6 ms·

Where Amazon absolutely kills it is in their logistics. As a store they're... frankly terrible. Search is complete garbage. Filtering is clunky. The product

Where Amazon absolutely kills it is in their logistics. As a store they're... frankly terrible. Search is complete garbage. Filtering is clunky. The product categories are an absolute disaster. And it's often impossible to tell genuine product from counterfeit (a fact that, by the way, has me terrified for folks inadvertently buying fake solar observation glasses for use during the 2017 solar eclipse) It's honestly a terrible shopping experience in almost every way imaginable. But through direct supply and their fulfillment program they can get products to consumers insanely fast for zero cost (edit: to the consumer). IMO, that is what puts Amazon above the rest. With Prime I'm honestly dismayed when I see an arrival date that's more than 2-3 days out... that's the level of expectation they've set in the market. Of course, competitors are starting to match them. Walmart, for example, is really advancing in this space. But IMO Amazon is still the king of logistics. For now, anyway.

amelius 9y ago
> But through direct supply and their fulfillment program they can get products to consumers insanely fast for zero cost. What do you mean zero cost? They still have to pay for mail, right? When I order a product from a random small internet shop, it also arrives usually within 1-3 days. I don't see the difference with Amazon, except that I have to find that small shop through a Google search, whereas I can order on Amazon directly.
- zzalpha 9y ago
  What do you mean zero cost? They still have to pay for mail, right? I had a feeling that would be confusing. Zero cost to the consumer. When I order a product from a random small internet shop, it also arrives usually within 1-3 days. Well, maybe this is unique to Canada, but that's absolutely not my experience. Not even close. 7-10 days is optimistic for smaller retailers. 14-21 is not unexpected.
mostly_harmless 9y ago
You mention "fake solar observation glasses". do you mind elaborating a bit: how do you tell if they are fake? Is there something missing in the knockoffs? What is the effect of a fake?
- jackcarter 9y ago
  Worst-case, the effect could be that they don't protect eyes properly, causing blindness.
  - zzalpha 9y ago
    This exactly. They claim certifications and safety ratings they do not have. If they're not actually suitable, the result can be severe eye damage. As for identifying the "real thing", I found the specific brand NASA recommends, and then tried to find a reputable supplier through Amazon with reviews indicating, by people who've tested them, that they were genuine. It's still not foolproof, but at least it's something. At minimum, if you're in the market for glasses for the eclipse, if you can see anything other than the sun when you put them on, they're not dark enough. Solar glasses are REALLY dark.
    - isostatic 9y ago
      I bought some glasses on line for the 99 eclipse and didn't have a problem - posted from my screenreader
wuliwong 9y ago
I do think competitors are catching up with shipping. I honestly find the reviews helpful. I could be completely wrong but the reviews on amazon seem superior to most other e-commerce sites. I could read the reviews and buy somewhere else but I rarely do that.
- vwcx 9y ago
  These competitors are catching up with shipping because of the way Amazon's demands changed the entire shipping economy. UPS offers entire categories of delivery products now available to Amazon's competitors because they developed them originally for Amazon.
nextos 9y ago
In Europe it's even crazier both ways. Amazon UK sends me tons of counterfeit products, and their stock of many items I like is extremely unstable. That is, many products or supplies I need often get discontinued. That said, almost everything is 1-day delivery on Prime. I often order at 10 pm and have my products at 9 am. Sadly, they now use contractors to deliver on their Amazon Logistics, instead of good parcel companies. And the quality of service is going down. They still use DPD for expensive items (that's how much they trust their own Amazon Logistics), which is cool as they offer a 1 hour delivery slot. When they used DPD for everything it was awesome.

amelius 9y ago

> But through direct supply and their fulfillment program they can get products to consumers insanely fast for zero cost. What do you mean zero cost? They still have to pay for mail, right? When I order a product from a random small internet shop, it also arrives usually within 1-3 days. I don't see the difference with Amazon, except that I have to find that small shop through a Google search, whereas I can order on Amazon directly.

zzalpha 9y ago
What do you mean zero cost? They still have to pay for mail, right? I had a feeling that would be confusing. Zero cost to the consumer. When I order a product from a random small internet shop, it also arrives usually within 1-3 days. Well, maybe this is unique to Canada, but that's absolutely not my experience. Not even close. 7-10 days is optimistic for smaller retailers. 14-21 is not unexpected.

mostly_harmless 9y ago

You mention "fake solar observation glasses". do you mind elaborating a bit: how do you tell if they are fake? Is there something missing in the knockoffs? What is the effect of a fake?

jackcarter 9y ago
Worst-case, the effect could be that they don't protect eyes properly, causing blindness.
- zzalpha 9y ago
  This exactly. They claim certifications and safety ratings they do not have. If they're not actually suitable, the result can be severe eye damage. As for identifying the "real thing", I found the specific brand NASA recommends, and then tried to find a reputable supplier through Amazon with reviews indicating, by people who've tested them, that they were genuine. It's still not foolproof, but at least it's something. At minimum, if you're in the market for glasses for the eclipse, if you can see anything other than the sun when you put them on, they're not dark enough. Solar glasses are REALLY dark.
  - isostatic 9y ago
    I bought some glasses on line for the 99 eclipse and didn't have a problem - posted from my screenreader

wuliwong 9y ago

I do think competitors are catching up with shipping. I honestly find the reviews helpful. I could be completely wrong but the reviews on amazon seem superior to most other e-commerce sites. I could read the reviews and buy somewhere else but I rarely do that.

vwcx 9y ago
These competitors are catching up with shipping because of the way Amazon's demands changed the entire shipping economy. UPS offers entire categories of delivery products now available to Amazon's competitors because they developed them originally for Amazon.

nextos 9y ago

In Europe it's even crazier both ways. Amazon UK sends me tons of counterfeit products, and their stock of many items I like is extremely unstable. That is, many products or supplies I need often get discontinued. That said, almost everything is 1-day delivery on Prime. I often order at 10 pm and have my products at 9 am. Sadly, they now use contractors to deliver on their Amazon Logistics, instead of good parcel companies. And the quality of service is going down. They still use DPD for expensive items (that's how much they trust their own Amazon Logistics), which is cool as they offer a 1 hour delivery slot. When they used DPD for everything it was awesome.