That’s a brilliant idea.

Only if you love long shipping times. I don’t see how warehouses or in-house logistics could be federated when there is no house, so it’d essentially just be private sellers going through traditional shipping avenues like USPS/UPS/FedEx/DHL, etc

If that’s a trade-off you’re willing to make, though, then let’s fucken go

A step in that direction - https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-governments-e-commerce-network-oncd-expands-into-236-cities-ceo-says-2023-05-11/

Porn starts a surprising number of careers.

you can just tell this story without mentioning you worked for a porn company?? lol

I'm a 42 y/o dude, not a mom, but I'm right there with you. My friend and I would walk along the aisle by the side of the building to see what kind of junk they have for sale at the endcaps. Then hit up the electronics and nerd stuff, like Funkos and new movie releases. Finally walk down the food section to pick up groceries. All the while with some drinks in hand. We usually avoid the clothing section unless we need something.

I've been been using Target instead of Amazon Prime. Shipping takes a little longer but 5% off with red card is neat. Where it really lacks is quality control over shipping. With Amazon an item getting damaged during shipping was something like once every few years, if even that. With Target since they don't control that part of the chain it's out of their hands, and it feels like 1 out of every 5 orders had something damaged to some degree. The app make it super easy to get a free replacement though.

idk if it still is since I haven't used Amazons app since, but targets app is so much nicer

Edit: off memory the worst case was some aerosol sunscreen was dented so it was empty on arrival and the the app told me I had to do an exchange in store for it. It's not that bad, but just stuff that doesn't really happen with amazon

I’ve found that Target ships counterfeit items time to time, as well as shoddy returned items. Amazon does the same. I typically buy my electronics from Best Buy because i know they sort those items into Open Box deals instead.

I might check that out. I have a small Etsy shop that used to generate a bit of side income for me, mainly just enough to buy the occasional tool or some materials for personal projects, but Etsy has changed a lot since 2018. It's basically just eBay or Amazon with the veneer of "this is totally handmade." They pushed "free" shipping and decreased lead times, which undermines actual handmade products.

I have heard this and mostly avoid shopping there as a result. Is there a "new" NewEgg that's like old NewEgg?

Plus, if you buy directly from the manufacturer, you know you're getting a legit product with a good warranty. Some brands also have stores that double as service centers. If I order Nikes and they don't fit, I can return them to the local Nike store. Many offer free shipping just like Amazon, easy returns, better color choices and no creepy tracking or crazy knockoffs.

My small shopify business thanks you!

Have you tried Monoprice? It's been a while since I've had to order anything from them but they were always my goto for cables, adaptors, etc.

I used to shop on Amazon, but now I'm all eBay too. "It just works"and even though I know it's another mega-sized company, at least it's not amazon.

More than once though, I bought something on ebay, only to have it delivered in an Amazon box (because they fulfill for so many companies). Wish I could think of a way to avoid that.

That's fine if you're not a geek nor a tinkerer (or a musician), but unfortunately my hobbies aren't sold in stores anymore.

I miss RadioShack, Fry's Electronics, and music stores that don't charge a 30% markup.

Unsure if you're aware, but Abe Books is a subsidiary of Amazon. Check it out under their "About Us" page.

Abe Books was acquired by Amazon in 2008. Consider Alibris or Thrift books.

You know that abebooks is a subsidiary of Amazon, right? As is ZVAB in Europe. They really have the market by the reins.