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.
$1000 says you're, at best, a college kid. Probably a teenager.
Why? People with actual life experience in this shitty system don't make the personal responsibility argument because they've lived enough to know that's bullshit.
I bet they're in their early-20s and either are done with college or didn't attend so they'll respond with "HA. Wrong!"
Companies like Amazon can't exist if people don't buy from them. The fact that you think people have to buy from them is the problem.
No one has to spend their money with Amazon. There's always going to be a personal responsibility aspect when people willingly do something they know is wrong.
You don't have to use Facebook... but if you have a kid... - guess where almost every school seems to post EVERYTHING you would want to know about?
Like upcoming charity events, extra-curricular club sign-ups, campus event pictures (none of which I would want of my kid being posted, but they will do anyway), important announcements about the next school dance, or anything else you might give a shit about if you're a parent who wants to do more than the bare minimum?
Do you have a choice then NOT to use Facebook? Yeah... but it's kind of shit to suggest since it then would mean not realistically having access to a bunch of stuff a parent would want to have.
Even the ones that DON'T use Facebook use some other dog-shit app with ads and monthly "premium" features they put behind paywalls.
So the real answer instead of the Ben Shapiro-tier response of "just take responsibility" is "Hey maybe we should have publicly funded applications and privacy laws that help stop schools from putting shit up on Facebook w/o legal consequences... maybe we should have an app without ads and spyware that allows public schools to safely and securely put this kind of stuff up so that parents can participate without having to use Facebook or the hit mobile app - "DefinitlyNotKIDZAdvertisingSpamSpyware2026."
Do you get what I mean? You don't HAVE to use Amazon is the same sort of silly-seeming argument where the real solution can be crafted using legislation NOT drafted by barely-lucid octogenarian luddites. We could treat them like a hostile monopoly and break them up or something, and that would actually SYSTEMICALLY fix the issue.
We're not talking about Facebook. We're talking about buying things.
Jesus Christ... Can you not understand the relevance of using that in my point? 🤣
I'm using another massive monopolistic company (Amazon = Facebook) who has pretty much cornered a market (shopping online = social media) - thereby making the only options for most Americans wanting to have access to something said company has a monopoly on (caramel sauce, niche healthcare product, etc. = school communication) being "A - don't use the thing" and "B - stop your bitching and use it?" and how terrible it is that we don't instead go with "C - do a legislation to make it so we can still do the thing we want or need, but we don't have to let the shitty monopolistic company continue to have carte blanche to do whatever they want in that space?"
Is that really lost on you?
How about... you do what you want with your own money and let other people do the same?
I do. It's just the claim that people aren't personally responsible for where they choose to spend their money is preposterous.
Yeah, free will sucks like that...
What, taking responsibility for your choices?
Yes. Because heaven forbid someone does something you don't like.
People REALLY need to mind their own business. 🙄
Bro, I'm not denigrating anyone for spending money on Amazon. I'm guilty of forgetting the moral and ethical implications for a short term dopamine rush too.
But I'm not going to delude myself into thinking I had to spend money with them.
My problem is with people using flimsy excuses trying to assuage their guilt for doing something they knew was wrong.
What a facile argument.
So you think people aren't responsible for where they choose to spend their money? Is Amazon holding a gun to their head?
Lol, I'll take my $1000.
Sorry that you lack logical thinking. Enjoy your coffee.