I’ll start - I don’t shop a lot, but if I had to buy stuff like hardware parts, I do use Amazon sometimes, but if I can, then I try to use Flipkart. Realizing how it has turned into a monopoly, I try to look for alternative websites, and check if they’re trustworthy.
If I remember correctly, the last three items I’ve bought online were hardware parts from some local websites. The chi-fi IEMs were bought through headphonezone.in, and they were super-fast in delivery - I had to wait for only four days.
I do, because the combination of speed and cost matter to me. We don’t have a lot of other options in Australia, certainly none that can come close to Amazon’s performance in this space.
Good for you for avoiding Amazon when you can.
I haven’t used Amazon in almost a decade now. The biggest tip I have is just avoid Amazon links. I block them from my search results, only go there if I think they might have a part number that I need to reference.
My next step is to reflect on whether I really need the object, and if I really can’t, then I’ll contact the manufacturer directly at their homepage. A couple of times the object has arrived in an amazon box, but I can’t control that.
Finally, I am cool with shipping taking a reasonable amount of time. I would prefer to wait a bit for my object than support the amazon monopoly.
I use it all the time for convenience. I have 2 autistic little kids and work 10-12 hours a day and it isn’t always practical to get to the store. Plus I’m lazy. Amazon is local to my area - friends and family work there (both tech and warehouse).
Amazon is always the first place I check whenever I want to buy anything. I order frequently enough that Prime more than pays for itself every year, and I hate making new accounts on new websites to order anything elsewhere unless it’s just not available on Amazon.
I don’t like that it’s this way, but it’s the most cost-effective way of shopping for me.
