4 ms·

Stories like this are why I reduce my usage of Amazon (which is basically becoming "American AliExpress") further and further.

FredPret 2y ago
AliExpress has all the same cheap crap as Amazon, except cheaper. It's a great pity Audible is under the Amazon umbrella because I'm hooked on that.
- amatecha 2y ago
  That's what I mean! These days you browse Amazon and it's just a bunch of the same stuff you can get on AliExpress, but with a massive markup.
- layer8 2y ago
  There are alternatives to Audible. I have been using AudiobookStore.com. There’s also Libby and others.
- brunoarueira 2y ago
  Yeah, buy from AliExpress is good if you search right! Many things from there are crap, indeed, but many others are pretty good!
- smsm42 2y ago
  Makes sense. We despise Amazon for their abusing people, so instead we choose to buy from... The Chinese Communist Party!
  - FredPret 2y ago
    Amazon’s products are sourced from there anyway. Next time you buy something on Amazon, search it on AliExpress. You’ll likely find the same thing for 0.1x the price, but with a long lead time and minimum order quantity.
    - smsm42 2y ago
      Some are, sure. And if you prefer Ali because it's cheaper, sure, why not. But if you plan to make a grand stance about how you're making a moral choice against Amazon, Ali, owned by the CCP member, does not exactly fit the mold of better moral replacement.
kwhitefoot 2y ago
Why reduce? Why not stop buying from Amazon altogether? I haven't bought anything from them for over a decade and have no plans to ever buy from them again.
- amatecha 2y ago
  There is a balance to be found in life, like, "I am leaving for a trip in 2 days and just realized this obscure but important item we forgot is not available in any local store but I can get it tomorrow from Amazon just in time" and that singular moment having an infinitesimal effect on Amazon's bottom line. The power held by such a monopolistic entity is not felled by one guy boycotting them. I cannot topple the deeply-interwoven tendrils of capitalism by changing from Amazon to another multinational corporation that has taken over my city, so, yeah if I buy something every so often in a moment of need, that seems pretty reasonable to me.

FredPret 2y ago

AliExpress has all the same cheap crap as Amazon, except cheaper. It's a great pity Audible is under the Amazon umbrella because I'm hooked on that.

amatecha 2y ago
That's what I mean! These days you browse Amazon and it's just a bunch of the same stuff you can get on AliExpress, but with a massive markup.
layer8 2y ago
There are alternatives to Audible. I have been using AudiobookStore.com. There’s also Libby and others.
brunoarueira 2y ago
Yeah, buy from AliExpress is good if you search right! Many things from there are crap, indeed, but many others are pretty good!
smsm42 2y ago
Makes sense. We despise Amazon for their abusing people, so instead we choose to buy from... The Chinese Communist Party!
- FredPret 2y ago
  Amazon’s products are sourced from there anyway. Next time you buy something on Amazon, search it on AliExpress. You’ll likely find the same thing for 0.1x the price, but with a long lead time and minimum order quantity.
  - smsm42 2y ago
    Some are, sure. And if you prefer Ali because it's cheaper, sure, why not. But if you plan to make a grand stance about how you're making a moral choice against Amazon, Ali, owned by the CCP member, does not exactly fit the mold of better moral replacement.

kwhitefoot 2y ago

Why reduce? Why not stop buying from Amazon altogether? I haven't bought anything from them for over a decade and have no plans to ever buy from them again.

amatecha 2y ago
There is a balance to be found in life, like, "I am leaving for a trip in 2 days and just realized this obscure but important item we forgot is not available in any local store but I can get it tomorrow from Amazon just in time" and that singular moment having an infinitesimal effect on Amazon's bottom line. The power held by such a monopolistic entity is not felled by one guy boycotting them. I cannot topple the deeply-interwoven tendrils of capitalism by changing from Amazon to another multinational corporation that has taken over my city, so, yeah if I buy something every so often in a moment of need, that seems pretty reasonable to me.