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You can buy Amazon gift cards with cash anywhere like drug and grocery stores.

by donarb 8y ago

ocdtrekkie 8y ago
However, you have other problems: If you have an account, or even a consistent shipping address, Amazon knows what you're buying. So you'd need to anonymize where you're shipping packages to, the names on those packages, and you'd need to register new Amazon accounts regularly with new email addresses to avoid them profiling your purchasing habits.
- reitanqild 8y ago
  > If you have an account, or even a consistent shipping address, Amazon knows what you're buying. Still a huge difference betwen that and the alternative where all three of: - Amazon - Google - and MasterCard knows what you've bought IMO.
- rapnie 8y ago
  This makes me wonder if there is a business model for 'anonymous proxy' companies, where you do the shopping at your favourite online webshops, but handle actual ordering, payment and final delivery to your home via the proxy company, who guarantee your privacy for a small additional fee, or subscription charge. Maybe this exists already. The difficulty would be in offering a good usability (how do you get that Amazon product you want in your local shopping basket).
  - lotsofpulp 8y ago
    That business would attract all the bad actors looking to use stolen credit cards and then get banned by the merchant processors for too many chargebacks. And no one can guarantee your privacy, unless they're deleting data very quickly, but the merchant processors wouldn't like that nor would the government.
    - rapnie 8y ago
      It would have the same due-dilligence requirements as any webshop and validate your payment method (which could be any method, like iDeal, and even credit card, where the payment processor doesn't get to see the exact order details, but a 'proxied order'). You are right about the privacy guarantee, but there is the issue of trust in any business transaction. Why am I using ProtonMail/VPN? Because they have privacy + security as their primary USP and it is reflected in their business (transparency, privacy policies, compliance, certification, etc.). They work hard to earn and keep my trust, and I pay them to do just that. I am no expert but probably you can let your company be audited by some trusted party on adherence to privacy promises and prove that you comply. Having that they can keep my data in storage for as long my government requires by law. -- Edit: Because this is deeply nested and tangential to the topic I created a separate Ask HN on this idea: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17884474 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17884474
  - icebraining 8y ago
    Wouldn't that company have all your information? What would make me trust them? Seems more dangerous than buying directly from multiple retailers, for example.
    - rapnie 8y ago
      See my response to lotsofpulp.
- flotzam 8y ago
  Amazon Locker storage boxes can be used without any address and with a pseudonym as your Amazon account. You receive a six digit code to pick up your stuff. Only works for items that are fulfilled by Amazon, though.

You can buy Amazon gift cards with cash anywhere like drug and grocery stores.

by donarb 8y ago

You can buy Amazon gift cards with cash anywhere like drug and grocery stores.

However, you have other problems: If you have an account, or even a consistent shipping address, Amazon knows what you're buying. So you'd need to anonymize where you're shipping packages to, the names on those packages, and you'd need to register new Amazon accounts regularly with new email addresses to avoid them profiling your purchasing habits.

reitanqild 8y ago
> If you have an account, or even a consistent shipping address, Amazon knows what you're buying. Still a huge difference betwen that and the alternative where all three of: - Amazon - Google - and MasterCard knows what you've bought IMO.
rapnie 8y ago
This makes me wonder if there is a business model for 'anonymous proxy' companies, where you do the shopping at your favourite online webshops, but handle actual ordering, payment and final delivery to your home via the proxy company, who guarantee your privacy for a small additional fee, or subscription charge. Maybe this exists already. The difficulty would be in offering a good usability (how do you get that Amazon product you want in your local shopping basket).
- lotsofpulp 8y ago
  That business would attract all the bad actors looking to use stolen credit cards and then get banned by the merchant processors for too many chargebacks. And no one can guarantee your privacy, unless they're deleting data very quickly, but the merchant processors wouldn't like that nor would the government.
  - rapnie 8y ago
    It would have the same due-dilligence requirements as any webshop and validate your payment method (which could be any method, like iDeal, and even credit card, where the payment processor doesn't get to see the exact order details, but a 'proxied order'). You are right about the privacy guarantee, but there is the issue of trust in any business transaction. Why am I using ProtonMail/VPN? Because they have privacy + security as their primary USP and it is reflected in their business (transparency, privacy policies, compliance, certification, etc.). They work hard to earn and keep my trust, and I pay them to do just that. I am no expert but probably you can let your company be audited by some trusted party on adherence to privacy promises and prove that you comply. Having that they can keep my data in storage for as long my government requires by law. -- Edit: Because this is deeply nested and tangential to the topic I created a separate Ask HN on this idea: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17884474 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17884474
- icebraining 8y ago
  Wouldn't that company have all your information? What would make me trust them? Seems more dangerous than buying directly from multiple retailers, for example.
  - rapnie 8y ago
    See my response to lotsofpulp.
flotzam 8y ago
Amazon Locker storage boxes can be used without any address and with a pseudonym as your Amazon account. You receive a six digit code to pick up your stuff. Only works for items that are fulfilled by Amazon, though.