I tried to quit shopping from Amazon, and I did find alternatives. But, where do you buy your electronics from? a TV, a GPU, a monitor? What's their return policy?
Amazon is 12 month 0% APR installments on anything >$50, 5% cash back on everything else, no questions asked drop-off at Whole Foods/UPS returns/pickups. Your money is back in your pocket that day.
I tried Best Buy, NewEgg, and eBay. NewEgg, you'd think, would be better. But their return policy is non-existent compared to the convenience Amazon provides.
I think how I feel Amazon.com has degraded is that they've made it so smooth to shop that I end up buying things I don't need. It feels like the site has spliced itself into my "oh yeah I can solve that" internal loop and makes me spend $30 on some crappy (cheap) solution and before I know it it's on my doorstep.
Big-ticket items are easily bought directly from the brands.
I had the choice of buying my 65" LG from Amazon, sure, I have an account already. But someone (Reddit?) suggested to buy directly from LG to make sure you get a factory-fresh box. Seeing all the Amazon shenanigans, it was an easy decision. 10 minutes and I checked out the new TV from LG directly.
I buy small household items from Amazon, floor wipe refills, batteries - and these are not at risk of being scammy products in the first place, unless someone is a total dolt.
As for return policies - that's just a matter of doing your homework. I don't think I ever returned anything to Amazon.
Some Americans might not realize that in other countries with Costco you cannot get a membership unless you are in a certain profession (i.e., teacher) or circumstance.
> But, where do you buy your electronics from? a TV, a GPU, a monitor? What's their return policy?
That seems so strange to me. Here in Germany we have countless electronics shops that have better (as in cleaner, well categorized) inventory as well as better prices than Amazon. Amazon can work quite well for these devices but it's just one of many options. Not using something like Geizhals to compare prices very likely results in overpaying.
And of course, a minimum return policy of 14 days is set via european legislation for all shops.
In London I’ll just go into town and do high street shopping the old fashioned way. For anything too big or unwieldy then John Lewis is a safe bet and their return policy is great. In some cases I’ll just go direct to the brand or some other company I know has a good rep (like Scan for computer parts). For books I’ll browse a local book shop or Waterstones and if I leave empty handed then bookshop.org is my online backup.
The last few times I tried to buy anything expensive from Amazon, the item I received was faulty and I ended up just sending it back and buying a replacement direct from the retailer. I also don’t care at all about next day delivery since if I need something so urgently I can just go out and find it myself.
Any other online store without 3rd party resellers? Over here for computer parts I use mostly use Megekko, Alternate and Azerty. For batteries it is Replacedirect. For printer supplies it is 123Inkt. I can't imagine other regions not having similar options.
These days I avoid 'market' places like Amazon and Bol like the plague as I've been bitten too many times.
Amazon is 12 month 0% APR installments on anything >$50, 5% cash back on everything else, no questions asked drop-off at Whole Foods/UPS returns/pickups. Your money is back in your pocket that day.
I tried Best Buy, NewEgg, and eBay. NewEgg, you'd think, would be better. But their return policy is non-existent compared to the convenience Amazon provides.
I think how I feel Amazon.com has degraded is that they've made it so smooth to shop that I end up buying things I don't need. It feels like the site has spliced itself into my "oh yeah I can solve that" internal loop and makes me spend $30 on some crappy (cheap) solution and before I know it it's on my doorstep.