1) Products from big box. 2) Music streaming from Amazon music. 3) Any product that has a tons of sketchy reviews. 4) IKEA brand household items and furniture. 5) Beauty or skincare. 6) Sunscribe and save products. 7) Clothing and shoes. 8) Covid supplies. 9) Knock off phone and computer chargers.
Omg thanks for citing my story on fake skincare/beauty on Amazon!! Doing the research for that piece fully put me off of buying basically anything skin-related (even, like, soap) from there. You truly never know what you're getting.
After watching this I double checked the moisturizer I bought from Amazon a couple weeks ago, turns out its over 5 years old and was resold through a third party seller. >.< Learned my lesson, and will just take a trip to the store next time.
@@ecemilgun9867 usually companies have a lot number somewhere on the bottle if there's no production date outright on it. Googling the companies lot number system, or reach out to them directly with the lot info can help get you production timeline.
@@justlittletalks4962 I do this too sometimes… I should probably do it soon… bought some make up from Amazon. It said it was from the elf store but like… I swear there’s like 5 different sellers claiming to be the real elf 🙃
As someone who works at an Amazon sort center: there's a lot of stuff that is sold by Amazon that is a nightmare to process. Stuff gets packaged incorrectly and then spills everywhere. Lots of paint spills, we had a vinegar spill this week, all sorts of drink spills. Kitty litter in particular gets everywhere. I had a tire get stuck at the top of my chute on Friday. Just a tire with a shipping label slapped onto it. There's a lot of stuff that even if it is legitimate, gets utterly destroyed in transit. At this point I'm surprised when something arrives at my door and is completely intact. Please don't buy things that you are concerned about breaking in transit from Amazon. Because it will likely be subjected to a lot of abuse in transit, especially if it's not being sourced close to the shipping address.
Nail polish. Despite many people complaining over the years, Amazon will just throw a bottle of polish into a box with a few plastic bubbles and leave it to rattle around in the mail until it arrives at your door.
Great video! I just watched a Netflix documentary on counterfeit cosmetics and the nasty stuff they put in those, which then gets sold on Amazon. Us consumers definitely need to be more educated about products and this video was great!
Not sure why that's a bad thing. Not every return is something that's gross or severely damaged. The majority of returns are for minor blemishes, or potentially nothing is wrong with them at all but the original buyer decided they didn't want it. Otherwise it would just end up in a landfill so.....
I buy unopened Kirkland fish-oil supplements on Amazon, and after accounting for the crazy markup the FBA seller charges, it's still cheaper to buy it on Amazon with the markup than it is to buy a Costco membership and purchase the item.
@@ConstantlyVariedFitness I don't see how it's wrong at all, What you said is exactly right. Some people may not have a Costco near them and still want to buy their products. I don't see why a returned item that can very well have never opened can't be sold. Why shouldn't someone be able to buy it from someone else? The item may not be priced for more than the original at all. You are right, it would just end up in a landfill. People seem to be angry at resellers being able to make a living like everyone else. If you hate on resellers then you shouldn't buy anything from any retailer.
@@BeautyIsMyLife ok relax nobody labeled it "wrong." they just said dont buy it and explained what they are purchasing if ppl buy "costco" products from amazong. you dont have to attach a moral label to someone warning of the realities of reselling on amazon. some ppl really do think theyre buying legit costco products when they arent. making sure that ppl have full knowledge so that they can make a fully autonomous decision isnt hating on anybody.
The salon I worked at sold a brand of products called Eufora which only sells their items in salon. We would warn clients over and over that the Eufora products in amazon are either counterfeit or expired but they didn’t listen. Then they end up with foul smelling products or chemical burns.
I admit I am a very happy Amazon customer - however, I am price/quality savvy and I only buy items that I cannot find in brick shops or on different websites. I am often appalled at how some people seem to be NOT shopping around when looking for an item and not notice that yes, many times they are more expensive on Amazon than somewhere else. I am writing from Europe where, maybe, customers ' approach could be different.
I always scan the local websites first and then if the amazon had the best offer i will buy it..i am from Ireland ....for clothes/electric/house stuff...always going in stores...and if i find something i like..again i google the local stores to find the best price...if i order 1 or 2 per year something from amazon....is good.
Yes, thank you for mentioning the masssive impact and prevalance of *m*zon Web Services! The near-monopoly on enterprise computation is insane and has a massive influence on the environmental weight of *m*zon as a company.
A word on IKEA - it only works if you live near one. There’s no ikea in my state (Mississippi.) I wanted a Malm dresser and shipping from Ikea was going to be twice as much as the dresser! We ended to going to the one 3 hours away in another state. There’s also sadly no Trader Joe’s in my state, though we did finally get a Costco a couple years ago!
Lesson learned on not buying chargers from Amazon. Got a cheap laptop charger. It was working fine for a month. I left it unattended for a little over an hour and noticed a chemical smell.. the charger plug melted a portion of my home outlet!!! I tried submitting a negative review with pictures for proof and suddenly the charger and brand is no longer searchable on their website 🤔
@@lastpolarbearcub at least they are somewhat reporting people and keeping up with the fakes. It must be very hard because when one fake goes down, a hundred more fake products take it’s place
Counterfeit DVDs and video game discs have been a big problem too on Amazon and elsewhere. They have only become less problematic due to consumers choosing online streaming and downloading over physical discs in recent years.
Also: wet cat food. It was cheaper and faster for me to get cat food delivered via Prime, but my cat started avoiding it every so often. And he's usually crazy about food. Some of the food is expired or kept in poor temperature conditions through Amazon.
Switch to Chewy, their shipping is usually 2-3 days for me and their customer service is amazing. My cat decided he no longer wanted to eat the flavor of food I got him (an entire case of it). I asked if I could return it and they told me to donate it and gave me a full refund. It was NOT a cheap food either, it was like $2-3 a can.
@@justanotherjessica love chewy! My senior dog (17 yo) has a sensitive stomach in his old age, so he had a one-off accident in his bed. We got rid of it, but because he was so attached to it, we immediately ordered him another. Chewy got the new one to us overnight!! So impressed
I work for a company that sells on Amazon as a third party vendor. Seeing how Amazon runs their business and all the shit they get away with convinced me to never give them another cent of my money. (No judgement to anyone who has to buy from Amazon. I totally get that it is the only option for some people.) ETA after finishing the video - most third party vendors don't set the retail prices on Amazon - Amazon does. Vendors can only "suggest" the retail price. There are exceptions to this (seller central accounts vs vendor central accounts) but overall, Amazon is allowed to sell third party vendor products for whatever they want, while simultaneously forcing that same third party vendor to lower their cost to Amazon or risk their listing being suppressed and not appearing on the website.
Another reason to check reviews: some sellers are repurposing successful listings to sell new products. I was looking at a carbon dioxide monitor a couple of days ago and one had lots of positive reviews! "This is a great trigger lock" (with photo of handgun). "Kept my tea hot all day!" Whelp, I don't know about the ship, but we've found Theseus' Amazon storefront ...
Reviews won’t tell you much when many different sellers send items to Amazon and it all gets mixed up so if one seller sends in real items while another seller sends in fake items they can be purchased from the same listing. it’s a gamble either way really.
I'm in the UK and never had an amazon account. Yet, I've still unwittingly bought a few items from them via various seller accounts on ebay UK. The weird thing? Once my order arrives in an amazon box, from an amazon driver - I look up the same item on amazon (to see if I was ripped off). Nope - every single time, I'd get the same item for cheaper than the cheapest amazon price AND free 'ebay' delivery (the same items on amazon never had free delivery on non-prime accounts). It's really strange.
The main reason why Amazon is so popular in the U.S. is called "ex-fucking-treme driving distances". I live in Central Europe. In a major city where the local IKEA is served by THREE bus lines financed by the city (IKEA may chip in to have the buses go there, but no the entire cost) with combined frequency of 7-10 minutes. Online shopping IS huge in this country but definitely not in the product categories named in this video. I used to be shocked by "why the hell Americans buy this on the frickin Amazon" before realizing that a decent store may be a three hour drive for them.
It's also the "variety". One major issue in the US that most places to buy are the same 10-20 stores with the same crappy items (that you can also find on Amazon). It's hard to find mom and pop stores and most of them are food. Chances are most people are going to shop online for mom-and-pop items and well, 9 times out of 10 it's also cheaper on Amazon once you factor in the shipping. It's why certain speciality stores like Trader Joe's are always packed. You can't find that stuff online so it's worth the drive (1 hr for me, ayyy).
You should do a video about eco-friendly household cleaning brands like Dropps, Blueland, Grove, and Cleancult. They make being eco-friends easy and automated, and in the case of Dropps (for me personally), saves me money with their bulk subscribe and save option :)
I haven’t purchased anything from Amazon since mid-March. This is a major accomplishment for me because I used to be the person with a new package almost every day.
I buy a lot from Amazon because I have a pain disorder, so trying multiple stores for one item is out, and it’s not worth breaking my body trying to find substitutes that’ll charge $10 for shipping each if I need multiple things
Same here! You're not alone. And I'm glad you brought this up. I've ordered from Amazon simply because I couldn't physically walk to get items. It's not being lazy or spoiled, it's illness and disability.
@@carligirrl Stores like Walmart and most grocery stores will let you shop online and then you can drive there and stay in your car and they bring it out to you.
At this point, I think I only buy office supplies and a few other nifty little household items from Amazon when it would take me too long to find them near me. And in most cases, it's only stuff that I've gotten direct links and recommendations for because it can be exhausting searching through the reviews. But one other thing I'm adamant about avoiding on Amazon is books because I don't like the power they have in the industry. My order of preference is library, local indie shops, then Barnes & Noble.
I really tried to cut all ties with daddy bezos, but there are some hobby supplies I really cannot get in my location, especially 3d printer components.
I'm one of those people who kinda has no choice about ordering things online and because I have a PO box and the mail doesn't deliver to my rural ass house Amazon, with its hub locker, is my only choice. In fact I'm going to take this opportunity to rant. Why the hell do so many places refuse to ship to a PO box!? So many of Amazon's competition REFUSE to ship to a PO box and this locks me completely out of ordering from them! Why are we even allowed to pay for a PO box if shipping things to them is "impossible" according to so many websites. It's total bullshit.
If your shipping is "free", the shipper is going to use the cheapest option available. For larger, heavier packages or ones that have a long distance, this often means UPS or FedEx ground, who can't deliver to P.O. boxes.
@@scarpfish there are so many little things I've tried to order off websites where the shipping is listed as SPECIFICALLY through USPS and when I go to check out they will not allow you to put in a PO box. It's incredibly frustrating. I'm not ordering stuff like mattresses and furniture I'm ordering like a digital thermometer, or a pack of sanitary napkins. I live in a town of 1600 people and because I'm within city limits the post office will not deliver to my home. Ups and FedEx cannot reliably find my house either despite the road being clearly labeled and my buying 1 foot tall numbers and nailed to the front of my house. I've had to go door to door looking for packages delivered to the wrong house and before Amazon delivered a locker to my town I had an entire collection of photos of strangers front porches where they had delivered my stuff to random houses. At one point I received a news letter from my post office essentially threatening everyone in town to stop useing the post offices physical address as an Amazon delivery address. That's how bad it got. During the height of the pandemic I went around to some of the elderly peoples houses in town and hand delivered groceries. It wasn't because they couldn't order them online it was because they couldn't be delivered and that's just sad.
I really appreciate the acknowledgments at the beginning. :) I live alone in a remote area, so I wind up shopping a lot more on Amazon than I used to. The closest boxed stores are an hour's drive, and the closest IKEA is 4 hours over in the next state, so it makes some of those products a lot less accessible to me. I have found some Mom and Pop places that fill in the gap, and on occasion I just bite the bullet and make the drive to shop. At the end of the day if I just need one *very particular* item then I find myself on amazon a lot more than I used to.
I'm disappointed on Chelsea's lack of research about shopping for Ikea products online. Ikea charges outrageous shipping for small low cost items. For example their shipping for a set of bedsheets is akin to the cost of shipping heavy furniture. Often the shipping is more than the price of the item itself! I have talked to Ikea about this over their customer service line and their answer makes so little sense I can't even remember that they said. Go ahead and ask for yourself if you are curious. Therefore, I only buy Ikea items in-store but there is only one Ikea in my state and it is quite a distance to drive, so I go very seldom. I have looked at what people try to sell these items for on Amazon/eBay and what I've noticed is that it's about the same as what you would pay on Ikea's website if you look at the total price with shipping. Maybe some sellers offer the buyer a bit of a break, I don't know. Many people don't live near an Ikea so these sellers are offering options. Why is TFD hating on honest people trying to make a living? Yes, if selling harmful products or fake products is wrong, but that is casting aspersions on a lot of legitimate sellers.
Maybe don't shop at Ikea... there are local vendors in your state I'm sure that could use your business. Also Ikea contributes to deforestation. They get their wood from other European companies who practice illegal deforestation in protected forests. There are documentaries on this topic right here on TH-cam.
I decided to stop buying from Amazon if I can avoid it, specially from third party sellers. I bought a device and was sent the wrong item. I returned it, and after 3 weeks, I still haven't recieved the refund. I bought a similar device from another seller (I really needed the thing) and they "couldn't find me" even though there was somebody at home at all times. They also didn't contact me to arrange another date, so I cancelled the order. The same thing with the refund, nothing yet.
I'm a huge fan of earning more money, and I think everyone should have a side hustle. Side hustling can allow you to earn that little bit of extra money that can help you achieve your financial goals faster - whether it's paying off student loans or saving for retirement.
You are right. I also started my journey towards actualizing Financial independence. I am sick off earning from only one source especially 9-5daily. But I am having a tough time finding a good investment adviser. Seeing your testimonies, I believe that you achieved this through a good tactical means. I hope you don't mind sharing information on how you made it possible?
@@jarrettmacurdy3612 I invest across the top markets but not by myself tho. i follow the guidelines of Alexandra Diana Jose. you might have heard of her.. I can correctly say she’s worth her salt as a investment advisor as her diversification skills are top notch/ I say because i see that in her results as my portfolio grows by averages of 30 to 5O% on a monthly basis, unlike i can say for my IRA which has just been trudging along. my portfolio just mirrors what her place and not just on some particular industries of my choosing
@@davidreus9321 That’s great , your investment advisor must be really good,I have seen testimonies of people using the help of investment advisors in making them more financial stable. Do you mind sharing more info on this person?
@@jarrettmacurdy3612 yeah she is thankfully I’d definitely be glad to recommend her and Sure. Just check her on the internet her name is Alexandra Diana Jose. She works with anyone independent of their location
I'd always be willing to do this for the long-term as long as I’m assured of success. I think I've heard Alexandra Diana Jose mentioned a few times before and I reckon this number of people talking about one person can't be wrong about their experiences
I only every buy from Amazon if I absolutely can't get an item through any other source. And that's not just because I work for an online store in Switzerland - I think here one of our selling points is "we're not Amazon" :-)
I should be deterred by a few of these, but as someone who lives in a small town in MS where my product selection is limited to Walmart or a 2 hour round trip to Costco, it's either pay more on Amazon or don't get the product or even a comparable one at all.
Thanks for these tips. I do make it a practice to check a price on Amazon against the same item on the manufacturer's website or at least some other websites. Comparison shopping should still be a thing!
I personally use the Subscribe and Save feature for household items. I hate going in a store to purchase these because I get tempted on buying other unnecessary things. Plus, I have all of my items there to come every 3-6 months. It limits my time using the website/app too. Also, maybe it's only in Seattle, but Amazon stopped their free returns to their stores: Whole Foods, Amazon Go (RIP), Amazon 4-Stars (RIP), Amazon Fresh.
@@jasminee1417 do you live in a major city?? I'm in Seattle and it's always free shipping but only with orders $45+. Or the item is unavailable for deliver lol
This is a great video! I will say though that for college students with student prime, Amazon music is only $0.99 per month, which honestly does save a lot of money compared to Hulu+Spotify student deal. But it’s only for college students as far as I know.
Seriously, there are so many small businesses that make their livelihood on Amazon. I sold almost 2 million books because of Amazon and became a full time author and more successful than I ever dreamed. There are so many like me and there are so many people who sell good there- just small one person companies. Let’s push for unions and higher wages but also support small businesses!
I support small business and try and buy directly from them and not a third party like Amazon. Bezos gets a cut out of everything. I’d much rather buy directly from the company. Why help make Bezos more wealthy?
Yay! Thanks for this video! Fraudulent items on Amazon is a huge issue! If I buy from Amazon it’s only bc it’s not available anywhere else, and I always look at the seller to make sure I’m buying direct from the seller and not from a third party. 👏 thanks for the great video, as always!
Living in the Canarian Islands have this as an advantage, Amazon does not delivery here for about 80% of the store. We have great access to European maybe small brands of make up here. And if I see something gun Assos got me cover when I can afford it. 🥰
The only thing that I have as subscribe and save on Amazon are a 96 pack of rael pimple patches and that’s because I can’t find them anywhere in stores, plus I always run out of patches frequently
I admittedly use *m*zon frequently, but after this video, I think I am going to curb what I purchase there, and stick mostly to books and ebooks (I have a Kindle). I self-published on*m*zon, so I'll continue with that, but I'm definitely going to change my habits. I was buying the Japanese Haba Labo skincare, but after this video, I think I will buy it elsewhere, even though I haven't had problems. I've already renewed my Prime Membership for the year, but I don't think I'll renew it again.
I tried to leave a review for a collagen powder I ordered that I believe to be counterfeit for many reasons. But my review got deleted for trying to question whether the product was real or not..
Half of Americans live in places with no Costco, Ikea, or even a large grocery store nearby. Half of Americans also have no access to fast internet, which most city dwellers are completely unaware of. This is why rural Americans have to shop differently from others. Unfortunately, Amazon has become the only option for many people to be able to get the same things that others can just run across town for in person. The nearest Ikea to me is a 4 hour drive, and I live near a small city. I probably wouldn't buy Ikea on Amazon, but it might actually be cheaper than the item plus the $100 shipping that Ikea would charge me for a shelf. There's also no Costco or Trader Joe's in my town, so that's out. Until some of these retailers decide to put a store in a place that's not a major city, people will buy their stuff on third-party sites, because half of Americans don't live in large cities and don't want to. I can't speak for other countries, but I suspect this is less of a problem elsewhere because of smaller geographical areas.
@@so.many.obstacles census results and various reports on where and how people live. A great majority of the rural denizens of America have neither of these luxuries, and they number close to 50% I can't give you a specific link at the moment, as my research on these issues was some time ago, but they exist. I was quite shocked at the high numbers of rural folks with almost no modern services compared to others.
The most Americans live in suburbs. Majority are in urban cities or suburbs, not rural. This is expected to trend upwards. There are many rural cities though, they just don’t hold most of the population. In my city, there’s Costco and Trader Joe’s, around 2010s, but no ikea for hundreds of miles. Walmart is the main retailer of choice when my family makes runs & provisions for a rural-living member.
I only buy from Amazon when a certain app gives me gift cards after saving up enough points. Someone I know worked for them here in the UK. They set unachievable targets to stowe items away. They have hand sets which have alarms on them. Obnoxious noise when you haven't found a space on the shelves after just a few seconds seconds stowe away the item. The aisles were not all lit with working lights. The supervisor would threaten to fire you for not keeping up and they do fire you eventually. Your colleagues are therefore in competition for stowe space...so if they see with a space on the shelf they selfishly take your space (because they themselves have high anxiety). All this making their staff have mental and physical health issues. This is just stowing. It's tough for pickers and delivery drivers. There was a documentary all about in the UK if you are interested to learn about it
For those of you shopping for seeds this spring, Baker Creek sells them for less than Amazon, are certified non-GMO, and ship for free. If you order $10 worth of seeds they will even send you a free seed packet of something random. I got California Poppies with my order yesterday. There are now way better options than Amazon for your shopping needs.
@@roche320 No one is telling you that you can't have GMO. There's too much evidence pointing out the multitude of problems with GMO crops that I'm going to pass. More for you, though.
I nearly bought Ikea from Amazon. It was a higher price. However, it was available and could be delivered. I waited for two months for what I wanted to become available on Ikea and even then delivery was not available. I ended up placing my order and then driving three hours each way to pick the order up.
Maybe I am not a very refined music listener, but sometimes I play the free Amazon Music on my phone and use my home stereo speakers via Bluetooth connection, without any other Amozon device.
A lot of major retailers offer price matching. As a Target employee, I can vouch that we offer price matching. Of course there are stipulations but in many cases you can buy the exact same product in person at the price being sold on Amazon (or other approved competitors). You just have to ask.
I bought a perfume from Amazon. I have been using that same perfume for years and couldn't find anywhere else. It had lots of 5 star reviews and it said it was "Shipped from/Sold by Amazon", so I thought since amazon is selling it surely they must have vetted their suppliers. But no, once it arrived and I opened it I could very easily tell it was a counterfeit. And again, this wasn't from a third party seller, it said this was sold by Amazon themselves. The item is not eligible for returns/refunds so I have no option but to keep it. On top of that they deleted my one star review where I talk about the item being a counterfeit, so basically you can't trust reviews either... learned my lesson, cancelled my prime subscription and never buying from them again.
One thing I found out is that you can sometimes save money by going directly to the "seller's" website instead of Amazon. I purchased a pair of shoes from a regional shoe store for $17.00 less than purchasing them through Amazon from the same seller. I wanted a duplicate pair to some I already owned and since that particular style was discontinued and was very comfortable for me. I also still got free shipping since the purchase was over $50.00.
I actively leave reviews on Amazon and will recommend the product that works for me on the product that didn’t work to save people money I think some of your tips are good but they’re not fool proof and they certainly don’t apply to every situation and so I want people to keep that at mind when buying items on Amazon that sometimes the majority of people agree whether that’s positive or negative and those are real reviews.
Sadly for the last point, Apple has already stopped shipping chargers with their devices. Certainly this will cause many of us Amazon shoppers to pick up anything which fits.
i’ve considered ordering masks but i’m just too scared of counterfeits or mislabeled items. reviews are mixed bags and i’d rather just wait longer and pay more for legit ones. it’s frustrating but worth it.
I gave up my Prime membership a few years ago which I used just for streaming media. I miss you, Mrs. Maisel and Jack Ryan, but I hadn't shopped Amazon in years. I understand the value and convenience for people who need the service, but I'm able to source products elsewhere.
Absolutely love my Amazon Music subscription. I think I've encountered less than 10 songs that are behind a paywall. Also, I listen to it through my phone and sometimes our smart tv. What other ways are ppl listening to their music?
Thanks for posting this! Also a side note. Paying for Prime shipping or not and occasionally paying the $5-8 fee for 2 day shipping is rarely worth it. I canceled Prime about 3 years ago, just didn't order enough stuff to make it worthwhile, especially with persistent annual price hikes. I conducted a small experiment the past year. Out of the maybe 15 items I ordered on Amazon in that one year, I have never paid the 2 day shipping fee (usually $7.95) and still got my product the day it was guaranteed for 2 day. Only one item came the the day free shipping had "predicted" (ordered on a Monday and it arrived Friday) so I saved myself $8 by clicking free shipping and *still* getting it in 2 days. 🤷♀️😉
I personally don't like going to stores to sample beauty products, but I subscribe to the fab fit fun box. So I regularly get lots of skincare and other products. Since they're all so nice I can always find something to use, so I'm never out of fancy skincare. I share the box too so I'm not getting too much stuff.
Being from New Zealand, shipping costs don't make Amazon a convenient option. However, most of the cheaper things can be found on aliexpress for significantly cheaper.
It's all bootlegs. Those third party sellers like aliexpress, Wish, and shein are all Chinese run sites that mainly sell bootlegged and ripped off products.
It was Amazon's bad delivery statuses that finally drove me to stop using them as much as possible (with exception to a Christmas gift last year). They can mark things delivered, even if it hasn't been, and they have it on their website that they do this (you have to dig through your account to find their return policy info). They mention to wait two business days before contacting support. I bought a scarf and hat combo for my mom's birthday and it was set to be delivered on her birthday...but wasn't. I checked around the side of the house, though as I lived in a townhouse, I figured that would be impractical and the item was small enough to fit in the mailbox. Waited my two days and called them and they gave me a store credit. I bought the item again...all for the first one to show up a few days later. I ended up keeping the second one for myself as payment for them stupidly marking an item delivered when it absolutely had not been. I don't see the purpose in that except to inflate their fast shipping status. About 8 months later, I ordered a self jump-starter battery pack (serious note, everyone should get one of these and I don't care if you use Amazon to do so. For around $100 for most vehicles, it can save you from being stranded, especially if people are rude and don't want to even talk to you when you ask for help, like what happened with me). But the battery was marked delivered and wasn't in front of the apartment. This one may have been stolen (they didn't knock when the delivery was made because of Covid precautions many delivery services had in place meant not touching anyone'a house. Which...other people have already touched all over the package anyways, might as well knock on the damn door or wear gloves 🙄). I didn't get the notice of the delivery until about 40 minutes after the stated delivery time. But I couldn't be sure it had been stolen given my other experience. Also, the seller just so happened to then be out of stock despite me keeping an eye on the seller's page and continuing to read reviews, which raised some red flags. When I asked for a refund for not getting my item, Amazon said I'd filed too many claims and denied it. The claim with the scarf was the only one I've filed in the 10 plus years I've been using Amazon. I read them the riot act. I let them know the only reason I filed that first claim was because of their bullshit early delivery status. Had they given me the correct tracking and expectation, that claim would've never been filed. And I brought up the suspicious timing of the seller being out of stock with no warning of low inventory. Guess they didn't want to fight me anymore as Amazon gave me a proper refund, not store credit. After all this (oh, and an instance of being duped with a pair of earbuds with glowing reviews that were actually garbage), I've not bought anything for myself from them since.
Not for everything, actually. I would get a Costco gift card from a friend or family member with the membership to check the store out. You can reload the cards too. You can even do combined grocery runs if you know someone with a membership who will accommodate you. They will get their 2% back (Executive membership I think) and you can get your stuff for cheaper.
Absolutely! Three years ago a friend recommended me a coat and how warm and cute it was. I checked it out and yikes! $200 dollars for a cheap piece of material? I read the reviews though. I went to Burlington and found another cute coat for $85 dollars and saved myself and the planet a huge headache! 🌟 🌟
Also avoid purchasing video game console products. I tried to buy a PS4 controller and ended up with a counterfeit. Luckily I was able to return it, but it was mega BS.
So true about the beauty products. I've had 2 skincare orders that arrived with no seal and a very obvious fingerdip in the middle instead of a smooth even surface. Clearly someone is sampling and contaminating orders! I got refunded for both and have never bought skincare products from Amazon ever since. I just buy directly from the company to ensure a more high quality experience and higher likelihood of actually getting a new and sealed product. Also, I once ordered a box of tea and it literally arrived with the box flattened as if someone stepped on it. Horrible!
I wanna add a little thing about the clothes, as someone who is plus sized and can't always get the clothing I need from other retailers I do tend to buy hoodies from Amazon as they are usually the right size and in my price range. Not all of us have the luxury of being able to afford clothing from other retailers especially when plus sized. I also tend to buy compression socks as once again I can get them at a reasonable price and have to have them. They also are either not sold at the local stores or are double or triple the price on Amazon. I have to pick and choose where I buy higher quality clothing and choose to spend the money saved on things like better quality pants and underwear. Do I wish I didn't have too pick and choose? Yes, but I do. The reality of living in a more rural or small town area means sometimes Amazon is literally our only option as other places don't always deliver out here. Though I do agree with the rest of the list.
My main problem with every buying food or cosmetics off of Amazon is that they were clearly stored improperly. I have several food allergies and if I want a candy bar as a treat, Amazon is one of the few ways I can get one. But I've gotten stuff that has obviously melted and re-melted a few times, even when I ordered in winter so it didn't have a problem between the warehouse and me.
Unfortunately as a computer and anime/manga nerd it's Amazon or nothing for a lot of PC parts and books/collections unless you want to pay absurd amounts of money over MSRP for either the product or S&H. Still I try to avoid them.
I bought an item of clothing all of once from *m*z*n and it was for a costume/cosplay. I had to buy something with a much hizer size marker than what I am used to, and I didn't even bother to replace the second option I got. When I went to UPS to try to return it, the person behind the counter said it would cost more to ship than the price of the dress.
I wish I see your video earlier! I purchased some brow pencil on Amazon and it gave my skin a terrible allergic reaction. I should have never done that. Thank you for sharing your advice to your audience!
It's been a year since i bought anything from Amazon, I don't know the future but it's gonna have to be something really special that I can find anywhere for me to buy on Amazon, also don't have any smart products in my house, I like my house to be dumb. I'm shopping more local now and giving priority to things made in my country or other European countries, I'm not rich, far from it, but I'm buying more consciously and minimal.
There would’ve been absolutely no way to convince myself as a college senior to not subscribe to a monthly case of organic energy drinks. I went to college in the middle of nowhere rural Missouri and needed energy to graduate.
I don’t buy skincare or beauty products from Amazon. They’re usually expired and the prices are way off, either too expensive or too low compared to the prices at the brands store or a department store.
I love this list! I’ve been very adamant about not giving Amazon any MORE money that they don’t need and doesn’t bring me any more value (LOL) so that means not paying for Prime, along w some of the stuff here. General rule about a LOT of products: Go to the manufacturers first! Then work your way down. And be weary of even clothing- I’ve heard rash horror stories.
I am not sure if New York, you have shopped there, but here in my hometown, I started seeing people selling products like Shampoo, toothpaste, and other similar products in Yard Sales, it is kind of unsettling.
Now there's a category where you really can make a difference for a struggling local bookseller (not a giant chain that has the word "noble" in it) by buying local. Too expensive? Look for a used book store; some local booksellers stock both new and used.
@@ArtamStudio Local sellers sell on Amazon as well. Amazon actually doesn't have many products that are Amazon original. That's why many products are knock offs because it is warehouses that are selling the knock offs online. You can't sell a knock off book so I get those books online because most local sellers don't have the books I need for my masters in the store. Leisure books I get from thriftbooks.
This has definitely been on my mind! I use Subscribe and Save to get the essentials (for me, it's stevia sweetened soda) that I cannot get while overseas. I make a note when my S&S is about to charge me so that I can see if something jumped in price, and I skip it. But when I was working full-time, I absolutely deprioritized checking and how much I was auto-piloting just adding household staples. Now I'm considering not having Prime at all. Even with a language barrier where I'm at, I look forward to exploring and finding what I actually will use in stores. In the states, I'm not sure how I would have broken that habit. Thank you for drawing attention to this need to be informed while online shopping.
Never buy any kind of furniture from Amazon. I bought 2 chairs from them and the first one broke even though it was rated to hold up 1000 lbs. I couldn't get it welded back together because it was too big to fit in the car to take somewhere to get welded. The next one came disassembled and didn't have any screws with it. The hardware store didn't have the right kind. And I would have had to do some drilling. I ended up shipping it back.
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1) Products from big box.
2) Music streaming from Amazon music.
3) Any product that has a tons of sketchy reviews.
4) IKEA brand household items and furniture.
5) Beauty or skincare.
6) Sunscribe and save products.
7) Clothing and shoes.
8) Covid supplies.
9) Knock off phone and computer chargers.
Thank you so much for this list
I did not watch the video but, you can get some decent quality clothes on Amazon
Damn is there anything you can buy? I wouldn’t buy food
Not all of us have 14 minutes to feign interest.
Omg thanks for citing my story on fake skincare/beauty on Amazon!! Doing the research for that piece fully put me off of buying basically anything skin-related (even, like, soap) from there. You truly never know what you're getting.
After watching this I double checked the moisturizer I bought from Amazon a couple weeks ago, turns out its over 5 years old and was resold through a third party seller. >.<
Learned my lesson, and will just take a trip to the store next time.
How did you find out it was over 5 years old?
@@ecemilgun9867 usually companies have a lot number somewhere on the bottle if there's no production date outright on it. Googling the companies lot number system, or reach out to them directly with the lot info can help get you production timeline.
@@ecemilgun9867 I looked up the batch number online, there are a few websites that list when and where the product was made.
@@justlittletalks4962 I do this too sometimes… I should probably do it soon… bought some make up from Amazon. It said it was from the elf store but like… I swear there’s like 5 different sellers claiming to be the real elf 🙃
As someone who works at an Amazon sort center: there's a lot of stuff that is sold by Amazon that is a nightmare to process. Stuff gets packaged incorrectly and then spills everywhere. Lots of paint spills, we had a vinegar spill this week, all sorts of drink spills. Kitty litter in particular gets everywhere. I had a tire get stuck at the top of my chute on Friday. Just a tire with a shipping label slapped onto it. There's a lot of stuff that even if it is legitimate, gets utterly destroyed in transit. At this point I'm surprised when something arrives at my door and is completely intact. Please don't buy things that you are concerned about breaking in transit from Amazon. Because it will likely be subjected to a lot of abuse in transit, especially if it's not being sourced close to the shipping address.
Nail polish. Despite many people complaining over the years, Amazon will just throw a bottle of polish into a box with a few plastic bubbles and leave it to rattle around in the mail until it arrives at your door.
Also problematic: supplements. Lots of ripoffs with great labels...
True, although I think that's a problem with supplements you buy anywhere, not just through Amazon.
Great video! I just watched a Netflix documentary on counterfeit cosmetics and the nasty stuff they put in those, which then gets sold on Amazon. Us consumers definitely need to be more educated about products and this video was great!
title please?
@@LamiereByM broken
@@LamiereByM it's the first episode of the documentary called "Broken".
Was a very interesting show
I'm so glad I didn't buy make up from there
Seriously, don't buy Kirkland products on Amazon. The sellers are buying Costco returns in bulk and selling it on Amazon for a profit.
Costco: gets a bunch of returns
FBA Sellers: bag alert 💰 major bag 💴 alert
Not sure why that's a bad thing. Not every return is something that's gross or severely damaged. The majority of returns are for minor blemishes, or potentially nothing is wrong with them at all but the original buyer decided they didn't want it.
Otherwise it would just end up in a landfill so.....
I buy unopened Kirkland fish-oil supplements on Amazon, and after accounting for the crazy markup the FBA seller charges, it's still cheaper to buy it on Amazon with the markup than it is to buy a Costco membership and purchase the item.
@@ConstantlyVariedFitness I don't see how it's wrong at all, What you said is exactly right. Some people may not have a Costco near them and still want to buy their products. I don't see why a returned item that can very well have never opened can't be sold. Why shouldn't someone be able to buy it from someone else? The item may not be priced for more than the original at all. You are right, it would just end up in a landfill. People seem to be angry at resellers being able to make a living like everyone else. If you hate on resellers then you shouldn't buy anything from any retailer.
@@BeautyIsMyLife ok relax nobody labeled it "wrong." they just said dont buy it and explained what they are purchasing if ppl buy "costco" products from amazong. you dont have to attach a moral label to someone warning of the realities of reselling on amazon. some ppl really do think theyre buying legit costco products when they arent. making sure that ppl have full knowledge so that they can make a fully autonomous decision isnt hating on anybody.
My list of things never to buy on Amazon: Anything I can find in a brick and mortar store or through another online retailer.
I'm with you on this one!
Ditto!
Why
Yup, which honestly sucks when I go to stores looking for an item and I'm forced to bite the bullet and buy from Amazon 😅
@@seakelp1150 Because Amazon is especially evil and shitty to its workforce
It’s honestly such a shame that Amazon (and other large corps) have such a wide reach and audience but chose to do only harmful things to society 😔
That's a great part of why they get so large.
*to do only what’s most profitable for them, regardless of how it affects society
The salon I worked at sold a brand of products called Eufora which only sells their items in salon. We would warn clients over and over that the Eufora products in amazon are either counterfeit or expired but they didn’t listen. Then they end up with foul smelling products or chemical burns.
I admit I am a very happy Amazon customer - however, I am price/quality savvy and I only buy items that I cannot find in brick shops or on different websites. I am often appalled at how some people seem to be NOT shopping around when looking for an item and not notice that yes, many times they are more expensive on Amazon than somewhere else. I am writing from Europe where, maybe, customers ' approach could be different.
I always scan the local websites first and then if the amazon had the best offer i will buy it..i am from Ireland ....for clothes/electric/house stuff...always going in stores...and if i find something i like..again i google the local stores to find the best price...if i order 1 or 2 per year something from amazon....is good.
I recently purchased something that was cheaper to purchase from the company & pay shipping than using Amazon Prime.
Yes, thank you for mentioning the masssive impact and prevalance of *m*zon Web Services! The near-monopoly on enterprise computation is insane and has a massive influence on the environmental weight of *m*zon as a company.
A word on IKEA - it only works if you live near one. There’s no ikea in my state (Mississippi.) I wanted a Malm dresser and shipping from Ikea was going to be twice as much as the dresser! We ended to going to the one 3 hours away in another state. There’s also sadly no Trader Joe’s in my state, though we did finally get a Costco a couple years ago!
Even if you have an Ikea "nearby", their delivery services are quite bad. Either you physically go to a store or not bother at all.
Lesson learned on not buying chargers from Amazon. Got a cheap laptop charger. It was working fine for a month. I left it unattended for a little over an hour and noticed a chemical smell.. the charger plug melted a portion of my home outlet!!! I tried submitting a negative review with pictures for proof and suddenly the charger and brand is no longer searchable on their website 🤔
They probably removed it due to reported safety issues
@@lastpolarbearcub at least they are somewhat reporting people and keeping up with the fakes. It must be very hard because when one fake goes down, a hundred more fake products take it’s place
@@colechapman3382 yes agree. I would think taking it down is a good sign.
Counterfeit DVDs and video game discs have been a big problem too on Amazon and elsewhere. They have only become less problematic due to consumers choosing online streaming and downloading over physical discs in recent years.
Also: wet cat food. It was cheaper and faster for me to get cat food delivered via Prime, but my cat started avoiding it every so often. And he's usually crazy about food. Some of the food is expired or kept in poor temperature conditions through Amazon.
Switch to Chewy, their shipping is usually 2-3 days for me and their customer service is amazing. My cat decided he no longer wanted to eat the flavor of food I got him (an entire case of it). I asked if I could return it and they told me to donate it and gave me a full refund. It was NOT a cheap food either, it was like $2-3 a can.
@@justanotherjessica +1 to chewy. Excellent service
@@justanotherjessica love chewy! My senior dog (17 yo) has a sensitive stomach in his old age, so he had a one-off accident in his bed. We got rid of it, but because he was so attached to it, we immediately ordered him another. Chewy got the new one to us overnight!! So impressed
So excited when I saw a TFD video drop. I like these "lists" videos!
Yes, I prefer these shorter 15 min or less videos to the hour long ones!
I work for a company that sells on Amazon as a third party vendor. Seeing how Amazon runs their business and all the shit they get away with convinced me to never give them another cent of my money. (No judgement to anyone who has to buy from Amazon. I totally get that it is the only option for some people.)
ETA after finishing the video - most third party vendors don't set the retail prices on Amazon - Amazon does. Vendors can only "suggest" the retail price. There are exceptions to this (seller central accounts vs vendor central accounts) but overall, Amazon is allowed to sell third party vendor products for whatever they want, while simultaneously forcing that same third party vendor to lower their cost to Amazon or risk their listing being suppressed and not appearing on the website.
Thanks for sharing this insight! Certainly not a great system :/
Another reason to check reviews: some sellers are repurposing successful listings to sell new products. I was looking at a carbon dioxide monitor a couple of days ago and one had lots of positive reviews! "This is a great trigger lock" (with photo of handgun). "Kept my tea hot all day!" Whelp, I don't know about the ship, but we've found Theseus' Amazon storefront ...
I see this often. I don't know how they're allowed to reuse completely different listings with the reviews, but it's some bullshit.
Reviews won’t tell you much when many different sellers send items to Amazon and it all gets mixed up so if one seller sends in real items while another seller sends in fake items they can be purchased from the same listing. it’s a gamble either way really.
I'm in the UK and never had an amazon account. Yet, I've still unwittingly bought a few items from them via various seller accounts on ebay UK. The weird thing? Once my order arrives in an amazon box, from an amazon driver - I look up the same item on amazon (to see if I was ripped off). Nope - every single time, I'd get the same item for cheaper than the cheapest amazon price AND free 'ebay' delivery (the same items on amazon never had free delivery on non-prime accounts). It's really strange.
The main reason why Amazon is so popular in the U.S. is called "ex-fucking-treme driving distances". I live in Central Europe. In a major city where the local IKEA is served by THREE bus lines financed by the city (IKEA may chip in to have the buses go there, but no the entire cost) with combined frequency of 7-10 minutes. Online shopping IS huge in this country but definitely not in the product categories named in this video. I used to be shocked by "why the hell Americans buy this on the frickin Amazon" before realizing that a decent store may be a three hour drive for them.
I live in a major urban area with an abundance of stores nearby. Everyone still uses Amazon here as well
It's also the "variety". One major issue in the US that most places to buy are the same 10-20 stores with the same crappy items (that you can also find on Amazon). It's hard to find mom and pop stores and most of them are food. Chances are most people are going to shop online for mom-and-pop items and well, 9 times out of 10 it's also cheaper on Amazon once you factor in the shipping.
It's why certain speciality stores like Trader Joe's are always packed. You can't find that stuff online so it's worth the drive (1 hr for me, ayyy).
You should do a video about eco-friendly household cleaning brands like Dropps, Blueland, Grove, and Cleancult. They make being eco-friends easy and automated, and in the case of Dropps (for me personally), saves me money with their bulk subscribe and save option :)
I haven’t purchased anything from Amazon since mid-March. This is a major accomplishment for me because I used to be the person with a new package almost every day.
I’m definitely going to stop using Amazon.
Good for you!
You can research on Amazon, but then go to the actual vendor. Prices might be really similar.
And yet some of us do the opposite!
I buy a lot from Amazon because I have a pain disorder, so trying multiple stores for one item is out, and it’s not worth breaking my body trying to find substitutes that’ll charge $10 for shipping each if I need multiple things
🎯🙏🏻🎯
Same.
Same here! You're not alone. And I'm glad you brought this up. I've ordered from Amazon simply because I couldn't physically walk to get items. It's not being lazy or spoiled, it's illness and disability.
@@carligirrl Stores like Walmart and most grocery stores will let you shop online and then you can drive there and stay in your car and they bring it out to you.
At this point, I think I only buy office supplies and a few other nifty little household items from Amazon when it would take me too long to find them near me. And in most cases, it's only stuff that I've gotten direct links and recommendations for because it can be exhausting searching through the reviews. But one other thing I'm adamant about avoiding on Amazon is books because I don't like the power they have in the industry. My order of preference is library, local indie shops, then Barnes & Noble.
I really tried to cut all ties with daddy bezos, but there are some hobby supplies I really cannot get in my location, especially 3d printer components.
I'm one of those people who kinda has no choice about ordering things online and because I have a PO box and the mail doesn't deliver to my rural ass house Amazon, with its hub locker, is my only choice.
In fact I'm going to take this opportunity to rant. Why the hell do so many places refuse to ship to a PO box!? So many of Amazon's competition REFUSE to ship to a PO box and this locks me completely out of ordering from them! Why are we even allowed to pay for a PO box if shipping things to them is "impossible" according to so many websites. It's total bullshit.
If your shipping is "free", the shipper is going to use the cheapest option available. For larger, heavier packages or ones that have a long distance, this often means UPS or FedEx ground, who can't deliver to P.O. boxes.
@@scarpfish there are so many little things I've tried to order off websites where the shipping is listed as SPECIFICALLY through USPS and when I go to check out they will not allow you to put in a PO box. It's incredibly frustrating. I'm not ordering stuff like mattresses and furniture I'm ordering like a digital thermometer, or a pack of sanitary napkins.
I live in a town of 1600 people and because I'm within city limits the post office will not deliver to my home. Ups and FedEx cannot reliably find my house either despite the road being clearly labeled and my buying 1 foot tall numbers and nailed to the front of my house. I've had to go door to door looking for packages delivered to the wrong house and before Amazon delivered a locker to my town I had an entire collection of photos of strangers front porches where they had delivered my stuff to random houses. At one point I received a news letter from my post office essentially threatening everyone in town to stop useing the post offices physical address as an Amazon delivery address. That's how bad it got.
During the height of the pandemic I went around to some of the elderly peoples houses in town and hand delivered groceries. It wasn't because they couldn't order them online it was because they couldn't be delivered and that's just sad.
I really appreciate the acknowledgments at the beginning. :) I live alone in a remote area, so I wind up shopping a lot more on Amazon than I used to. The closest boxed stores are an hour's drive, and the closest IKEA is 4 hours over in the next state, so it makes some of those products a lot less accessible to me. I have found some Mom and Pop places that fill in the gap, and on occasion I just bite the bullet and make the drive to shop. At the end of the day if I just need one *very particular* item then I find myself on amazon a lot more than I used to.
I'm in the same boat here. The rule is if I can buy in town, 45 minutes away, then I do. Otherwise I try to find other on-line retailers to buy from.
I'm disappointed on Chelsea's lack of research about shopping for Ikea products online. Ikea charges outrageous shipping for small low cost items. For example their shipping for a set of bedsheets is akin to the cost of shipping heavy furniture. Often the shipping is more than the price of the item itself! I have talked to Ikea about this over their customer service line and their answer makes so little sense I can't even remember that they said. Go ahead and ask for yourself if you are curious. Therefore, I only buy Ikea items in-store but there is only one Ikea in my state and it is quite a distance to drive, so I go very seldom. I have looked at what people try to sell these items for on Amazon/eBay and what I've noticed is that it's about the same as what you would pay on Ikea's website if you look at the total price with shipping. Maybe some sellers offer the buyer a bit of a break, I don't know. Many people don't live near an Ikea so these sellers are offering options. Why is TFD hating on honest people trying to make a living? Yes, if selling harmful products or fake products is wrong, but that is casting aspersions on a lot of legitimate sellers.
Maybe don't shop at Ikea... there are local vendors in your state I'm sure that could use your business. Also Ikea contributes to deforestation. They get their wood from other European companies who practice illegal deforestation in protected forests. There are documentaries on this topic right here on TH-cam.
@@agravery223 That's awful! Thank you for your comment, I'll have to look into that.
I decided to stop buying from Amazon if I can avoid it, specially from third party sellers. I bought a device and was sent the wrong item. I returned it, and after 3 weeks, I still haven't recieved the refund. I bought a similar device from another seller (I really needed the thing) and they "couldn't find me" even though there was somebody at home at all times. They also didn't contact me to arrange another date, so I cancelled the order. The same thing with the refund, nothing yet.
I'm a huge fan of earning more money, and I think everyone should have a side hustle. Side hustling can allow you to earn that little bit of extra money that can help you achieve your financial goals faster - whether it's paying off student loans or saving for retirement.
You are right. I also started my journey towards actualizing Financial independence. I am sick off earning from only one source especially 9-5daily. But I am having a tough time finding a good investment adviser. Seeing your testimonies, I believe that you achieved this through a good tactical means. I hope you don't mind sharing information on how you made it possible?
@@jarrettmacurdy3612 I invest across the top markets but not by myself tho. i follow the guidelines of Alexandra Diana Jose. you might have heard of her.. I can correctly say she’s worth her salt as a investment advisor as her diversification skills are top notch/ I say because i see that in her results as my portfolio grows by averages of 30 to 5O% on a monthly basis, unlike i can say for my IRA which has just been trudging along. my portfolio just mirrors what her place and not just on some particular industries of my choosing
@@davidreus9321 That’s great , your investment advisor must be really good,I have seen testimonies of people using the help of investment advisors in making them more financial stable. Do you mind sharing more info on this person?
@@jarrettmacurdy3612 yeah she is thankfully I’d definitely be glad to recommend her and Sure. Just check her on the internet her name is Alexandra Diana Jose. She works with anyone independent of their location
I'd always be willing to do this for the long-term as long as I’m assured of success. I think I've heard Alexandra Diana Jose mentioned a few times before and I reckon this number of people talking about one person can't be wrong about their experiences
I only every buy from Amazon if I absolutely can't get an item through any other source. And that's not just because I work for an online store in Switzerland - I think here one of our selling points is "we're not Amazon" :-)
I should be deterred by a few of these, but as someone who lives in a small town in MS where my product selection is limited to Walmart or a 2 hour round trip to Costco, it's either pay more on Amazon or don't get the product or even a comparable one at all.
I shut off my Amazon Prime and that pretty much ended my Amazon Spree. Best thing I did.
Why... why would you buy a *turkey* from Amazon?
Amazon Fresh
I use Amazon as a starting point/search engine for products I'm looking for. Then go buy direct from the business if I find what im looking for.
"...cause I'm a busy bi**h!" got me cracking LOL. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING CHELSIE!!!
I agree, I agree, but I will say that Amazon does warn you when a subscribe & save price changes (at least that has been my experience)
Don’t buy apple products either! I used to work at an apple store and we would see so many counterfeit iPads come in that were purchased from amazon
Thanks for these tips. I do make it a practice to check a price on Amazon against the same item on the manufacturer's website or at least some other websites. Comparison shopping should still be a thing!
Yes, always smart to price compare! There are some browser extensions that can do this for you as well!
I'm moving into my first apartment and this is exactly the vid I needed! Love all your stuff.
I personally use the Subscribe and Save feature for household items. I hate going in a store to purchase these because I get tempted on buying other unnecessary things. Plus, I have all of my items there to come every 3-6 months. It limits my time using the website/app too.
Also, maybe it's only in Seattle, but Amazon stopped their free returns to their stores: Whole Foods, Amazon Go (RIP), Amazon 4-Stars (RIP), Amazon Fresh.
I use Lowes for subscription household items. They have free shipping, even for just one thing.
@@jasminee1417 do you live in a major city?? I'm in Seattle and it's always free shipping but only with orders $45+. Or the item is unavailable for deliver lol
This is a great video! I will say though that for college students with student prime, Amazon music is only $0.99 per month, which honestly does save a lot of money compared to Hulu+Spotify student deal. But it’s only for college students as far as I know.
True
Seriously, there are so many small businesses that make their livelihood on Amazon. I sold almost 2 million books because of Amazon and became a full time author and more successful than I ever dreamed. There are so many like me and there are so many people who sell good there- just small one person companies. Let’s push for unions and higher wages but also support small businesses!
I support small business and try and buy directly from them and not a third party like Amazon. Bezos gets a cut out of everything. I’d much rather buy directly from the company. Why help make Bezos more wealthy?
Yay! Thanks for this video! Fraudulent items on Amazon is a huge issue! If I buy from Amazon it’s only bc it’s not available anywhere else, and I always look at the seller to make sure I’m buying direct from the seller and not from a third party. 👏 thanks for the great video, as always!
Living in the Canarian Islands have this as an advantage, Amazon does not delivery here for about 80% of the store. We have great access to European maybe small brands of make up here. And if I see something gun Assos got me cover when I can afford it. 🥰
The only thing that I have as subscribe and save on Amazon are a 96 pack of rael pimple patches and that’s because I can’t find them anywhere in stores, plus I always run out of patches frequently
I admittedly use *m*zon frequently, but after this video, I think I am going to curb what I purchase there, and stick mostly to books and ebooks (I have a Kindle). I self-published on*m*zon, so I'll continue with that, but I'm definitely going to change my habits. I was buying the Japanese Haba Labo skincare, but after this video, I think I will buy it elsewhere, even though I haven't had problems. I've already renewed my Prime Membership for the year, but I don't think I'll renew it again.
I tried to leave a review for a collagen powder I ordered that I believe to be counterfeit for many reasons. But my review got deleted for trying to question whether the product was real or not..
Half of Americans live in places with no Costco, Ikea, or even a large grocery store nearby. Half of Americans also have no access to fast internet, which most city dwellers are completely unaware of. This is why rural Americans have to shop differently from others. Unfortunately, Amazon has become the only option for many people to be able to get the same things that others can just run across town for in person. The nearest Ikea to me is a 4 hour drive, and I live near a small city. I probably wouldn't buy Ikea on Amazon, but it might actually be cheaper than the item plus the $100 shipping that Ikea would charge me for a shelf. There's also no Costco or Trader Joe's in my town, so that's out. Until some of these retailers decide to put a store in a place that's not a major city, people will buy their stuff on third-party sites, because half of Americans don't live in large cities and don't want to. I can't speak for other countries, but I suspect this is less of a problem elsewhere because of smaller geographical areas.
Where are you getting these half number from?
@@so.many.obstacles census results and various reports on where and how people live. A great majority of the rural denizens of America have neither of these luxuries, and they number close to 50% I can't give you a specific link at the moment, as my research on these issues was some time ago, but they exist. I was quite shocked at the high numbers of rural folks with almost no modern services compared to others.
The most Americans live in suburbs. Majority are in urban cities or suburbs, not rural. This is expected to trend upwards. There are many rural cities though, they just don’t hold most of the population. In my city, there’s Costco and Trader Joe’s, around 2010s, but no ikea for hundreds of miles. Walmart is the main retailer of choice when my family makes runs & provisions for a rural-living member.
@@so.many.obstacles his whole ass
I only buy from Amazon when a certain app gives me gift cards after saving up enough points. Someone I know worked for them here in the UK. They set unachievable targets to stowe items away. They have hand sets which have alarms on them. Obnoxious noise when you haven't found a space on the shelves after just a few seconds seconds stowe away the item. The aisles were not all lit with working lights. The supervisor would threaten to fire you for not keeping up and they do fire you eventually. Your colleagues are therefore in competition for stowe space...so if they see with a space on the shelf they selfishly take your space (because they themselves have high anxiety). All this making their staff have mental and physical health issues. This is just stowing. It's tough for pickers and delivery drivers. There was a documentary all about in the UK if you are interested to learn about it
I worked for them in the US, it was not like that at all here.
For those of you shopping for seeds this spring, Baker Creek sells them for less than Amazon, are certified non-GMO, and ship for free. If you order $10 worth of seeds they will even send you a free seed packet of something random. I got California Poppies with my order yesterday. There are now way better options than Amazon for your shopping needs.
There's nothing wrong with GMOs, though. No reason to factor that into a decision about what to buy.
@@roche320 No one is telling you that you can't have GMO. There's too much evidence pointing out the multitude of problems with GMO crops that I'm going to pass. More for you, though.
I nearly bought Ikea from Amazon. It was a higher price. However, it was available and could be delivered. I waited for two months for what I wanted to become available on Ikea and even then delivery was not available. I ended up placing my order and then driving three hours each way to pick the order up.
Brilliant video!! One of my top 5 for 2022 so far
Man the bots are absolutely swarming this vid. It messed up how TH-cam apparently can't counter these spam bots.
Thank you for this video. You answered questions I’ve had for a while now but had no clear answers for.
Maybe I am not a very refined music listener, but sometimes I play the free Amazon Music on my phone and use my home stereo speakers via Bluetooth connection, without any other Amozon device.
A lot of major retailers offer price matching. As a Target employee, I can vouch that we offer price matching. Of course there are stipulations but in many cases you can buy the exact same product in person at the price being sold on Amazon (or other approved competitors). You just have to ask.
We buy so much stuff on there unfortunately so this will be a helpful lesson!
I bought a perfume from Amazon. I have been using that same perfume for years and couldn't find anywhere else. It had lots of 5 star reviews and it said it was "Shipped from/Sold by Amazon", so I thought since amazon is selling it surely they must have vetted their suppliers. But no, once it arrived and I opened it I could very easily tell it was a counterfeit. And again, this wasn't from a third party seller, it said this was sold by Amazon themselves. The item is not eligible for returns/refunds so I have no option but to keep it. On top of that they deleted my one star review where I talk about the item being a counterfeit, so basically you can't trust reviews either... learned my lesson, cancelled my prime subscription and never buying from them again.
One thing I found out is that you can sometimes save money by going directly to the "seller's" website instead of Amazon. I purchased a pair of shoes from a regional shoe store for $17.00 less than purchasing them through Amazon from the same seller. I wanted a duplicate pair to some I already owned and since that particular style was discontinued and was very comfortable for me. I also still got free shipping since the purchase was over $50.00.
I work there and agree with all of this
I actively leave reviews on Amazon and will recommend the product that works for me on the product that didn’t work to save people money I think some of your tips are good but they’re not fool proof and they certainly don’t apply to every situation and so I want people to keep that at mind when buying items on Amazon that sometimes the majority of people agree whether that’s positive or negative and those are real reviews.
Sadly for the last point, Apple has already stopped shipping chargers with their devices. Certainly this will cause many of us Amazon shoppers to pick up anything which fits.
i’ve considered ordering masks but i’m just too scared of counterfeits or mislabeled items. reviews are mixed bags and i’d rather just wait longer and pay more for legit ones. it’s frustrating but worth it.
I gave up my Prime membership a few years ago which I used just for streaming media. I miss you, Mrs. Maisel and Jack Ryan, but I hadn't shopped Amazon in years. I understand the value and convenience for people who need the service, but I'm able to source products elsewhere.
Luckily there's no shortage of other streaming options, lol
Same...do you know if there's any other way to watch these shows?
@@donteverfckwithmyvibe unfortunately, I don't. Maybe someone else in TFD land can help us out!
Absolutely love my Amazon Music subscription. I think I've encountered less than 10 songs that are behind a paywall. Also, I listen to it through my phone and sometimes our smart tv. What other ways are ppl listening to their music?
I definitely try to price check amazon and my local stores. Especially when bulk is not an option locally
Thanks for posting this! Also a side note. Paying for Prime shipping or not and occasionally paying the $5-8 fee for 2 day shipping is rarely worth it. I canceled Prime about 3 years ago, just didn't order enough stuff to make it worthwhile, especially with persistent annual price hikes. I conducted a small experiment the past year. Out of the maybe 15 items I ordered on Amazon in that one year, I have never paid the 2 day shipping fee (usually $7.95) and still got my product the day it was guaranteed for 2 day. Only one item came the the day free shipping had "predicted" (ordered on a Monday and it arrived Friday) so I saved myself $8 by clicking free shipping and *still* getting it in 2 days. 🤷♀️😉
I personally don't like going to stores to sample beauty products, but I subscribe to the fab fit fun box. So I regularly get lots of skincare and other products. Since they're all so nice I can always find something to use, so I'm never out of fancy skincare. I share the box too so I'm not getting too much stuff.
I’m a prime member and the Amazon prime music comes free for me.
Also cheap chargers and batteries on Amazon are often flammable and will catch fire.
Being from New Zealand, shipping costs don't make Amazon a convenient option. However, most of the cheaper things can be found on aliexpress for significantly cheaper.
It's all bootlegs. Those third party sellers like aliexpress, Wish, and shein are all Chinese run sites that mainly sell bootlegged and ripped off products.
Also, people don’t seem to utilize their product’s warranties. I use Apple warranty to replace lighting and charging cords and blocks.
It was Amazon's bad delivery statuses that finally drove me to stop using them as much as possible (with exception to a Christmas gift last year). They can mark things delivered, even if it hasn't been, and they have it on their website that they do this (you have to dig through your account to find their return policy info). They mention to wait two business days before contacting support.
I bought a scarf and hat combo for my mom's birthday and it was set to be delivered on her birthday...but wasn't. I checked around the side of the house, though as I lived in a townhouse, I figured that would be impractical and the item was small enough to fit in the mailbox. Waited my two days and called them and they gave me a store credit. I bought the item again...all for the first one to show up a few days later. I ended up keeping the second one for myself as payment for them stupidly marking an item delivered when it absolutely had not been. I don't see the purpose in that except to inflate their fast shipping status.
About 8 months later, I ordered a self jump-starter battery pack (serious note, everyone should get one of these and I don't care if you use Amazon to do so. For around $100 for most vehicles, it can save you from being stranded, especially if people are rude and don't want to even talk to you when you ask for help, like what happened with me).
But the battery was marked delivered and wasn't in front of the apartment. This one may have been stolen (they didn't knock when the delivery was made because of Covid precautions many delivery services had in place meant not touching anyone'a house. Which...other people have already touched all over the package anyways, might as well knock on the damn door or wear gloves 🙄). I didn't get the notice of the delivery until about 40 minutes after the stated delivery time.
But I couldn't be sure it had been stolen given my other experience. Also, the seller just so happened to then be out of stock despite me keeping an eye on the seller's page and continuing to read reviews, which raised some red flags. When I asked for a refund for not getting my item, Amazon said I'd filed too many claims and denied it. The claim with the scarf was the only one I've filed in the 10 plus years I've been using Amazon. I read them the riot act. I let them know the only reason I filed that first claim was because of their bullshit early delivery status. Had they given me the correct tracking and expectation, that claim would've never been filed. And I brought up the suspicious timing of the seller being out of stock with no warning of low inventory. Guess they didn't want to fight me anymore as Amazon gave me a proper refund, not store credit.
After all this (oh, and an instance of being duped with a pair of earbuds with glowing reviews that were actually garbage), I've not bought anything for myself from them since.
I'm not sure if the comparison to Costco prices is fair, many people don't shop at Costco and there is a membership fee to shop there
Not for everything, actually. I would get a Costco gift card from a friend or family member with the membership to check the store out. You can reload the cards too.
You can even do combined grocery runs if you know someone with a membership who will accommodate you. They will get their 2% back (Executive membership I think) and you can get your stuff for cheaper.
@@WhyThisWhyNow ohh great idea with the gift card!
Really hard to find good quality clothing on Amazon. I recently got burned trying. Avoid!
Absolutely! Three years ago a friend recommended me a coat and how warm and cute it was. I checked it out and yikes! $200 dollars for a cheap piece of material? I read the reviews though. I went to Burlington and found another cute coat for $85 dollars and saved myself and the planet a huge headache! 🌟 🌟
Also avoid purchasing video game console products. I tried to buy a PS4 controller and ended up with a counterfeit. Luckily I was able to return it, but it was mega BS.
So true about the beauty products. I've had 2 skincare orders that arrived with no seal and a very obvious fingerdip in the middle instead of a smooth even surface. Clearly someone is sampling and contaminating orders! I got refunded for both and have never bought skincare products from Amazon ever since. I just buy directly from the company to ensure a more high quality experience and higher likelihood of actually getting a new and sealed product.
Also, I once ordered a box of tea and it literally arrived with the box flattened as if someone stepped on it. Horrible!
I wanna add a little thing about the clothes, as someone who is plus sized and can't always get the clothing I need from other retailers I do tend to buy hoodies from Amazon as they are usually the right size and in my price range. Not all of us have the luxury of being able to afford clothing from other retailers especially when plus sized. I also tend to buy compression socks as once again I can get them at a reasonable price and have to have them. They also are either not sold at the local stores or are double or triple the price on Amazon. I have to pick and choose where I buy higher quality clothing and choose to spend the money saved on things like better quality pants and underwear. Do I wish I didn't have too pick and choose? Yes, but I do. The reality of living in a more rural or small town area means sometimes Amazon is literally our only option as other places don't always deliver out here. Though I do agree with the rest of the list.
My main problem with every buying food or cosmetics off of Amazon is that they were clearly stored improperly. I have several food allergies and if I want a candy bar as a treat, Amazon is one of the few ways I can get one. But I've gotten stuff that has obviously melted and re-melted a few times, even when I ordered in winter so it didn't have a problem between the warehouse and me.
Unfortunately as a computer and anime/manga nerd it's Amazon or nothing for a lot of PC parts and books/collections unless you want to pay absurd amounts of money over MSRP for either the product or S&H. Still I try to avoid them.
I bought an item of clothing all of once from *m*z*n and it was for a costume/cosplay. I had to buy something with a much hizer size marker than what I am used to, and I didn't even bother to replace the second option I got. When I went to UPS to try to return it, the person behind the counter said it would cost more to ship than the price of the dress.
Yikes!!
I wish I see your video earlier! I purchased some brow pencil on Amazon and it gave my skin a terrible allergic reaction. I should have never done that. Thank you for sharing your advice to your audience!
It's been a year since i bought anything from Amazon, I don't know the future but it's gonna have to be something really special that I can find anywhere for me to buy on Amazon, also don't have any smart products in my house, I like my house to be dumb.
I'm shopping more local now and giving priority to things made in my country or other European countries, I'm not rich, far from it, but I'm buying more consciously and minimal.
I have a dumb house, too, and I love it!
There would’ve been absolutely no way to convince myself as a college senior to not subscribe to a monthly case of organic energy drinks. I went to college in the middle of nowhere rural Missouri and needed energy to graduate.
All the things that would save me money with a subscription discount don't offer one, ie: Car oils
TFD does it again ! A video that balances practicality and ethics
I don’t buy skincare or beauty products from Amazon. They’re usually expired and the prices are way off, either too expensive or too low compared to the prices at the brands store or a department store.
Automate your savings, not your purchases.
I only shop things like I can't find in my country like some books
I love this list! I’ve been very adamant about not giving Amazon any MORE money that they don’t need and doesn’t bring me any more value (LOL) so that means not paying for Prime, along w some of the stuff here.
General rule about a LOT of products: Go to the manufacturers first! Then work your way down. And be weary of even clothing- I’ve heard rash horror stories.
So what should we be buying from Amazon? Just wondering.
Thank you. Informative x
I am not sure if New York, you have shopped there, but here in my hometown, I started seeing people selling products like Shampoo, toothpaste, and other similar products in Yard Sales, it is kind of unsettling.
Yeah, I’ve been having issues with Amazon this year and I decided I’m going to just end my prime and go through the actual retailer from now on.
I've started only buying books on Amazon, everything else seems to be fake.
Now there's a category where you really can make a difference for a struggling local bookseller (not a giant chain that has the word "noble" in it) by buying local. Too expensive? Look for a used book store; some local booksellers stock both new and used.
@@ArtamStudio Local sellers sell on Amazon as well. Amazon actually doesn't have many products that are Amazon original. That's why many products are knock offs because it is warehouses that are selling the knock offs online. You can't sell a knock off book so I get those books online because most local sellers don't have the books I need for my masters in the store. Leisure books I get from thriftbooks.
This has definitely been on my mind! I use Subscribe and Save to get the essentials (for me, it's stevia sweetened soda) that I cannot get while overseas. I make a note when my S&S is about to charge me so that I can see if something jumped in price, and I skip it. But when I was working full-time, I absolutely deprioritized checking and how much I was auto-piloting just adding household staples. Now I'm considering not having Prime at all. Even with a language barrier where I'm at, I look forward to exploring and finding what I actually will use in stores. In the states, I'm not sure how I would have broken that habit. Thank you for drawing attention to this need to be informed while online shopping.
Never buy any kind of furniture from Amazon. I bought 2 chairs from them and the first one broke even though it was rated to hold up 1000 lbs. I couldn't get it welded back together because it was too big to fit in the car to take somewhere to get welded. The next one came disassembled and didn't have any screws with it. The hardware store didn't have the right kind. And I would have had to do some drilling. I ended up shipping it back.