quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I’m a little surprised that so many here actually still willingly give Amazon money.

As I noted, above, Mark: Sometimes one has little choice. Where I have a workable choice I now go elsewhere-even if it means spending a bit more.

In some cases people are shopping at Amazon because they live far away from any choices at all. It's either Amazon, driving for hours, or doing without.

E.g.: Several supplements I use I now acquire from a nearby Vitamin Shoppe. But if I lived more than a half-hour or so away from it (it's about fifteen-twenty minutes) that would be a non-starter. Certainly were it an hour or more away.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

I quit Amazon altogether. I’m not giving those schmucks any more of my money. I’m a little surprised that so many here actually still willingly give Amazon money.

I live in a fairly well populated area (vicinity Orlando). There are many things that I can not find locally, and Amazon seems to be the best choice.

Example: something as simple as a Carhartt shirt in a TALL size. Local stores carry plenty of these shirts in regular sizes, but I have never found TALL in a local store. Same thing with jeans with 36" inseam. Just can not find them locally.

Bearings to repair our rental equipment. I buy them in packs of a dozen, or maybe fifty. If I take the time -- a lot of time -- to shop around, I might find them in onesies-twosies, but at five or ten times the cost of buying them at Amazon. Ebay maybe, but if something isn't right, returns are very simple at Amazon.

You know, you can buy Carhartt directly from their website. You don't have to use Amazon. Of course, Carhartt is on the boycott list too.

All vendors have some type of e-commerce

I get stuff shipped all the time despite no Amazon

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
All vendors have some type of e-commerce

True, but one thing Amazon still does better than anybody, IME, is returns. Most times: You don't like it, wasn't what you thought it was, it arrives damaged, just about whatever: You initiate a return, they send you to a printable return label, you box it up and slap the label on, drop it off at your nearest UPS drop-off, and done. I've usually seen my refund issued as soon as they see the UPS return scanned-in.

Mind you: I'm not advocating for shopping at Amazon. But it's hard to deny they have return policies and mechanisms superior to most.

You're right about returns.

Mrs. Flash wears a leg brace and her right shoe has to be a certain way for it to work right.

So, since she's starting with a new design brace, she knew the correct shoe would be one of 3 different sizes. She ordered 3 pair, one in each of those sizes and tried the brace with them.

One worked great, the other 2 not so great.

So I went into Amazon, clicked return, a screen came up with all the things I'd bought that were still eligible to return and I clicked the check box on 2 pairs of shoes and clicked okay.

This took me to another screen which offered a half a dozen places I could return them. I selected one a quarter mile away, another screen came up and I printed it.

Then I went down to the UPS store with 2 shoeboxes and one printed sheet of paper. Went in, gave them to the guy and I was out in less than a minute.

An hour later I got a notification on my cell that the money was refunded.

What could be easier?

I'm not even mad...a little sad but you knew it was going to happen. Just like 20.00 a box 9mm