I've used Amazon since they began, and I've almost always been very satisfied with them. The few complaints I've had were dealt with very satisfactorily - sometime I had to ask twice, but rarely. I live in a rural area, so it's very helpful for me to be able to order through Amazon instead of spending a lot of time in town. My last order was for bathroom door locks with an "occupied" indicator - that's something I couldn't find at any local store.

Yeah, it was a little questionable how they evaded collecting state sales tax in the U.S., but they've come into compliance with the law quite well in recent years.

In general, I think Amazon is a very good and ethical retailer.

-Joe-