Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

blog.thenewoil.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 221 posts

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#141

Post by goshacmd »

bilsbie wrote: post #11
Animats wrote: post #2

A 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’m having trouble finding alternatives. Do I really have to go to four or five different websites to buy my supplements.

I've switched to iHerb for my supplements about a month ago after reading a handful of stories about non-genuine supplements being sold on Amazon. It's been a good experience so far, even next-day (sometimes 2-day) deliveries. And the search/discovery on their website is superior.

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#142

Post by jvanderbot »

add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #117
Dylan16807 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

On the contrary, voting is one of those things that has an actual measure-able outcome. It's extremely reliable in its quantitative effects.

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#143

Post by agnishom »

ajross wrote: post #7

I guess, but Amazon gets me stuff tomorrow or the next day, reliably, week in and week out. Yeah, I could find this stuff elsewhere on the internet. But not for Tuesday delivery. And not without opening another account. Also, right now, often only by paying a tariff-adjacent fee to cover the import costs of the vendors that didn't have the foresight to pre-stock imports like Amazon did. People who want to write stuff…

"They're winning because they're the best."

They are also actively preventing other marketplaces from being better. For example, for exclusive audiobooks on audible, the producers are paid 40% but only 25% for non-exclusive ones.

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#144

Post by worik »

Many commenter's here saying they cannot avoid Amazon. I am not here to deny their reality, but I have a different story

I have avoided Amazon since ~2004 when I accidentally bought two box sets (double clicked) and there was no way to undo one. Clearly a Dark Pattern. Fuckers

I have succeeded. I always find another source for everything (mostly books, some small electronics).

I am not in the USA, I am in the South Pacific, a long way away however you measure it (except we speak English, mostly, here too). I have to wonder if that is a reason? Yet we use the same Internet

I started avoiding Amazon because they dishonestly ripped me off 20 years ago. I would start to avoid them today because they are evil

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#145

Post by worik »

I agree wholeheartedly with everything said, fine sentiments, well said

But I am unsure that this will convince anyone not already convinced.

We need good political messaging to bring them, them all, down and to get economic freedom

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#146

Post by joe_the_user »

lisper wrote: post #62

I would love to avoid Amazon, and indeed I would love to support local retailers, but more often than not it is simply impossible. The only way I can find out if a local vendor carries an item I'm interested in, and if they have it in stock, is to physically go there. The amount of time that requires is orders of magnitude more than what it takes to order the item on Amazon, where I am all but guaranteed that it will…

The other thing is local retailers have cut back on all specialty items because they expect people to buy those items online.

The problem is that buying specialized things actually makes sense to do online. But online buying has the problem that an average online retailer gives no guarantee that they will fulfill an order faithfully (I still remember trying to order shoe from Target online and getting ... a used masked and I assume others remember online "burn" as well) so Amazon has a key position of online guarantor. As a "natural monopoly", one might imagine such a role would be regulated but not in the present climate, ha ha ha.

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#147

Post by Dylan16807 »

_DeadFred_ wrote: post #130
Dylan16807 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

It's weird to see soviet style apathy propagandists become so common on the internet, even on HN.

If you think I'm advocating for apathy then you're badly misreading my post.

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#148

Post by ndegruchy »

PhoneTag wrote: post #75
lisper wrote: post #62

I would love to avoid Amazon, and indeed I would love to support local retailers, but more often than not it is simply impossible. The only way I can find out if a local vendor carries an item I'm interested in, and if they have it in stock, is to physically go there. The amount of time that requires is orders of magnitude more than what it takes to order the item on Amazon, where I am all but guaranteed that it will…

You seem to forget that you can call nearly any local retailer and they will check their inventory for you and often even set it aside for you. A phone call does not require orders of magnitude more time than an online order and you can build a friendly connection in your community that way, too.

I honestly wish this were the case for 80% of the calls I make to local stores. Most people they have working the phones do not care about the inventory and will just say they're out of stock or don't know if there are any on the shelves. This goes double for requesting a special item from a store that would normally carry it, but doesn't. They put the order into their "system" and then it disappears, never to be heard from again.

Calling retail stores to do anything other than to see if they're open or, in the case of restaurants, get a reservation is just wasting time. At least for the retailers that I've communicated with.

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#149

Post by chillingeffect »

7speter wrote: post #94
parhamn wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where's the best value & quality for that sort of stuff? It's insane what some sites charge for seemingly simple supplements.

Vitacost.com has worked well for me.

When I tried to buy quercetin from Vitacost recently, they dropped a second, unwanted item into my cart. I noped right out of there. Turns out they were acquired by notorious lawbreakers Kroger.

https://lawyerinc.com/biggest-kroger-lawsuits-in-company-his...

Re: The Prime Reasons to Avoid Amazon

#150

Post by lanfeust6 »

UberFly wrote: post #113
davidw wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not sure either. Even Bezos' Washington Post has been pretty critical of the current administration.
Post reply on HN