Maybe it’s time to consider quitting!
  • The author canceled their Amazon Prime subscription on a whim and realized they didn’t really need it.
  • Leaving Prime meant slower shipping but the author was happy to wait and still found the selection and delivery speed satisfactory.
  • Many people love Prime for its fast shipping and convenience, but some readers expressed ambivalence and considered canceling.

Archive link: https://archive.ph/3M27c

  • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    6·
    9 months ago

    Buying anything on Amazon hardly seems viable anymore. There’s so much counterfeit crap there, and a million low-effort rebrandings of the same stuff you can get on AliExpress for cheaper.

    Shop local when you can, and at least shop not-Amazon for the rest.

    • SeaJ@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      9 months ago

      It’s getting to the point where even searching for specific products is almost pointless. I did a search for a specific phone model recently and the phone showed up as the fifth result after four prompted results and several ads. When it becomes a chore to even track down a very specific thing you want, why would I keep going back?

    • cm0002@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      9 months ago

      Shop local when you can

      Not sustainable for me, I price it from time to time and local stores are usually, at best, double what Amazon or even Walmart has it for and that’s if the local store even has what I’m looking for to begin with

      So my choices are Amazon or Walmart (or similar big name stores) and going to Walmart…yea fuck that it’s a last resort for everything but groceries…

      There’s so much counterfeit crap there, and a million low-effort rebrandings of the same stuff you can get on AliExpress for cheaper.

      I keep seeing this over and over, but I order a lot off Amazon and I’ve never had a problem with it. Don’t know if I’m just incredibly lucky or what, but the only times I get counterfeit / cheap Chinese crap is when I order it on purpose.

      Ofc, those things I can just get off AliExpress too and sometimes I do when I don’t mind waiting which is the biggest issue with AliExpress, the waiting

      I, and probably millions of others, are shopping where the best price/value is and nothing else because we can’t afford not to. I wouldn’t mind shopping locally owned and paying the premium…if I could afford it. Stop pushing for expensive alternatives people can’t afford and push for regulations instead.

      • PlantObserver@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        9 months ago

        Ya simple solution: don’t buy no-name chinesium crap regardless of the storefront and you won’t be disappointed

      • dogslayeggs@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        9 months ago

        If I see something on Amazon that I want, I just go to the manufacturer’s website and order it directly from them. If they don’t have a site that sells it, then I try other online stores besides Amazon. If they only sell on Amazon, then I decide I just don’t need it.

        • Itsamelemmy@lemmy.zipEnglish
          01·
          9 months ago

          Except a lot of times it’s cheaper on Amazon, with faster shipping, even without prime. Most recent example I ran into.

          $75 direct

          $65 Amazon

      • _number8_@lemmy.worldEnglish
        01·
        9 months ago

        damn right

        every time i’ve intentionally picked the ASNDSZYY brand i’ve been disappointed in the thing and in myself. now i’d rather just spend up front for something actually good rather than waste time and effort going back and forth returning things

      • Magrath@lemmy.caEnglish
        01·
        9 months ago

        I think people who see countfeit stuff don’t know what they are buying before they go on Amazon and order from Chinese brands. I know what I’m going to buy before I go on Amazon so I never have the issue. I just use it to check prices and buy if it’s a good enough discount.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
      11·
      9 months ago

      Shop local when you can,

      So local strangers working to support some local guy’s Maui beach house need our support instead of local strangers working to support some faraway guy’s Maui Beach House?

      It’s all local business when their main cost is the employment of locals. Don’t be a snob.

      • brbposting@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        Anybody know more about this?:

        I’ve heard the following sentiment & a similar stat over the years:

        When you spend money locally, those dollars don’t just evaporate to some corporate headquarters across the country or around the world. Instead, they tend to stay in the community, where they’re reinvested between three and six more times. When consumers spend $100 at a chain store, only $13 stays in the local community, on average. At a local business, that number rises to a healthier $48.

        I can imagine a local shop owner sponsoring the local little league team… and I know the average hole-in-the-wall donut or phở restaurant owner won’t have a beach home, and I like they have the potential to make a decent bit of dough without college degrees… but perhaps somebody’s actually analyzed this?