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It's trivial to create a website (frontend and backend) that offers similar functionality to Amazon. There's nothing special about their software platform. You

It's trivial to create a website (frontend and backend) that offers similar functionality to Amazon. There's nothing special about their software platform. You can't open-source marketing and the insane delivery network Amazon has. Those, among other things, are the reason they are successful. They could release all of their software completely open source and literally nothing would change.

boredpeter 3y ago
You can’t open source it but the government could nationalize it and make it a benefit to small businesses everywhere without the anti competitive profit seeking motives of a private business controlling it.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- slowmovintarget 3y ago
  Expropriation is the first step to destroying the thing. There no reason for unbelievably good customer service if you get paid by taxpayers regardless of outcome.
  - lapphi 3y ago
    The employees at my local usps are pretty good at their jobs. But they are all Korean ladies.
- bee_rider 3y ago
  The original commented suggested that an open source Amazon was the “real solution.” Open sourcing Amazon’s software and then nationalizing their distribution network is a very different suggestion!
JohnMakin 3y ago
The infrastructure of a large ecommerce website is extraordinarily complex as well, as well as issues that arise with warehousing tech.
AnthonyMouse 3y ago
You're talking about the infrastructure for a specific seller, which in itself is by no means trivial. What you want here is an open source replacement for Amazon's product search that will find products from multiple independent sellers. The hard part is probably how to curate it; you want to allow legitimate small sellers without allowing the thing to be filled with scams. But Amazon hasn't done a very good job here either, so maybe it's not a high bar. And then a payments system which is something in the nature of GNU Taler. Amazon's logistics is an advantage, but is it an advantage that can overcome the need to pay them a vig instead of having the product shipped directly from the manufacturer? Lots of people willing to wait a week for shipping if the price is 10% lower.

boredpeter 3y ago

You can’t open source it but the government could nationalize it and make it a benefit to small businesses everywhere without the anti competitive profit seeking motives of a private business controlling it.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
slowmovintarget 3y ago
Expropriation is the first step to destroying the thing. There no reason for unbelievably good customer service if you get paid by taxpayers regardless of outcome.
- lapphi 3y ago
  The employees at my local usps are pretty good at their jobs. But they are all Korean ladies.
bee_rider 3y ago
The original commented suggested that an open source Amazon was the “real solution.” Open sourcing Amazon’s software and then nationalizing their distribution network is a very different suggestion!

JohnMakin 3y ago

The infrastructure of a large ecommerce website is extraordinarily complex as well, as well as issues that arise with warehousing tech.

AnthonyMouse 3y ago

You're talking about the infrastructure for a specific seller, which in itself is by no means trivial. What you want here is an open source replacement for Amazon's product search that will find products from multiple independent sellers. The hard part is probably how to curate it; you want to allow legitimate small sellers without allowing the thing to be filled with scams. But Amazon hasn't done a very good job here either, so maybe it's not a high bar. And then a payments system which is something in the nature of GNU Taler. Amazon's logistics is an advantage, but is it an advantage that can overcome the need to pay them a vig instead of having the product shipped directly from the manufacturer? Lots of people willing to wait a week for shipping if the price is 10% lower.