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18 votes
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Amazon moves closer to drone delivery with US FAA approval
4 votes -
Multiple court rulings have found Amazon responsible for defects in products sold by third-party merchants
6 votes -
Six former eBay executives and employees charged with aggressive cyberstalking campaign targeting a couple who published an online newsletter critical of the company
23 votes -
Amazon liable for defective third-party products rules CA Appellate Court
6 votes -
Shopping addiction and COVID: The Amazon addicts of quarantine
11 votes -
"Knowing it could kill you isn’t a deterrent": The deadly trade in diet pills
6 votes -
eBay is reportedly getting close to a deal to sell its classified-ads business to Adevinta, a Norwegian company that runs online marketplaces
6 votes -
A personal account of a fake Amazon reviewer
15 votes -
Walmart+, an Amazon Prime competitor, launches in July
16 votes -
Thinking about opening a web store, looking for advice
I am mulling over starting a side business that would involve selling physical products. I would like to set up a web store for this, but want to keep the amount of web development I have to do to...
I am mulling over starting a side business that would involve selling physical products. I would like to set up a web store for this, but want to keep the amount of web development I have to do to a minimum. I would also not like to invade my customers' and potential customers' privacy. Can anyone recommend a way to approach this? I'm a software developer, but don't do much web development and don't really want to do development for this project beyond just getting the site up and running. What options exist for setting up a simple web store?
I've done a search and see things like Shopify. I've heard of them and get the impression they're reputable, but other items in my search seemed kind of scammy. Are there things I should look out for in this space?
8 votes -
How lockdown is changing shopping for good
8 votes -
Inside the weird, get-rich-quick world of dropshipping
18 votes -
I think I'm done with Amazon. Recommend me some alternative storefronts.
This story was basically the last straw, but the bigger frustration is that I ordered a NAS on Black Friday that STILL hasn't shipped. I have zero trust in this company to actually deliver me what...
This story was basically the last straw, but the bigger frustration is that I ordered a NAS on Black Friday that STILL hasn't shipped. I have zero trust in this company to actually deliver me what they claim to be anymore, and their listings are crap.
So instead of just spending my time whining (like the Ars comment section seems to be), I'd like to brainstorm alternative places to buy stuff. The main problem is breaking the Amazon habit, especially as it dominates all Google results for whatever you're looking for.
Nothing will ever be as much of a "one stop shop" as the A->Z store, naturally. But I think I'll just set myself up some bookmarks and go to one based on what I'm looking for. Also, while I get that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, there is definitely a sliding scale of better and worse so that should weigh into things.
So let's go by category. I'm just listing out places where I've started to look for things instead. Please feel free to make suggestions. Whatever people recommend, I'll edit back into this list. If you include any general comments about what you like or what they could do better on any of your recommendations or any of mine let me know.
Groceries (Dry goods and sundries)
- Target.com
- Jet.com
- WalMart.com
- CostCo
- Chewy.com: For dog/pet supplies
Groceries (Fresh/perishable and specialty foods)
- Peapod (is this still a thing? Has anyone used it?)
Electronics
- BestBuy.com
- WalMart.com
- Target.com
- Drop.com: Unfortunately, it's whatever happens to be a deal at the time. So good to check in on and get alerts if there is something you're waiting for but not reliable.
- TechnaBob: Same as Drop
- NewEgg: Obviously
- Monoprice: For cables and other staples.
Clothes (basics like socks, t-shirts, underwear, etc.)
Clothes (designer)
- Gilt.com is basically for overstock and weird fashion items. Sometimes there are good finds there though, particularly good deals on designer versions of basics.
Random stuff (specifically random "flea market" type sites)
- Meh.com
- Etsy (for handicrafts and consignment/antiques, although this is also starting to get lousy with shitty knockoffs)
- eBay (can be pretty dodgy, once again crappy knockoff scammers ruin everything)
- CraigsList (if you're okay with used)
Other (specialty sites for very specific things)
- Drop: For stuff in drop communities. Currently they have a very active one for mechanical keyboards along with audiophile gear, writing/stationary, EDC, and random tech.
- The Clymb: A deal site for camping clothes and outdoor gear
- REI.com: More outdoors gear
36 votes -
Amazon predicts shrinking profit on pandemic expenses
7 votes -
The anti-Amazon alliance
6 votes -
How to encourage clicks without the shady tricks
3 votes -
Amazon threatens to suspend French deliveries after court order
5 votes -
Amazon warehouse warned staff not to touch shipments for twenty-four hours
9 votes -
Amazon workers to strike at New York site on virus concerns
9 votes -
Don’t panic about shopping, getting delivery or accepting packages
9 votes -
Amazon Prime delivery delays are now as long as a month
11 votes -
Amazon suspends all warehouse shipments except medical supplies and ‘high-demand’ products until April 5th
14 votes -
Amazon is suspending all shipments other than medical supplies and household staples to its warehouses
8 votes -
Amazon ramps hiring, opening 100,000 new roles to support people relying on Amazon’s service
7 votes -
Amazon glitch stymies Whole Foods, fresh grocery deliveries
7 votes -
Coronavirus books plagiarized from news outlets dominate Amazon search results
6 votes -
Why Amazon knows so much about you
18 votes -
Local bookstores have a new weapon in the fight with Amazon
22 votes -
Brandless shuts down operations, becoming SoftBank Vision Fund's first failure
8 votes -
Don't trust online reviews (personal anecdote)
I recently bought a product online. I wasn't able to find it in a bricks-and-mortar shop, so I had to buy it online to even see it, let alone try it. I received it, and it wasn't right for me. I...
I recently bought a product online. I wasn't able to find it in a bricks-and-mortar shop, so I had to buy it online to even see it, let alone try it. I received it, and it wasn't right for me. I was able to exchange it for a different version, but even the different version wasn't right. So I returned the product and got a refund. All along, the customer service was excellent, but the product itself turned out not to be what I wanted.
The way the product failed for me was connected to the "headline" description of the product. It wasn't a minor failure. It did something that they explicitly said it wouldn't do, which was one of the main selling features of the product.
After the dust settled, I wrote a review of the product. I don't normally do this: I neither write nor read reviews. However, I know that other people do rely on reviews and, seeing as this product is only available online, and its failure was linked to a major selling feature of the product, I felt duty-bound to inform other prospective buyers that it might not suit some people. I gave it a 2-star (out of 5) rating, as well as writing up why it didn't suit me (while allowing that it might still suit other people).
Since I submitted the review, I have checked the website (I'm an egotist: I wanted to see my words being published!). Other reviews with more recent timestamps have appeared, but my review has not appeared. I've now noticed that the lowest rating in their reviews is a single 3-star rating, with some 4-star reviews and lots of 5-star reviews. There are no 2-star or 1-star reviews. My only conclusion is that the company selects which reviews to publish - and which ones not to publish.
I've always wondered if companies would post negative reviews of their own products. Now I know for sure that at least one company does not.
18 votes -
People in Canada’s remote Arctic capital are obsessed with Amazon Prime
6 votes -
Running the numbers to figure out Amazon's market share: it has about 35% of US ecommerce, but closer to 6% of addressable retail overall
5 votes -
Amazon doesn’t report its warehouse injury rates — but we have an inside look
13 votes -
IKEA's profits have fallen nearly 10% as the world's largest furniture retailer stepped up its spending on renewable energy and its growing online operation
14 votes -
Behind the Smiles - Amazon’s internal injury records expose the true toll of its relentless drive for speed
8 votes -
Profile of a fake Amazon reviewer, who has received over $15,000 of products for free in exchange for posting five-star reviews
17 votes -
America’s Orthodox Jews are selling a ton of the products you buy on Amazon
11 votes -
Jeff Bezos’s master plan - What the Amazon founder and CEO wants for his empire and himself, and what that means for the rest of us
16 votes -
Digital transformation is occurring at varying rates and inadvertently creating a new kind of digital divide in cross-border e-commerce
3 votes -
Amazon changed its search system to boost more-profitable listings, including its own brands
19 votes -
The deadly race: How Amazon hooked America on fast delivery while avoiding responsibility for crashes
12 votes -
The people who built Etsy dreamed of remaking commerce with their bare hands. Fifteen years later, its sellers are being asked to compete with Amazon.
11 votes -
Amazon has ceded control of its site to third-party sellers. The result: thousands of banned, unsafe or mislabeled products
14 votes -
What does Amazon's "Top Brand" badge actually mean?
7 votes -
Up to 40% of retail stores in Finland could go bust by 2030 – competition from online retailers will bring major upheaval
7 votes -
In the flesh: Online brands promise an escape from the conventional logic of consumerism — until they open physical stores
8 votes -
The ‘Amazon of Africa’ faces a big challenge: No addresses
10 votes -
Forever 21 under fire for including Atkins Diet bars with orders
11 votes -
EU opens Amazon antitrust investigation
8 votes