buying stuff from Amazon?

[early morning]

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon now, and have seldom been disappointed. I do read the reviews, try to find source info, and check return policies. I've only gotten a few things that shipped from China, and that was pretty clearly stated on the site. No problems with any of it. I've purchased name-brand underwear with no problems. We have also purchased quite a few children's items that are airplane related for our museum store, and they have all been inexpensive but the quality seems good, and we've had no complaints from purchasers. I've bought a couple small elecronic items that didn't work (cd player, twice) but there was no problem with returns. Recently we purchased a region-free DVD player very inexpensively, and so far, it's great. I did buy a box of peg-board lock-clips that were total crap but I got a refund the same day I complained, no return needed. I hate going to big-box stores, so I will likely continue to buy those types of items from Amazon.

[KayLR]

I have no problem buying books from Amazon; anything else I scrutinize a LOT, reading the reviews with a fine-tooth comb. I look for warnings like, "Do not buy-cheap Chinese-made quality."

I don't buy clothes from Amazon anymore after a couple poor quality items. Can't say I would buy a mattress pad through Amazon. Seems like particularly, the textile items seem to be less quality.

[iris lilies]

Speaking of textile purchases through Amazon, I just ordered my second twin size comforter. I absolutely love the one I got a few weeks ago. I get twin size because it’s good enough to lay over a bed but it’s small enough to fit in a washing machine without a lot of hassle.

[SteveinMN]

I've bought a couple small elecronic items that didn't work (cd player, twice) but there was no problem with returns. Recently we purchased a region-free DVD player very inexpensively, and so far, it's great.

DW has bought a few "Amazon Basics" items, like an iPhone charger and a multiple-port USB charging block, and they've been fine. They don't feel cheap at all and have seemed to work just fine for a couple of years now.

[rosarugosa]

If I were looking for a mattress pad, I would probably source it from The Company Store, or maybe Bed, Bath & Beyond.

[BikingLady]

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon now, and have seldom been disappointed. I do read the reviews, try to find source info, and check return policies. I've only gotten a few things that shipped from China, and that was pretty clearly stated on the site. No problems with any of it. I've purchased name-brand underwear with no problems. We have also purchased quite a few children's items that are airplane related for our museum store, and they have all been inexpensive but the quality seems good, and we've had no complaints from purchasers. I've bought a couple small elecronic items that didn't work (cd player, twice) but there was no problem with returns. Recently we purchased a region-free DVD player very inexpensively, and so far, it's great. I did buy a box of peg-board lock-clips that were total crap but I got a refund the same day I complained, no return needed. I hate going to big-box stores, so I will likely continue to buy those types of items from Amazon.

Agree with this post.

[pinkytoe]

I am canceling my Prime membership - at least for now. It is just as easy to order from other places and on principle, I have issues with amazon. I don't know of this can be accessed by non-subscribers but I found this article about Mr. Bezos very interesting: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...-wants/598363/

[early morning]

We've never seen any reason to pay for Prime..... and for me, at least, it's way too much bother to order from multiple stores. And in using amazon, I'm supporting not JUST Bezos, but many small businesses that are using amazon as a platform for their sales. I have issues with many large corporations and with and unmitigated capitalism in general - I don't see amazon as the worst of the worst. Bezos has some ideas that seem nutty, but I don't see him as equal to, say, the East India company in being able to use and abuse, at least at this point. I appreciate your sharing the article. It brought up some good points, and I'm sure I'll read it over several times to digest it better - but quite a few of the concerns it noted are not necessarily applicable to amazon only. YMMV, of course!

[razz]

Excellent article. My response about a concern - if our education and business system has enabled and created one like Jeff Bezos and another like Trump, others will continue to unfold as well but I hope that the number is balanced, or better, in favour of being more like Bezos

[JaneV2.0]

Most corporations are, at best, amoral, and often far worse.

I applied for a job at Amazon around 1996. I had to submit my college transcripts (embarrassing) and, I believe, my SAT scores. Then I completed a series of e-mail customer service simulations and finished up with a phone interview--for an entry-level clerical job paying ten dollars an hour. In the end, my contact indicated all that remained was a 30 WPM typing test which I would have passed easily, but there were only two shifts available, neither of which worked for me transportation-wise. Goodbye Amazon millionaire. When I was studying techwriting/editing in 1999, a lot of classmates were freshly laid off from Amazon, so it seemed I dodged a bullet.

At any rate, Amazon is my lifeline at the moment, and I appreciate their prompt service, their locality, their effortless refunds (I think I've submitted two), and their diversity of services. I don't like their stinginess with employees or their anti-union stance, and I was disappointed to find such a blatant lack of diversity at the top. But until Amazon has a benevolent competitor--Costco for some items, certainly--I'm happy to give them my business.