Is There Nothing Not Affiliated With Amazon?

[launderess]

Lately have gone looking for eBay items tracked as "delivered" but not finding anything. Sent out to look again find things are in a Amazon Prime shipping envelope and eBay seller is a Amazon third party as well.

Is there no way of getting away from Mr. Jeff Bezos and his monster? *LOL*

 

[jamiel]

Sounds like they're just using ebay as an additional publicity/distribution channel.

 

[ozzie908]

Anyone seen on Facebook

The pallets of returned items Amazon has that they sell off and if your lucky you can snag a bargain?????

Seems they are now so big they no longer need to send back returns to the manufacturer for refunds etc they just pile them onto pallets wrap them with cling film and sell them on.

How has this been allowed to happen and what happened to eBay they no longer let the likes of me sell anything anymore.

Facebook market place has now taken over for buying and selling of appliances etc.

 

[rp2813]

If FB Marketplace has taken over appliance listings, then I guess that's a good way to keep me from buying any.  I shake my head over the lemmings that flock to FB without any regard for maintaining their privacy and keeping themselves off of Zuckerberg's radar.

 

FB, Amazon, Google and telecom/media conglomerates are out of control and need to be reeled in, and their oligarch executives all need to start paying their fair share in taxes.

 

[louvac]

I agree with you guys!

But as they say as far as church goes,

They best way to make your voice heard, is to vote in the collection basket!

Again, in other words, when the money shrinks, the eyeballs get big!

Don't buy from Amazon and fleebay. Fleebay would long be out of business if they had relied on me! LOL. Amazon IS NOT THE CHEAPEST price. Shop around, guys! I try not to buy from Amazon whenever possible.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I have never bought anything on Amazon although I do have an account.

I've bought way too much on eBay - mostly vintage appliances and fans, I never see most of what I want around here so really no other choice. Also I get many of my clothes there and appliance and car parts sometimes.

Awhile back I got a Cuisinart toaster on eBay, seller had large amount available at about $20 less than other listings and other retailers. When it arrived though, it was in a box from Bed Bath and Beyond and had their coupons in it, shipped straight from their warehouse in GA. Thought that was interesting.

 

[launderess]

Use of third party sellers is going to be Amazon's undoing IMHO.

They've got their tentacles into so much that it's impossible to get away from Amazon. If that's not a monopoly don't know what else qualifies.

Fact one can purchase something off eBay without it clearly being labeled an affliate or something of Amazon is worrisome. And this is not first time such a thing has happened either.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I have found treasures on eBay that I would not have found traveling hundreds of miles to flea markets. I have purchased things on Amazon that I have not been able to find in local stores because of merchandising decisions they made, all while saving gasoline. At least Amazon and eBay do not seem to serve as a forum for misinformation and lies like FB. I wonder if people complained about Sears Roebuck when it was the major mail order supplier to the nation. I know the postal carrier hated delivering the catalogs and, later, the merchandise.

Three weeks ago, I could not find Truvia sweetener in my Costco. I went onto AmazonSmile and found it. When it was delivered, the box came from Costco. I don't know what that means, but I was able to purchase it without a lot of driving around looking for it.

Realize that a lot of the bad press you see about Amazon is because Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and the GOP hates him because of his political views. Nixon hated the Post, too.

 

[vacerator]

I don't see

the trouble. Buy from whom you wnt to. In the 40's 50's, 60's, 70's, 80s, and 90's the big dogs were S.S. Kresgee, J.C. Penny, Sears, Woolworth, etc. Sears was #1 until K-Mart suprpassed them in the early to mid 80's.
We get toothpaste, flossers, fiber, protien powder-bars, etc. all for less from the big A currently. Local stores have also been out of some of these as of late.

 

[louvac]

All valid points!

I am in the same boat as you guys! And I have had the same thing happen to me when a parcel arrived! It came from a known retailer. Why you ask? Well, many of the these retailers are struggling for market share and they have figured out that while a certain product(s) don't sell on their sales floor enough to stock it, they will pose as an fleebayer or some other disguise and sell it/make it available there, which in some ways is great because we can at least get what we are looking for but IMHO I think it starts to create a monopoly or at least lead into one.

YES, I do believe that transparency is key. The internet seller should be required to disclose their identity and I do hope that the government will step in soon regarding this. It will not happen though until enough people complain about it or DEMAND it!

 

[petek]

We've bought a lot of stuff off Amazon the past couple of years. I don't like shopping in the first place other than groceries and household stuff and clothing so it's good for me. For sure it's not always the least expensive option but it does save time and hassles. I'm pretty sure their algorithms also play a role in what price is showing up on your screen from you buying history. For example I bought some aquarium fertilizers for much less than any local pet store but then noticed when looking at the "buy again" the price had increased, so whether that is just an honest price increase or a calculated one who knows.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I do not consider myself to be in a boat with you.

Louvac, I would take you a lot more seriously if you had a name and a modicum of information. As it is, you could be one of Putin's agents, or worse, IQ45's, trying to stir up more trouble against people who do not like the two aforementioned GDMFSOBs. I have no plans to give up my online purchasing from reputable and convenient merchants. As for the third party sellers, I would imagine that rather than reinvent the wheel, they see Amazon as a ready-made utility for unloading merchandise without having to list it and bill for it because Amazon offers them service. Amazon offers shoppers service, too. If and when it it becomes too expensive, Amazon will notice a drop off in business. I think it has to do with the laws of supply and demand. As long as Amazon and eBay offer good service at reasonable rates, they will be supported. At least they have not run other businesses out of town like Wal-Mart does when they move into a city and force governments to sign contracts prohibiting towns from allowing new grocery, hardware, etc. stores like in Butthole, TN where friends live.

 

[ea56]

I really don’t see that Amazon is a whole lot different than Sears Roebuck was at the turn of the 20th century and up to the mid 20th century. Through their catalog they sold just about EVERYTHING you could imagine and filled a vital need especially for those in rural America. They even sold houses that arrived at the local train station ready to assemble on your building site for cryin’ out loud.

Sears REALLY missed the boat when the internet became prevalent in everyones life. THEY already had an established customer base AND the experience with catalog sales. If they had moved with the times Amazon may have never even got off the ground. Their refusal to recognize the power of online shopping has lead to their almost demise in the retail market.

I actually prefer online shopping. Most brick and mortar stores now carry very limited stock. From the comfort of my chair I can find ANYTHING my heart desires, in the size, color and price range that I seek. And within a few days, sometimes less than 24 hrs.voila its on my doorstep. No more settling for a substitute, after hours of shopping store to store, fighting traffic and trying to find a parking space. It sure works for me.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 6/14/2021-18:06]

 

[rp2813]

Tom, I agree that Amazon serves as a necessary evil, and just like so many hapless people now can't live without a cell phone within easy reach, neither can they live without access to Amazon.  In both cases, the strategy was to modify behavior so consumers couldn't get along without them and it has worked, thanks to the likes of Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.  But let's face it -- the convenience factor, particularly with Prime, is unparalleled.

 

The idea of futher lining the pockets of an insanely wealthy guy like Bezos is what drives my prudent use of his platform.  I really liked using Jet.com as an alternative, but when I saw that Walmart had bought them, that was that.

 

Regarding blank profiles, I agree that they are often an indicator of paranoia, trolls, etc. and invite suspicion.  The profile you referenced however, contains a decent amount of information IMO, and the overwhelming majority of members here have created user IDs as opposed to providing their full names.  Maybe you were addressing someone else?

 

[louvac]

Thanks RP2813

As far as my identity goes guys, you can look me up in the me member profile. I am not new here but in recent days have found several threads of interest to me and unlike the "sister site", there is more useful and reliable information here. I normally frequent the sister site, however.

And, in case you need to know, I hold two masters degrees and an undergraduate in Economics, so I think I know what I am talking about. My profile is no more blank than any other!

Furthermore, I am not trying to stir up any trouble between members. You have the right to agree to disagree.

And as the saying goes to this day, Buyer beware. Many times if you tell a retailer you saw it on Amazon they will meet or beat the price.

 

[vacerator]

Now I see why

Amazon does so well. I needed a spool of 18, 20, or 22 gauge double strand silicone wire. I went to the H.D., and two ACE hardware stores. Neither had it.

 

[neptunebob]

I want to stop an Amazon facility!

In our area, Amazon wants to build a distribution at the site of the previous Westinghouse Research laboratories. The place has been vacant for 30 years. However, the site is too small for this large warehouse and the roads cannot handle the constant 18 wheeler traffic it will cause. The only way to make the site large enough is to grade it down a lot where most trees and vegetation will be gone. The community of Churchill is next to mine and the traffic will spill over into ours. I have signed a petition to stop Amazon. If you are interested, here is a web site that tells about it.

www.churchillfuture.com

 

[launderess]

Much as one hates doing so

Because want to support local businesses and so forth, yes often can find things online (I don't do Amazon yet), even after making trips to several local places.

Am also finding places like HD, Ace Hardare, True Value often have tons of cheap Chinese stock. Tend to search eBay for certain things to find good old American made tools and hardware.

Unfortunately am not alone in doing this, vintage Craftsman and other things have gone up in price over years as word has gotten out.

 

[vacerator]

Bob,

Isn't there a golf course on the Westinghouse property? Didn't Westinghouse build a test mag-lev or monorail there in the 50's, or 1960's?