this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2026
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I've been telling people to stop supporting amazon for years, but everyone seems to have their reason to keep supporting them. This hopefully will be a good enough reason for people to finally stop shopping on amazon.
I haven't bought anything from amazon in over 12 years. I find everything on the manufacturer's website or eBay. No need to ever use amazon for anything.
My biggest problem is that very specific niche products that also have no direct sale options from the supplier / manufacturer tend to only be available on Amazon.
Like there’s a specific caramel sauce I like to put in my coffee that is made from real caramel and not “caramel flavored corn-syrup” and the company that makes it is great and based out of the US, but they have no direct-sale option on their website nor any place that says “where to buy.”
The only place I’ve found it to be reliably sold from is Amazon, because I’m not a small coffee business. As far as I can tell, unless I order massive quantities via some sort of scheduled contract ordering agreement, I don’t think I can order direct from the manufacturer.
I hate Amazon and would rather not give them money, but they have effectively created a de-facto monopoly for certain products… whether they are the actual only major supplier that has both a web storefront and that will ship around the US… or they are the only web storefront that yielded search results for specific products when consumers are combing the web marketplace for them.
Until the US govt or other entities with regulatory teeth willing to prosecute them for monopolistic practices and maybe even break them up some day, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect even the most savvy consumers to fully remove themselves from purchasing at least some number of very specific goods form Amazon.
Your point is valid and definitely a concern.
But how are people so basic.
You hate Amazon, but just have to have your caramel syrup? Doesn't really sound like hate.
Sounds more like you do not want to have to make sacrifices to the things you like.
Wonder why bad things continue to happen.
I use Amazon too. Not trying to be too judgy, but come on. Accept some personal responsibility for your actions.
Ah yes - the “personal responsibility” argument… 🙄
Whatever product it is isn’t really the point.
There are certain things that people either need or want and if Amazon is the only place to get them and your solution is, “well, just sacrifice” is fine if it’s a luxury good like stupid caramel sauce, but what if it’s something like vacuum cleaner bags for the vacuum you use are only sold now via Amazon?
What if it’s a specific chewable version of a vitamin your kid’s doctor suggested for your child who has a specific deficiency and can’t swallow pills and the only maker of the kids chewable of it sells on Amazon?
Should the parent just “take responsibility” and not give them that vitamin their pediatrician suggested they need?
…or maybe we should just be okay with criticizing the fucking trillion dollar company that gets to have a monopoly, and maybe think of other suggestions to give other than a “Ben-Shapiro tier” canned response. 😑
Oh gosh. Great 6 paragraph essay countering made up points I wasn't making.
Choosing Amazon for a dr recommended medicine is definitely the same as choosing it for your coffee flavoring.
Nevermind the part where I said I also use Amazon.
My point is unless you are under duress, you are responsible for your actions.
I would like a thing. All retail commerce has been monopolized by a handful of big box storefronts. One of those storefronts sucks marginally less than the others, such that I can actually find what I want to buy and expect it to be delivered in a timely fashion.
But I shouldn't shop there because... ???
Damn, so true. We should never have quit shopping at ~~Target~~ ~~Walmart~~ ~~Sears~~ Woolworths. Now we live in Capitalist Hell and its all our own fault.
You shouldn't shop there because of their blatantly anti-consumer monopolistic practices.
Okay. Here's my story. I have been looking for a 4K 32 to 43 inch monitor for my PC. TV or monitor, I just wanted 4k 120hz minimum. Didn't really care about IPS or VA panels. Both have their pro's and con's.
So I ended up getting a Philips Google TV 43" 4K Gaming TV with native 144Hz refresh rate. The asking price from Amazon was 450 CAD. everywhere I looked online It was 50 bucks more OR they were the same price, but charged 50 bucks in shipping.
THAT'S why I use Amazon. IF I can find it cheaper elsewhere, I'll buy it somewhere else. For me price is everything since I'm on a fixed income.
Okay, but have you considered that Amazon is the reason prices are high?
Obviously, none of these other retailers had a hand in it.
Exactly what they got "busted" for
You're not alone in that. A lot of people's care for ethics ends where a good deal begins.
What you should know is that these companies offer these good deals for a variety of reasons, but usually involving shady or borderline illegal business practices in one way or another.
I understand you're on a fixed income - I sympathize with that and I don't want to be rude to a stranger - but is the deal on a particular item you want worth the cost of endorsing what these companies do and stand for?
Aren't most people on a fixed income?
Is such a TV... necessary?
Have you considered saving some for a few months and then buy the TV?
What do you think I've been doing? That took me four months.
There are a lot of people online who think that 100% abstinence from The Bad is the only way to be good.
But if you can shift 10% of your former Amazon spending, do it. And keep looking for a way to get to 15%, then 20%, and so on.
Like, I'm probably never going to be a strict vegetarian. I love a good burger, or a nicely-cooked steak, or a big bowl of chicken and dumplings. But I eat vegetarian for more than 75% of my meals. And that's good enough for me.
It was also the implied "Poor people shouldn't have nice things" That ticked me off.
No, most people are on broken incomes.
Not to leave out they're easy to return stuff too.
I've found the Shop App to be a good alternative along with eBay. Shop App is basically a search engine for retailers who use Shopify, which is a ton of them. From my research it seems to be generally better for retailers.
Same boat, I cancelled prime 5 years ago. My wife will activate for the holidays but I refuse to use it
I was going on buy some jack stands for my car and saw the exact same models from harbor freight or auto zone on Amazon. Even if you're not trying to support Amazon, you can't escape the slop products.
Amazon, in many cases, is not the seller. They are simply an online market. The reason you see the same products across multiple websites is because it is the same product. Doesn’t really have anything to do with shitty products although that’s what a lot of people do. They take advantage of Amazon’s monopoly on the market and sell products for hundreds if not thousands of dollars % mark ups. The reason it’s still cheaper on Amazon is because of the aforementioned price fixing.
Hey pal, do not use shit stores for car work. You are endangering your life. Please get a proper jack from Napa or at least northern tool or something. Harbor freight is for pry bars and shit, not life saving equipment.
Get a carlyle Jack as well. Affordable and lasts a lifetime. Dont skimp.on anything holding a car or an engine. I don't care how poor you are. You will get hurt.
I would like to remove the word "slop" from common speech for overuse. Sorry for your jack stand experience.
I find the Amazon experience and prices to often be worse than elsewhere
Supposing the prices they charge are still less than what you would pay for the convenience of purchasing a product with no extra effort, why would you switch?
I have myself had aspirations to buy fewer things from Amazon. However. Even including stuff like this, I am happy to pay $10 extra to not have to dick around.
I hope Amazon has to pay money for this and that it hurts their business model, bit as a customer they are still scratching my itch 2 times out of 3.