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> Amazon is basically a "premium" Wish/Aliexpress nowadays That's an interesting point, and it got me thinking: why do I continue buying from Amazon over AliEx

> Amazon is basically a "premium" Wish/Aliexpress nowadays That's an interesting point, and it got me thinking: why do I continue buying from Amazon over AliExpress etc.? Pretty simple answer, really: logistics. I can order an adapter from Amazon and have it here by 6 PM tonight. The same thing off AliExpress will take a week or more to get here. If Wish or AliExpress can figure out near-same day delivery, they could put a sizeable dent in Amazon's market share.

Analemma_ 4y ago
> That's an interesting point, and it got me thinking: why _do_ I continue buying from Amazon over AliExpress etc.? I asked myself the same question back in January and also couldn't come up with an answer beyond shipping speed, so I cancelled Prime and now just use AliExpress for most things that would've been an Amazon purchase before. Even the slower speed isn't that bad: if I genuinely need it right away I'll travel to a physical store; otherwise the extended wait feels healthy for reducing useless impulse purchases.
- barbazoo 4y ago
  And it's kinda exciting when you get a delivery you totally forgot about.
  - codersfocus 4y ago
    That means you shouldn't have ordered it in the first place? I gave up on needless consumerism when I got an amazon package, didn't bother opening it, forgot what it was, and it just sat in my closet.
    - barbazoo 4y ago
      Most likely yeah :) What I mean though is when you want to fix something and you order a part off AliExpress or you have an idea for a project so you order a bunch of parts, things that aren't time sensitive so you order them, forget about it and get them at some point. Not everything has to be same day or next day delivery is all I'm saying.
    - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
      Not at all! There is a large intersection between Important and Non-Urgent.v Example - bicycle parts. A bicycle will ride without lubrication, with missing fenders and damaged brakes. Should it? I ordered a horn, forgot about it. Does it mean I don't need a horn? Hard to tell, it could save your life. It maybe it won't.
    - rurp 4y ago
      I don't know, much of what I order online are non-perishable staples. If I order more soap or paper towels or whatever else I'm running low on, the exact arrival date doesn't matter much but it's definitely going to get used at some point.
- rurp 4y ago
  This makes a lot of sense. Prime shipping is fast sometimes, but not consistent enough to rely on for anything urgent. Arriving in a week rather than a few days rarely matters for most online purchases anyway.
adoxyz 4y ago
Yeah with Amazon you'll get in 2-3 days, but you'll end up paying 2-3x as well. I considered building a browser extension that just lists the Alibaba/AliExpress item for you when you land on amazon listing and did a bit of research. Most things you search for on Amazon these days that crowd the first page results are literally just copies of AliExpress items at 2-3x the markup. Sometimes the convenience is worth it.
- treis 4y ago
  It's rare that I see that significant of a discount on Aliexpress. Most are within like 10% and sometimes cheaper on Amazon.
bogwog 4y ago
I had the same concerns about shipping speed, but then I just said fuck it and cancelled my Prime anyways. It turns out that waiting a few more days for items actually isn't a problem for me. It also brings the added benefit that I no longer feel constrained to a single shitty store, and can buy from anywhere on the internet again. Also, when I do buy from Amazon as a non-Prime member, I find that often (not always) items tend to ship faster than the estimates claim. A few days ago I bought some RAM for my computer, and the estimate said it'd take a week to arrive. Instead, it "shipped early" and arrived in 2 days (on a Sunday). I think they've just optimized their shipping process for Prime so much that for some items it probably is cheaper to ship as fast as they can than to artificially delay shipping orders for non Prime members.
marcosdumay 4y ago
Oh, if I have this much concern about getting some item quickly, I go into a store and walk out with it. I remember doing exactly that once last year.
m463 4y ago
I trust amazon to resolve problems with orders. They have always resolved missing packages, late shipments, wrong item, etc.

Analemma_ 4y ago

> That's an interesting point, and it got me thinking: why _do_ I continue buying from Amazon over AliExpress etc.? I asked myself the same question back in January and also couldn't come up with an answer beyond shipping speed, so I cancelled Prime and now just use AliExpress for most things that would've been an Amazon purchase before. Even the slower speed isn't that bad: if I genuinely need it right away I'll travel to a physical store; otherwise the extended wait feels healthy for reducing useless impulse purchases.

barbazoo 4y ago
And it's kinda exciting when you get a delivery you totally forgot about.
- codersfocus 4y ago
  That means you shouldn't have ordered it in the first place? I gave up on needless consumerism when I got an amazon package, didn't bother opening it, forgot what it was, and it just sat in my closet.
  - barbazoo 4y ago
    Most likely yeah :) What I mean though is when you want to fix something and you order a part off AliExpress or you have an idea for a project so you order a bunch of parts, things that aren't time sensitive so you order them, forget about it and get them at some point. Not everything has to be same day or next day delivery is all I'm saying.
  - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
    Not at all! There is a large intersection between Important and Non-Urgent.v Example - bicycle parts. A bicycle will ride without lubrication, with missing fenders and damaged brakes. Should it? I ordered a horn, forgot about it. Does it mean I don't need a horn? Hard to tell, it could save your life. It maybe it won't.
  - rurp 4y ago
    I don't know, much of what I order online are non-perishable staples. If I order more soap or paper towels or whatever else I'm running low on, the exact arrival date doesn't matter much but it's definitely going to get used at some point.
rurp 4y ago
This makes a lot of sense. Prime shipping is fast sometimes, but not consistent enough to rely on for anything urgent. Arriving in a week rather than a few days rarely matters for most online purchases anyway.

adoxyz 4y ago

Yeah with Amazon you'll get in 2-3 days, but you'll end up paying 2-3x as well. I considered building a browser extension that just lists the Alibaba/AliExpress item for you when you land on amazon listing and did a bit of research. Most things you search for on Amazon these days that crowd the first page results are literally just copies of AliExpress items at 2-3x the markup. Sometimes the convenience is worth it.

treis 4y ago
It's rare that I see that significant of a discount on Aliexpress. Most are within like 10% and sometimes cheaper on Amazon.

bogwog 4y ago

I had the same concerns about shipping speed, but then I just said fuck it and cancelled my Prime anyways. It turns out that waiting a few more days for items actually isn't a problem for me. It also brings the added benefit that I no longer feel constrained to a single shitty store, and can buy from anywhere on the internet again. Also, when I do buy from Amazon as a non-Prime member, I find that often (not always) items tend to ship faster than the estimates claim. A few days ago I bought some RAM for my computer, and the estimate said it'd take a week to arrive. Instead, it "shipped early" and arrived in 2 days (on a Sunday). I think they've just optimized their shipping process for Prime so much that for some items it probably is cheaper to ship as fast as they can than to artificially delay shipping orders for non Prime members.

marcosdumay 4y ago

Oh, if I have this much concern about getting some item quickly, I go into a store and walk out with it. I remember doing exactly that once last year.

m463 4y ago

I trust amazon to resolve problems with orders. They have always resolved missing packages, late shipments, wrong item, etc.