Mildly Infuriating

I use google. All it does is shove products at you anymore, so you might as well take advantage of that and use the search function that works far better than Amazon’s. All the Amazon sold products will show up in the google search anyway. Unfortunately, google’s modifiers are essentially worthless (like if you put -“amazon.com” or whatever to avoid amazon items) so it’s pretty hard to filter stuff, but at least Google casts a wider net so you might find better products or deals. Amazon does not always have the better price.

If you see a particular item in the google search that is what you’re looking for you can plug that specific brand and item name in amazon’s search and see if they even carry it. Sometimes they don’t, but that will help skip past Amazon’s shitty algorithm that forces items they want you to buy like made-for-Amazon crap vs what might actually be a better product.

Order it right from the widget maker directly if you can and skip amazon.

Yeah it's pretty trash, and I've found that if I buy direct from the manufacturer website for 99% of stuff I'll actually save $5-10, including shipping

In Germany, and by extension the EU, we have a website called "geizhals", which basically translates to "penny-pincher".

It is an insanly good tool to find the specific item you're looking for and where to buy it for the least amount of money. Its got a pretty robust search, and some of the most comprehensive filters I've ever seen. When I cant find what I'm looking for using Amazons search, which is nearly always, I use their site instead.

Only real downside (for me) is when stuff isn't listed on there. They probably collect data and stuff, but they also provide a useful service in return.

While writing this I have also noticed that they offer the same thing called "skintflint" for the UK. Maybe something similar exists for ppl. in the U.S. ?

can't say I've experienced this exactly but I feel ya in spirit o7

What annoys me about Amazon search is it doesn’t listen to my search, and it doesn’t allow qualifiers such as minus sign. Most other searches listen to minus sign as excluding that word from search.

Example: metal cup -plastic -mug -jug

I search for a metal cup, but I do not want plastic, and not a mug or jug.

The product you actually want:

• Out of Stock -

• Doesn't qualify for Prime Shipping -

• Doesn't have the best Shipping/Price options -

• Unavailable -

• "We do not know when this item will be restocked!" -

I boycot Amazon because that company is fucking evil.

Unless you bought something, then you get the exact item in your ads too. Because hey, we know you liked that book! Why don't you want another copy of it, uh?

Amazon is just speedy AliExpress. Sellers use all kinds of key words so they pop up in the search, and they'll use different words for the same drop-shipped item that a dozen other sellers have. The sizes are all different because they're from varying shops and countries, quality is always questionable, and some are just scams (shout out to that 2tb hardrive I got a few years back that was just coded to read that when plugged in). You can't trust the reviews, as they're likely bought, bots, or both.

Looking for a product is low key exhausting, especially if it's important. You have to check videos, reviews, reddit, lemmy, Twitter, so you can get a variety of responses since the first 5 are alway "wow, my life has been changed by the DooDoo dome 1500.“

Also you have automatically been signed up and charged for Prime.

kNN was a precursor to AI and is just as much slop.

Amazon search was never good, but it was not a problem before it got flooded with cheap Chinese crap.

The cheap Chinese crap makes Amazon worse, which results in loss of customers, which frightens the Shareholders (line has to go up), to increase the profit the management milks their cash cow (AKA cheap Chinese crap sellers) so more Chinese crap is in the site. The circle of life.