this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2025
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Amazon’s now-legendary “Prime Day” is July 8-11. Much like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, this means sales on lots of items on Amazon’s vast marketplace, and as such many people flock to the giant’s website to get sweet deals on everything from computers to small kitchen appliances and more. While many of us are feeling the financial crunch more than ever, I urge you, dear reader, to resist the allure. I don’t typically have strong opinions about where people chose to shop or how they decide to spend their heard-earned money, but in this post I hope to lay out a convincing case for why Amazon is full-stop evil, no caveats, and is undeserving of your money on a moral and ethical level no matter what your values are. Amazon needs to be stopped, and legislation will not do so. Only its loyal consumers – who keep the beast alive – can do that by taking their money elsewhere. No matter your political or personal beliefs, I'm certain Amazon violates them in one way or another, and you should vote with your dollar by buying from other places whenever possible. Here’s why.

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[–] Xulai@mander.xyz 23 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Amazon is already dead to us. Just like Tesla, Target, Starbucks, and Meta.

They will never be purchased from, or supported in any way- ever again.

[–] toddestan@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I avoid buying from Amazon as much as possible, but good luck doing anything online and avoiding AWS.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 days ago

good luck doing anything online and avoiding AWS.

Don't let perfect stand in the way of good.

It's not possible in most cases to even know if a given online resource is using AWS behind the scenes, so it's not something you can really control.

On the other hand, if you happen to be a web developer, that is a different story, but for normal users it's not something you can do much about.

[–] Xulai@mander.xyz 1 points 2 days ago

Yeah, not a choice any of us who work in tech can make. But the small choices we CAN make do add up significantly.

[–] IHeartBadCode@fedia.io 112 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Amazon makes the majority of its money from AWS. Literally using the Internet makes them buckets of money.

People can boycott it all they want. I just don't use them, but none of that really hurts Amazon in the end.

If people want to actually hurt Amazon they need to call on the Government to break up AWS, Ma Bell style.

[–] AlecSadler@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 4 days ago

Hell, I guarantee there are Lemmy instances running on AWS.

[–] Noerknhar@feddit.org 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world 67 points 4 days ago

Your looking at gross income not net. By net income, AWS is over 50%.

https://www.investopedia.com/how-amazon-makes-money-4587523

[–] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I only use Amazon/Aliexpress/Temu etc if I don't have a choice. Things that are so god damn specific that the normal retailers I have access to in Europe don't have it. Specific cables or things for modding that are in gray area so retailers here don't want to sell it etc.

But I hate everything surrounding Amazon

[–] vorpuni@jlai.lu 6 points 2 days ago

AliExpress at least lets you buy close to the source of a lot of goods that you won't find made elsewhere than China. Some stuff I find there exists from European makers, latest example, trim clips for cars: you can buy Restagraf but you need to live near a car body shop supplier that will be willing to sell you a few clips without insane markups.

[–] Rolive@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago

I hope aliexpress is better. I buy a lot of stuff from there like electronics components which aren't really sold locally anymore. Also tools and arduino related things...

[–] traceur301@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

ITT: "I agree they're systematically fucking us over (and don't get me started on their horrible politics!) but will continue to enable them because it's convenient and saves me a few bucks" this defense doesn't make you look reasonable it makes you look like a clown

The thing is, it doesn't save money to shop there, either. 90% of what you see is Amazon Marketplace, where you're just paying people to dropship you trash from Aliexpress

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 53 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I try to use local stores or other websites, and only use Amazon if I can't find what I need there. But at least half the time I end up having to use Amazon because I can't find what I need.

It's probably a kind of vicious cycle: as Amazon eats further into profits of other companies they are more limited in what they can offer.

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[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 39 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I have yet to see a single item have a significant discount on prime day, it's not even a sale.

[–] SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 44 points 4 days ago (11 children)
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[–] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 26 points 4 days ago (5 children)

Prices mysteriously go up about a week before prime day sales, then drop to a few dollars below normal, scream “39% off” and you feel like you beat the system.

[–] burrito@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Or sometimes they remove a 25% off coupon that usually shows all the time and for the "sale" they just reduce the price of the item to that same amount without and then remove the coupon from the page. It will then look like it has gone on sale from camelcamelcamel because it wasn't accounting for the price after the coupon it was only showing the item price.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 points 3 days ago

i use another tracker, KEEPA.

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[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 30 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Amazon is a parasite. That's all the reason I need.

[–] Brotha_Jaufrey@lemmy.world 29 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I’ve gone 3 years without ordering a single thing from amazon. I never intend to give them anymore money.

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[–] mitrosus@discuss.tchncs.de 20 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Thanks to my country here is no amazon

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[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The only reason you need - it's a monopoly. Fuck its all.

And I also hate with passion that 5 years ago you'd need AWS in your CV.

[–] Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 2 points 2 days ago

People also use it a ton in Europe where they do not have a monopoly.

Heck even in the US they don't have a monopoly come to think about it, Aliexpress is selling the same crap

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[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Shut up! If you don't use Amazon how will the rich people go to space?

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 7 points 2 days ago

I don't mind them going into space. It's the coming back I have a problem with.

[–] Penny7@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago

I have never bought anything from Amazon and I don't plan on it. I do understand that sometimes it's the only place to find something that a person might NEED though - and at a price they can afford, so I don't hate on the people on tight budgets that can't find an item anywhere else. (It's like when people buy stuff from Walmart, Target, etc. sometimes it's the only place where you can get necessities.) However, if you can afford to get it somewhere else then do it...or if you can only find it on Amazon maybe reassess if you ACTUALLY need it.

[–] PTSDwarrior@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

How does Temu compare to Crapazon?

[–] HereIAm@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago

If you love the Chinese low quality drop shipped items on Amazon, and wish that was the only thing they stocked, then Temu is great!

[–] Scrollone@feddit.it 4 points 2 days ago

It's worse than Amazon. It's just cheap crap that will break in two weeks without any of the quality products that Amazon sometimes has.

[–] Broken@lemmy.ml 12 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I dont agree with every point made, but agree with the overall sentinent. My problem is that the same thing can be said about other retailers, especially the brick and mortar ones. Walmart, Target, Home Depot, ...whoever. They've all done it, and continue to do it.

Small business? Yeah, those essentially don't exist in this context.

I have always said, ecommerce isn't killing brick and mortar retail. They are killing themselves. Why? Because I've never felt like a valued customer at any of the retailers out there. I've been absolutely shit on by all the big retailers out there. And that's not even getting into their policies, politics, and other behind the scenes stuff that I do care about, but it doesn't directly impact my shopping experience.

So then I can buy something online, from a wide selection, with competitive prices, have it delivered to my door quickly, and if there's any issues have zero problem with returns? That works for me.

Now in modern times I can argue that they don't always have great customer service, don't always have great pricing (for what you get), and its not all sunshine and roses. But I don't see a viable alternative.

Find me another retailer online or brick and mortar that can supply me well and treat me well and I'll go. But small business cant compete. And big retailers when they had all the money and power they didn't do that so now that they are the underdogs why would they do it? So it's just not happening.

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago (7 children)

I've never felt like a valued customer

I only have once, and it's made all the other ones seem so much worse by comparison.

Thank you Ace Hardware. You fucking ruined me.

[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

ACE is more like a franchise than other retailers. Most are locally-owned. Some are employee-owned.

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[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 6 points 3 days ago

Amazon basically solved this problem for me: they locked me out.

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