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.

I do buy my books through other sources - secondhand from Abe books for example ( or I borrow from the library ) but I have to be honest - Amazon have become so successful because they’re really, really good at what they do. I’ve had orders from Etsy and Abe books take up to 2 weeks to arrive. They can also add prohibitively expensive postage costs on. I can see why people would prefer to stick with a reliable supplier - even if they’re not always the cheapest option.

I know what you are saying, and honestly, I try. But I’ve been screwed over by several small businesses over the last 9 months, and had several others not answer simple questions like ‘can you tell me what X is made of’ so sometimes it’s easier, and feels safer to just say ‘fuck it, I’ll get it from Amazon

A PP suggested we should buy books at Waterstones. That would be nice except when I e-mailed my local store to explain the layout at the front of their store prevented access by people using mobility scooters and wheelchairs, their answer was not to adjust the display but to tell me if I can't get in the store I should order online. I want to browse books in a store like an able bodied person, so they lost my custom.

I will continue to use Amazon. As others have said, many small businesses trade through them and they employ many hundreds of people.

@Covidasaurus

We really need to stop voting for people who don’t tax amazon...

Sorry about your business OP. I wonder if Mumsnet could do a “Christmas market” for seasoned MNers’ businesses?????

Yes, this.

And it wouldn't be so bad if he would take a leaf out of Bill & Melinda Gates's book and donate some of the billions to charitable pursuits. He'll never spend most of them

If anyone has read The Warehouse, it's a very sobering read.

@BefuddledPerson

Do you sell the product(s) cheaper than Amazon, deliver as quick as Amazon?

If not, what is the attraction to use your business and not Amazon?

They pay taxes which fund UK public services?
They treat their staff well?
Their staff wages go back into your local economy?
They're not evil

Sorry, not a good enough reason for me to spend more, just to boycott Amazon.

If I could find a way to pay less tax than I am now, I'd certainly be paying less.

I agree OP, not because I have anything against Amazon as such (except that delivery drivers keep leaving parcels unattended on my front doorstep) but because I think other retailers could do with the business much much more right now.

The only thing I would say though is that Amazon do a gift wrap/bag service which lots of other companies don't, and if lockdown continues up to Christmas and it's difficult to get to the post office some people may choose it simply for that option. If more retailers were offering gift wrap and direct delivery to the gift recipient I think they'd attract more business.

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.

And this is the reason I use it, money is tight this year, I'm afraid I need to look after myself before I can hope to look after someone else's business. Sad but true.

Also, as others have said, Amazon provides jobs for thousands and small businesses can sell on there too. I have bought loads from small businesses that I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't been browsing on Amazon. But I do sometimes then go and look for their website.

There's a thread on here somewhere about small online businesses, this might be a good thread to add the link to. I'll try and find it.

My morals agree with you. Sadly my bank balance doesn't. I buy from the cheapest place I can find in order to be able to afford everything we need. Sadly that's often amazon. The next day delivery is a bonus.

A lot of small businesses sell on Amazon?

I use Amazon a lot because it’s easy, it’s fast and it’s usually cheaper than other places. If I want something a bit different then I look elsewhere. I can’t always afford to use small businesses. People are going to use what is convenient for them and in a time where people are a bit skint they are going to chose the cheaper option.

I pay for prime, I probably order from Amazon 2 or 3 times a week, during lockdown Amazon was a life save, delivering things next day that I needed for home schooling and entertainment for kids.

@maddiemookins16mum

5 of my family work for Amazon in an area with high unemployment since the shipyards closed (the Clyde), it employs many young folk, I’ll continue buying as much as possible from them.

Thats what OP is being completely ridiculous about. Boycotting Amazon is not going to hurt Jeff Bezos. Ot will however devestate his employees

Absolutely, I'm on a mission to direct all my spending to those I want to see come through this to the other side.

Yes you're right. I started off last lockdown with an Amazon boycott and slowly got lazy and veered back to the easy option... I must resist!! Thanks for the reminder. I'd rather not support Amazon, I dont know why I keep defaulting!

They've created loads of new jobs around here, and it's a live saver to us and my DH who was made redundant in the pandemic as he's now working there.

@BefuddledPerson

Amazon is part of our economic death spiral. I understand that people are strapped for cash. But shopping with Amazon is bad for Britain's economy and for public services.

Of course it's not.

Amazon employs thousands of British people, all of whom pay tax. They also serve as a platform for thousands of small, independent British businesses - all of whom pay tax, and who employ other people...who also pay tax.

Buying on Amazon also helps to keep Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes and DHL drivers in their jobs. As well as those in sorting offices, warehouses, customer services and all sorts.

I’d love to support more local independent stores, but most don’t make it easy for me! Yes I get that you might want to only work when your children are in school, but if that’s when I’m at work how am I supposed to visit you? That’s aside from the fact that as a key worker who has literally been nowhere except work, the odd walk on my own and Asda click & collect since March, I don’t have the time, energy or feel risk-free enough to trawl round shops on the off chance I spot something to buy. If only I could find a website where they displayed their wares for me to choose from that I can access at 11pm & place an order for it to be delivered a few days later ... if you want me to buy, you need to help me do so!!

Thats what OP is being completely ridiculous about. Boycotting Amazon is not going to hurt Jeff Bezos. Ot will however devestate his employees

This is worth repeating again! The only people who will be impacted by asking people to not use Amazon are employees and small businesses who have utilised the platform. If you think boycotting Amazon is hitting those at the top then you're completely delusional.

Here you go, lots of independent shops:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/Christmas/4034228-Independent-online-shops

@Hardbackwriter

Someone has set up a website - I think It’s bookshop.org - that supports independent book shops.

I'm intending to either use this, or to do an order to collect through my local book shop, to buy books for Christmas presents. But let's be honest, it's essentially an act of charity and that's how I see it. I will pay around twice the price for the exact same products and I'll do this because I like the existence of independent bookshops and want them to continue to be a thing, but I can see why lots of other people don't think this is worth it for them.

Yes, absolutely Hardback, I agree. Not everyone CAN afford to do it, but if those of us who can afford a bit extra can put up with the seeming 'added tax' (which is really just not a deep discount), then the health of the industry - and our local high streets - is so much better.

Also good post by LindaEllen. I think we should all shop according to our conscience and our means, and Amazon is a great marketplace for loads of things and sellers, it's not all bad. But at a systemic industry level for something like books - which Amazon started out with as their core business model before becoming so enormous and diversifying - they have only really been a bad influence. (Self-publishing aside, where there's an argument to be made otherwise.)
I pretty much only bang my Amazon hate-drum about book purchases.

OP - I hope your business isn't too bleak during this lockdown. Wishing you luck.

Totally agree OP, something I feel incredibly strongly about.

It won't be long before Amazon will be getting a percentage of every single thing we buy - they're going in to food deliveries now.

Amazon do not pay proper taxes in this country - I know it's something that needs to be legislated on. Amazon has paid less tax in the UK in the last 10 years than Marks and Spencer paid in one year. Amazon not paying tax impacts on us all - less money for education, the NHS, transport infrastructure etc etc. The more stuff people buy from Amazon, the less they are buying from UK companies who do pay proper taxes.

Amazon do employ many people, but many people on minimum wage, zero hours contracts. DNiece worked for them for a few weeks last Christmas - it was soul destroying, treated like a machine rather than a human being. Geoff Bezos could up the hourly rates of Amazon employees by £2 an hour and it would barely dent his riches. I think the last figures I read were that Amazon employ 28,000, but how many 100s of thousands will lose their jobs in other companies because we are all buying from Amazon?

Small businesses using Amazon as a marketplace - they need to use Amazon because people don't go looking for products - they just automatically log onto Amazon. But Amazon really aren't providing this market place out of the kindness of their hearts.

Stuff is sometimes cheaper on Amazon, sometimes not, but do you think prices will be maintained when they have almost a total monopoly? Do you ever ask yourself why Amazon prices are so low?

I think we're sleep walking into a dangerous situation.

TBH I don't know that many Amazon workers will pay a lot of tax - minimum wage, often part time work.

I really, really tried not to use Amazon during the first lockdown because I don't like the fact that they don't pay the proper tax they should. I'm not usually in a hurry for goods so am happy to wait a week/ten days.

However there was a problem with every single thing I ordered from other retailers and nobody answering the phones. I'm still waiting for a refund for one item I ordered in May.

DH on the other hand used Amazon and everything turned up correctly within two days.

What would you do?

DH

I love Amazon. I also use Etsy as well for all the crafty nice things and for supporting small businesses.

But just so you know Amazon do have small business selling on there 😁 they even have small businesses spotlight events 😁

Thing is, not once have I ordered from Amazon and been: ripped off, had parcels arrive late, had anything arrived damaged, had anything delivered as not described, etc etc and I live in the middle of nowhere also, their free returns and quick customer service and refunds are amazing , all packaging is environmentally friendly instead of all the plastic and bubble wrap people use nowadays 😁

Also I like they have a review system 😁

Just don't buy board games from there!

I'm trying to use mostly small businesses for my Christmas shopping this year. However, I do think Amazon has its place and at the end of the day it's a competitive market. I won't boycott it completely because it's convenient and good value.