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> I always want to see a page with the product details and price before I click "buy". Reducing the number of clicks is not going to make me change my decision.

> I always want to see a page with the product details and price before I click "buy". Reducing the number of clicks is not going to make me change my decision. This is compounded by the multi-headed monster that large orgs like theirs have no choice but to become. If customers could trust that every day essentials had a relatively stable price and availability pattern like they trust from their local grocery store (rightly or wrongly), blind ordering might be more tenable. But some other head on the beast wants to keep Amazon shaped like an unmonitored digital marketplace where orders are fulfilled dynamically by bidders and algorithms, so your Tide Pods could be anywhere from $6.99 to $64.99, and you might get anywhere between 10 and 100, and they might arrive tomorrow or next week, and they might come in retail packaging or as a bag of tide-pod-resembling-mystery-objects, etc. Of course blind ordering won't work when you can't give your customers any assurances (let alone guarantees) about price, quality, volume, etc

droopyEyelids 2y ago
This was exactly my problem with the dash buttons, and with Amazon's recurring order system. And I'm not certain, but I believe that sellers game this system- you can see certain things that make sense to order on a recurring schedule have unconscionable prices. Once you have a certain threshold of recurring orders, why not increase the price 10x? Especially because Amazon puts so many dark patterns in the way of a user canceling a "subscription".
- ghaff 2y ago
  I just reordered something I order fairly frequently today. The price is pretty predictable but, yes, I like to just double-check it hasn't doubled in price. Not a big deal to order every few months and confirm it's still what I want to order at the right price as opposed to just putting it on an out of sight, out of mind subscription.
chaostheory 2y ago
Blind ordering only made sense when Amazon customer service was top notch. That ended when Amazon started having profitable quarters and started Day Two. Now I have to be paranoid about checking product details like if there are 3rd party sellers using FBA which potentially signals fakes. There’s no longer blind trust in Amazon for a lot of customers. I can’t just mindlessly buy stuff with the hope that Amazon customer service can take care of anything going wrong like they did years ago.
- fantasybuilder 2y ago
  I can't come up with a single item that I would blind order. At most, I could ask Alexa to add an item to a shopping list and then verify the list and place the order myself.
  - usrusr 2y ago
    I could come up with a few. And they are all sold exclusively by IKEA. Never occurred to me before that vertical integration can be a positive factor in consumer trust. Usually I see myself girly in the camp of "oh noes! Sooner or later they will use it against us!"
  - subsaharancoder 2y ago
    I put baby diapers on recurring order every X weeks, it just worked, and Amazon would inform me that there was an upcoming order and give me the time to either move the date or cancel it. Super convenient for working parents!
    - chaostheory 2y ago
      That’s the exact opposite of blind ordering though. You’re planning your orders way ahead of time. That’s not to say that it isn’t useful, but it doesn’t do anything against the narrative that Amazon is not trustworthy like it used to be. It’s a common theme in the comments here. When I think about it, it’s been a common theme on HN for years now, ever since commingling destroyed Amazon’s reputation
  - maccard 2y ago
    I would love to order a bunch of things - toilet paper, kitchen paper, toothpaste, mayonnaise, sriracha, foil, dishwasher and laundry tabs. Anything that isn’t a weekly purchase that I find myself out of when I want to use it. The problem isn’t that I don’t want to blind order it, it’s that I don’t trust blind ordering it from Amazon.
    - regularfry 2y ago
delecti 2y ago
Yeah, this is the more salient detail. I would consider (something equivalent to) what Amazon envisions if it was products from my local grocery store, at the prices of that specific store. But Amazon? I can't trust they'll be any of: in stock, with the exact same product, at basically the same price.
crazygringo 2y ago
This a million times. I swear I will never understand why Amazon's supply, organization, and pricing for household goods is such a disaster. Because their experience for mainstream books is mostly perfectly fine -- there's a single listing for each book, and the price doesn't change much, just some discount from list. It works. But for things like paper towels or Tide or whatever, it's utter chaos. Multiple listings for the same item, sizes and quantities that mysteriously move from one listing to another, prices that vary 10x or more... It's utterly baffling to me why Amazon created this consumer-hostile nightmare. I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, but everything home and toiletries I buy from Target online, simply because the listings and prices are totally consistent. Even though I have Prime! I don't understand why Amazon doesn't figure out that Prime consumers like me buy from Target instead because Amazon's household supplies listings are such utter unpredictable garbage, while Target just works like a normal store.
- booi 2y ago
  It's ridiculous that I have to have a spreadsheet with pricing information and links for household goods just to spot check and make sure I'm getting the actual price per quantity that I want due to the multiple dynamic listings that change every day nightmare. Don't ask how many times I receive more or less than I thought I would or something came in 10 packages of 3 instead of 1 30x package.
  - mschuster91 2y ago
    Vote for politicians that campaign on consumer protection legislation. Here in Europe, it's been mandatory to show a price related to a reasonable common base point (e.g. liter, kilogram, piece, usage-unit for laundry detergent) adjacent to the actual product's price for many years now. You can go and use 1/10/100 grams/milliliters though for small scale packages where that is reasonably common (e.g. spices), and that's it. Fun fact, that piece of legislation significantly contributed to Brexit propaganda, the campaign was based on "the EU wants to take away our pints/stones/pounds/whatnot".
    - zyberzero 2y ago
nemo44x 2y ago
I’d argue their app is so good and reliable that these other things don’t add enough to make them worth it. If I see something is out or I need something it only takes a second to buy it on my phone.
conductr 2y ago
The added dynamic of Amazon is they might not even be Tide pods but some counterfeit or perhaps a batch that didn’t pass quality control to sell in more traditional brick and mortar. My latest in a long list of WTF was I ordered a medical device (new). It came in a package that had once been sealed but the seal was cut. Upon removing the product, it had clearly been used by someone and returned. It was a sling for my arm, and I intend to use it for 2-3 weeks until things feel better but I wouldn’t return it like the last person did. I returned it immediately. I’m not accepting open box items of that nature.
ertian 2y ago
On top of that, when you consider how often Alexa plays the wrong song, it's pretty hard to trust it with purchases. The equivalent of asking for a pop song and getting heavy metal would be trying to order some pens and ending up with a canoe or something.
Tcepsa 2y ago
LOL, makes me think of something more like putting in an order on a stock exchange: Alexa, what's the current price of a small box of Tide Pods? A box of 10 Tide Pods costs $5 Alexa, place a limit order for a box of 10 Tide Pods at $5 to expire at the end of the day if not filled, and notify me when it is filled. If I can order you a box of 10 Tide Pods for $5 or less today, I will do so and notify you. ...time passes... I have filled your order for a box of 10 Tide Pods for $5; they are expected to be delivered within the next two days Not that this would necessarily be a good thing, but it seems to me like it would generally beat having to pull out my phone or fire up my browser and do it that way... [Edit: formatting]
- d0gsg0w00f 2y ago
  I love this idea.
NBJack 2y ago
Yes, the absolute deluge of options for price and shipping speed is one of my chief concerns as well, even outside of voice based orders. This plagues the web interface as well, requiring you to either try and refine via search options (not always available!) or basically doom scrolling. Even a simple sort option, like Ebay has had for years on price v distance, would be a welcome change. But it seems that, much like Google search and the glut of questionable sites gaming the system via SEO, I think Amazon too will always be fighting against sellers clamoring to be 'above the fold' of results.
sqeaky 2y ago
Put another way, I don't trust amazon to not screw me. Many people have concerns, some based in reality and some completely imagined, about Amazon and other large corporations trying to screw them for just a few more cents. Why would I give up what little control I have? Buying purely on voice commands is new and different. In an environment of trust that is novel and exciting. In an environment of fear or concern that is scary and burdensome. Why would I choose burdensome? They need more trust, which means being more trustworthy. That likely means losing some profits for consistency. They need a smooth voice purchasing experience and I have no clue what that means.
hinkley 2y ago
You also might get counterfeit Tide full of melamine or lead.
tracker1 2y ago
Exactly... I'll order an item a few times a few weeks apart... then the next time it's suddenly 50% higher priced. No real reason why. I've taken to actually ordering direct from a few different mfgs for a few things Amazon has had that local stores haven't simply because Amazon's pricing is sometimes unreasonable. That they outright lie about "retail" when doing sales is also offputting. The irony is I've started to appreciate Prime Video, and now they charge extra for that without commercials. It's infuriating all around. That doesn't even begin to cover counterfeit, expired or other problems on fulfillment such as saying it'll be there tomorrow until the order is placed and you get it 4 days later, or maybe not at all (lost?).
danudey 2y ago
Being in Canada makes Amazon seem entirely unhinged. I'll see something on Wirecutter or some other review site, click through to Amazon.com and see that it's only $64. Great. Switch to Amazon.ca and it's $350, presumably because of some bot that sees there's no one else selling it so it lists it for some huge price to take advantage of arbitrage. Some things will double in price, or just suddenly be out of stock for no apparent reason. They tried to push groceries but a case of Kraft Dinner came out to several dollars per box, compared to about $1.50 from my extremely expensive local grocery or half that from Costco. They never sold those dash buttons in Canada, but I can imagine pushing the button to get more tide pods and being irate when the cost was twice as much as it was last time.
xivzgrev 2y ago
This 100%. Their prices are generally too unstable to put anything on "ship & forget". There are some exceptions, like the items you subscribe to.

droopyEyelids 2y ago

This was exactly my problem with the dash buttons, and with Amazon's recurring order system. And I'm not certain, but I believe that sellers game this system- you can see certain things that make sense to order on a recurring schedule have unconscionable prices. Once you have a certain threshold of recurring orders, why not increase the price 10x? Especially because Amazon puts so many dark patterns in the way of a user canceling a "subscription".

ghaff 2y ago
I just reordered something I order fairly frequently today. The price is pretty predictable but, yes, I like to just double-check it hasn't doubled in price. Not a big deal to order every few months and confirm it's still what I want to order at the right price as opposed to just putting it on an out of sight, out of mind subscription.

chaostheory 2y ago

Blind ordering only made sense when Amazon customer service was top notch. That ended when Amazon started having profitable quarters and started Day Two. Now I have to be paranoid about checking product details like if there are 3rd party sellers using FBA which potentially signals fakes. There’s no longer blind trust in Amazon for a lot of customers. I can’t just mindlessly buy stuff with the hope that Amazon customer service can take care of anything going wrong like they did years ago.

fantasybuilder 2y ago
I can't come up with a single item that I would blind order. At most, I could ask Alexa to add an item to a shopping list and then verify the list and place the order myself.
- usrusr 2y ago
  I could come up with a few. And they are all sold exclusively by IKEA. Never occurred to me before that vertical integration can be a positive factor in consumer trust. Usually I see myself girly in the camp of "oh noes! Sooner or later they will use it against us!"
- subsaharancoder 2y ago
  I put baby diapers on recurring order every X weeks, it just worked, and Amazon would inform me that there was an upcoming order and give me the time to either move the date or cancel it. Super convenient for working parents!
  - chaostheory 2y ago
    That’s the exact opposite of blind ordering though. You’re planning your orders way ahead of time. That’s not to say that it isn’t useful, but it doesn’t do anything against the narrative that Amazon is not trustworthy like it used to be. It’s a common theme in the comments here. When I think about it, it’s been a common theme on HN for years now, ever since commingling destroyed Amazon’s reputation
- maccard 2y ago
  I would love to order a bunch of things - toilet paper, kitchen paper, toothpaste, mayonnaise, sriracha, foil, dishwasher and laundry tabs. Anything that isn’t a weekly purchase that I find myself out of when I want to use it. The problem isn’t that I don’t want to blind order it, it’s that I don’t trust blind ordering it from Amazon.
  - regularfry 2y ago

delecti 2y ago

Yeah, this is the more salient detail. I would consider (something equivalent to) what Amazon envisions if it was products from my local grocery store, at the prices of that specific store. But Amazon? I can't trust they'll be any of: in stock, with the exact same product, at basically the same price.

crazygringo 2y ago

This a million times. I swear I will never understand why Amazon's supply, organization, and pricing for household goods is such a disaster. Because their experience for mainstream books is mostly perfectly fine -- there's a single listing for each book, and the price doesn't change much, just some discount from list. It works. But for things like paper towels or Tide or whatever, it's utter chaos. Multiple listings for the same item, sizes and quantities that mysteriously move from one listing to another, prices that vary 10x or more... It's utterly baffling to me why Amazon created this consumer-hostile nightmare. I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, but everything home and toiletries I buy from Target online, simply because the listings and prices are totally consistent. Even though I have Prime! I don't understand why Amazon doesn't figure out that Prime consumers like me buy from Target instead because Amazon's household supplies listings are such utter unpredictable garbage, while Target just works like a normal store.

booi 2y ago
It's ridiculous that I have to have a spreadsheet with pricing information and links for household goods just to spot check and make sure I'm getting the actual price per quantity that I want due to the multiple dynamic listings that change every day nightmare. Don't ask how many times I receive more or less than I thought I would or something came in 10 packages of 3 instead of 1 30x package.
- mschuster91 2y ago
  Vote for politicians that campaign on consumer protection legislation. Here in Europe, it's been mandatory to show a price related to a reasonable common base point (e.g. liter, kilogram, piece, usage-unit for laundry detergent) adjacent to the actual product's price for many years now. You can go and use 1/10/100 grams/milliliters though for small scale packages where that is reasonably common (e.g. spices), and that's it. Fun fact, that piece of legislation significantly contributed to Brexit propaganda, the campaign was based on "the EU wants to take away our pints/stones/pounds/whatnot".
  - zyberzero 2y ago

nemo44x 2y ago

I’d argue their app is so good and reliable that these other things don’t add enough to make them worth it. If I see something is out or I need something it only takes a second to buy it on my phone.

conductr 2y ago

The added dynamic of Amazon is they might not even be Tide pods but some counterfeit or perhaps a batch that didn’t pass quality control to sell in more traditional brick and mortar. My latest in a long list of WTF was I ordered a medical device (new). It came in a package that had once been sealed but the seal was cut. Upon removing the product, it had clearly been used by someone and returned. It was a sling for my arm, and I intend to use it for 2-3 weeks until things feel better but I wouldn’t return it like the last person did. I returned it immediately. I’m not accepting open box items of that nature.

ertian 2y ago

On top of that, when you consider how often Alexa plays the wrong song, it's pretty hard to trust it with purchases. The equivalent of asking for a pop song and getting heavy metal would be trying to order some pens and ending up with a canoe or something.

Tcepsa 2y ago

LOL, makes me think of something more like putting in an order on a stock exchange: Alexa, what's the current price of a small box of Tide Pods? A box of 10 Tide Pods costs $5 Alexa, place a limit order for a box of 10 Tide Pods at $5 to expire at the end of the day if not filled, and notify me when it is filled. If I can order you a box of 10 Tide Pods for $5 or less today, I will do so and notify you. ...time passes... I have filled your order for a box of 10 Tide Pods for $5; they are expected to be delivered within the next two days Not that this would necessarily be a good thing, but it seems to me like it would generally beat having to pull out my phone or fire up my browser and do it that way... [Edit: formatting]

d0gsg0w00f 2y ago
I love this idea.

NBJack 2y ago

Yes, the absolute deluge of options for price and shipping speed is one of my chief concerns as well, even outside of voice based orders. This plagues the web interface as well, requiring you to either try and refine via search options (not always available!) or basically doom scrolling. Even a simple sort option, like Ebay has had for years on price v distance, would be a welcome change. But it seems that, much like Google search and the glut of questionable sites gaming the system via SEO, I think Amazon too will always be fighting against sellers clamoring to be 'above the fold' of results.

sqeaky 2y ago

Put another way, I don't trust amazon to not screw me. Many people have concerns, some based in reality and some completely imagined, about Amazon and other large corporations trying to screw them for just a few more cents. Why would I give up what little control I have? Buying purely on voice commands is new and different. In an environment of trust that is novel and exciting. In an environment of fear or concern that is scary and burdensome. Why would I choose burdensome? They need more trust, which means being more trustworthy. That likely means losing some profits for consistency. They need a smooth voice purchasing experience and I have no clue what that means.

hinkley 2y ago

You also might get counterfeit Tide full of melamine or lead.

tracker1 2y ago

Exactly... I'll order an item a few times a few weeks apart... then the next time it's suddenly 50% higher priced. No real reason why. I've taken to actually ordering direct from a few different mfgs for a few things Amazon has had that local stores haven't simply because Amazon's pricing is sometimes unreasonable. That they outright lie about "retail" when doing sales is also offputting. The irony is I've started to appreciate Prime Video, and now they charge extra for that without commercials. It's infuriating all around. That doesn't even begin to cover counterfeit, expired or other problems on fulfillment such as saying it'll be there tomorrow until the order is placed and you get it 4 days later, or maybe not at all (lost?).

danudey 2y ago

Being in Canada makes Amazon seem entirely unhinged. I'll see something on Wirecutter or some other review site, click through to Amazon.com and see that it's only $64. Great. Switch to Amazon.ca and it's $350, presumably because of some bot that sees there's no one else selling it so it lists it for some huge price to take advantage of arbitrage. Some things will double in price, or just suddenly be out of stock for no apparent reason. They tried to push groceries but a case of Kraft Dinner came out to several dollars per box, compared to about $1.50 from my extremely expensive local grocery or half that from Costco. They never sold those dash buttons in Canada, but I can imagine pushing the button to get more tide pods and being irate when the cost was twice as much as it was last time.

xivzgrev 2y ago

This 100%. Their prices are generally too unstable to put anything on "ship & forget". There are some exceptions, like the items you subscribe to.