I’ll start - I don’t shop a lot, but if I had to buy stuff like hardware parts, I do use Amazon sometimes, but if I can, then I try to use Flipkart. Realizing how it has turned into a monopoly, I try to look for alternative websites, and check if they’re trustworthy.
If I remember correctly, the last three items I’ve bought online were hardware parts from some local websites. The chi-fi IEMs were bought through headphonezone.in, and they were super-fast in delivery - I had to wait for only four days.
I avoid it basically wherever possible, but sometimes people give me Amazon giftcards.
I don’t buy a huge amount of stuff off the internet, transacting in person is often more convenient. Imo Banggood, Aliexpress, dhgate, taobao, etc. are often some of the best alternatives, because a lot of Amazon is just selling that same stuff, but for more money.
I used to use eBay instead but due to a recent incident I feel uncomfortable using it. I bought an item and after there was still no tracking number for a week or two, I contacted the seller. More time passed and they told me to wait again. The next time I just ask for a refund.
They ghost me and I decide to escalate to eBay, they have great protections right? Money back guarantee right? Turns out, if you do not report the item within 30 days of purchasing, you can’t do shit. Ok, I’ll just make a fuss to customer service. EBAY HAS NONE. There is a contact page but it is all automated and won’t apply to my item. Other than that there is no way to contact them. Abosolutely zero. There are no emails, they sometimes have a phone number but it changes and doesn’t even work most of the time. People are even saying yo DM their twitter!
I had a case where an item never arrived from Amazon. I simply contacted their customer service, answered their questions and got a refund within 10 mins.
It feels so shitty that just by trusting the seller for 2 months, I got robbed and there’s nothing I can do. Amazon, you are at least guaranteed to speak to a human and get some help.
And also eBay reviews suck, the seller that scammed me had over 90% feedback, tens of thousands sold items, so I assumed they were legit. All of their negative reviews were the same issue I had and they are still on the platform.
Okay, wait, so if were to I purchase internationally from eBay using basic USPS shipping, which costs a whopping $120, plus $200-400 worth of refurbished stuff from the USA to India, which takes around 30 days, and I don’t get my stuff, then am I screwed? What the fuck? I am broke right now, but I was planning to get a laptop in the nearest future from ItsWorthMore (that was the name of the seller you’ve mentioned, right?). Now I am having second thoughts about buying stuff from eBay.
The seller that scammed me was huku huku japan. Apparently this is a very big problem with Japanese sellers, many of them are simply bots that copy and translate listings from Japanese second hand sites, then direct the shipping address to the eBay customer.
They are terrible because they offer zero transparency and missing items are common. Since it is automated, if there was a mistake in Japan (ie original seller lost the item and refunded the buyer) you don’t get your item, or a refund. Basically dropshipping. It’s sickening that they are given a full refund, but keep the eBay buyers money and shipping fee. In total they stole 70$ from me.
Similar to you, I expected long shipping times. I’m in the US and was buying from Japan. Since the shipping times are so long, I gave the seller a lot of leniency. Especially because tracking only occurs after the item has already left japan. This unknowingly disqualified me from a refund, or any help at all from eBay.
If you are looking for cheap refurbished laptops, I recommend PC Sever and Parts. Ive bought from them before and they have good customer service and generous free warranty (90 days). I work IT and I was satisfied with the refurbishment. There were some covered scratches, but it was clean and thermal paste was changed.
I had a lightly damaged cable internal cable. They offered to pay for return shipping and refund me, but I just asked for replacement cables. They quickly shipped me 2 new ones free of charge and shipping.
I normally try to find a niche site in my country specialising in the thing I’m trying to buy (like OP said in the last paragraph)
I have never ordered something from Amazon. It was introduced in my country a few years back, but it isn’t really that good of a site (at least the few times I have visited it).
Like many here, I do not want to support a monopolistic company like Amazon. Luckily I live in a country where I have better options. I tend to buy things from plenty of well rated sites. Environmentally conscious sites if I can.
I could see myself buying from them if there genuinely isn’t another option and it is something I really need, but that has yet to happen.
Local. It builds community and helps keep everyone fed and housed
B&H if you’re buying tech gear
I try to avoid it. I only buy there what I can’t find locally, or elsewhere on the internet, or anywhere at the price. At this point, I probably purchase less than an item a month from Amazon, and I’m still trying to cut that down.
Not sure what “a lot” means but there’s some animal veterinary stuff that we buy every 6 weeks or so because… well… shit’s expensive and not always easy to find locally. It winds up being either Amazon or Chewie that has the stuff in stock and at prices (even with shipping) that are manageable with our budget.
amazon sent my friend a bottle of animal medicine, which was clearly already opened, with the liquid clearly refilled with a mystery fluid, and filled all the way to the cap.
Most of the stuff is in sealed and tamper evident containers, so at the very least, we’d know something was up before trying to use anything.
I use it all the time for convenience. I have 2 autistic little kids and work 10-12 hours a day and it isn’t always practical to get to the store. Plus I’m lazy. Amazon is local to my area - friends and family work there (both tech and warehouse).
I use bookshop.org for books, some of the profits go to Indy bookshops.
Otherwise I use Amazon like a search provider, find the item I like then go straight to retailer or manufacturers website.
I have successfully almost completely cut Amazon shopping out. We would spend hundred of £s every month and would buy everything off Amazon. But the company is terrible (mistreating workers, avoiding tax, etc etc). They’ve allowed their site to get flooded with Chinese trash. Reviews are unreliable. Prices are comparable or more expensive to elsewhere. I do still buy from there once in a while for quick delivery and easy returns.
Alternatives:
eBay - sucks for product reviews, but is good if you know what you’re getting (e.g. something branded). Delivery is through the post rather than mistreated delivery drivers needing to piss in bottles. I managed to help a hospice by buying excess stock it had via eBay. Buying used is better for the environment as well.
HotUKDeals - a sales sharing website that links through to other small retailers with good bargains. I find stuff here frequently and always search this site first when I want something.
Facebook marketplace - I’ve started hitting a lot of used things. Mostly toys for the kids. It’s really good to use this to get rid of stuff as well.
Overall I’m buying a lot less stuff and I’m really happy with that.
They’ve allowed their site to get flooded with Chinese trash
right, so you checked the country of origin of every product then?
I actively avoid Amazon, however there’s a brand I really like that only sells through Amazon in my country, so I’ve used it a couple of times when I have no other choice.
I also have an audible account from before it was acquired by Amazon, idk if that counts, but I stopped paying for it over a decade ago
I try my best to avoid it, Although I still end up getting stuff once a month or so. There isn’t just 1 alternative, the fact amazon is a 1 stop shop is kind of the big problem with them. my priorities are: Shop local > shop direct from manufacturer > shop from a specialty store > google the amazon product name > buy amazon.
I actively use audible, there isn’t really any alternatives (spotify’s model for audiobooks is awful, I’m open to other suggestions), it hasn’t enshittified yet, it’s pretty cheap and I don’t feel right pirating something as niche and valuable to me as audible.
I don’t use prime video, even when I have access from getting prime (sometimes it’s cheaper to buy a month of prime than pay for shipping once). The ads on launch are simply unacceptable and I largely would prefer if their studios close so I surf the high seas.
For audiobooks, Libby is free with a library card. Sometimes you need to wait for a book but its worth the wait.
I do, because the combination of speed and cost matter to me. We don’t have a lot of other options in Australia, certainly none that can come close to Amazon’s performance in this space.
Don’t use it at all. If I need something I get it from the store
