I decided that $140/yr to pretend I'm getting #free shipping is too much, and canceled my #Amazon #Prime subscription this year.
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I decided that $140/yr to pretend I'm getting #free shipping is too much, and canceled my #Amazon #Prime subscription this year. I have become repulsed by how it's become the "default" for #retail and everyone just lazily links to it for everything and lines #Bezos' pockets further for no apparent reason. Please help me form new #habits by suggesting alternative #retailers for various needs, and share this post for maximum insight from the community.
@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
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@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
@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!
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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.
@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.
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I decided that $140/yr to pretend I'm getting #free shipping is too much, and canceled my #Amazon #Prime subscription this year. I have become repulsed by how it's become the "default" for #retail and everyone just lazily links to it for everything and lines #Bezos' pockets further for no apparent reason. Please help me form new #habits by suggesting alternative #retailers for various needs, and share this post for maximum insight from the community.
@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. -
@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.
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.
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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.
@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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@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.
@timtfj @ThunderDohm @ishotjr That is trippy, I never heard of that happening.
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I decided that $140/yr to pretend I'm getting #free shipping is too much, and canceled my #Amazon #Prime subscription this year. I have become repulsed by how it's become the "default" for #retail and everyone just lazily links to it for everything and lines #Bezos' pockets further for no apparent reason. Please help me form new #habits by suggesting alternative #retailers for various needs, and share this post for maximum insight from the community.
@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. -
@timtfj @ThunderDohm @ishotjr That is trippy, I never heard of that happening.
@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.
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I decided that $140/yr to pretend I'm getting #free shipping is too much, and canceled my #Amazon #Prime subscription this year. I have become repulsed by how it's become the "default" for #retail and everyone just lazily links to it for everything and lines #Bezos' pockets further for no apparent reason. Please help me form new #habits by suggesting alternative #retailers for various needs, and share this post for maximum insight from the community.
@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!
