It’s been ages since I’ve really done some deal hunting online with how ubiquitious Amazon is I’ve realized I’m not up to date with the current ecosystem for finding trustworthy online storefronts. Do you have any sources/tips for finding good quality products (especially with all the AI slop that exists nowadays)?
Not perfect but if you can’t get it from the company’s website or at a local shop, try Target and Walmart they both offer free ship options too. Lastly, something like Google shopping sometimes works.
Is Walmart really any better than Amazon?
There’s no walmart in my country so I wouldn’t know, but probably yes, it is hard for me to imagine anything worse than amazon.
They are notorious for going into small towns and undercutting local businesses until they go out of business then raise prices, they also severely underpay employees. And the owners are the wealthiest family in the world who use their money to lobby for right wing policies
Walmart is, unfortunately, not better.
Personally, Walmart is the lesser of two evils, but just barely
If you are using Amazon, you can look for products from small businesses. There are many that only sell on Amazon. At least your helping someone else at the same time.
And you’re supporting one of the few companies that actually give immigrants, transgender people, mentally and/or physically disabled people, recovered felons/addicts/etc, the homeless, single parents, poor people, people facing eviction, and anyone else in horrible situations multiple chances at saving themselves, living real lives, being independent, and actually living. All while being the most flexible workplace so whatever life throws at you doesn’t ever cost you your job, and paying for their college tuition as a benefit alongside access to emergency loans on top of that.
Can Amazon be a better employer? Sure, there is much more room for improvement. But they are far from unethical or evil. Boycott all the big box retailers and shop exclusively on Amazon. You’re literally saving lives by doing nothing. You all wish for a button you could press to make people less poor and struggling, and you already have it. Buy your Pampers and cat litter on Amazon. Stream Prime shows. Watch Twitch. Shop at Whole Foods. Support the only actually ethical company.
No one cares about their employees, let alone their entry level employees, as much as Amazon.
I just go directly to the company’s website and go from there. Usually it’s the same price, on rare occasions it’s a few dollars more but to me it’s worth it not to do business with Amazon. I’ve passed up on buying things entirely because they were only available on Amazon.
In fact, over the last couple years I’ve been transitioning from buying online to buying from small-business brick and mortar stores. Sure it’s less convenient but it’s also less wasteful, it keeps resources within my local economy and I’m buying a lot less junk that I don’t really need.
My problem is that so many small businesses in my region are run by shitheads with terrible customer service, or they don’t treat their employees well, or they insult younger people, or they’re straight up broadcasting their politics in their business.
Unlike Amazon and all the other giant tech corporations?
When both sides are dickheads, you go for the one that’s best for you personally which for shopping usually means going for the cheapest depending on your morality stance and how strong it’s compulsion is.
I try small brick and mortar as much as possible but the up charges for the identical product can really hurt, like why is the same brand of pet food twice the cost if I drive 10 miles for it vs if I order it online
Because retailers are middle-men by definition. Large online resellers just have much less overhead, so the cut they take for being a middleman is much smaller. They often also have the bargaining power to reduce their cost price with the supplier. You should look for things that are produced in large quantities locally, and find ways to purchase direct from supplier, if you want to save money buying locally rather than spending more to support local business. Buying from independent local retailers is for indirect social and economic benefit. We should all endeavour to do it as much as we can but it’s also very hard to justify when cost differences are large.
Because retailers are middle-men by definition.
Hell, a large amount of local businesses’ stock is probably bought on Amazon Business.
Usually it’s the same price
Notable exception to this would be the Spigen phone case I recently bought. It’s 20.99 on Amazon, but 39.99 on Spigen’s website.
It’s true for a lot of other things, though, Amazon especially here in Canada hasn’t been the cheapest place to buy stuff in quite some time.
Not a single comment with an ideal alternative, despite best efforts. We need a fediverse Amazon alternative. 😞
For my country there is a price comparison website at geizhals.at which is where I usually start. They also seem to be a thing for Germany, the UK, and Poland. Maybe there are similar services for other countries too?
Here in Canada I’ve started ordering from the Canadian Tire app instead.
I use Facebook. I hate that I have to use Facebook, but I feel like using it to buy second hand items (which is most of what I buy anyway) is slightly more ethical.
If I need something bad enough, I start within my range of locality and then work outwards. Like for instance, I’m currently looking for a full set of seat covers for my car. If I were to use Amazon, wham bam I’d get the cutest ones by tomorrow. But instead Ive been looking up the availability of the auto goods stores nearby for delivery or pickup. That way i can go see the quality with my own eyes.
If there aren’t any cute or affordable seats covers nearby, Ill end up going straight to the websites of the manufacturer qhile cross referencing whatever reviews i can find online. A lot of times the manufacturer or distributor website will have coupon codes at checkout. And yes, the websites can be seedy, but I have in the past gotten some really high quality products from sus websites that like never sent me a confirmation email.
Sometimes there are really specific or niche things that seemingly almost only are on amazon, (like my damn vaccuum filters that dont exist anymore,) about 99% of the time youll find them on ebay too.
Just go to covercraft.com
Looking for anything via Amazon is always a terrible idea. You figure out what you want exactly, then buy from oem, eBay, second hand etc.
Blows my mind when people browse Amazon for something before knowing what’s a quality product or what they want.
What a great site thanks!
Search for real businesses that sell items near you or online. Also, eBay. It has a sort by distance option so you can see if there’s something near you for faster shipping. eBay is full of Amazon dropshippers so if there’s free expedited shipping and free returns and they have thousands of feedback, they may be a dropshipper.
Electronics: We have a local (DACH region) to compare most electronics both in specs and price
Anything else: Search on the web and decide from there.
For example: I bought tea from a local japanese tea farm I got introduced by a youtuber visiting said farm.
Example for other stuff: I will research it and then market research where it’s available.
Is it a pain to get (example: No other payment then SEPA), then I’ll choose a shop that is more expensive but less pain to deal with.But everything is a trial and error. For drinks I am very cautious if I can’t test it while shopping and thus refrain from shopping it online.
Might as well provide the URL for the comparison site: www.geizhals.de
It’s been around forever and is still as good as ever.
As Lemmy is usually US centric (Germany is usually only 2nd or 3rd place) I didnt deem it necessary. And most on
RedditLemmy are so tech focused, they are more or less already aware anyway.
I go rob container ship
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Amazon used to not deliver in my country so we developed our own, with 24h free delivery, blackjack and hookers.
Now that Amazon figured out the custom taxes for us, it is too late as we have our own local alternative.
Flapjacks*
Denmark has Pricerunner. When buying electronics I can find many different types of local dealers and suppliers.
Second hand can be gotten through Den Blå Avis (dba.dk. Essentially translates to “The Blue Pages”).
Clothing has various online solutions as well, but it’s also easy to just hop onto a bike and cycle to the nearest shopping centre. I live in Copenhagen, so there’s also train and metro, but I prefer biking.
When it comes to food, I only ever order food online through Too Good To Go. Recently got a large breakfast cereal box through TGTG.
Generally I don’t buy shit I don’t need. Most shit I want but I don’t really need I can find it in a brick and mortar shop. For everything else I try to go to the source or a specialised seller as close as possible to where I live.
Ebay, first party sites, dedicated sites.
If you have chase cc, eBay gift card is 10% off with pts quite often
Wait, is this for all Chase CCs? Where do we go for this?
I’m not super knowledgeable about credit card stuff, so it might vary between cards. What you can do to check though is on your chase app just click on the points on the homepage under the Ultimate Rewards section. From there go to Redeem for gift cards and then just sort by best value so that you’re seeing discounted cards first.
Dope, unfortunately I don’t use chase
