Related: Reasons not to buy from Amazon - https://www.stallman.org/amazon.html
The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
111–120 of 221 posts
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#112A good first step is not paying for Prime. It's like $140 annually now... and if you're mostly just buying things and not watching their content, it's a nice speed bump to just accumulate items in the cart until you hit the minimum free shipping and only order then. When you occasionally do for some reason need an instant item, you can pay the shipping then. It's kinda like for most people, having a second or third c…
That’s the key. Amazon is very convenient when needing something one off. But we are not going to renew Prime and slowly ween off it. Still looking for alternatives though, Costco is okay, but when you want something asap, you need either to drive to stores or pay for same day delivery and tips.
Home Depot seems to delivering some stuff for free the next day (and occasionally the same day.) And they can always have the product ready for pickup in front. Sometimes its so hard to find stuff in their store. Even some of the delivery charges feel lower than before.
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#113A real reason to avoid Amazon is fake merchandise. I'd been buying a vitamin supplement from them for years. Then they sent me a notice that it was being recalled as a fake.[1] (Archive [2]) They paid a refund for the last purchase. But that's all. Amazon won't respond to questions about what was in it or who the real seller is. I no longer buy anything from Amazon that could be faked. [1] https://www.amazon.com/ask/…
I know it's not a very popular cause these days, but "Democracy" seems like a real reason too.
You mean the system of government in which political power is vested in the people who freely elect representatives? Not sure how it applies.
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good rule of thumb is that if it goes on or in your body do not buy it from Amazon.
I’m about to start grad school to get my clinical mental health counseling licensure, and Amazon has multiple fake/counterfeit DSM-5s (basically the holy grail of recognized mental disorders and their insurance billing codes) on it, so much in fact that my program director mentioned the Amazon problem in the orientation. So I’ll add “if you need to guarantee the accuracy of the information in whatever you’re buying……
What is a "fake DSM-5"? It is a book, anyone can copy it, legally or not.
Why would someone go out of their way to produce different content if they are going to violate intellectual property anyways, be it trademarks or copyright?
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#115> Amazon needs to be stopped, and legislation will not do so. Only its loyal consumers – who keep the beast alive – can do that by taking their money elsewhere. We've (my wife and I) tried to stop using Amazon. But recently, I've run into issues where I need particular specialized bits and pieces (e.g. just today, a low profile 4" HVAC 90 degree elbow) that are only available via Amazon. A variation is where the item…
The other problem are people doing price arbitrage. You find the item on eBay and think to yourself, "cool, I'd rather patronize a small business" - but as it turns out, the item is drop-shipped from Amazon, Walmart, or the like.
Just got hit by hustler university
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#116A real reason to avoid Amazon is fake merchandise. I'd been buying a vitamin supplement from them for years. Then they sent me a notice that it was being recalled as a fake.[1] (Archive [2]) They paid a refund for the last purchase. But that's all. Amazon won't respond to questions about what was in it or who the real seller is. I no longer buy anything from Amazon that could be faked. [1] https://www.amazon.com/ask/…
My rule is anything that goes on or in my body, I don't buy form Amazon for that reason.
Is clothing really that big of a risk?
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't understand the point you're making. Someone is living according to their principles and we're playing games with semantics as if "feelings" is a bad word? Okay, you win, it "feels" better to satisfy one's values.
If those principles don't make a difference on the world around you then it's not bad but it is quite limited . It's fine to do things that don't make a difference, but it's important to keep perspective. In particular, if you have an urge to make a difference on a regular basis, that's a great urge, but you need to make sure you don't fall into the trap of doing something that feels good but has negligible effect an…
Do you give this same lecture to everyone who's in line to vote on election day?
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#118Myself I can't stand the media blitz that tries to talk up Prime Day every year. I like hunting for bargains as much as anybody, I love checking out the used games at Gamestop or items on clearance at Best Buy, not least the reuse center at Ithaca where I might find a cassette or Video CD deck with karaoke features or a minidisc player. Prime Day seems to be just a waste of time. I don't see any attractive prices on…
Fun fact: if you click on Amazon affiliate link, anything you put in your cart in the next 24 hours counts towards that affiliate once you hit purchase on that cart
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#119It’s like some Soviet-style retailer where everyone is supposed to shop for everything. It’s about as contrary to competitive capitalism as a company can be. I signed off two years ago and haven’t missed it for a minute - though you should make your own decisions, as with everything.
I don't think you have the slightest idea of what a Soviet style retailer is. Standing in line for 2 hours to buy milk with my grandma is a childhood memory that's burned into my brain.
Yes agreed! Not that aspect. Rather, the single, state-run seller.
Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, because taking a week out of my life to go by train instead of plane is impractical. Making myself wait a few extra business days for my books to arrive is not. I apologize if you had a better point you were trying to make and I missed it.
The point might have been that booking travel online is now fairly easy and seamless, to the point where people might impulse book international vacations when they might otherwise have stayed close to home.
Sure, I'm not a fan of the environmental footprint of casual air travel, but offsetting that there are positive effects of the world having become smaller. My subscription to Prime would only be an unnecessary convenience.