4 ms·

Can you elaborate where do you buy things online from? I want to move away from Amazon, but it's also exhausting to sort through multiple websites for a product

by nafizh 6y ago

Can you elaborate where do you buy things online from? I want to move away from Amazon, but it's also exhausting to sort through multiple websites for a product, their shipping fees, and make decisions.

ImprovedSilence 6y ago
For some things, I try to buy direct. Levis for example. After getting a pair from amazon that was very clearly a factory second or straight up counterfeit, I get them from levis.com. Price is a little higher, but knowing I'm getting good product, and the variety/choice is usually pretty good on their site too. I do this for most "branded" items. Everything else is like best buy or target or home depot etc. That said, I still use amazon quite a bit. But still probably <50% of my online purchases at least. Someone with a more hardline stance or more knowledge of other replacement sites could conceivably cut them out completely. Heck Best Buy and target are so close to my house, I just shop online, and go to curbside pickup an hour later.
ldng 6y ago
Isn't a bit of "exhaustion" worth to fight back terrible practices ?
- DoofusOfDeath 6y ago
  I'm not sure what the term for this is; maybe "quorum problem"? If too few people sustain a boycott, then they suffer without accomplishing their goal, so a net negative. If enough people sustain a boycott, they'll suffer but will also accomplish their goal, so a net positive.
  - feral 6y ago
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action_problem https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action_problem
- criddell 6y ago
  For most people, no. I might work through it today and tomorrow but in a few days I'm going to give up and go back to Amazon.
Daho0n 6y ago
I'm not in the US but to me Amazon is something I use maybe twice a year and I buy a lot online and abroad. I even order stuff from the US sometimes and I don't normally use Amazon (or eBay). I don't get why it is so hard to cut out the middleman (Amazon) when it isn't to me when I order from the US. If I find the product on Amazon I just click on to the retailers website and order there.
- ev1 6y ago
  I'm in the middle of a dense urban area (San Francisco) without a car, and cannot get delivery to home (items are stolen within <60s, carriers ignore all signature requirements and forge their own, mailboxes are crowbarred and broken into). Amazon is the only vendor with 24 hour lockers for pickup - multiple locations within walking distance. There is no Walmart nearby. There is a Target but the pickup line is basically standing in plague-town for an hour, ~25 min away by bus. Best Buy is about 40-45 min away by bus (you will probably be mugged if you are seen with a BB bag).
wombat-man 6y ago
Walmart and Target have improved their web experience a lot, but you still need to avoid the 3rd party sellers there. If you know the brand and the product, ordering direct also works. I also kind of enjoy shopping irl more since it gets me out of the house and basically everything else is closed due to the Rona. I've heard costco has a great 2 hour delivery experience but I don't have a membership. The effect of Amazon is that at least for now, there's never been a better time to order things online in general. Every website competes with amazon now. Most places ship fast and cheap/free. Sometimes with a minimum order, but same with amazon's add on items. There are exceptions for sure, and I do occasionally still need to buy a thing on Amazon. Unless you're really into the prime video selection, I suggest everyone cancel their prime and try life without it. I think I got a prorated refund, and you can always reactivate.
- reaperducer 6y ago
  The effect of Amazon is that at least for now, there's never been a better time to order things online in general This is so true. When I first started shopping online, it used to take ten days to two weeks to get stuff. Amazon changed that. Then I remember that before the internet, "Please wait four to six weeks for delivery" was so normal that it was a catch phrase.
dunnevens 6y ago
Electronics now come to me from Best Buy, Microcenter, and Newegg. Best Buy in particular has faster shipping than Prime. It's frequently overnight for in stock items. At least in my area. And as far as I know, there's no problems with counterfeit goods with them. Physical books I buy from a small online bookstore I want to support. Oddly enough, they're not much slower than Prime. Even for books not in stock. Plus, they frequently write a nice note, or slip a free zine or custom bookmark into the package. It's a nice touch, and whoever did the packing has equity in the company. They're worker-owned. Ebooks are still Amazon, though I strip the DRM immediately after purchase so I'm not locked into the Kindle ecosystem. I may try buying a test book from Kobo or Barnes & Noble to see if I can just as easily strip the DRM from them. If so, then I'll probably switch. Ebay's been good for some stuff. For Pi hobby stuff, I've started buying directly from the various small businesses that specialize. The shipping is longer, but that's not a problem so far. Some stuff I do buy from Walmart / Sams. They're about as bad as Amazon in many ways, but they do pay their warehouse people a decent wage. Or they did last time I checked. So it's at least marginally better in that respect, and there's not much worry about fake goods from them.
- wombat-man 6y ago
  Best buy also has a pretty good pickup experience near me. I can order it online and walk over and have it in my hand a couple hours later.
- ropeladder 6y ago
  De-DRM for Kobo works great. It's basically the same as Kindle, there is just another plugin or two to install. Books are usually a bit more expensive. However, it looks like Walmart actually owns Rakuten now, so it's not like you're helping out the little guy much.
- stonecraftwolf 6y ago
  What do you use to strip the DRM from kindle books?
  - dunnevens 6y ago
jtdev 6y ago
coctco.com has actually been a good alternative for me. Less selection, sure, but I can usually find everything I actually need. Plus, they seem to treat employees well and aren’t trying to monetize my face/sleep schedule/words/browsing activity/etc.
brundolf 6y ago
This isn't intended to sound braggy: I honestly just don't buy that many non-consumable items? Most years I buy more items as gifts during the holidays than I do for myself the entire rest of the year. This isn't some kind of extreme-frugality thing: I simply can't think of additional things I would want to buy. And most of the purchases I do make are things I put thought into, where I don't mind shopping around a bit or paying a little extra for shipping. I just really don't understand why people have a hard time giving up Amazon retail, at least when it comes to the majority of HN who can absolutely afford to pay an extra $10 for shipping a few times a year.
BeetleB 6y ago
Besides the other answers, you can also find options at shopping.google.com.

by nafizh 6y ago

ImprovedSilence 6y ago

For some things, I try to buy direct. Levis for example. After getting a pair from amazon that was very clearly a factory second or straight up counterfeit, I get them from levis.com. Price is a little higher, but knowing I'm getting good product, and the variety/choice is usually pretty good on their site too. I do this for most "branded" items. Everything else is like best buy or target or home depot etc. That said, I still use amazon quite a bit. But still probably <50% of my online purchases at least. Someone with a more hardline stance or more knowledge of other replacement sites could conceivably cut them out completely. Heck Best Buy and target are so close to my house, I just shop online, and go to curbside pickup an hour later.

ldng 6y ago

Isn't a bit of "exhaustion" worth to fight back terrible practices ?

DoofusOfDeath 6y ago
I'm not sure what the term for this is; maybe "quorum problem"? If too few people sustain a boycott, then they suffer without accomplishing their goal, so a net negative. If enough people sustain a boycott, they'll suffer but will also accomplish their goal, so a net positive.
- feral 6y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action_problem https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action_problem
criddell 6y ago
For most people, no. I might work through it today and tomorrow but in a few days I'm going to give up and go back to Amazon.

Daho0n 6y ago

I'm not in the US but to me Amazon is something I use maybe twice a year and I buy a lot online and abroad. I even order stuff from the US sometimes and I don't normally use Amazon (or eBay). I don't get why it is so hard to cut out the middleman (Amazon) when it isn't to me when I order from the US. If I find the product on Amazon I just click on to the retailers website and order there.

ev1 6y ago
I'm in the middle of a dense urban area (San Francisco) without a car, and cannot get delivery to home (items are stolen within <60s, carriers ignore all signature requirements and forge their own, mailboxes are crowbarred and broken into). Amazon is the only vendor with 24 hour lockers for pickup - multiple locations within walking distance. There is no Walmart nearby. There is a Target but the pickup line is basically standing in plague-town for an hour, ~25 min away by bus. Best Buy is about 40-45 min away by bus (you will probably be mugged if you are seen with a BB bag).

wombat-man 6y ago

Walmart and Target have improved their web experience a lot, but you still need to avoid the 3rd party sellers there. If you know the brand and the product, ordering direct also works. I also kind of enjoy shopping irl more since it gets me out of the house and basically everything else is closed due to the Rona. I've heard costco has a great 2 hour delivery experience but I don't have a membership. The effect of Amazon is that at least for now, there's never been a better time to order things online in general. Every website competes with amazon now. Most places ship fast and cheap/free. Sometimes with a minimum order, but same with amazon's add on items. There are exceptions for sure, and I do occasionally still need to buy a thing on Amazon. Unless you're really into the prime video selection, I suggest everyone cancel their prime and try life without it. I think I got a prorated refund, and you can always reactivate.

reaperducer 6y ago
The effect of Amazon is that at least for now, there's never been a better time to order things online in general This is so true. When I first started shopping online, it used to take ten days to two weeks to get stuff. Amazon changed that. Then I remember that before the internet, "Please wait four to six weeks for delivery" was so normal that it was a catch phrase.

dunnevens 6y ago

Electronics now come to me from Best Buy, Microcenter, and Newegg. Best Buy in particular has faster shipping than Prime. It's frequently overnight for in stock items. At least in my area. And as far as I know, there's no problems with counterfeit goods with them. Physical books I buy from a small online bookstore I want to support. Oddly enough, they're not much slower than Prime. Even for books not in stock. Plus, they frequently write a nice note, or slip a free zine or custom bookmark into the package. It's a nice touch, and whoever did the packing has equity in the company. They're worker-owned. Ebooks are still Amazon, though I strip the DRM immediately after purchase so I'm not locked into the Kindle ecosystem. I may try buying a test book from Kobo or Barnes & Noble to see if I can just as easily strip the DRM from them. If so, then I'll probably switch. Ebay's been good for some stuff. For Pi hobby stuff, I've started buying directly from the various small businesses that specialize. The shipping is longer, but that's not a problem so far. Some stuff I do buy from Walmart / Sams. They're about as bad as Amazon in many ways, but they do pay their warehouse people a decent wage. Or they did last time I checked. So it's at least marginally better in that respect, and there's not much worry about fake goods from them.

wombat-man 6y ago
Best buy also has a pretty good pickup experience near me. I can order it online and walk over and have it in my hand a couple hours later.
ropeladder 6y ago
De-DRM for Kobo works great. It's basically the same as Kindle, there is just another plugin or two to install. Books are usually a bit more expensive. However, it looks like Walmart actually owns Rakuten now, so it's not like you're helping out the little guy much.
stonecraftwolf 6y ago
What do you use to strip the DRM from kindle books?
- dunnevens 6y ago

jtdev 6y ago

coctco.com has actually been a good alternative for me. Less selection, sure, but I can usually find everything I actually need. Plus, they seem to treat employees well and aren’t trying to monetize my face/sleep schedule/words/browsing activity/etc.

brundolf 6y ago

This isn't intended to sound braggy: I honestly just don't buy that many non-consumable items? Most years I buy more items as gifts during the holidays than I do for myself the entire rest of the year. This isn't some kind of extreme-frugality thing: I simply can't think of additional things I would want to buy. And most of the purchases I do make are things I put thought into, where I don't mind shopping around a bit or paying a little extra for shipping. I just really don't understand why people have a hard time giving up Amazon retail, at least when it comes to the majority of HN who can absolutely afford to pay an extra $10 for shipping a few times a year.

BeetleB 6y ago

Besides the other answers, you can also find options at shopping.google.com.