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You do realize you're making this comment at a time where every major Amazon metric is pointing up? I'm not disputing how you feel about Amazon but it seems pre

You do realize you're making this comment at a time where every major Amazon metric is pointing up? I'm not disputing how you feel about Amazon but it seems pretty clear that you're the exception and not the rule. Amazon is currently firing on all cylinders and rather than making bad decisions over the years seems to be enjoying the benefit of making good decisions over the years.

brudgers 11y ago
Sure. There was a time when all indications were that McCaffee AntiVirus was a good idea too. It persisted after Microsoft released Security Essentials and Windows Defender and just last week I talked with someone who was thinking about switching to Mcaffee from Trend AntiVirus because their Windows box was having issues. My point is that once Amazon stopped focusing on growth via value for all customers, they may have mortgaged their future. A string of mediocre experiences outweighs a long run of positive ones over many many years. And Ebay, now my first choice long tail shopping stop, has gone the other direction. They've made the experience better and more straight forward and I don't find a $7.42 charge for shipping that should be $2.99 at most at the end of checkout because the shipping is listed right with the item. Or to put it another way, Ebay's business model isn't built around the idea of seeing if it can get away with something. The problem is when trying to get away with something gets baked into the algorithm, it's hard to take out of the company culture. Unlike Amazon, sometimes I drive past Walmart. I don't accidentally type "amazon" into my browser bar. So Walmart is more likely to get a second chance just due to physical precense. Amazon, has nothing but its name and it is organizing its business model toward download.com. Sucking is not a good long term business model.
- sokoloff 11y ago
  I find Amazon to be screwy less than 0.5% of the time. I have ordered 209, 223, 149, 127, 207, and 73 (YTD) physical items from Amazon in the years 2010-2015 and as far as I can tell, they're getting better, not worse. I ruthlessly use camelcamelcamel and place items in my cart saved-for-later when I care more about price than speed. Amazon gets maybe a 2% "leeway" for me, because I know I'll get great customer service if something turns up screwy with the order. I do agree that Ebay has really turned things around for the better starting about 18 months ago, and I find myself ordering a lot of items from Ebay that previously would have come from Amazon or AliExpress, especially inexpensive Chinese-sourced electronics components.

brudgers 11y ago

Sure. There was a time when all indications were that McCaffee AntiVirus was a good idea too. It persisted after Microsoft released Security Essentials and Windows Defender and just last week I talked with someone who was thinking about switching to Mcaffee from Trend AntiVirus because their Windows box was having issues. My point is that once Amazon stopped focusing on growth via value for all customers, they may have mortgaged their future. A string of mediocre experiences outweighs a long run of positive ones over many many years. And Ebay, now my first choice long tail shopping stop, has gone the other direction. They've made the experience better and more straight forward and I don't find a $7.42 charge for shipping that should be $2.99 at most at the end of checkout because the shipping is listed right with the item. Or to put it another way, Ebay's business model isn't built around the idea of seeing if it can get away with something. The problem is when trying to get away with something gets baked into the algorithm, it's hard to take out of the company culture. Unlike Amazon, sometimes I drive past Walmart. I don't accidentally type "amazon" into my browser bar. So Walmart is more likely to get a second chance just due to physical precense. Amazon, has nothing but its name and it is organizing its business model toward download.com. Sucking is not a good long term business model.

sokoloff 11y ago
I find Amazon to be screwy less than 0.5% of the time. I have ordered 209, 223, 149, 127, 207, and 73 (YTD) physical items from Amazon in the years 2010-2015 and as far as I can tell, they're getting better, not worse. I ruthlessly use camelcamelcamel and place items in my cart saved-for-later when I care more about price than speed. Amazon gets maybe a 2% "leeway" for me, because I know I'll get great customer service if something turns up screwy with the order. I do agree that Ebay has really turned things around for the better starting about 18 months ago, and I find myself ordering a lot of items from Ebay that previously would have come from Amazon or AliExpress, especially inexpensive Chinese-sourced electronics components.