I think one of the bigger problems with amazon is that it replaces so many different sectors all at once. I don't think any one single replacement is really solving the problem, furthermore I don't think an internationally relevant replacement for any one sector is that great either.

I guess the most recent amazon temptation was a utility cabinet, I found a nice one on amazon, but then searched and found an equivalent one from Canadian tire.

The hardest thing for me to break is audio books. I use the library but I find it rarely has what I want in stock, I have tried piracy but I can't find a good tracker for audio books and I like supporting authors when I can. Audible is really cheap compared to every store front, especially when buying credits in bulk.

I’ve used bookshop.org which sells ebooks and has a reader, but you can nominate a local bookstore to get part of the profit.

AliExpress

If you or anyone else is interested in buying books, try bookfinder.com

It combs online stores looking for the book, then shows you a list of prices. I tend to end up buying from abebooks at the end of my "shopping trip' but it's nice to compare pricing.

ATP i feel like Amazon became a Marketplace for smaller online Shops, if i find something on Amazon i usually check if i can get it either from the Source, on a detour on my weekly shopping trip or from the seller´s website just to cut out the most middlemen.

I've not ordered anything from Amazon since September last year... cancelled Prime in 2025 to boycott USA. !boycottus@lemmy.ca

Small electronic components, random plastic doodads, SD cards - Aliexpress, Amazon sells the same stuff at a markup, so all I need is a tiny bit of patience to replace my biggest Amazon spend category. In Vancouver there's no competition outside of Lee's, but in Toronto I go to Sayal Electronics.

Computer equipment - Memory Express (your local PC parts chain).

Big purchases - from manufacturers' website or brick and mortar retail.

Groceries - From the grocery store. Costco for local cucumbers, milk and cereal, and the local grocery store for BC grown other food

Books - Indigo, or the random roadside book shop on Vancouver Island or one of the many bookstores. Or, the public library. Digital books: the high seas. Audio books: plenty of digital storefronts online.

Are there categories I'm forgetting Amazon is used for?

• Ebay

• Craigslist

• Biting the bullet for Facebook marketplace

• Ordering directly from manufacturer

Since I stopped using newegg for computer parts (and I really dislike amazon's storefront for browsing) I started using B&H and have been pretty happy with their web design, prices and selection.

A local store. Or not buying anything.

Finding what I want on Amazon, and then looking it up and buying directly from the supplier. It's usually cheaper too.

Literally anything else. Amazon isn't even the cheapest place any more, and they're almost as full of useless junk as temu.

Seriously, even buying directly from companies is cheaper than Amazon. They're fully shit now, not just enshittified.

I like to buy from the company that makes whatever it is I'm buying. If they don't sell directly online, which is rare these days, I buy from whatever store has the best price including shipping. I just search for the name of the item and see what pops up.

There isn't a single site I'd consider an alternative. These days I mostly order from specialized online shops for different product categories, so for example electronics from Alternate, video games from netgames etc. Price comparison sites are often a good place to find these shops. When available I buy directly from manufacturers as well, especially clothing. Occasionally I also order stuff from AliExpress.

I also found that I buy less things in general since ditching Amazon. I guess the additional hassle of buying through other shops makes it easier to realize I don't actually need many of the things I might have otherwise purchased.

There is nothing to compare except Walmart Marketplace.

if your purpose is to avoid buying from billionaires, that’s not a good alternative. Walton family rarely gets named because their billions is spread across multiple people. The Walton family donated big to both Trump and Heritage.

What you can do is open search for that item you want. Other options will pop up. You may find cool specialty businesses. In addition, you’re less likely to binge buy from browsing a wide market, like on Amazon or Walmart. Search, don’t go straight to the marketplaces.

A friend wanted a foraging bag. I asked what they meant. They linked, drum roll: Amazon. I searched and found a cool bag via barebones instead. And stumbled on a bougie axe site called helko. Way more fun than Amazon.

My point is, there are better ways than Amazon or Walmart Marketplace. I’m not saying you won’t buy from either, sometimes you’ll have to, but neither should be the first choice.

eBay and traditional websites selling OEM.

Fuck Amazon

I use Amazon as a search engine to narrow down to a few options for a product, then go to those manufacturers' websites and order directly from them. Been a while since I've ordered directly from Amazon.

Same about eBay. What I do now to avoid Amazon on eBay is I look for the item and if I see Amazon has the same exact item (including same product photos) for cheaper, I generally know that that seller is only cross-shipping from Amazon and pocketing the difference. Walmart and Target are other options, and other random sellers that I find on Google shopping too. Lots of times Google shopping will show the item is available locally, which is what I prefer. I suppose you could always go direct to China though and buy from AliExpress, Temu, etc.

It really depends on which item I am searching for. I don't have one that's 1:1 replacement to Amazon, just at least few websites I go on for whatever I'm looking for.

• Clothing - Often use Vinted which sells second-hand clothes at a cheap price. Not great search filtering it has on both their website and their mobile app but you can find some decent stuff on there.
• Electronic/Gaming - I usually go on to eBay most of the time but sometimes, I would go on CeX and compare the prices. Often, CeX is overpriced but there's couple time it has been cheaper to get.
• Decoration/Gifts - Etsy has some nice items and stickers. It has gone downhill with the AI-Generated slop and has some dropshippers but there are some small businesses that make their own stuff which is what I love about Etsy. It feels more personalised and found some the fan-items to be better than some the official merch.
• Music - MusicMagpie sells second-hand CDs really cheap for anyone collecting CDs or just love buying that format. They also sells DVDs which I'm more a Blu-ray fanboy but I do also like my DVDs. I sometimes buy.flac music from Qobuz but I find them to be overpriced for me but if it support an artist, get the money I guess. Seem as I'm a broke-ass, MusicMagpie would do as I love collecting CDs and holding it sometimes just to look at the album cover.

For books, Alibris https://www.alibris.com/ has a very nice bargain section.

For other things, AliExpress is way cheaper, just do not buy expensive or tech stuff there.

For people in the Netherlands and Belgium: Bol.com.

For elsewhere: AliExpress, Temu, Vinted (European).

For more specialised services:

Furniture: IKEA (Swedish)
Clothes: Zalando (German)
Food delivery: Jumia (German), HelloFresh (German).

Generally, it's best to buy directly from the companies themselves. Buy from small or mid-sized companies. You'll skip on the high prices that way, as there's no markup. Additionally, since you are not one of millions of consumers - but one of a few hundred, they will care more about you.

i regularly attempt to shop at the manufacturer's website. i will do a search for a product type, get blasted with only positive reviews for shitty products, find a product whose brand isnt similar to UFVEGDKFNDBDHDJ, and find their website to purchase.

USA:

Has anyone had success with general delivery to a post office?

I move around a lot and rely on Amazon’s pickup network. The times I’ve tried to have a place do general delivery they’ve canceled my order.

In central Europe:

Alza is a great alternative for a reasonably wide range of products. Started as electronics and computer hardware so that's the majority, but have hugely expanded over the years.

Nothing is marketplace so it's all handled by them afaik. (Which is a huge plus imo). Which means they don't have quite the insane variety.

I know them from when I was in CZ, but now they have expanded to Germany I use them here. I think they also do Austria and Slovakia.

Generally speaking, I strongly disagree with the idea of complete one stop shops. But for sort of generic household/adjacent consumer goods it's fine.

This is especially frustrating as a Canadian where our market isn't big enough to have options for a lot of specific goods. I'll look to buy something and pick what I want only to find that the choices are Amazon or a US retailer with insane shipping costs plus potential customs charges to Canada. Even if I do find a Canadian retailer that sells it, shipping is often more than the product itself.

I've started ordering a bit more from Aliexpress, especially for things less than $20 since shipping is usually free or a couple dollars. Otherwise larger stores in my area like Best Buy, London Drugs and Canadian Tire.