AIBU to think that Amazon has gone to shit?

[SophieGiroux]

It now seems to be full of third party sellers from China. You used to be able to get stuff delivered next day but this seems to be a rarity these days. All I wanted to buy was a pool noodle but it seems this is not possible without having to wait about 3 weeks. It feels just like eBay now and you can't guarantee anything you get is genuine, I've heard of a lot of people getting fakes. I don't know if it's just the things I've been searching for but not much is now supplied by Amazon, just delivered by them.

I'm not particularly worried as felt a bit like Amazon were taking over the world but with this business model I can see sales only declining.

@Maverick197 no I didn't miss the point. How hard is it to say "cheaply made counterfeit stuff" instead of using "Chinese rubbish" as shorthand for that? It takes literally the barest minimum of effort to be a bit more thoughtful about how we speak and to avoid using an entire nationality as a synonym for something negative.

Cheaply made and/or counterfeit stuff can be made anywhere - my daughter bought home a fake LV wallet from holiday a few years ago that was made in Indonesia (and no she wouldn't have bought it she was with me). I have a little plant stand I got on Etsy that is held up with a wish and a prayer and it says it was made in Turkey and is clearly mass produced instead of the promised handmade item.

If it's on Amazon it's generally cheaper elsewhere. Look at Curry's prices on Amazon versus buying direct from Curry's as an example. It is the same for almost all prime stuff too. Amazon is still cheaper for lots of things but in many many cases it is more expensive. The fees they charge sellers are absolutely extortionate.

@WhereYouLeftIt thank you! I’ll check them out :)

Thanks for starting the thread op.

I've got Prime. I like the tv bit. I've generally been happy until more recently when I've pre-ordered new books and then discovered they'll be arriving about a week after release. It's more money, but I've found that if I order click and collect from Waterstones website at least the books will be the cheaper online price and arrive in store for free on or even sometimes prior to official releases.

With Prime I think Amazon are relying on people not shopping around due to convenience. Two clicks and done...
Many products are cheaper elsewhere now and I am beginning to make more of an effort to look beyond Amazon especially when 'Next day delivery' is increasingly not the case.

Amazon's gone to hell. Silly little example but I bought a julienne peeler that looked as if it was exactly the same, and the same brand, as our old one. When it eventually turned up it was flimsier and smaller. Had to return it and order a replacement from Lakeland to be on the safe side. From placing the order to eventually receiving the correct product took a fortnight instead of the 24-48 hours I'd expected.

Still waiting for an item ordered 10 days ago that was supposed to arrive by Monday at the latest. And I hate searching for an item and getting page after page of identical Chinese crap all with slightly different names and fake reviews. It's like a pound shop these days: you never know what you're going to get.

Will be ditching Amazon Prime as soon as I can: last time I checked they tied you in for a year, the bastards.

Do they still do those buttons that order loo roll when you run out?

I think part of the problem is that customers don't know which items are good quality 'made in China' ones and which are cheap junk. We don't recognize the brand's and the reviews might not be reliable.
Amazon don't seem to include returns labels anymore, which is a pita if the printer is temperamental

Definitely agree. I thought I was the only person who stopped using it in the pandemic?

I've stopped using after my details were cloned to use fake reviews everywhere. I haven't used any fake eyelashes from Austria, but apparently I've given them a five star review.

Oooh I will keep that link @PRsecrets

Still don't trust them. 😂

Ikea has sms notifications for back in stock too

I've used Amazon a lot over the past few years - mainly convenience as like many people I have a busy job and live in an area with not great shops. I simply didn't have the time to spend my weekends driving around hunting things down in person, or buying things online from other sellers who used Hermes/DPD who were difficult to deal with. Amazon's own delivery was reliable and fast.

I strongly agree that it has become very difficult to discern between genuine goods stocked and sold by Amazon, and Amazon Marketplace where a lot of stuff seems shoddy and/or counterfeit. I avoid using the app and do it on my laptop now as it's much easier to browse and find what you want.

Although now I've now switched back to buying elsewhere where possible. Loads of shops have upped their game for online selling, and I think the pandemic helped this move. Hermes & DPD (at least round here) are now much better about keeping you informed of delivery status and offering alternative drop offs than they used to be, plus WFH helps.

As an example, I use Dermalogica skin care, and it used to be only available from salons. My salon switched to Elmis, so I ended up buying my Dermalogica from Amazon with no problem. Recently got a fake product from what I thought was Amazon, on hunting round found out that Dermalogica sell online directly from their website. Last order from them was delivered 36 hours after I clicked 'buy'. With that service, I'm a happy customer.

I'm trying to cut down on my usage of Amazon. If the item I want is through a company advertising on there I'll Google them and order direct. Slightly less convenient but often cheaper.

For second-hand books I can recommend Abebooks, a long-established network of booksellers, or Betterworldbooks and Worldofbooks. The latter two also sell through Amazon, sometimes they're cheaper on their own sites (plus Amazon doesn't get a cut if you buy from there). I think they might also be charities.

According to wiki, Abebooks is owned by Amazon.

Totally agree. It's all bizarre brands from China.

I can’t see Amazon being around another decade

Get real

I am soooo over Amazon.
I ordered something in may, by the time it came in June (delayed delivery) I didn't need want it anymore, I requested a refund which the seller refused, saying I couldn't return it as they were based in China!!!!!!
I eventually found a phone number to contact Amazon directly and an a-z complaint was launched, we have been going back and forth ever since, I have since returned the goods, as all sellers have to give a UK returns address, the seller now has my goods and my money and is ignoring all correspondence but because they are a third party seller Amazon won't help me, but they told me to return the goods in good faith and they would help from there on in, this isn't a small amount it's £250!!! They have now said I will have to get the police involved.
So no I don't rate Amazon at all!!!!!

@BadLad

For second-hand books I can recommend Abebooks, a long-established network of booksellers, or Betterworldbooks and Worldofbooks. The latter two also sell through Amazon, sometimes they're cheaper on their own sites (plus Amazon doesn't get a cut if you buy from there). I think they might also be charities.

According to wiki, Abebooks is owned by Amazon.

Oh, that's annoying! Tax-dodging bastards bought it in 2008 and it slipped under my radar (been using them since 1998, I think).

Honestly, they can't keep their fingers out of other people's pies ...

I bought a Vax vacuum cleaner from Argos,I looked at Amazon as I had some vouchers and it was £70 dearer! I stuck with Argos, picked it up the same day.

Zero issues here and I use it pretty regularly.

I always filter by Prime and don't buy anything that's not listed there. Everything arrives when it should and is exactly as described.

You need to check the seller before buying anything - click on their "store" and it generally tells where they're based etc.

I've noticed that too, gone back to ebay for cheap and non electrical items. Argos is definitely better these days too.

OMG @PRsecrets That site is exactly what I have needed!

I ordered a Mac lipstick from Amazon. The lipstick arrived and was a completely different colour from the original one I bought in the Mac shop. Was clearly a counterfeit product!

I reported the seller to Amazon but very worrying that Amazon are allowing counterfeit products be sold - especially makeup which could contain dangerous chemicals and are not to test standards!

Brexit has messed up international online shopping massively. Costing me so much more even for my tiny craft business

[quote Wroxie]@Maverick197 no I didn't miss the point. How hard is it to say "cheaply made counterfeit stuff" instead of using "Chinese rubbish" as shorthand for that? It takes literally the barest minimum of effort to be a bit more thoughtful about how we speak and to avoid using an entire nationality as a synonym for something negative.

Cheaply made and/or counterfeit stuff can be made anywhere - my daughter bought home a fake LV wallet from holiday a few years ago that was made in Indonesia (and no she wouldn't have bought it she was with me). I have a little plant stand I got on Etsy that is held up with a wish and a prayer and it says it was made in Turkey and is clearly mass produced instead of the promised handmade item.[/quote]
There has been a problem on Etsy with people selling stuff from B and M and the like saying that it’s hand made.

We live rurally so use Amazon several times a week. Rarely have a problem and when we have done, it has been easily resolved. We largely stick to branded items and avoid the obvious copies. If we do go to order something on prime and it gives us a delivery date that's more than a few days, we tend to change the order