4 ms·

Has anyone compiled a list of alternatives to Amazon? I’m not expecting a one-stop-shop where I can buy everything like at Amazon. But a list of online retailer

Has anyone compiled a list of alternatives to Amazon? I’m not expecting a one-stop-shop where I can buy everything like at Amazon. But a list of online retailers who are better than Amazon at specific categories of products. Because I’m at the point where I would rather pay a little extra and get quality products from a not evil company than continue shopping with Amazon.

y-c-o-m-b 8y ago
Some people are suggesting stop paying for Prime and just use eBay. My biggest concern if I ditch Amazon is losing out on some of the cheap Chinese merchandise that I actually don't mind; flashlights is one example. It never occurred to me that eBay is probably selling the same junk though, so I think i'll start doing comparisons between Amazon and eBay.
- scrooched_moose 8y ago
  You don't have to completely stop using Amazon if you dump Prime though. I still place occasional orders, but I just have to get to $25 for the standard free shipping. In my area, things take about 4 days without Prime - 2 extra "processing" days and 2 days to ship.
  - astura 8y ago
    Or you can pay for two day shipping if you really need it rather than paying up front all at once.
    - scrooched_moose 8y ago
      It's painful though, and seems to heavily incentivize "I guess I'll just pay the $12.99/month for Prime again". I just tried 5 different sub-$25 items. 2 day shipping was only offered on 3 of them, and varied between $7.99 and $11.44. One day shipping was offered on all of them, but was between $9.99 and $18.89. There are some weird stacking effects on the 2 day shipping option as well - it's not a flat rate or per item rate, but falls somewhere in the middle. It's definitely more expensive the more items you have though.
- astura 8y ago
  eBay sells the same cheap Chinese merchandise, just cheaper.
scrooched_moose 8y ago
Just looking at my recent purchases: Electronics - Newegg and Monoprice Board & Table Top Games - Miniature Market Pet Food - Chewy (owned by PetSmart now) Clothing - Depends on your style, but I tend to stick to Eddie Bauer and Duluth Trading Company for good quality, affordable clothes Comic trade paperbacks - InStockTrades Books - Barnes & Noble (new) and eBay (used) The big one I've still struggling to find a replacement for is shoes. Zappos seems to dominate that market and other online stores have been hit and miss. DSW has probably been the best, but I'd love to find something better.
- huehehue 8y ago
  Can't you go direct to a brand's site for shoes, if you already know what you want? For marketplaces/browsing, there are sites like ASOS, Gilt, Yahoo! Japan, eBay, etc. You can also browse any department store's online section to find something you like, and then order straight from the brand.
  - eric_the_read 8y ago
    I actually had no idea I could by from the brands directly. Nike's store seems fairly decent.
- astura 8y ago
  Zappos is owned by Amazon, FWIW.
  - scrooched_moose 8y ago
    Poor wording on my part. I meant to imply that's why I was looking for another alternative.
- phil248 8y ago
  I recommend Nordstrom Rack for shoes.
- bhandziuk 8y ago
  I recommend any locally owned running shoe store for shoes. Just as much (effective) selection as online and you can walk/run away with shoes faster than buying online. I can't wrap my head around buying this stuff online. The exception being people with odd sized feet. But even then it seems very difficult to get something reasonable.
kart23 8y ago
Has anyone tried out jet.com? It seemed like they had a very big marketing campaign a few years back, but never gained steam. Never ordered anything, but their ui is pretty nice. Also not sure if they sell everything directly or it is coming from different sellers.
- socalnate1 8y ago
  Walmart bought Jet for $3.3 Billion in 2016.
astura 8y ago
I've personally ordered stuff from the following places (off the top of my head): Walmart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, True Value, Best Buy, NewEgg, eBay, TigerDirect, Rakuten, Overstock, Kohls, B&H Photo, Monoprice, drugstore.com (now Walgreens), BuyDig, jet.com (now owned by Walmart), Google Express (order from local stores), Staples, direct from manufacturer, .... Probably more I can't think of. I try not to participate in the Amazon empire too much, so far it's been a fine experience. I usually buy when I have a coupon or something goes on sale.

y-c-o-m-b 8y ago

Some people are suggesting stop paying for Prime and just use eBay. My biggest concern if I ditch Amazon is losing out on some of the cheap Chinese merchandise that I actually don't mind; flashlights is one example. It never occurred to me that eBay is probably selling the same junk though, so I think i'll start doing comparisons between Amazon and eBay.

scrooched_moose 8y ago
You don't have to completely stop using Amazon if you dump Prime though. I still place occasional orders, but I just have to get to $25 for the standard free shipping. In my area, things take about 4 days without Prime - 2 extra "processing" days and 2 days to ship.
- astura 8y ago
  Or you can pay for two day shipping if you really need it rather than paying up front all at once.
  - scrooched_moose 8y ago
    It's painful though, and seems to heavily incentivize "I guess I'll just pay the $12.99/month for Prime again". I just tried 5 different sub-$25 items. 2 day shipping was only offered on 3 of them, and varied between $7.99 and $11.44. One day shipping was offered on all of them, but was between $9.99 and $18.89. There are some weird stacking effects on the 2 day shipping option as well - it's not a flat rate or per item rate, but falls somewhere in the middle. It's definitely more expensive the more items you have though.
astura 8y ago
eBay sells the same cheap Chinese merchandise, just cheaper.

scrooched_moose 8y ago

Just looking at my recent purchases: Electronics - Newegg and Monoprice Board & Table Top Games - Miniature Market Pet Food - Chewy (owned by PetSmart now) Clothing - Depends on your style, but I tend to stick to Eddie Bauer and Duluth Trading Company for good quality, affordable clothes Comic trade paperbacks - InStockTrades Books - Barnes & Noble (new) and eBay (used) The big one I've still struggling to find a replacement for is shoes. Zappos seems to dominate that market and other online stores have been hit and miss. DSW has probably been the best, but I'd love to find something better.

huehehue 8y ago
Can't you go direct to a brand's site for shoes, if you already know what you want? For marketplaces/browsing, there are sites like ASOS, Gilt, Yahoo! Japan, eBay, etc. You can also browse any department store's online section to find something you like, and then order straight from the brand.
- eric_the_read 8y ago
  I actually had no idea I could by from the brands directly. Nike's store seems fairly decent.
astura 8y ago
Zappos is owned by Amazon, FWIW.
- scrooched_moose 8y ago
  Poor wording on my part. I meant to imply that's why I was looking for another alternative.
phil248 8y ago
I recommend Nordstrom Rack for shoes.
bhandziuk 8y ago
I recommend any locally owned running shoe store for shoes. Just as much (effective) selection as online and you can walk/run away with shoes faster than buying online. I can't wrap my head around buying this stuff online. The exception being people with odd sized feet. But even then it seems very difficult to get something reasonable.

kart23 8y ago

Has anyone tried out jet.com? It seemed like they had a very big marketing campaign a few years back, but never gained steam. Never ordered anything, but their ui is pretty nice. Also not sure if they sell everything directly or it is coming from different sellers.

socalnate1 8y ago
Walmart bought Jet for $3.3 Billion in 2016.

astura 8y ago

I've personally ordered stuff from the following places (off the top of my head): Walmart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, True Value, Best Buy, NewEgg, eBay, TigerDirect, Rakuten, Overstock, Kohls, B&H Photo, Monoprice, drugstore.com (now Walgreens), BuyDig, jet.com (now owned by Walmart), Google Express (order from local stores), Staples, direct from manufacturer, .... Probably more I can't think of. I try not to participate in the Amazon empire too much, so far it's been a fine experience. I usually buy when I have a coupon or something goes on sale.