactly what item you want, shopping on Amazon is just paying a premium to sift through the bargain bin.

[leeter]

If I have to buy something on Amazon I've gone out of my way to make sure I'm buying from them directly lately. Too many issues with them pulling crap like this when it's a third party seller. But by forcing them to be the seller I force them to also be subject for that transaction to my state's consumer protection act. That seems to cause them to care more because suddenly they are on the hook because they are not just the marketplace.

[greedo]

That doesn't protect you since Amazon commingles merchandise.

[calvinmorrison]

The biggest indicator missing is value. Like, 5 stars for a 30 dollar vacuum pump... if it works a few times I would give it five stars. For a 300 dollar one. It better pull the needed mmhg perfectly and work for years. There's a use case for both

[kriro]

That's exactly why they are my place of last resort now. There used to be a time where I bought almost everything at Amazon. These days I have very little trust that the products aren't some cheap knockoffs or already used and repackaged stuff sold as brand new and so on. I always shop at dedicated stores now...I feel this is quite bad long term for Amazon but maybe I'm wrong. My trust in the shopping experience has evaporated over the years and I've been a Prime member since the first hour it was available.

[shanebellone]

Well, 3rd party sales make more sense at scale. I typically opted for 1st party especially in the case of high-value electronics.

I would definitely argue that you have to be more careful making purchases, but the retailer is clearly labeled. My complaint is that Amazon hides 3rd party ratings multiple steps past the original product listing.

[GeekyBear]

I've purchased items from Amazon since the days when they just sold books, but I've stopped doing business with them now that I can no longer trust that they will ship what I order.

[HelloNurse]

They seem to be both: in different product categories, and depending on what price marketplace sellers think they can get away with.

[SilkRoadie]

I recently cancelled my membership when I realised that shopping elsewhere allowed me to save money the majority of the time. I had already become disillusioned by the number of dubious listings on Amazon and the volume of fake reviews.

I find it far less stressful shopping on sites with curated lists of products.

[lnsru]

I do the opposite and buy directly from AliExpress if need some low quality low cost stuff. Good examples: cheap SATA to USB enclosures and self adhesive “leather” for keyboard repair. Or cheap LED lamps for occasional use or generic bicycle parts. All these things were 2-6x more expensive on Amazon.

[theyeenzbeanz]

Half the stuff I’ve seen on Amazon also has a month ship time. You can’t convince me they’re not straight up drop shipping from Ali express.

[kennend3]

Once I bought a programmable outdoor water control valve from Aliexpress.

It seems Chinese taps are not really comparable with what we use in North Amrica?

I then ordered a "Orbit" from Amazon and a month later received.. the same Chinese one i got on Aliexpress???

Amazon was decent to return it right away but what the F? It was blatantly obvious they were just drop-shipping given the massive wait time.

[gbingles]

Loads of brands are nothing more than a logo on some Chinese generic products like that. Google "best hand coffee grinders" and see how many of the 100 dollar models you can find identical matches for on eBay for 20 bucks.

Maybe the eBay ones are QC near-fails or knockoffs, but it's hard to tell without buying a bunch to inspect.

[raverbashing]

There are several videos on tiktok/etc about "hustling" and flipping stuff on Amazon, find some product on sale locally, buy, then "sell it on Amazon"

As much as I doubt it is very efficient, but it does seem efficient at bringing the brand value down (Amazon's, that is), if you turn it into a glorified eBay

[ThunderSizzle]

I haven't found much better deals from stores than from Amazon. Maybe except for stores like Costco, but for comparing to Walmart, if I'm buying something at least $20 or so, Amazon tends to have the price around the same point.

If I compare to other stores, it depends on the deal you can find. I got lucky for getting a close out model of an AVR at Electronic Express that works perfectly.

[pwython]

> "I'd rather spend the money locally than pay a premium to Amazon."

I wish that could be the case with me, but I mostly order very specific items that I can't source locally (even in a large city) and need them ASAP. Amazon does that VERY well. I can order a weird camera accessory at 4pm and have it at my door at 7am the next day.

[SkyPuncher]

> But Amazon pivoted from a discount retailer to a premium retailer of convenience

My experience has been largely the opposite. Amazon has pivoted to selling junk that now ships more slowly.

I still buy a lot of stuff from them, but am increasingly looking to competitors who actually curate their items.

[Blue111]

I think that Amazon shows different prices to different people, too.