Everything on Amazon Is an Ad • Hacker News Board

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#11

Post by dismalpedigree » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 1:52 AM UTC

mdeck_ wrote: post #5

Between this issue, the general untrustworthiness of the reviews, and the fact that I can quite often find a better deal on masking tape, undershirts, or whatever else at my local brick-and-mortar store or a more specialized big-box retailer’s website, I actually rarely shop at Amazon anymore. I do still buy there—especially for certain categories, such as streaming videos—but I used to do SO much of my shopping at A…

Completely agree. I used to shop on Amazon for everything besides groceries and diy raw materials. EVERYTHING else was amazon. Now, I look at other options first. Even if I find it on Amazon I will try to find it elsewhere because of the knock-off product and fraud problems. My trust (and money) was theirs to lose, and they did.

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#12

Post by imwillofficial » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 3:40 AM UTC

I noticed this as well. They need to get their act together before they lose (more) trust.

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#13

Post by jariel » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:08 AM UTC

Selling shelf space is not a new concept, it's just another part of the squeeze.

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#14

Post by donmcronald » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:58 AM UTC

hertzrat wrote: post #3

Somewhat embarrassingly, I didn’t realize that all those products were ads. I thought their recommendation algorithms were getting worse

Same and that explains why it feels like there's so much garbage on top of garbage and nothing decent quality on Amazon anymore. Cheap trash has higher margins and more money for the advertising budget.

I guess I should have figured out something was up when I was browsing for a Raspberry Pi and got a snow shovel as "frequently bought together" right after a snow storm where I happen to live. I mean, maybe (?), but how many people are logging in to buy a Pi and a shovel?

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#15

Post by donmcronald » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:07 AM UTC

blinktag wrote: post #6

mdeck_ wrote: post #5

Between this issue, the general untrustworthiness of the reviews, and the fact that I can quite often find a better deal on masking tape, undershirts, or whatever else at my local brick-and-mortar store or a more specialized big-box retailer’s website, I actually rarely shop at Amazon anymore. I do still buy there—especially for certain categories, such as streaming videos—but I used to do SO much of my shopping at A…

I’ve found myself searching for products first at Target or BestBuy (or even my neighborhood grocery store) before looking for products on Amazon. I’ve been burned repeatedly by poor quality products on Amazon (electronics, cookware, appliances) and other retailers just do a better job of stocking trustworthy products. I DID buy some books today from Amazon. Maybe they should focus on that product line for a while.

I always give BestBuy the first shot. It makes me sad they were trash for electronics 10+ years ago and the main thing that's changed is the good stores all went out of business. They're only the "good" store by virtue of not being the absolutely bottom of the barrel trash heap that Amazon's become.

Sadly everyone is trying to copy Amazon's worst trait and it's hard to find an online store that doesn't have a 3rd party marketplace.

There's a HUGE opportunity for retailers to become Amazon alternatives, but they keep copying Amazon instead of trying to be better than Amazon. Remind me why all these visionless CEOs deserve so much money.

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#16

Post by QuantumGood » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 12:13 PM UTC

mdeck_ wrote: post #5

Between this issue, the general untrustworthiness of the reviews, and the fact that I can quite often find a better deal on masking tape, undershirts, or whatever else at my local brick-and-mortar store or a more specialized big-box retailer’s website, I actually rarely shop at Amazon anymore. I do still buy there—especially for certain categories, such as streaming videos—but I used to do SO much of my shopping at A…

I keep checking, but I'm surprised at how often Home Depot, Office Depot and Microcenter are NOT lower than Amazon.

Re: Everything on Amazon Is an Ad

#17

Post by richardfey » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 11:01 PM UTC

hertzrat wrote: post #3

Somewhat embarrassingly, I didn’t realize that all those products were ads. I thought their recommendation algorithms were getting worse

Yes, and I feel old now. But I admit their return policies and custom service are superior here to most other online shops. If it is available for a similar price in a suspicious online store, I prefer Amazon to avoid some risk.