AIBU to please ask you not to plough even more money into Amazon over this lockdown?

[schitter]

I know, it's cheap and easy.
I know you probably need to find the lowest price you can.
I know it being delivered straight to your door is win win on non essential trips out.

But pleeeasssssse let's not make the richest man in the world any richer than he is already if you have any other option.
Even shopping online with the big high street retailers is better than lining JBs pockets.
Look at those little individual eBay shops that'll no doubt have exactly what you're looking for and you only have to wait a couple of days extra, it's not the end of the world.

Please look around you, please look what else is available.
Lots of your local shops have diversified into offering home delivery because their livelihoods depend on it.

My livelihood depends on it! My little business did 3% (yes, three percent) of its usual sales in April. I permanently laid off 4 staff and haven't made a penny personally since.
I feel sick at the thought.

Its quite routine for LA to offer inventive to employers to locate to their area
Arsenal FC
Tottenham FC
Ikea
BBC
Tech companies
Industrial companies

Amazon are not only company getting a financial incentive to locate their business in a LA Catchment

@notalwaysalondoner

How does one differentiate on amazon between small businesses that are using it as a platform and the amazon behemoth?

There should be an option on the vast majority of items (other than those that are Amazon only, which is hardly anything) for you to view available offers. Amazon are not always the cheapest, but will often give themselves the 'buy box', which means if you click 'buy now' you buy from them.

You've most likely bought from small businesses lots of times, if you don't check, as Amazon don't sell everything themselves that their website offers.

There should be something similar to '38 offers from £23.24' somewhere on the page, and if you click this, you'll see what there is. Then you can choose not to buy from Amazon.

If you're particularly concerned about helping small businesses, you could also choose to avoid sellers with thousands of reviews. If it says 'fulfilled by Amazon' your item will be dealt with and checked by Amazon, so even a seller using that service with no reviews is no risk, and you still get Prime delivery.

When you don't have time to look at tens of possible websites, then compare prices, delivery charges, return policies, etc. Amazon is a lifesaver.

Blueberries, amazon operate with the legal framework. Tax laws and corporation taxes haven’t kept up with change in online commerce

The ignorance here is unbelievable... You dont pay more for the products when you buy from Local Shops , you pay the fair price because it includes tax while Amazon dont pay...

Dont worry OP we got your back, I pledged to shop from small businesses this year (especially since first lockdown and xmas too. Loads of other people does that too.

YANBU: Amazon are frequently not even the cheapest place to buy things. I saved nearly a tenner buying my cast iron welly stand direct from the supplier rather than using Amazon and it was delivered amazingly quickly for free (it's also available from 3rd party resellers for nearly twice the price )

For books I look at bookfinder.com to see where's cheapest - lately it's been Blackwells or Foyles, but I also look at hive.co.uk (and route my visit via Quidco)

I get why people want to feel assured that they've got a good price, it's just that Amazon often isn't the cheapest place, and I don't think it's in our interests as consumers to let them continue to wipe out their competition, particularly when their model isn't exactly ethical

@ApplePlumPie

As for the areas where Amazon provide a lot of local employment, you do realise that your local authority probably paid £000s in infrastructure projects to get Amazon to come to the area?

Genuinely don’t see the problem with this ? Everywhere near where I live is crying out for infrastructure projects ! (Oh and yes Amazon is a huge employer near to me)

Ots the same here in the States. Peeples consider ot a win -win. Better infrastructure and desperately needed jobs.

I don’t think there is any ignorance going in, it’s a savvy why pay more when I can pay less transaction
People can and do pay more by choice and that’s up to them
But shopping about comparing prices and paying less is simply sense

Papoy: The ignorance here is unbelievable... You dont pay more for the products when you buy from Local Shops , you pay the fair price because it includes tax while Amazon dont pay

How dare you call people who are watching their pennies ignorant for wanting something cheaper!!
Until you are living on the wage/benefits of others, wind your neck in.

The halo polishers always rock up,well I pay more As if they’re expecting applause
Well done you, for paying more, and loudly braying about it. Whilst berating other folk for their ignorance

@Arborea

YANBU: Amazon are frequently not even the cheapest place to buy things. I saved nearly a tenner buying my cast iron welly stand direct from the supplier rather than using Amazon and it was delivered amazingly quickly for free (it's also available from 3rd party resellers for nearly twice the price )

For books I look at bookfinder.com to see where's cheapest - lately it's been Blackwells or Foyles, but I also look at hive.co.uk (and route my visit via Quidco)

I get why people want to feel assured that they've got a good price, it's just that Amazon often isn't the cheapest place, and I don't think it's in our interests as consumers to let them continue to wipe out their competition, particularly when their model isn't exactly ethical

Its not about the cheapest price. Its about the convenience

YABU.

Amazon were a lifesaver in April when I was self isolating, couldn't get delivery slots elsewhere or go to the shops.

Their speed, reliability and no quibble returns are second to none.

My hairdresser sells Davine’s shampoo @£20for 250ml bottle. I can buy 1 Litre on amazon for £40.0

Launched today

You sell something that can be delivered. In what way is it not compatible with amazon.?
I like amazon
They keep a lot of people round here in jobs with deliveries and if there's a problem they refund without hesitation
My Christmas shopping this year is a mixture of local businesses and amazon

@Papoy

The ignorance here is unbelievable... You dont pay more for the products when you buy from Local Shops , you pay the fair price because it includes tax while Amazon dont pay...

Dont worry OP we got your back, I pledged to shop from small businesses this year (especially since first lockdown and xmas too. Loads of other people does that too.

Ignorance is not the problem here though, the folks that I'm referring to aren't buying candles from boutiques , they are living hand to mouth but still need essentials. I for one don't usually travel to famine ravaged places to lecture people about eating ethically .

Launched today to support local bookshops online as an alternative to Amazon
uk.bookshop.org

A mumsnet x'mas market would be a great idea @Covidasaurus I would definately have a look.

@dopenguinsdance

Launched today to support local bookshops online as an alternative to Amazon uk.bookshop.org

I think a few people have missed my earlier post regarding this. My local bookseller is totally against Bookshop and says they will damage indies in the long run.

Ok so I recently bought where the crawdads sing amazon £5.99 NDD
From bookshop it’s £8.36 and I don’t know the delivery cost
Why would I pay £2.36 more?

I think you can find a happy medium, personally. I have subscribe and save for items on amazon, things like bin bags (we have a simple human bin so have special bags ). Things I won’t remember to buy but cause a headache when you don’t have them in. I’ve also sent a Christmas gift from amazon from a small business, one that I’ve not come across before. The other half of that Christmas gift came from an independent store near us. I’ve supported a number of independent businesses for years but especially during lockdown but I also recognise the importance of any big employer (Tesco, amazon, chain restaurants) in keeping people employed. It’s about balance.

I use amazon as a shopping list and increasingly find stuff in real shops cheaper and better quality. I much prefer real shopping .

We don't have a regular postie and often we end up only having one/two deliveries a week if noone wants to do overtime. This has been happening for literally years because our part of town is a MASSIVE round (god knows why they don't break it up. Most people who start it as a regular round stop within the same week. The man who ends up doing it most often tells us it's a 27000 step round according to his fitbit .

Because of this and also being a shielding family who at the height of lockdown was only allowed to "open a window" and not 'allowed' face to face contact with people having Amazon deliver meant that we actually got what we needed, that we managed to get some food/treats that we wouldn't and they were able to leave it in our enclosed porch without us having to see them (whereas most posties covering the round ignored the note on our door and knocked like they wanted to come in through the glass and insisted on always pushing the post that wouldn't come through the door at us and grunting before carrying onto next door.

I hope the people who want rock bottom prices realise what will happen once the monopoly gets to a certain point... also hope they're cool with the rest of us wanting rock bottom costs on everything, including the jobs they do. And that includes white collar jobs.

I agree with this so much. I'm not immune to amazon and won't pretend I don't use occasionally but everything I buy I try to make a conscious decision where possible to use the high street or an English business' website.