Ask Lemmy

Reminds me of a thread I saw here a while ago on "What if advertising were illegal?"

I've found the best method for reducing my need on Amazon is to just buy less crap. Online shopping is simple because you can get stuff immediately, but I don't think anybody "needs" 3-4 new products per week.

Aside from that, I try and support local: find local shops that sell items similar to my style, or trust word of mouth for online retailers that are good. At the end of the day, as long as you're buying good-quality stuff (which oddly seems to spend less on advertisements) it doesn't really matter where exactly you buy from, as it's all pretty similar in price / quality.

Easy ... we don't really have Amazon.

For my country there is a price comparison website at geizhals.at which is where I usually start. They also seem to be a thing for Germany, the UK, and Poland. Maybe there are similar services for other countries too?

I just go directly to the company's website and go from there. Usually it's the same price, on rare occasions it's a few dollars more but to me it's worth it not to do business with Amazon. I've passed up on buying things entirely because they were only available on Amazon.

In fact, over the last couple years I've been transitioning from buying online to buying from small-business brick and mortar stores. Sure it's less convenient but it's also less wasteful, it keeps resources within my local economy and I'm buying a lot less junk that I don't really need.

Aliexpress. It's the same shit.

I have a few specialty storefronts I'll go to for specific items.

Not perfect but if you can't get it from the company's website or at a local shop, try Target and Walmart they both offer free ship options too. Lastly, something like Google shopping sometimes works.

If you are using Amazon, you can look for products from small businesses. There are many that only sell on Amazon. At least your helping someone else at the same time.

Slickdeals!

I personally look to see if the company has their own storefront. And sometimes it pays off in unexpected ways.

For example I was in the market for a soldering iron. I found a solid Hakko one on Amazon, but I decided to check their site first and, lo and behold, they had the exact same one for sale for the exact same price. BUT I could choose what color I wanted; Amazon only had the standard blue/yellow, whereas they had two other color choices.
On top of that they included an extra goodie of my choosing, which I chose their coffee mug (I forget the other options).

So because I took the extra time to look around, I was able to get one in a color I preferred, got an extra item out of it, and cut out the unnecessary middle man. Win-win-win as they say.

Sometimes, though, it's just not possible. I was in the market for a triple monitor stand as I use a unique configuration (ultrawide as my main, with two regular widescreens side-by-side above it). The only viable stand I found was available either through Amazon or Walmart. They did not sell directly from their site. So I had to choose which devil I wanted to support.

If your search engine allows you to configure your results, you can set it to block any results from amazon.com. I use Kagi and have been pretty happy with that feature.

Search for real businesses that sell items near you or online. Also, eBay. It has a sort by distance option so you can see if there’s something near you for faster shipping. eBay is full of Amazon dropshippers so if there’s free expedited shipping and free returns and they have thousands of feedback, they may be a dropshipper.

I order directly from the companies or buy used off eBay, Craigslist, etc.

I will use suck duck go shopping and Google shopping to see other retailers I might not know about.

Google shopping has a function where you can look for items in stock in retail stores near you. That's helpful.

It isn't easy, but it's worth it. I find I'm calling a lot of local stores lately, because I hate shopping in person, and selections are limited. I find I am spending about 10% more per item on average, but I'm also buying fewer things in general. I'm still shopping at chains, like Microcenter, Staples, Dick's, and Lowes, but I'm trying to be intentional about going to local or thrift stores first.

I also shop on AliExpress more now, when I need some cheap garbage, but I'm trying to stop that, too.

Piracy.

As in, plunder the ships, get the booty (treasure).

yaRrr 🏴‍☠️

I'm something of a Captain Jack Sparrow myself.

Edit: Serious Answer:

Boston Harbor. Dump the entire warehouse into it.

Amazon used to not deliver in my country so we developed our own, with 24h free delivery, blackjack and hookers.

Now that Amazon figured out the custom taxes for us, it is too late as we have our own local alternative.

Somewhat depending on your country, local shops may have opened online storefronts during COVID. Them having a physical presence means their products tend to be decent quality (as most customers look at them physically before buying).

A lot of searching. Then I add good alternatives to a "buy Canadian" list I keep at Github. That makes it a lot easier the next time around.

I cut out Amazon completely after ordering from them four to five times a week. Heres how I did it:

1. Make a list (I use Google Keep) and see if you can get it locally or from thrift stores

(Many people who do buy from Amazon immediately donate it after they're done.)

2. If you can't find it used or local, use eBay! They have free shipping, an ethical CEO that doesn't make their employees piss into jars, and they are MUCH cheaper than Amazon 9/10 (not taking into account the prime membership).

3. Buy directly from the vendor and look for promo codes if 1 or 2 don't fit your lifestyle.

eBay

I like iherb.com for supplements, tea, olive oil, and castile soap. And whatever else you may find there amongst the strange assortment of things they carry. Other than that, I've been going right to manufacturers websites, except for mechanical keyboard stuff, where I search a whole bunch of different specialty vendor sites.

You could use Amazon as kind of a browser or search and then go directly to the brand's web site. Any particular thing you're looking for?

Go directly to the manufacturer isn't the bargain hunt, but it's the best option. Amazon won't even send you the right product occasionally. Even if you buy it from Amazon ultimately because the manufacturer uses them, they'll be alerted to the sale.