BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Feb 21 - 08:19 PM

I find Amazon convenient for big heavy items like furniture, toilets refridgerators, electric bikes and rugs. I did order a unique small comb like titanium item that does haircuts.

HQ 100 inch Projection TVs are now $300 reduced by 50% or more since the new laser projection TVs are now the stupidly expensive over powered alternative. When we invent transporters, Amazon will sell them.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: robomatic
Date: 18 Feb 21 - 09:28 PM

Wasn't it Google that came up with the slogan "don't be evil"? So I guess Amazon figured, "that slogan's taken. we CAN be evil!" Or was that Facebook?

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jeri
Date: 18 Feb 21 - 10:21 PM

This paint is strange. It acts like watercolors, except when it dries, that's it. You can re-constitute watercolors, but this stuff is permanent. I didn't want acrylics, because that's what I've been painting with, and I have a ton. These paints are like a weird cross between inks and watercolors.

I'm impressed with how they handled this, right up to the point where I realized every bit of this product is mislabeled in this particular warehouse/"fulfillment center"/whatever, and they have absolutely no ability to fix it. I doubt I'll ever encounter a problem like this again, and they treated me well, but if I were running Amazon, they'd have the ability to do something about it.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Feb 21 - 03:52 PM

The quickest delivery time from ordering was 3 hours. The longest never arrived but was refunded.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: JHW
Date: 20 Feb 21 - 06:13 AM

There's an enormouse new Amazon warehouse on the outskirts of my nearest town. Amazon and Ebay both demand personal details up-front guarded by a password. Good Luck to those who find them useful. I'm wary.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Feb 21 - 09:58 AM

Yes I had to supply my address.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 20 Feb 21 - 04:24 PM

No major complaints here: in fact most things we have ordered have arrived well before the predicted delivery date. Anything from watch batteries (both of our watches gave up soon after lockdown) to unusual lightbulbs (not stocked in your usual supermarket), Christmas presents for the grandchildren, replacement computer battery, knitting row counters and circular needle. No failures, nothing that had to be sent back. (Touch wood!)

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: JHW
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 05:33 AM

Long before the internet when car keys had no chips I ordered one by post. Posted as often at the nearby sorting office. New key was there in the post when I got home that night (from town about 50 miles away)

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 06:04 AM

Thank goodness for Argos - ordered new greyhound sized bed yesterday at 4pm - delivered to our local Sainsbury's 10am this morning!!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 07:29 AM

Bollocks to argos and sainsburys ...!!!

As with most other big chains..
permanently closed down in our derrlict town centre,
and moved out miles away to a trading estate
situated for the better convenience of the more affluent commuter belt suburbs and villages...

All we town centre dwellers
have left to rely on is Amazon delivering
smaller packages to our precarious High Street post office.
Or a lost wasted day waiting in for delivery of bigger parcels...

Not much choice now about being dependent on Amazon
(and less useful home delivery only internet stores)..

So again I say boycot the smug self righteous boycotters...

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 09:24 AM

I've used Argos 2 or 3 times when I have wanted same day delivery. One I remember was to get an air bed for a relative who was visiting that night to sleep on. It's worked out well.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 09:35 AM

Mudcatters might help solve a question me and the wife are puzzling over..

Years ago when we had a big Argos only a handy few minutes walk away from our house,
there was also a copycat catalogue orders chain.
One branch of it operated from a concession at the back of another big town centre department store which has also recently shut down..

Anyone remember the name of that other catalogue company...???

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 09:53 AM

When I shop I go to the local store after I've researched the item online first. Yesterday I made the post-ice-age decision to set up the emergency supplies now so there is no excuse for their not being handy when I next need them. It could be in summer after a tornado goes through, not only just during an ice event. I will refurbish the camp stoves out in the garage (white gas burning so must be used outdoors) but am getting a propane burning small two-burner stove. REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated) and Academy Sports and Outdoors have local outlets, and carry various stoves. I looked at the copious reviews on Amazon, and except for the fact that local stores are completely out of stock of any gear to deal with the cold weather and lack of power, I could have purchased them locally. I will buy the propane bottles locally, those don't ship for obvious reasons.

My small portable power supply for charging the phone died last week so I've also replaced it (again reading reviews on Amazon, but also on the electronics review sites like CNet or ZDnet).

I'm sure there are people who still do impulse buying when they're in the store, but once you figure out about comparing online (and figure out if the reviews are real or compensated by the product seller - those are usually pretty easy to distinguish from the rest) it's more a matter of calculating the odds that a product will work the way you want without a catastrophic fail. Reading the one-star reviews first is how I approach these, and if they don't have at least 60-70 percent happy customers, I go to the next product for reviews.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 10:16 AM

Mudcatters might help solve a question me and the wife are puzzling over..
Years ago when we had a big Argos only a handy few minutes walk away from our house,
there was also a copycat catalogue orders chain.
One branch of it operated from a concession at the back of another big town centre department store which has also recently shut down..
Anyone remember the name of that other catalogue company...???

Good question:

"Next!" ?

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 10:43 AM

Anyone remember the name of that other catalogue company...???

The rival to Argos was, I believe, Index. It was owned by Littlewood's and closed down in 2005.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 10:46 AM

Nigel - Fair guess, but nothing as aspirational lifestyle as Next..

The company we're try to remember
the name of was a rival almost complete clone rip-off of Argos catalogue business.

It disappeared from high streets about a decade ago...

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 10:52 AM

Doug - yes.. that was it..

.. and Littlewoods is one of the big empty
closed down department stores our high Street...

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 11:10 AM

I remember Argos opening in Cardiff in the early 1970s as a replacement for the Green Shield Stamp Shop.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Raggytash
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 11:30 AM

To the tune of Greensleeves

I found my love in a grocery shop
selling pickles and egg plants and bottles of pop
she asked me to try her asparagus tips
and I fell for the smile on her ruby red lips


Green stamps were all she gave
and green stamps were all I took
green stamps were all I saved
and I pasted them all in my little stamp book

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 12:08 PM

For people looking for a source of new versions of vintage products, the catalog for the Vermont Country Store is still sent out on paper via the mail. They have a web site also.

Soaps, candies, clothes, household products. It's an interesting look down memory lane but you can still buy these things.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 21 Feb 21 - 08:52 PM

my phone rang & a female voice said she was calling from Amazon ...

unfortunately I automatically hung up so don't know which Amazon scam it was.

sandra (not an Amazon customer)

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Feb 21 - 08:24 AM

Does anyone else here use the Smile option for Amazon?

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 23 Feb 21 - 01:42 AM

Yes, I do, Jon.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: fat B****rd
Date: 23 Feb 21 - 04:53 AM

I realize there may be a moral decision with Amazons treatment of staff but for myself, confined to the house by caring family, it's handy to be able to obtain various items without waiting for somebody else's shopping trip.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 21 - 09:00 AM

I try to remember to use Amazon Smile with each order. The donations go to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas; it looks like 119 purchases have contributed to that so far.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 24 Feb 21 - 04:56 AM

Unionization efforts in Alabama

Thanks to Bernie Sanders for the link.c

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 21 - 11:03 AM

Amazon can afford unionization. I am all for it.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Feb 21 - 04:35 AM

With the moving of Argos into Sainsbury’s premises, it has become easier and more convenient to get to for us, in contrast to PFR’s experience: the double outlet is far nearer home than any of the previous Argos-only stores were.
And I just saw yesterday that we now have an Amazon pick-up point in our even more local Co-op store: haven’t had to use that yet, as we are doing as we are told and staying at home most of the time, apart from our daily permitted exercise.
Spoke to soon about no faulty goods: just went to use the circular knitting needle for the first time yesterday: one of the “patented joints” was disconnected. I pushed it back together but it fell apart again repeatedly. So it’s either going back or getting superglued!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Feb 21 - 12:38 PM

Amazon's destructive effects on other businesses and the wider social fabric:

https://www.indiebound.org/spotlightamazon

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 26 Feb 21 - 01:31 PM

I don't care, it's business and they have a sound tax strategy.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Feb 21 - 02:49 PM

We both love Amazon, and use it quite a lot. Our village is rather far from town and most of the shops are shut anyway except for the supermarkets.
The couriers all know us and we give them a modest tip for their efforts.
I agree with Bonzo. If other businesses are not as competitive, charge higher prices and give less satisfaction, it's only to be expected that they'll crumble.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jeri
Date: 26 Feb 21 - 05:02 PM

With the pandemic, Amazon can do things local businesses can't. Given that businesses are, by nature, competitive, and one that's already bigger and more powerful, is going to come out ahead. I try to buy from local businesses if I can. The main problems is that they just don't offer the same services.

except I just gave up on buying a certain art supply thing from Amazon, as they had the item mislabeled, and couldn't seem to fix the problem. So I bought it from a local place - one that's local to a few hundred miles away and has a big, shiny catalog, so I guess they're sort of a really huge mom and pop.

I've also bought hand-made shibori ribbon from a small business.

In Russia.

I'd feel guilty if the were into human trafficing or pedophilia, or something as heinous, but being good at selling stuff people want? Naaaah.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Mar 21 - 09:46 AM

Amazon as a branch of the US government

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 21 - 01:16 PM

The video discussion on Jack's earlier link is interesting. Much of it is known to people who shop at Amazon, and they have chosen to go with this business model.

Many of us were so glad that Bezos purchased the Washington Post and made Trump angry that we gave him some wiggle room to continue to build the empire.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 02 Mar 21 - 02:49 PM

I know of one musician who has had his sole source of income swept away from him by Covid: he has gone to work for Amazon: he's probably not the only one. Even a minimum wage is better than nil.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 06:06 PM

Virtual picket line

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 07:19 AM

Managed to get a refund for my faulty knitting needle. They were not going to let me return it, as it was more than 30 days since I had purchased it, in anticipation of needing it later. However, under UK law, one is entitled to a refund or replacement for faulty goods for 6 months after purchase: and the onus of proof of goods being faultless falls on the seller. Pointed this out and got my refund! It didn’t cost a lot but it’s the principle!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 07:50 AM

I bought a particular make of pulse oximeter from Amazon after reading reviews. I received instead an unbranded fake that looked nothing like the pic on the website. I contacted the seller, who said he'd give me a 10% refund if I kept it! I looked at his feedback and found that he'd done the same stunt a good few times before in recent weeks. I complained to Amazon and got an instant full refund, no quibbles. The chap never did ask for his oximeter back and I'm blowed if I'm paying to send it to him.

What am I bid for a very nice unbranded pulse oximeter, still in its box? :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: The Sandman
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 08:07 AM

well done jack, boycott them

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 09:04 AM

We needed a 12kg bag of Burns dry dog food - Amazon

We needed Tea Tree Wipes - Amazon

We needed 3.5mm stereo jack cable - Amazon

We needed rechargeable batteries - Amazon

We needed inkjet cartridges - Amazon

We needed a watch battery - Amazon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jeri
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 09:55 AM

"Even a minimum wage is better than nil." Amazon's starting wage is $15 an hour, better than the $7.25 minimum wage in the USA.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 12:31 PM

I've had sellers offer refund, etc if I would change my review. On a couple of things that just didn't work or were misrepresented, I edited my review to say that I wasn't changing my review even after their offer. Buying off the negative reviews makes your product look better without making it better. Nope.

Mostly I've had good luck, but I do a lot of comparisons before hitting the "add to cart" button.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 12:45 PM

I was sent a whole bunch of very amateurishly-faked SD memory cards a while ago. The SanDisk labels were sort of stuck on but were crooked, and instead of the little blister packs they were each in a plain little plastic bag. Since then I've always bought them from reputable shops. I've had a few issues with eBay purchases too, and I don't buy stuff from eBay these days.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 01:26 PM

A few years ago I was encouraged by online musician chatter
to consider selling off my excess hoarded music gear on Reverb;
the musicians equivalent of eBay..

Word at the time was that there were fewer
dishonest buyers and sellers infesting Reverb than eBay,
and Reverb fees were not as greedy as eBay..

Time-consuming family problems prevented me from doing so at that time.

Since then far more eBay crooks have moved to Reverb,
Reverb has been sold to to a less musician friendly corporation,
and the fees which used to be less than eBay ane now beginning to increase much higher..

It's a shame, because when post pandemic musicians feel more confident to start buying used gear again,
all online markets will probably be rancid with crooks and rip-off fees...???

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 21 - 02:30 PM

List your item as carefully as possible with lots of photos and possibly even a link to the instrument being played, and make it clear that you're selling as-is. That means you won't accept returns (and unless you ship a piano in place of the guitar you were offering, eBay doesn't insist you accept returns, though they'd like to.) Tell buyers to ask all of their questions before hand. Sell as "Buy it Now" so some noob doesn't jump in at the end of an auction and bid on something they didn't intend to buy then make a stink or cause a problem.

I don't buy some categories of things on eBay, because you can't be sure about the sellers. Ratings are important there, but so few people post ratings any more it's difficult to be sure what to think of some sellers.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 21 - 12:06 PM

The entanglement of Google with Amazon and Facebook and Instagram is very clear on my phone - after the deep freeze of "Winter Storm Uri" hit Texas, many of us started restoring our emergency supplies and building a stockpile of fuel and emergency food. I in particular looked at emergency battery units (the size of a 12-volt car battery or larger, and some of them come with a solar charging panel). I'm seeing tons of ads from all of those battery companies come through my Instagram feed now. So Google and Facebook are paying close attention to my browser activity. I need to remember to use FireFox more, it has a "box" to put Facebook in as far as sharing my browsing history, but I don't think they have any restrictions on Google.

P.S. I haven't decided which battery backup to purchase, but am leaning toward a solar recharging one that doesn't cost the moon.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Mar 21 - 02:39 AM

My latest E-Bay purchase came via Amazon. The packaging was sturdy and not excessive. Not a surprise but niggling.

I used E-Bay because the search is accurate, I wanted a particular brand to get the look & finish. These were plastic pockets and some come in anti-glare that ruins inspection what's inside. (too delicate to remove regularly). Amazon are pitiful on detail IME! It is as deliberate and vague as their Yapoo/Goggle results. E-Bay pages are a mixed bag but the system allows and encourages "detail". Call me an engineer, but detail matters! And so does "expectation met"!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 11 Mar 21 - 04:23 AM

I watched "Lad - A Yorkshire Story" on Amazon Prime last night. Filmed around Settle with untrained actors and one of the best films I have seen for ages.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Jos
Date: 11 Mar 21 - 01:13 PM

I bought an item from Ebay. It arrived this morning in Amazon packaging, obviously a new box, not recycled, and fastened with Amazon tape, and with a note saying "Thank you for shopping at Amazon.co.uk!"
I had paid £9.99 (postage free). I checked the price on the Amazon website - it is £7.99 (also postage free).
I feel cheated.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank goodness for Amazon!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Mar 21 - 04:10 PM

Buyer beware.

The thing about shopping eBay is to also reduce the number of details sometimes to get the results you want. There are bargains to be had when people who list things don't really know what it is they're listing so describe it incorrectly or inadequately. Sometimes you have to keep looking if the item you want doesn't have a great long provenance.

Years ago I bought a stack of 5 stoneware lunch-size plates in a thrift store because I wanted a new look (I'd used Corelle for years when the kids were young). I knew I'd seen these around, but once I bought those the marketplace dried up. I found two more in a different color and was up to seven mis-matched plates. I tried describing them different ways and sometimes would see a related piece (the larger dinner plates, etc.). two weeks ago I spotted two bowls in the color and pattern and grabbed them, only to find that they're larger than the plates, so will use them as serving bowls. But after that small success I tried again and I finally landed on a product name and number that, using that in my search, found a stack of these plates in the size and color I wanted at Replacements.com. Image search is one way to achieve this (using Chrome, right click over a photo and in the lower part of the popup menu you'll see "search for image on Google.""

eBay used to charge per photo uploaded so I hosted them on Photobucket and linked my photos into my listings. That was years ago; eBay got smart and started encouraging photos, and the larger the better. Over 12 you may have to pay, but 12 is usually plenty. In my listings I always indicate that the photos are part of the description, so look at them carefully.

Amazon has a lot of companies that don't carry the same things all of the time and the brand names change or the descriptions vary for identical items. It does take cross-referencing, shopping eBay and Amazon and sometimes just Googling the item in question.