To think Amazon is overrated?

[SugarCanes]

I keep getting Amazon vouchers for Xmas and birthdays. And to be honest, I can never find anything I want so I end up spending it on presents for other people.

I don't buy DVDs - I have streaming services so no need. I don't buy music either and never have the time to read these days.

As for toiletries and household things etc, it's often more expensive on Amazon that it is in the supermarket or shops. I have bought some clothing bits in the past and it was always awful quality.

I don't understand the fuss?

The other great thing about Amazon is that on the v.v. rare occasions I’ve had an issue with an order, the online live customer service (ok, it can be a little hard to locate) is first rate. Three times I’ve been told “just keep it AND we’ll send you another/give a refund”. Absolutely light and day compared to EBay.

There is a Waterstones 30 miles from me. That's it. Technically cant even travel to it due to restrictions at the moment. Not sure where all these "local independent book shops" are.

@LagunaBubbles try ordering from hive.co.uk if you want to support independent shops - online orders and delivery so you don’t have to travel and you support local bookshops at the same time!

Wow I can't believe you struggle to spend money on Amazon! I have the opposite issue! I've tried really hard this year to support local businesses as I work for one myself and know what a hard year it's been, but I've still fallen to Amazon for many gifts. For example, this week I went to a local bookshop and many of the books they had in stock they only had one copy which has obviously been handled many times, small marks, tiny tears - to the dust jacket etc, which to me is not acceptable gift condition. Amazon delivered perfect copies of the books I wanted the next day with free delivery (not prime, just arrived quickly!)

I love amazon. Their range of books published overseas is great. So many you cannot find on the British high street or online shops.
Prime delivery is great too.

I closed my Amazon account in 2017 because I disagreed with their business practices. I’ve not missed them at all; I’ve been able to buy everything I want and not paid over the odds - they are actually not that competitive on a lot of things because they profit from people who default buy everything from them.

Oh yes YABU. Amazon sell SO much.
I am all about buying from local businesses and i spend a lot of money on local businesses however Amazon is a huge employer where I I’ve too and I honestly do not believe you cannot find anything on Amazon you want to order FOR FREE (via gift coupon)

The reason Jeff is the richest man on the planet is because his product totally provides what people want. .
You can buy anything, at a decent price, often delivered the next day.

Bookshops can use Amazon too. I quite often buy my class second hand English books from there because none of my local booksellers new or second will have 10 copies in stock.
My town ( even pre Covid) had book exchanges and people this year have just been giving them away. Book sales are going to have to modernise- why are we paying £8-9 for sonething the following year is in the charity shop for a £1 and the year after that, given away for nothing.

Recent purchases: slippers, batteries, battery tealights (great for putting near something flammable like tinsel), Christmas cake decorations, rabbit food, dog food...
I like the reviews too.

I really don't understand how you can't find anything on there

They sell literally everything, and the convenience is brilliant. I can't be bothered to schlep it to town every time a lightbulb goes out

People who are after books - try the Blackwell’s website. It’s free delivery, they have 99% of books I’ve looked for, and they’re an independent company that pays British taxes. They also accept book tokens which Amazon doesn’t.

I'm the opposite OP. I can't think of many things I want that I CANT get from Amazon.

Books
Craft items
Presents ( in fact there's only 2 things I've bought this Xmas that aren't from Amazon. One from eBay and one from NOTHS)
DIY stuff

Free delivery, convenience etc.

I recognise the arguments re. Large corporation etc but many things are from independant retailers who use it as a market place.

Also I read a crazy amount so vouchers would always be used for kindle books for me

Another who can't understand how you can't find anything on Amazon. You really can buy anything on there.
You can also do it without having to be able to get to the shop, and get to the shop during opening hours.
You can get it delivered to your doorstep (for free if you have Prime), or, you can get things delivered to other people.
My dd has Amazon lockers at her student halls of residence. You can send anything to her - even if you wanted to send some snacks for a treat when she is in isolation - all at the click of a button when I sit down in the evening and am watching TV.

I buy from Amazon a lot, probably 2-3 things weekly.
Sometimes the really cheap shipped from china stuff is a a gamble - I rarely do that anymore.
Generally if you do some research, take the view that if it's massively discounted there's a reason why, you don't end up with too many duds.

Looking at recent orders, books, varying IT cables & dongles, some herbs I couldn't find locally, a manicure set, tea bags for work, mouthwash and toothpaste that was about half the rrp, and a brand difficult to source in local shops, a pedometer, cat food a lot chapter than highstreet and buying direct means delivery makes it expensive. Pretty much anything really, and delivered within a day or so (and never delivered by sodding Hermes which is a huge plus).

I think people who can avoid using Amazon must live in large cities where choice of shops is varied . But for those of us who live in towns ( ghost ) and rural villages it is a much needed market place . Where I live Debenhams was the only department store for 60 miles . Now it will have to be online .

I buy about 70% of all my purchases from Amazon including groceries. Apart from clothing I buy everything there.

When I lived and worked in the city centre I agreed with you OP, ordering online was just a hassle with missed deliveries and having to go collect from a sitting office. I couldn't imagine why anyone would pay for prime delivery, there was nothing i couldn't get faster myself or wait for.

I live in the sticks now and think it's brilliant.

An excellent online company for books is worldofbooks.com, I check there before Amazon now, the DVDs I have bought still had the wrappers on.

We've ended up using them more than I would like for baby stuff (nappies, wipes, dummies), toiletries and small electrical stuff, either because of the spend of delivery or because they are significantly cheaper. If neither of these two reasons are important/true, we don't use them.

When I get a voucher I spend it on whatever dull stuff I need from Amazon that I would buy anyway and use the equivalent cash to buy what I want from somewhere else IYSWIM.

*speed of delivery

@plinkplinkfizzer

I think people who can avoid using Amazon must live in large cities where choice of shops is varied . But for those of us who live in towns ( ghost ) and rural villages it is a much needed market place . Where I live Debenhams was the only department store for 60 miles . Now it will have to be online .

I live in a town and I don’t drive so I don’t go into town much. Amazon is not the only online shop!

I buy nearly everything on amazon and stick to prime products so no issues with cheap knockoffs

@shit2020

stuff that doesn't meet UK safety standards etc

Worried now as I’ve bought loads of stuff for my baby off Amazon!

Don't worry, this is not a fact. It is in fact garbage. The bits and bobs on there do meet UK safety standards.

I agree, there’s nothing I want to buy on Amazon (except kindle books). I get annoyed when searching for a particular brand and the algorithm throws up hundreds of alternative makes - I don’t want poor substitutes from china

I closed my Amazon account in 2017 because I disagreed with their business practices. I’ve not missed them at all; I’ve been able to buy everything I want and not paid over the odds - they are actually not that competitive on a lot of things because they profit from people who default buy everything from them

You don't see the bigger picture do you? I used to work for a small company (14 employees) selling items exclusively online. One selling platform was Amazon, besides eBay and own website.
Because of Amazon we could even reach foreign (European) markets. Anyway, my boss made enough money to go into early retirement... you need to see it for what it is.

I also like their e-book range, especially the foreign language ones, it's easy and hassle free

@Ylvamoon

I closed my Amazon account in 2017 because I disagreed with their business practices. I’ve not missed them at all; I’ve been able to buy everything I want and not paid over the odds - they are actually not that competitive on a lot of things because they profit from people who default buy everything from them

You don't see the bigger picture do you? I used to work for a small company (14 employees) selling items exclusively online. One selling platform was Amazon, besides eBay and own website.
Because of Amazon we could even reach foreign (European) markets. Anyway, my boss made enough money to go into early retirement... you need to see it for what it is.

I also like their e-book range, especially the foreign language ones, it's easy and hassle free

I buy from small businesses. Just not through Amazon. Like you say, many businesses have their own websites and I can buy stuff that way without Amazon taking their cut. I guess I see a different bigger picture to you - the one I see is where the world’s richest person runs a business which is set up to pay as little tax as possible, in a world where benefits are being cut, public services are underfunded and public health systems are under strain. I don’t want to contribute to that.

I buy my foreign language books from Foyles.

I buy almost everything from Amazon, both on my uk and my foreign account.
I live close to two big cities, but I detest shopping, so I shop on Amazon, especially for books, both paper and Kindle ones.
There must be something you can buy op, even if it's only a couple of new bath towels.