I decided that $140/yr to pretend I'm getting #free shipping is too much, and canceled my #Amazon #Prime subscription this year.

ishotjr@39C3 ✨💙✨💗✨

@kathimmel yes, doing this right now at the #AnnArbor #FarmersMarket!

Verge

@ishotjr i find it shocking how much i can get used from folks on the secondhand sites here. even little electronic things that most would reflexively order online. im getting some dinky aquarium lights that would have been 15 or more on amazon for 5 each from someone who ordered, tried them, and didnt like them. i do find i need to be a bit flexible, sometimes exact matches arent available, but its worth it

Finitum

@ishotjr similarly was spending $$$$ on amzn, got tired of the shittiness of it- ads in video, music products purposefully made worse, etc.
A lot less spontaneous spending happens, local bookstores absorbed book spending, target/costco absorbed some regular bulk purchases, Ace for home /hardware stuff, newegg/best buy for electronics/appliances, & local stores for gifts.
2 years in, not missing it & clear conscience not propping up just another website that treats its users with contempt.

Suzanne Aldrich (she/her)

@ishotjr me too. I cancelled.

Ozzie D, NP-hard :bikepump: :vegan:

@ishotjr @lydiaconwell have you been by Computer Alley? Sadly, the nearest MicroCenter (my local go-to) is in Madison Heights.

Raymond Russell

@ishotjr
I don't buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. Maybe half a dozen things per year and don't pay any shipping with this sort of "hack".
This works in the UK so I am not sure about elsewhere.
I know you are trying to stop Amazon but just in case there is the very occasional item that you have trouble getting elsewhere and you don't want to stump up extra for shipping.
If you can get the item delivered to Post Office then at the point you chose delivery there is usually an economy (free) option.

it's kat! 🇵🇸✊

@ishotjr sound!

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@ishotjr The best alternative I've found is eBay. Often, not always, has the same stuff. Often, not always has the same prices by the time shipping is added in. I quite Prime years ago. I do not miss it.

ratfactor

@ishotjr Yes!!!

* Bookshop.org for new books
* Biblio.com for used books (Amazon owns Abe, BTW)
* Bandcamp for music
* Lowes and Ace for hardware supplies (was very impressed with Lowes delivery)
* Microcenter for electronics (they ship!)
* Knifecenter for knives and flashlights (including kitchen knives and a few tools)
* Ebay or local stores for everything else

I cancelled my Amazon account last year, so I'm 100% cold-turkey and have zero regrets.

Elena ``of Valhalla''

@ishotjr where in the world?

I have a list of small shops that somebody in my group of friends have bought from, with various kind of products, but they are (by design) all in the EU

brick-mortar-and-web.lw.trueel…

ishotjr@39C3 ✨💙✨💗✨

@valhalla Ann Arbor, MI, USA; but happy to take any recommendations, since I travel a lot and wouldn't mind ending up with a wide-ranging compendium!

Joe Dohm (he/him)

@Methylcobalamin @ishotjr I do this, but Amazon drop shippers and a problem. I also worry that this just creates distributed harm instead of concentrated harm.

australopithecus

@ishotjr
One useful trick, especially while you're getting used to the transition: look up items on Amazon, and then go to the manufacturer's website and see if you can buy it directly.

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@ThunderDohm @ishotjr

I don't understand this sentence ( the writing
" I do this, but Amazon drop shippers and a problem."

I don't understand this sentence ( conceptually )

"I also worry that this just creates distributed harm instead of concentrated harm"

My guess is that you meant many eBay sellers act just as bad as Amazon?

Possibly environmentally. I don't see eBay sellers acting as bad politically as Amazon.

Tim J

@Methylcobalamin @ThunderDohm @ishotjr My wild guess: "and" is a typo for "are", and it's the situation where you buy something on eBay but the item then arrives from Amazon? That's happened to me more than once.

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@timtfj @ThunderDohm @ishotjr That is trippy, I never heard of that happening.

Sieva 🚴🚇🏙️🌹

@ishotjr I made that switch a few years ago under a general “things don't have to be 100% convenient” rule.
I try to go to physical stores as much as possible. If I want something specific like electronics or camping gear I can typically buy it from the company's website. To avoid expensive delivery or import fees I check local suppliers. For random niche bits or something that is overpriced in NA, I go to Aliexpress.

Tim J

@Methylcobalamin @ThunderDohm @ishotjr I think they're either using Amazon as a delivery service (not sure how that works) or selling stuff from Amazon at a profit—the last time it happened, the Amazon paperwork concealed the price, as though I'd been sent a "gift" of the thing I'd bought on eBay. I didn't buy from that seller again.

Jeri Dansky

@ishotjr Some of the places I've bought from online and been quite happy with:

toilet paper and paper towels: https://us.whogivesacrap.org

spices: https://www.penzeys.com

Clothes and bedding — given to my adopted seniors at the holidays, but the items looked very nice: https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/

Water bottles, should you ever be in need: https://www.stanley1913.com/products/the-iceflow-flip-straw-tumbler-30-oz

You may already have favorite brands for these items:

suntan lotion: https://www.mychelle.com/collections/sun-care/products/sun-shield-spf-28-unscented-1?variant=44166072959175

hand and body lotions; shower gels: https://shikai.com/

And also Zingerman's, but given you're in Ann Arbor you don't need to get that online!