This video pretty much sums up why I shop on Amazon as little as possible, and try to buy directly from a company's own website instead whenever I can. Fingers crossed that Amazon is found guilty in the FTC suit.
Me, too. I never shy away from sellers, who take a long time to ship. I think that long time shipping needs to be built into a healthy system as an option for buyers.
The thing I find most annoying with Amazon is when you search for something specific, it doesn't show that to you. It shows you the items that paid for priority even if it isn't what you searched for. For example, I was searching for AMD GPUs and CPUs. Amazon kept giving me results for Intel chips that I had no use for. Or when searching for something that is compatible with other equipment they show you things that are not compatible when you didn't ask for that. You really never know if you are getting the lowest price because when you try to sort that way it still gives you 5 or 6 items ahead of it. It really is a horrible system to have to search for anything.
Searching for computer parts on Amazon is a special kind of hell that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Unless you know *exactly* what you want, it's near impossible to find it, since the search filters are borderline useless. Even then, the problem you mentioned crops up all too often. It's probably the reason why Newegg stays in business simply because you can actually search for what you need on there.
YES! I work at a preschool, and our center manager was like, if you need something put it in our Amazon cart. So I was being VERY specific with my search terms, and I still got the wrong results!! I was only seeing “sponsored” results. Screw that. I’m telling our center manager we shouldn’t order from Amazon anymore!
Yep, I'm a former Amazon seller. They use us to get free products. They charge us to send it in. They charge us to store it. They charge us to bring search traffic. They charge us MONTHLY for the privilege of even existing on the platform, & if the price drops too low, they charge us to dispose of the product, or send it back to us.
Would the solution to that be to only buy if it says SOLD BY AMAZON and SHIPS FROM AMAZON ?? (On items im not sure I’ll keep to begin with… ex: clothing I’m not sure will fit)
And - the moment your product is successful - suddleny - pure coincidence! - an "Amazon Basics" product appears looking interestingly similar to yours and always on top...?
If a retailer makes five cents profit per dollar of sales, they are doing extraordinarily well. This means that 95% of their sales go to pay for their product and expenses. Amazon third party sellers often never touch their product. They are contracting out their labor expenses to Amazon, which handles warehousing and fulfillment much more efficiently and cost effectively than third party sellers could hope to do without Amazon.
It’s great that you’re teaching people about how terrible Amazon is, but you never explained why you got scorpion venom instead of the hats you ordered.
Yeah, explaining why you got Cuban-made scorpion venom that's illegal in the US instead of hats with an oil rig and "oligopoly" in Cyrillic printed on them would have been a better story. For many viewers of this channel, hearing about Amazon's antics is nothing new.
@@sa-lb9bl She said the scorpion venom drug is BANNED in the US. Even if it was sold by a 3rd party who also sold the dumb hats she ordered, it was sent to her from a foreign country that had to know the venom product is illegal here. I'm surprised it didn't get grabbed by customs.
@@freedomfighter4990You might be shocked what you can smuggle into the US. It's not airtight. You can mail weed into states where weed is illegal very easily, why do you think a pill bottle is different? Edit: The dude who commented after you has a point, maybe consider the statistics behind how mail is checked? It makes perfect sense to me, idk why you're hung up about America being perfect?
@@yuordreamsdude, this isn't just smuggling if someone can simply post an illegal substance on amazon and deliver it straight to your home... this is some massive lapse in enforcement/regulation.
Right, it’s all about reducing the friction to buy, reducing the perceived feeling of spending money, making it feel like you’re not spending that much even if it’s a lot.
Honestly, I've stopped ordering on Amazon... at least to the extent that's possible. But unfortunately, sometimes, there is no alternative anymore. And i think that's the point, they've killed so many specialty store that you need to buy from them. Down with monoplies, support small and local!
Same, I avoid them whenever possible -- but sometimes it's literally the only option. And worse, there are SCORES of sites and articles telling you exactly how to set up a biz as AN AMAZON DROP-SHIPPER on other retailers' websites. The absolutely appalling number of times I've ordered some random thing on eBay thinking I'm supporting a small business....and my item arrives directly from amazon, in amazon packaging, via amazon courier, often with an amazon "gift receipt" -- despite this being 1000% not allowed per eBay's terms of service? The whole thing is disgusting. I'm firmly Team "Fire Bezos [and Zuckerberg and Musk, While We're At It] Into The Effing Sun." Between this crap, and six hundred instances of "that small indie brand you like? yeah, they try to keep it on the down-low, but they're now owned by Unilever / P&G / Other Evil Conglomerate, so enjoy having some of your purchase price go to corporate donations funding causes and candidates you find absolutely repugnant" ... I'm kind of coming around to the idea of living in a hut in the woods and being done with the whole nasty thing.
Yeah I live in a poor area, and I used to buy energy drinks on Amazon, then started buying other foods there. But, I almost entirely stopped. I remember the days a decade back or so... There is a grocery store a block from me now, but back then the closest grocery store was too far away to really walk with any decent amount of groceries. It was such a hassle just having the basics all the time back then, and it really is such a blessing to have a grocery store so close now. I realized that if I wish for things to remain like this, I really need to spend ideally all, but as much of my food budget as possible at that store I depend on
We could all do it like how they'll spring a song at you in public because they collaborated secretly. I forget what it's called buy they seem to pull off social unity quite easily. We just need to coordinate with someone leading us. The big greedy Amazon people wouldn't stand a chance when we sprung our unity out at them suddenly one day, and then the next and the next. They would even forget they had bladders and pee a little before they knew it... maybe. That last part might just have been me trying to 'bee fun knee', but then again, maybe 'knot'.
Although it’s fun to speculate about nefarious schemes, I’m guessing what happened was most likely a mistake. A few hats certainly cost way less than a banned cancer drug. What is mainly interesting here is how the mistake happened; why would a seller of hats also be selling drugs?
@@SashazurI think that would be the story - that the biggest sellers are selling everything from regulated substances to cheap clothing, because of how its set up to make that the best strategy for selling on Amazon, and how small specialized sellers are punished or forced out of business by all the fees
Many years ago I was sending some seeds in my art supplies. Seeds that I am sure Cheech and Chong would grow. Funny enough I didn't order those but I did order the art supplies!
If you discover the cure for cancer, then sure you should earn a Billion dollars for that. If you open an online bookstore and drive all other stores out of business, NO Jeff Bezos does NOT deserve 161 BILLION DOLLARS!
Proud to say that I canceled my prime 5 years ago and never looked back. I only shop there when I absolutely have to. Things are not "cheaper" there anymore. Often actually more expensive than other places.
I guess I still don't understand why so many people hate on Amazon. I guess it's easy to hate the big guy or the winner. For me I still find Amazon to be cheaper once you factor in the free same or next day shipping and time saved (time is money) Though I will admit you need to know how to use the Amazon site properly to navigate through the bs. I guess I just have practice doing so. So I'll still but the exact same thing you're going to get and I'll get it cheaper and faster. It sucks to admit that, but raising kids in 2024 saving time and money just helps you know? And no I'm not with Amazon. Haha. They been really good to me. The few times I've had issues I got an instant full refund and kept the product.
@@seattlesauceIt's not just that they're the "big guy" or the "winner", it's that the way they do things has sapped the life out of small businesses, killed other online stores, killed our high streets, and left themselves as sometimes the only option in the absolute wasteland they've left behind -- and they're not even the cheapest or best, they just have the most sway. I feel like you've missed the parts of the video where they discuss the disgusting anti-competitive practices Amazon takes part in. Plus, if you shop at Amazon you can be certain that money will leave your local economy and most of it won't be seen again, whereas if you shop local you know that money will be used locally and stimulate local economic activity. I don't mean to advocate for capitalistic methods but I think that it is an uncontested good thing to not centralise most of the money in the world in the hands of a single company.
I find that often times, prices are lower elsewhere for common items. The only cheaper stuff is counterfeit or a knock off! We ended our Prime membership and don’t miss it!
Every dollar Amazon takes in comes from us the consumers. The "inflated seller fees" that sellers have to pay Amazon, simply means we are paying a higher price for that item. Amazon is shafting us!!!
Usually depends on the product ... some products are more expensive (usually the cheaper they are the more the Amazon cost will be as part of the whole) ... some products are simply not profitable selling through FBA and are sold by the sellers in FBM. All depends on how much it would cost the seller to stock, ship and handle returns him/herself ... and that is not a negligable cost. Amazon is usually less expensive in stocking and shipping by combining those services. The Internet is also a big reason shops go out of business, people don't go to physical specialist stores anymore and are not looking around the internet to compare prices and products ... they just go to one super marketplace and do it all there. So yes, Amazon is to blame but a big part is also the consumers fault. I preferred going to the local computer store ... there are almost none left now. I have to go looking online. Having to look at my expenses, often Amazon turns out to be the cheapest
Amazon stopped letting me review anything bc of 'unusual activity' about 2 years ago. I guess buying things and liking them is unusual especially when you don't return things but give them away if you don't like it or if a garment does not fit.
Realized last year that we were not saving any money on purchases that we would need to make. We were also making many purchases we did NOT need to make. Shipping would also show things delivered in the 2 day time window. However, most items would not arrive for another day or two. At first we would report things not delivered and amazon didn’t care. “Wait a couple days to see if it shows up”. They know what’s going on. We cancelled our prime and stopped ordering from Amazon unless the items simply just are not available elsewhere. We are fine. The only thing that changed was we had a little more money at the end of the day.
Like, why is a Prime membership necessary if the sellers’ fees cover Prime shipping costs??? And they play with prices on a daily basis. I’ve also noticed sellers with multiple accounts displaying the same product, not even bothering to change the display images.
Yup. I had a small business 5ish years ago that used Amazon to sell products I made. It's way worse than you reported. Start a business and sell a product to learn more and report what you find. Amazon looses a package or ships the customer the wrong package, the seller pays that. Not Amazon. There was no way for me to make a living wage due to Amazon and the American consumers. I love creating but I'll never make anything again for sale. I blame Amazon and the consumers. I just wanted to create quality products and earn a living wage.
I’m curious how this compares to Etsy, which advertises itself as a place for people who make things? I appreciate the local farmer’s markets and maker/artist/gift markets in my city. Alternative market spaces where we can buy directly from the makers. I know there is usually a cost for the tables/booths, and spending time selling can be a drain, but curious if that sort of thing exists where you are at all, or what folks’ experiences have been, as a different kind of alternative. Small and local.
@@amandac715 My cousin was selling on Etsy. By the sound of it they were doing well, their items were pretty popular, but apparently it really starting going down hill the past few years. There were all sorts of knock-off sellers that would just bootleg their designs. In the past Etsy used to moderate copycats better, but since they went public they've abandoned trying to protect original creators in search of bigger profits. My cousin doesn't sell on there anymore.
Greed is the desire for more than one needs. It has nothing to do with expense of others, or lack thereof. It can effect others negatively, as a consequence, of course.
This price gouging KH keeps taking about isn't from greedy corporations that's causing this inflation. It's from the Bill her one vote passed. In the Inflation Reduction Act are $700 billion green taxes consumers are paying for. And the 15% corporate tax hike, that will be past on to consumers too.
@@MelissaR784 I call her Comrade Harris, because that is what 3rd-term winner Current President Trump called, her, because she is a communist. And it sounds a bit more dignified than Camel Harris. Why is everything she says a lie?
@@shefalichow7917 Greed is the desire for more than one "needs"? More like more than one can ever use in a lifetime, and now it's a lifetime of lifetimes because of how much some selfish types are sucking up and out of the country's regular economy. And the more they 'make', the less they'll pay in taxes back into the economy also. They get free rides while others have to fret about their bills a lot. They'll 'earn' more each in a day, maybe even each hour, than I've totally had in my pockets in my entire lifetime, and I'm now a "broke as a joke" old man who is content enough not to be envious about rich people I kind of feel sorry for. "Poor and content is rich, and rich enough" William Shakespeare
Amazon is a big Casino 8:56. That is truth. I concluded this last year in 2023, and we stopped putting extra investment and efforts in Amazon. We sell on our own platform first. And we only do FBA no more FBM, and cut the products from FBA if it's not selling quickly or returns are more than 30 percent. Amazon may also be paying to promote its casino on UA-cam and other social media platforms. Where influencers tell people that you can make money while sleeping and while enjoying on a beach. 8:56
I moved to the Philippines and amazon does not deliver here. For two years I've cancelled my account several times and still get billed for the prime service. The antitrust act law is has been suspended since Reagan. Along with workers rights in the US and across the world.
We look back on the big oil, steel, meatpacking, etc. companies from the Gilded Age (1920s) with immense disdain... can you even imagine how people will look back on Amazon (and other tech giants) that is many times more powerful than those monopolies ever were?
Didn't those MONOPOLY'S Devalue America's currency back then (steel, big oil, etc..); as a negative effect. While at that same time Our Government switched back and forth to and from the Gold Standard. Then there was the Great Dust Bowl, resulting from Over-plundering the Land?
The best 12 minute commentary I have seen about Amazon and their dominance. And she didn’t delve into the deeper point of private brand labels further punishing the small biz owners.
What I got as a conclusion is that they are very bad, bad guys, but. It's cheaper to buy at Amazon. So if I have no conscience or money...Amazon is cheaper. There's no way me buying more expensive with local businesses going to hurt the wealthiest man in the world's company
Living in the rural Midwest, there seems little downside to Amazon. No more driving 40 miles each way for items that are delivered to our door on the farm. Purchases that we would normally put off or skip altogether become relatively fast and reliable. Of course, most folks do not live in the country like ourselves.
understandable, and do you think, tho, that there's a way to do that without feeding & sustaining a monopoly? Seems like in the beginning, Amazon didn't have a lot of these practices...Wondering if Sears & Roebuck ever got close to being a monopoly, espec in rural parts. Do the businesses you used to buy from do well w/out rural customers, or did some close for losing your business?
I am in the same boat. For a lot of items internet buying is great and Amazon is often the quickest way to find it. (BUT.. I order items in multiple purchases, especially if they have different delivery dates (ETA's) because our courier told me that they only get paid once per order, even if some items take 2 trips).
I used to be sad, that in my country Amazon doesn't really work (you can buy there, but it is more expensive than local eshops) - even tho they have an infamous big warehouse here - but lately I am happy, that they didn't really get that big here.
Do you live in Stardew Valley or something? Lol …All joking aside I’d love to know what country you’re talking about because it sounds like a really nice place to live
@@heartofthewild680 Czechia. We have other big shops fighting for our money, with Alza (started off as an electronics store, now they sell pretty much everything) being on top at the moment, but comparing to my experience from Austria, they are not at Amazon level yet. Not having Amazon localisation means not having their sales, so that stings sometimes.
I quit when they tried to get more money for commercials on prime video. think its cheaper to buy the original shows separately and they do have a lot of really good shows.
I agree I use ebay , but there prices on selling are starting to get out of control to. Still you can find great prices on used equipment and tools etc.
A lot of the late deliveries is because they use 3rd party delivery services or Flex drivers. In the case of Flex drivers, you get dinged if your package is late by 5 mins, but there's no penalty for returning it to the station
Just saw a test of the highest rated amazon automotive fuses. A two amp fuse didn't pop till 30 amps. That's your car on fire, period. And it was the best recommended product. B.S..
You might think "well if running Fulfilment cost that much and the fees match whats the problem" but then remember YOU PAY FOR PRIME. Youd think everyone paying 12 dollars monthly for expedited shipping would make it so Amazon didnt have to take 50% cut of to its sellers who want to offer it.
We pay for EVERYTHING, every dollar that goes into Amazon's pocket comes from us the consumers and tax payers. NSA has a contract with Amazon for AWS? Who funds the NSA? Us taxpayers!
I stopped buying from Amazon two years ago when I realized that almost everything comes from Wal-Mart sold at a higher prize. And it doesn't matter if you have PRIME, it doesn't change anything.
Those random looking brands aren't just there to swamp the search results. It's because you need a legal trademark to sell your stuff on Amazon, and random strings of letters are unlikely to have already been trademarked. Therefore Amazon encourages sellers to offload their anti-counterfeiting efforts to the government, and this single-handedly puts enough strain on the trademark office to slow down the processing of paperwork for legitimate startups.
I was wondering why so many brand names seem utterly bizarre and nonsensical. So, in addition to being a monopoly and more or less a vertical trust it’s also a gigantic black market.
What irritates me about Amazon is that if you order something today for say $17.00 and then you decide after you get it you want to order another one, the price jumps over $20.00 and stays there. It is really hard to tell if something is made in the USA versus China. I needed a part for my 1996 ford truck Nd after searching on Amazon for 20+ minutes I finally found the OEM part for less than I could get it in town and it was here the next day. I learned about 45 years ago, when buying car parts that even then they had like four or five different price sheets depending on who you were and how much business you did with them. Regular household goods retail like furniture is not much different; 'We are having a big sale, up to 20% off'. 20% off what price? There is no regular price!
Q: Knowing what you know, who would be offered the lowest price on that mentioned 'secret auto part price list', the clean, perfect male specimen dressed in a business suit or the tired-looking, broke-as-a-joke dressed scruffy guy? And what about the "cute chicks" needing some part? Any decent clue?
I stopped buying from amazon four years ago. It was weird at first but everything you need or want can be bought elsewhere and not always dearer. If it does cost more it's not usually much more but yep delivery is rarely as fast so for anything urgent my local stores are the go.
@@jordanrussell345 I was talking more about online as I was comparing actions for online purchases. I don't have any large retail stores within 90 mins if where I live so online is my norm and yes I've gotten a lot more choosy about who I buy from. No Temu, Walmart, Shein etc. I try to go for the companies that are fairer if not totally fair.
@@jordanrussell345 Why automatically assume the whole world is like the US? The world has copied a lot (unfortunately) from the US but luckily we're not all in the same situation
Bravo! We teach our kids a few things,.like never use a self service check out. We support cashier service. Same with Amazon. We literally never buy via Amazon platform. Even if this means to pay a little more (in Europe we don't live from pay check to pay check as often). So in the moment we can afford it we have the obligation to behave responsible. Buy local, never use any Amazon branch.
There is one common phrase that's in every video I've seen about Amazon: it's a race to the bottom. Amazon is now a marketplace for cheap, dangerous, knockoff crap, just sold at a higher price.
The brushing scam is when you get stuff without ordering anything. They do it so they can leave a fake good review from a legit user(you). What happened here is different, she did order something but the wrong thing was in the box.
She probably was unable to effectively track back to what happened.....so many possibilities...One time something I ordered fro Amazon (Chinese seller).....after waiting for a long time....found out the address it was sent to was someone else entirely...not me
I can’t stand this company and their policies-they embody everything wrong with our economy. I stopped using Amazon nearly 10 years ago. I don’t need “same day” delivery; I’m more than willing to wait 3-4 days. If I need something immediately, I shop in-store. I prefer supporting small businesses and working-class people. You can do the same! It makes a real difference. Supporting local mom-and-pop stores helps our economy thrive.
You mention that the FTC suit might possibly break Amazon up. All I can think is, "So... the management and owners that participated in breaking laws with very real and significant consequences for millions of people world wide, get to walk away more or less unpunished."
They get a golden parachute and usually the fine is about 10% of the illicit profits. At this point in time those fines are just the cost of doing business.
Not just the internet. They stopped selling a lot of stuff at brick and mortar places, too. So you have to buy stuff off Amazon, get stuff that is not really what you wanted, and sometimes not getting your stuff at all.
Every November I sign up for Prime to facilitate Christmas shopping, binge watch the few interesting Prime TV shows, and on New Year’s Day, I cancel Prime.
Breaking up monopolies is a lie for the most part. The companies really just split up into different companies that are deep down owned and ran by the same people. It's an age old story. It's why Google started Alphabet.. They did it to try to stop the FTC from coming after them for literally controlling 80%± of the internet and access thereof. And it WORKED! The FTC is now only going after Google for default search engine contracts. Which BTW, the most likely ruling of blocking all default search engine contracts on web browsers will actually HELP Google/Alphabet. It will get rid of Firefox's main source of funding (Firefox /Mozilla is a non profit). And since Chrome / Chromium based browsers are now how over 50% of people access the internet.. Firefox going away would be HUGE. Windows Edge is Chromium based btw. So the picture very quickly is gonna become Google/Alphabet vrs Apple (Safari) And it's gonna be about 80% Chrome /Chromium and 20% Safari. But that won't last long, Google will change internet standards with proprietary technology and force Apple make Safari Chromium based. ... And I'm writing this on an Android phone which is also controlled by Google... And which Android is over 50% of the smartphone market. But Google, Chrome, Android are all "separate" companies so the FTC has to go after them one by one or something stupid.
You'd think that Amazon would do everything right for customers, but they subvert even what the customers want. Very often Amazon's own search results don't even supply what you want, just what they want you to buy.
An excellent litmus test for whether a person actually cares enough about the economic problems in this country to do anything is to ask them to cancel their prime subscription on the spot.
I had so much trouble getting set up with Amazon that i ended up buying direct from the manufacturer. That is really bad to have long delays on hold from a customer service center out of the country that waste a lot time for anyone that needs to talk to a live person to get certain things resolved.
Make it a worker co-op and allow it to remain monopolistic. That's a new move that would actually make a change in society. I don't want more apps, more subscriptions, etc. I want one high quality service that is the pride of the employees that work for it.
I kind of agree. I don't want to have to to drive to 5 different grocery stores to get my groceries, so I just go to one. The competition can happen within that one entity. As long as the employees are making a fair wage and being treated with dignity, I don't care. I'm no economist so I'm sure there are big downsides to this model, but there is a way to do it fairly.
I'm shopping less and less from Amazon. Lately I find equal or better prices at local stores. I admit I got lazy with shopping from my living room but just a short trip and I can get my items much faster and often times cheaper. I unsubscribed from Prime and monthly subscriptions for everything is getting ridiculous.
I enjoy using Etsy, when I can. I may be getting deceived, but I feel like I’m buying from small businesses. I’ve definitely bought some very nice, hand made, and even custom made items.
Etsy is also a mess at the moment, there are still many legitimate small businesses selling handmade art, but it's been flooded by drop shippers selling mass-produced new goods labelled as 'vintage' which is frustrating for customers, and has some really terrible policies like delayed seller payouts that hurt small businesses ('cause they often need the cash from that order to purchase supplies or ship the product, and Etsy holds it hostage, leading to a stalemate of 'can't get paid till it ships but can't ship it till you get paid')
They're taking their plays straight out of the Amazon handbook and doing the same thing as Amazon Mom Paul companies are being put out of business because of low quality merchandise being copied from China. Etsy's fees or about the same as Amazon's for their sellers. And Etsy keeps coming up with more ways to drain the sellers that are on their site making it almost impossible to make a profit off of the merchandise you're posting on there. I went through it all to put my merchandise on Etsy to find out it was literally highway robbery. Almost 50% of your earnings goes to Etsy and that's why so many people are dropping out. It's either lose your customers to Chinese pirates which makes you have to lower your prices along with etsy's fees there's just no room for a decent profit
Unfortunately Etsy changed their rules and it's being swamped by Chinese knock offs from legit small makers, pushign the makers out of the market. Etsy is just another Aliexpress or ebay or Amazon now ... check YT for videos on the subject. This is not even capitalism anymore, it's down-your-throat-ism ... sell cr*p at any price as much as possible
Amazon has been a last resort option for me for years. Often times if I can't find used locally, direct from the company, or some other non-amazon store, I will just decide I don't need whatever it is I'm looking for. This company can get bent.
I don't look at Amazon for everything I buy, quite the contrary. I will start looking at Walmart website, as well as Home Depot, and Lowe's. I also check at TEMU and Alibaba. I will buy something from Amazon if I need it quickly. Over the years, it has saved me a lot of money. Larry in Draper, Utah
I'm not proud of it but I finally canceled Prime a few days ago and I'm gonna do my best to buy what I need at the local-est store possible. This is all so messed up and I cant be supporting it
I have been buying less and less from Amazon since I received some fake supplements from there. Quality and authenticity is not Amazon motto. Convenience, might be.
I cancelled my Prime renewal last weekend and it officially ends tomorrow. I'm already receiving three emails daily warning of my "upcoming loss of exclusive privileges". ** and I had to search online first, because their cancellation page/link is far from easy to find.
Now Amazon is going to start using MORE advertising on there Prime Video. If I wanted to watch commercials I’d stick to regular TV. And the customer is now paying more for it. Ugh! Might be time to quit Amazon.
I like the info. I am approaching 2 years working for Amazon. My facility handles a plethora of products, which gets restocked from other Amazon locations near location. I am currently, as well as others at my location, working 11.5 hour shifts, and will continue past christmas. A few of my friends I started with nolonger work there. I miss them. I continue to work and hope to be fiscally better after all this work, except for the cost of everything.
I frequently check the price of a product I want, on eBay, Walmart, or directly from the manufacturer website, etc (anywhere but Amazon) and the price can be up to 30% cheaper.
This crucial information is sorely needed. We are getting ready to launch our business and your presentation has shed a brighter light on many of the pitfalls we face. (As a consumer, I don’t buy on @ma$on for these same reasons.)
Cancelled mine when I found out their drivers were having to pee in bottles in order to meet their quota and the crappy working conditions in the warehouse.
As always short and sweet and riveting. Thank you More Perfect Union and all the Meagan Days and Shay Mitchells out there who are keeping an eye out ( for, mostly, all of the crooks) for all of us.
My latest experience with Amazon was looking for Apple wired earbuds. What I could only find on there was being charged $19.99 and I searched and found them on eBay for $8.50 so this is a real life example of what your story is about so thank you for sharing this and doing all the hard work and research.
You must be very careful buying on eBay also. I saw a set of flannel sheets on eBay I wanted. They were $49.95 "on sale". I was about to buy them when I thought to compare them to Walmart. When I did I found the exact same set of flannel sheets, with same exact picture the seller showed on eBay, for $19.99, less than half the price I was about to pay on eBay just a minute before. I made extra sure the sheet sets were the exact same too. They were. Many people selling items on eBay just order their sold items from Walmart, then have them shipped to you, but first having raised the price of the item as high as they can get you to pay, and you'll never know. Sometimes they just raise the price of the item a dollar, like toilet paper or something, some items they raise the price more than double, like my flannel sheet set I wanted.
As is often the case, "It's a feature, not a bug." We also need to grow up and stop believing one of the key myths of capitalism, that it promotes competition. It actually promotes cooperation among the powerful, and eventually monopolies, using barriers to entry. At the same time, we have to acknowledge that we, the consumers, are also at fault. Just as with "manufacturing stolen by China", it was American business executives and consumers who sent the jobs overseas.
Yes! I've been waiting to hear someone say that. And when Trump was in office, he promised to be tough on CHINA and people cheered. But almost all of what the US consumer buys is Made in China, because most companies send or have sent the production of everything to China. So we're getting screwed twice. Awful situation, but it's the truth. I wish more people understood. There's absolutely no free market but businesses and Wall Street and government want you to think there is.
On the other hand, where else would you go to buy “oligarch sauna hats”, and have them on your doorstep in two days? It’s this type of consumerism that has made this business model successful.
Yet here you are on a materialistic iphone/laptop/desktop...you ever heard of living screen free? Apparently you aren't the minimalist you think you are.
@@pavelow235 Wow, having clothes and shoes must be materialistic too then ... you must be living naked in the woods eating roots to not be considered materialistic I guess
The EU was faster to react. Amazon is not allowed to prevent marketplace sellers from selling cheaper elsewhere. As a result, Amazon is not always the cheapest place to buy a product, and it pays off to shop around.
Amazon also used machine learning in a VERY sneaky way to gather data on competitors pricing. It took YEARS. And when I realized what they were doing, my jaw hit the floor.
9:25 yes!! I had commented about this to my partner the other day. "What the hell is with all these random jibberish brand sellers populating the listings?" Glad it's being addressed
This is due to the patent office not being able to keep up. And Amazon doesn't care if you buy a quality product or garbage.. they get their cut either way.
This is simply not true becareful for propaganda. They paid no taxes while growing because they didn't make a.profit. like any other business....recently they have started making profits and are being taxed. At one point people need to.learn how taxes work because a lot of people are being fed lies.
The problem is that these conglomerates have gotten away with this crap for way too long with no accountability. Well now the tide is turning and it is not just Amazon that's in trouble. There are a lot of these monsters that are finding out that they aren't as immune as they thought.
The presentation allows for you to make your own mind up, discuss, and decide what factors in Amazons buisness practices lead to scorpion venom to be sold as hats.
Amazon recently removed the button you as a buyer could click if your didn't receive the item. Now Amazon wants you to knock on your neighbors doors to see if they received your item, wait 48 hours (because it may have been marked as delivered BEFORE it was delivered), and then deal directly with the seller if you still can't find your item. Ridiculous
Basically it is literally the next level walmaet and it looks like temu is then next. This video is almost the same as "the high cost of low prices" back in the day
This video pretty much sums up why I shop on Amazon as little as possible, and try to buy directly from a company's own website instead whenever I can. Fingers crossed that Amazon is found guilty in the FTC suit.
Same here. Amazon website really has really gone downhill. I want to know I’m actually buying what I want, not some sketchy knock off.
I do the same thing. Even if Amazon is cheaper, I refuse to use them unless I absolutely can't find the item anywhere else
Me too-and a lot of sites have free shipping when you buy a certain amount, or as a sale sometimes.
I agree, I haven't bought anything on Amazon for over a year. I also try and buy used as much as possible, everything from clothes to electronics.
Me, too. I never shy away from sellers, who take a long time to ship. I think that long time shipping needs to be built into a healthy system as an option for buyers.
Yeah, we're destroying the wrong Amazon if you ask me.
The other Amazon does need the cardboard 😏
It’s crazy how we destroy the planet and the company’s named after said destroyed forest
@@silverblue73 So right! Bezos foundation is called Earth Fund. After all the trees cut, for all the cardboard boxes he goes through.
Excellent🎯 & made me🤣 & appreciate your clever brain!
Total nonsense! Amazon sells stuff I cannot get anywhere else! How is that a bad thing?
The thing I find most annoying with Amazon is when you search for something specific, it doesn't show that to you. It shows you the items that paid for priority even if it isn't what you searched for. For example, I was searching for AMD GPUs and CPUs. Amazon kept giving me results for Intel chips that I had no use for. Or when searching for something that is compatible with other equipment they show you things that are not compatible when you didn't ask for that. You really never know if you are getting the lowest price because when you try to sort that way it still gives you 5 or 6 items ahead of it. It really is a horrible system to have to search for anything.
Also half the items you buy are illegal knockoffs
Searching for computer parts on Amazon is a special kind of hell that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Unless you know *exactly* what you want, it's near impossible to find it, since the search filters are borderline useless. Even then, the problem you mentioned crops up all too often. It's probably the reason why Newegg stays in business simply because you can actually search for what you need on there.
That explains why, the few times I tried, the results fit poorly with my search parameters. You have to *buy* your way atop the algorithm!
I literally have no idea what you're talking about
YES! I work at a preschool, and our center manager was like, if you need something put it in our Amazon cart. So I was being VERY specific with my search terms, and I still got the wrong results!! I was only seeing “sponsored” results. Screw that. I’m telling our center manager we shouldn’t order from Amazon anymore!
Yep, I'm a former Amazon seller.
They use us to get free products.
They charge us to send it in. They charge us to store it.
They charge us to bring search traffic.
They charge us MONTHLY for the privilege of even existing on the platform, & if the price drops too low, they charge us to dispose of the product, or send it back to us.
Meanwhile, Amazon doesn't have to pay for product, sourcing, shipping, traffic, returns, or product disposal. WE DO.
Would the solution to that be to only buy if it says SOLD BY AMAZON and SHIPS FROM AMAZON ?? (On items im not sure I’ll keep to begin with… ex: clothing I’m not sure will fit)
And - the moment your product is successful - suddleny - pure coincidence! - an "Amazon Basics" product appears looking interestingly similar to yours and always on top...?
Amazon and Google are controlling the free market.
YOU…yeah YOU…CHOSE to be part of Amazon…..DUMBBELL! YOU get the BLAME!!!!!
7:50 Amazon imposing an effective FIFTY PERCENT TAX while at the same time rarely paying any REAL TAX is REALLY rich! 😤😤
Time for Jeff Bezos expose more.
Welcome to a plutocracy.
@@wmpx34havent we been there for a long while? 😅
If a retailer makes five cents profit per dollar of sales, they are doing extraordinarily well. This means that 95% of their sales go to pay for their product and expenses. Amazon third party sellers often never touch their product. They are contracting out their labor expenses to Amazon, which handles warehousing and fulfillment much more efficiently and cost effectively than third party sellers could hope to do without Amazon.
@@Srode1999 lmao, shill more for Amazon, totally not obvious when you react to a comment that's months old. 😅🤣
I was buying a book. $17 On Amazon. Decided to check Barnes & Noble. $10.
I had a similar experience with Amazon. They charged £85, but I went to the publisher and got the same book for half the price.
oh and for some used manga i got then for less then 10 on amazon
That’s funny because Barnes and Noble is almost always double Amazon prices.
Look at that. There ya go. Bye bye Amazon.
So? Amazon sells stuff I cannot get anywhere else. How is that a bad thing?
It’s great that you’re teaching people about how terrible Amazon is, but you never explained why you got scorpion venom instead of the hats you ordered.
Yeah, explaining why you got Cuban-made scorpion venom that's illegal in the US instead of hats with an oil rig and "oligopoly" in Cyrillic printed on them would have been a better story. For many viewers of this channel, hearing about Amazon's antics is nothing new.
It's called a mistake. They happen.
@@sa-lb9bl She said the scorpion venom drug is BANNED in the US. Even if it was sold by a 3rd party who also sold the dumb hats she ordered, it was sent to her from a foreign country that had to know the venom product is illegal here. I'm surprised it didn't get grabbed by customs.
@@freedomfighter4990You might be shocked what you can smuggle into the US. It's not airtight. You can mail weed into states where weed is illegal very easily, why do you think a pill bottle is different? Edit: The dude who commented after you has a point, maybe consider the statistics behind how mail is checked? It makes perfect sense to me, idk why you're hung up about America being perfect?
@@yuordreamsdude, this isn't just smuggling if someone can simply post an illegal substance on amazon and deliver it straight to your home... this is some massive lapse in enforcement/regulation.
Something I've learned in all my years of retail is Americans will gladly pay MORE for an item as long as they're told they're paying less.
Right, it’s all about reducing the friction to buy, reducing the perceived feeling of spending money, making it feel like you’re not spending that much even if it’s a lot.
Its easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled.
List cow dung with an inflated strike through price and selling price. 😂
Black Friday anyone ? 🤣
Honestly, I've stopped ordering on Amazon... at least to the extent that's possible.
But unfortunately, sometimes, there is no alternative anymore. And i think that's the point, they've killed so many specialty store that you need to buy from them.
Down with monoplies, support small and local!
Same here, I've gone to emailing brands to order direct
Hey, @TheRuralUrbanist funny seeing you here... Love your channel!
Same, I avoid them whenever possible -- but sometimes it's literally the only option. And worse, there are SCORES of sites and articles telling you exactly how to set up a biz as AN AMAZON DROP-SHIPPER on other retailers' websites. The absolutely appalling number of times I've ordered some random thing on eBay thinking I'm supporting a small business....and my item arrives directly from amazon, in amazon packaging, via amazon courier, often with an amazon "gift receipt" -- despite this being 1000% not allowed per eBay's terms of service? The whole thing is disgusting. I'm firmly Team "Fire Bezos [and Zuckerberg and Musk, While We're At It] Into The Effing Sun."
Between this crap, and six hundred instances of "that small indie brand you like? yeah, they try to keep it on the down-low, but they're now owned by Unilever / P&G / Other Evil Conglomerate, so enjoy having some of your purchase price go to corporate donations funding causes and candidates you find absolutely repugnant" ... I'm kind of coming around to the idea of living in a hut in the woods and being done with the whole nasty thing.
Yes. Don't feed the beast.
Yeah I live in a poor area, and I used to buy energy drinks on Amazon, then started buying other foods there.
But, I almost entirely stopped. I remember the days a decade back or so... There is a grocery store a block from me now, but back then the closest grocery store was too far away to really walk with any decent amount of groceries.
It was such a hassle just having the basics all the time back then, and it really is such a blessing to have a grocery store so close now. I realized that if I wish for things to remain like this, I really need to spend ideally all, but as much of my food budget as possible at that store I depend on
Overnight, if *ALL* of us quit Amazon - it would be over. We have so much power we just won’t use it.
We could all do it like how they'll spring a song at you in public because they collaborated secretly. I forget what it's called buy they seem to pull off social unity quite easily. We just need to coordinate with someone leading us. The big greedy Amazon people wouldn't stand a chance when we sprung our unity out at them suddenly one day, and then the next and the next. They would even forget they had bladders and pee a little before they knew it... maybe. That last part might just have been me trying to 'bee fun knee', but then again, maybe 'knot'.
Yes, but do have jobs for the almost 2 million people that work for Amazon? Or does that become someone else's problem?
@@jessevarela Ever hear of "leverage" or "bargaining chips"? Striking a greedy person or company gets attention, and might help lower costs.
What is it like to live in a fantasy world that you are obviously are in.
I feel like there was an interesting story to be told about the prevalence of shipping illicit products via fake listings that was missed here.
Ditto. Enquiring minds want to know!
Although it’s fun to speculate about nefarious schemes, I’m guessing what happened was most likely a mistake. A few hats certainly cost way less than a banned cancer drug. What is mainly interesting here is how the mistake happened; why would a seller of hats also be selling drugs?
@@SashazurI think that would be the story - that the biggest sellers are selling everything from regulated substances to cheap clothing, because of how its set up to make that the best strategy for selling on Amazon, and how small specialized sellers are punished or forced out of business by all the fees
Into the light IS the point of this story. And if it was a gooogle product it would have been misinformation and not on yootube
Many years ago I was sending some seeds in my art supplies. Seeds that I am sure Cheech and Chong would grow. Funny enough I didn't order those but I did order the art supplies!
Why the FUCK is there a statutory maximum that corporations can be fined? What kind of bullshit is that?
They most likely pay the lawmakers money to make that happen I guess😬
Correct.
"When someone's that wealthy, someone and some loophole is being exploited."
Billionaires shouldn't exist.
If you discover the cure for cancer, then sure you should earn a Billion dollars for that. If you open an online bookstore and drive all other stores out of business, NO Jeff Bezos does NOT deserve 161 BILLION DOLLARS!
Poorly regulated economic and social systems breed power players.
good luck with communism. When investment stops, you have massive starvation.
@@mw4507 🤡🤡👏👏
I dunno, man. Companies are people, so why can't a single person become a country or forty?
(self-evident answer, eh?)
It's horrific to search for known brands, amazon swamps every search with unknown Chinese brands, total garbage.
"Sponsored" lol.
Proud to say that I canceled my prime 5 years ago and never looked back. I only shop there when I absolutely have to. Things are not "cheaper" there anymore. Often actually more expensive than other places.
Yup
I guess I still don't understand why so many people hate on Amazon. I guess it's easy to hate the big guy or the winner.
For me I still find Amazon to be cheaper once you factor in the free same or next day shipping and time saved (time is money) Though I will admit you need to know how to use the Amazon site properly to navigate through the bs. I guess I just have practice doing so.
So I'll still but the exact same thing you're going to get and I'll get it cheaper and faster. It sucks to admit that, but raising kids in 2024 saving time and money just helps you know? And no I'm not with Amazon. Haha. They been really good to me. The few times I've had issues I got an instant full refund and kept the product.
@@seattlesauceIt's not just that they're the "big guy" or the "winner", it's that the way they do things has sapped the life out of small businesses, killed other online stores, killed our high streets, and left themselves as sometimes the only option in the absolute wasteland they've left behind -- and they're not even the cheapest or best, they just have the most sway. I feel like you've missed the parts of the video where they discuss the disgusting anti-competitive practices Amazon takes part in.
Plus, if you shop at Amazon you can be certain that money will leave your local economy and most of it won't be seen again, whereas if you shop local you know that money will be used locally and stimulate local economic activity. I don't mean to advocate for capitalistic methods but I think that it is an uncontested good thing to not centralise most of the money in the world in the hands of a single company.
@@scoreunderAnd the way they treat their employees.
Not sure what you are proud of🤷♂️
I find that often times, prices are lower elsewhere for common items. The only cheaper stuff is counterfeit or a knock off! We ended our Prime membership and don’t miss it!
Every dollar Amazon takes in comes from us the consumers. The "inflated seller fees" that sellers have to pay Amazon, simply means we are paying a higher price for that item. Amazon is shafting us!!!
😮😢
Usually depends on the product ... some products are more expensive (usually the cheaper they are the more the Amazon cost will be as part of the whole) ... some products are simply not profitable selling through FBA and are sold by the sellers in FBM. All depends on how much it would cost the seller to stock, ship and handle returns him/herself ... and that is not a negligable cost. Amazon is usually less expensive in stocking and shipping by combining those services. The Internet is also a big reason shops go out of business, people don't go to physical specialist stores anymore and are not looking around the internet to compare prices and products ... they just go to one super marketplace and do it all there. So yes, Amazon is to blame but a big part is also the consumers fault. I preferred going to the local computer store ... there are almost none left now. I have to go looking online. Having to look at my expenses, often Amazon turns out to be the cheapest
So proud to announce. I have never purchased one thing from Amazon. In fact, I have never purchased anything off the internet. EVER
Amazon will also block reviews where you point out the other reviews are fake. They don't want you to know what you're buying.
Thankfully, there's a plug-in u can get now that filters out fake Amazon reviews
Amazon stopped letting me review anything bc of 'unusual activity' about 2 years ago. I guess buying things and liking them is unusual especially when you don't return things but give them away if you don't like it or if a garment does not fit.
Yep. They pull the review because it doesn't talk about the items so it violated their terms.
BS
Also, if you real all reviews carefully , not all reviews belong to that item..
Realized last year that we were not saving any money on purchases that we would need to make. We were also making many purchases we did NOT need to make. Shipping would also show things delivered in the 2 day time window. However, most items would not arrive for another day or two. At first we would report things not delivered and amazon didn’t care. “Wait a couple days to see if it shows up”. They know what’s going on.
We cancelled our prime and stopped ordering from Amazon unless the items simply just are not available elsewhere. We are fine. The only thing that changed was we had a little more money at the end of the day.
Like, why is a Prime membership necessary if the sellers’ fees cover Prime shipping costs??? And they play with prices on a daily basis. I’ve also noticed sellers with multiple accounts displaying the same product, not even bothering to change the display images.
Yup. I had a small business 5ish years ago that used Amazon to sell products I made. It's way worse than you reported. Start a business and sell a product to learn more and report what you find. Amazon looses a package or ships the customer the wrong package, the seller pays that. Not Amazon. There was no way for me to make a living wage due to Amazon and the American consumers. I love creating but I'll never make anything again for sale. I blame Amazon and the consumers. I just wanted to create quality products and earn a living wage.
If you don't mind, please tell us what you made.
I’m curious how this compares to Etsy, which advertises itself as a place for people who make things?
I appreciate the local farmer’s markets and maker/artist/gift markets in my city. Alternative market spaces where we can buy directly from the makers. I know there is usually a cost for the tables/booths, and spending time selling can be a drain, but curious if that sort of thing exists where you are at all, or what folks’ experiences have been, as a different kind of alternative. Small and local.
Etsy is better than eBay, and Etsy is more suited to people who craft items.
I agree with Amazon's warehousing issues.
Walmart is the same shit
@@amandac715 My cousin was selling on Etsy. By the sound of it they were doing well, their items were pretty popular, but apparently it really starting going down hill the past few years.
There were all sorts of knock-off sellers that would just bootleg their designs. In the past Etsy used to moderate copycats better, but since they went public they've abandoned trying to protect original creators in search of bigger profits.
My cousin doesn't sell on there anymore.
Sadly with Trump being sworn on Amazon will continue to get away with this
Amazon will continue to get away with it? And who has been overseeing this the last 4 years?
Greed is not the desire for more, it's the desire for more at the expense of others.
Greed is the desire for more than one needs. It has nothing to do with expense of others, or lack thereof. It can effect others negatively, as a consequence, of course.
This price gouging KH keeps taking about isn't from greedy corporations that's causing this inflation. It's from the Bill her one vote passed. In the Inflation Reduction Act are $700 billion green taxes consumers are paying for. And the 15% corporate tax hike, that will be past on to consumers too.
@@MelissaR784 Okay, and why are you telling me? I'm no fan of her or her party.
@@MelissaR784
I call her Comrade Harris, because that is what 3rd-term winner Current President Trump called, her, because she is a communist. And it sounds a bit more dignified than Camel Harris. Why is everything she says a lie?
@@shefalichow7917 Greed is the desire for more than one "needs"? More like more than one can ever use in a lifetime, and now it's a lifetime of lifetimes because of how much some selfish types are sucking up and out of the country's regular economy. And the more they 'make', the less they'll pay in taxes back into the economy also. They get free rides while others have to fret about their bills a lot. They'll 'earn' more each in a day, maybe even each hour, than I've totally had in my pockets in my entire lifetime, and I'm now a "broke as a joke" old man who is content enough not to be envious about rich people I kind of feel sorry for.
"Poor and content is rich, and rich enough" William Shakespeare
Amazon is a big Casino 8:56. That is truth. I concluded this last year in 2023, and we stopped putting extra investment and efforts in Amazon. We sell on our own platform first. And we only do FBA no more FBM, and cut the products from FBA if it's not selling quickly or returns are more than 30 percent.
Amazon may also be paying to promote its casino on UA-cam and other social media platforms. Where influencers tell people that you can make money while sleeping and while enjoying on a beach. 8:56
I moved to the Philippines and amazon does not deliver here. For two years I've cancelled my account several times and still get billed for the prime service.
The antitrust act law is has been suspended since Reagan. Along with workers rights in the US and across the world.
Get a new card number.
hmm, weird. I am on and of Prime 2 or 3 times per year and they never billed me too much.
Speaking of their shipping, they pay their drivers less than half of what UPS drivers make but make them do more deliveries. Research that.
We look back on the big oil, steel, meatpacking, etc. companies from the Gilded Age (1920s) with immense disdain... can you even imagine how people will look back on Amazon (and other tech giants) that is many times more powerful than those monopolies ever were?
Didn't those MONOPOLY'S Devalue America's currency back then (steel, big oil, etc..); as a negative effect. While at that same time Our Government switched back and forth to and from the Gold Standard. Then there was the Great Dust Bowl, resulting from Over-plundering the Land?
Nobody will be here to remember.
Amazon…the Walmart of the internet 😢
Slight correction- the Gilded age was not the 1920s. It's was the 1880s
Amazon went to shit when it stopped being a bookstore.
The best 12 minute commentary I have seen about Amazon and their dominance. And she didn’t delve into the deeper point of private brand labels further punishing the small biz owners.
Or that shit where they were encouraging Kindle users to return books they had bought and read. Basically screwing over the authors.
What I got as a conclusion is that they are very bad, bad guys, but. It's cheaper to buy at Amazon. So if I have no conscience or money...Amazon is cheaper.
There's no way me buying more expensive with local businesses going to hurt the wealthiest man in the world's company
Living in the rural Midwest, there seems little downside to Amazon. No more driving 40 miles each way for items that are delivered to our door on the farm. Purchases that we would normally put off or skip altogether become relatively fast and reliable. Of course, most folks do not live in the country like ourselves.
understandable, and do you think, tho, that there's a way to do that without feeding & sustaining a monopoly? Seems like in the beginning, Amazon didn't have a lot of these practices...Wondering if Sears & Roebuck ever got close to being a monopoly, espec in rural parts. Do the businesses you used to buy from do well w/out rural customers, or did some close for losing your business?
I am in the same boat. For a lot of items internet buying is great and Amazon is often the quickest way to find it. (BUT.. I order items in multiple purchases, especially if they have different delivery dates (ETA's) because our courier told me that they only get paid once per order, even if some items take 2 trips).
Exactly. I rarely have an issue with an Amazon order, and they replace errors quickly.
I used to be sad, that in my country Amazon doesn't really work (you can buy there, but it is more expensive than local eshops) - even tho they have an infamous big warehouse here - but lately I am happy, that they didn't really get that big here.
What country is that? Here in Sweden it's cheaper than many options but not all
@@maxpiardi9697 Czechia, tbf we mostly use Alza instead, which isn't super ethical either.
Do you live in Stardew Valley or something? Lol
…All joking aside I’d love to know what country you’re talking about because it sounds like a really nice place to live
@@heartofthewild680 Czechia. We have other big shops fighting for our money, with Alza (started off as an electronics store, now they sell pretty much everything) being on top at the moment, but comparing to my experience from Austria, they are not at Amazon level yet. Not having Amazon localisation means not having their sales, so that stings sometimes.
Stopped shopping on amazon for 10 years, stupid policies turned me to eBay which is miles better pricing and more variety
I quit when they tried to get more money for commercials on prime video. think its cheaper to buy the original shows separately and they do have a lot of really good shows.
I agree I use ebay , but there prices on selling are starting to get out of control to.
Still you can find great prices on used equipment and tools etc.
Same.
We don't get "free" shipping because we Prime members don't get great deals anymore. And more and more, my deliveries are late.
Don't you also pay for prime? (I don't shop on Amazon, so I don't know.)
@@susanperry4177 Yes, I pay for Prime
I think it's $14.99 a month now. An annual membership is probably less.
A lot of the late deliveries is because they use 3rd party delivery services or Flex drivers.
In the case of Flex drivers, you get dinged if your package is late by 5 mins, but there's no penalty for returning it to the station
@@anonymouse9833 Which explains why Amazon tracking will say it is delivered but you don't actually get it until a day or two later.
Just saw a test of the highest rated amazon automotive fuses. A two amp fuse didn't pop till 30 amps. That's your car on fire, period. And it was the best recommended product.
B.S..
You might think "well if running Fulfilment cost that much and the fees match whats the problem" but then remember YOU PAY FOR PRIME. Youd think everyone paying 12 dollars monthly for expedited shipping would make it so Amazon didnt have to take 50% cut of to its sellers who want to offer it.
We pay for EVERYTHING, every dollar that goes into Amazon's pocket comes from us the consumers and tax payers. NSA has a contract with Amazon for AWS? Who funds the NSA? Us taxpayers!
Prime is now $179 a year--- which is about $15 a month
I stopped buying from Amazon two years ago when I realized that almost everything comes from Wal-Mart sold at a higher prize. And it doesn't matter if you have PRIME, it doesn't change anything.
Those random looking brands aren't just there to swamp the search results. It's because you need a legal trademark to sell your stuff on Amazon, and random strings of letters are unlikely to have already been trademarked. Therefore Amazon encourages sellers to offload their anti-counterfeiting efforts to the government, and this single-handedly puts enough strain on the trademark office to slow down the processing of paperwork for legitimate startups.
🎯
I am waiting for my trademark for 3 years now. No joke.
I was wondering why so many brand names seem utterly bizarre and nonsensical. So, in addition to being a monopoly and more or less a vertical trust it’s also a gigantic black market.
Plus, instead of proper research into what brand name is a good selling brand, Amazon is letting the market figure that out.
What irritates me about Amazon is that if you order something today for say $17.00 and then you decide after you get it you want to order another one, the price jumps over $20.00 and stays there.
It is really hard to tell if something is made in the USA versus China.
I needed a part for my 1996 ford truck Nd after searching on Amazon for 20+ minutes I finally found the OEM part for less than I could get it in town and it was here the next day. I learned about 45 years ago, when buying car parts that even then they had like four or five different price sheets depending on who you were and how much business you did with them.
Regular household goods retail like furniture is not much different; 'We are having a big sale, up to 20% off'. 20% off what price? There is no regular price!
lol 20% off the price hike
Q: Knowing what you know, who would be offered the lowest price on that mentioned 'secret auto part price list', the clean, perfect male specimen dressed in a business suit or the tired-looking, broke-as-a-joke dressed scruffy guy? And what about the "cute chicks" needing some part? Any decent clue?
Its pretty easy to drop. Its amazing how much less garbage you buy when you aren't looking at garbage and just finding what you need.
I stopped buying from amazon four years ago. It was weird at first but everything you need or want can be bought elsewhere and not always dearer. If it does cost more it's not usually much more but yep delivery is rarely as fast so for anything urgent my local stores are the go.
So, Walmart?
@@jordanrussell345 I was talking more about online as I was comparing actions for online purchases. I don't have any large retail stores within 90 mins if where I live so online is my norm and yes I've gotten a lot more choosy about who I buy from. No Temu, Walmart, Shein etc. I try to go for the companies that are fairer if not totally fair.
@@jordanrussell345 Why automatically assume the whole world is like the US? The world has copied a lot (unfortunately) from the US but luckily we're not all in the same situation
Amazon is causing inflation.
And too many recent commentators can’t even see the BIG picture of what is actually happening.
Bravo! We teach our kids a few things,.like never use a self service check out. We support cashier service.
Same with Amazon. We literally never buy via Amazon platform. Even if this means to pay a little more (in Europe we don't live from pay check to pay check as often).
So in the moment we can afford it we have the obligation to behave responsible. Buy local, never use any Amazon branch.
"in Europe, we don't live from paycheck to paycheck" what a weird thing to bring up as supporting evidence
Lmfao. What a joke
@@anonymouse9833How did they use that as supporting evidence? Seems they were just mentioning their reasoning.
Europe hardly seems like a monolith as far as personal finance goes
there are plenty of jobs in an economy and there is nothing wrong with cashiers becoming obsolete
There is one common phrase that's in every video I've seen about Amazon: it's a race to the bottom.
Amazon is now a marketplace for cheap, dangerous, knockoff crap, just sold at a higher price.
Did she ever explain the surprise Scorpion venom? Was it a "brusher" scam?
No she didn't 🤔
The brushing scam is when you get stuff without ordering anything. They do it so they can leave a fake good review from a legit user(you). What happened here is different, she did order something but the wrong thing was in the box.
She probably was unable to effectively track back to what happened.....so many possibilities...One time something I ordered fro Amazon (Chinese seller).....after waiting for a long time....found out the address it was sent to was someone else entirely...not me
@@BCSTS Thats why they send you pictures of the delivered package.
I can’t stand this company and their policies-they embody everything wrong with our economy. I stopped using Amazon nearly 10 years ago. I don’t need “same day” delivery; I’m more than willing to wait 3-4 days. If I need something immediately, I shop in-store. I prefer supporting small businesses and working-class people. You can do the same! It makes a real difference. Supporting local mom-and-pop stores helps our economy thrive.
Amen! Buy local! As often as you can.
You mention that the FTC suit might possibly break Amazon up.
All I can think is, "So... the management and owners that participated in breaking laws with very real and significant consequences for millions of people world wide, get to walk away more or less unpunished."
A $44 billion fine is not exactly unpunished.
and watch out, those will be the off-branchers setting up to compete with AMazon. Your next boss.
They get a golden parachute and usually the fine is about 10% of the illicit profits. At this point in time those fines are just the cost of doing business.
Yes. The 4 mafia members will have to walk north south east and west. They will just reconvene later
@@el_chavez Amazon really doesn't make profit
I still do not understand how people in US could use Amazon to even find things they want to buy. Totally unusable user interface.
Not just the internet. They stopped selling a lot of stuff at brick and mortar places, too. So you have to buy stuff off Amazon, get stuff that is not really what you wanted, and sometimes not getting your stuff at all.
Every November I sign up for Prime to facilitate Christmas shopping, binge watch the few interesting Prime TV shows, and on New Year’s Day, I cancel Prime.
TIME FOR MONOPOLIES TO BE BROKEN UP!! 😤😤😤😤
have fun paying substainally more for everything.
@@mw4507 🤡🤡👏👏
@@mw4507 What he thinks he said: "Have fun paying more for things"
What he actually said:
"I didn't watch the video"
Breaking up monopolies is a lie for the most part. The companies really just split up into different companies that are deep down owned and ran by the same people.
It's an age old story.
It's why Google started Alphabet.. They did it to try to stop the FTC from coming after them for literally controlling 80%± of the internet and access thereof.
And it WORKED! The FTC is now only going after Google for default search engine contracts.
Which BTW, the most likely ruling of blocking all default search engine contracts on web browsers will actually HELP Google/Alphabet. It will get rid of Firefox's main source of funding (Firefox /Mozilla is a non profit).
And since Chrome / Chromium based browsers are now how over 50% of people access the internet.. Firefox going away would be HUGE.
Windows Edge is Chromium based btw.
So the picture very quickly is gonna become Google/Alphabet vrs Apple (Safari)
And it's gonna be about 80% Chrome /Chromium and 20% Safari.
But that won't last long, Google will change internet standards with proprietary technology and force Apple make Safari Chromium based.
... And I'm writing this on an Android phone which is also controlled by Google... And which Android is over 50% of the smartphone market.
But Google, Chrome, Android are all "separate" companies so the FTC has to go after them one by one or something stupid.
Lol , ditto :) The point of monopolies is to make everyone pay more so the monopoly owners can make more.
Prime day is such a joke 🤦🏽♀️ this is why I shop on eBay
You'd think that Amazon would do everything right for customers, but they subvert even what the customers want. Very often Amazon's own search results don't even supply what you want, just what they want you to buy.
Why would a monopoly try to do anything right for anybody???? That's an oxymoron
They're doing right for Bezos and the shareholders ... that's all ...
Reminds me of the Democratic party.
Absolutely fascinating video. How evil can this company get?
An excellent litmus test for whether a person actually cares enough about the economic problems in this country to do anything is to ask them to cancel their prime subscription on the spot.
Remember when Amazon included country of origin for most products? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
I do remember that!! I used to look for it a lot!
China, China, and more China. Amazon is flooded with Chinese crap. Buy from anywhere and anyone else.
I make it a point to NEVER purchase anything from or off Amazon.
I had so much trouble getting set up with Amazon that i ended up buying direct from the manufacturer. That is really bad to have long delays on hold from a customer service center out of the country that waste a lot time for anyone that needs to talk to a live person to get certain things resolved.
Ive been with Amazon since 2007 all across the US living in different states and its extremely rare I have ever recieved anything incorrect.
Make it a worker co-op and allow it to remain monopolistic. That's a new move that would actually make a change in society. I don't want more apps, more subscriptions, etc. I want one high quality service that is the pride of the employees that work for it.
Good idea but impossible.
Good Ole Jeff has bribed most people in government.
isn't that centralization
@@xrx-no7cd Its better.
I kind of agree. I don't want to have to to drive to 5 different grocery stores to get my groceries, so I just go to one. The competition can happen within that one entity. As long as the employees are making a fair wage and being treated with dignity, I don't care. I'm no economist so I'm sure there are big downsides to this model, but there is a way to do it fairly.
I'm shopping less and less from Amazon. Lately I find equal or better prices at local stores. I admit I got lazy with shopping from my living room but just a short trip and I can get my items much faster and often times cheaper. I unsubscribed from Prime and monthly subscriptions for everything is getting ridiculous.
Haven’t shopped Amazon in years, and I’ll go without before I ever do.
10:25 ... can we just stop and admire that genius marketing name for that hot sauce. 🤣😂😆
I enjoy using Etsy, when I can. I may be getting deceived, but I feel like I’m buying from small businesses. I’ve definitely bought some very nice, hand made, and even custom made items.
Etsy is also a mess at the moment, there are still many legitimate small businesses selling handmade art, but it's been flooded by drop shippers selling mass-produced new goods labelled as 'vintage' which is frustrating for customers, and has some really terrible policies like delayed seller payouts that hurt small businesses ('cause they often need the cash from that order to purchase supplies or ship the product, and Etsy holds it hostage, leading to a stalemate of 'can't get paid till it ships but can't ship it till you get paid')
They're taking their plays straight out of the Amazon handbook and doing the same thing as Amazon Mom Paul companies are being put out of business because of low quality merchandise being copied from China. Etsy's fees or about the same as Amazon's for their sellers. And Etsy keeps coming up with more ways to drain the sellers that are on their site making it almost impossible to make a profit off of the merchandise you're posting on there. I went through it all to put my merchandise on Etsy to find out it was literally highway robbery. Almost 50% of your earnings goes to Etsy and that's why so many people are dropping out. It's either lose your customers to Chinese pirates which makes you have to lower your prices along with etsy's fees there's just no room for a decent profit
Unfortunately Etsy changed their rules and it's being swamped by Chinese knock offs from legit small makers, pushign the makers out of the market. Etsy is just another Aliexpress or ebay or Amazon now ... check YT for videos on the subject. This is not even capitalism anymore, it's down-your-throat-ism ... sell cr*p at any price as much as possible
I enjoyed Etsy - also local artisans and craftspeople- it’s amazing to buy from the artists
Unfortunately, even Etsy is starting to get full of garbage listings
Oh damn i was wondering why I kept finding stuff cheaper on Amazon than I would at official site.
Amazon has been a last resort option for me for years. Often times if I can't find used locally, direct from the company, or some other non-amazon store, I will just decide I don't need whatever it is I'm looking for. This company can get bent.
Why are so many people that desperate to sell on Amazon? You'd think the business model would do itself in before the state ever could.
I don't look at Amazon for everything I buy, quite the contrary. I will start looking at Walmart website, as well as Home Depot, and Lowe's. I also check at TEMU and Alibaba. I will buy something from Amazon if I need it quickly. Over the years, it has saved me a lot of money.
Larry in Draper, Utah
I may checkout a product on Amazon, but then I look elsewhere if I can & purchase it there. I can usually find it a bit cheaper than Amazon
I live in Amsterdam,i want to buy something, i Jump on my bike and go find the shop.😂
I'm not proud of it but I finally canceled Prime a few days ago and I'm gonna do my best to buy what I need at the local-est store possible. This is all so messed up and I cant be supporting it
Do you actually need any of that stuff?
I have been buying less and less from Amazon since I received some fake supplements from there. Quality and authenticity is not Amazon motto. Convenience, might be.
I cancelled my Prime renewal last weekend and it officially ends tomorrow. I'm already receiving three emails daily warning of my "upcoming loss of exclusive privileges".
** and I had to search online first, because their cancellation page/link is far from easy to find.
Now Amazon is going to start using MORE advertising on there Prime Video. If I wanted to watch commercials I’d stick to regular TV. And the customer is now paying more for it. Ugh! Might be time to quit Amazon.
Exactly. Their little notice updating the new price for commercial free movies was my last straw. I will not pay a penny more!
Peeps i know amazon is convenient but we all have to buy at other places, amazon is not always the cheapest either. It pays to shop around.
I remember when people used to boycott Walmart for being so big now Amazon is making Walmart look good.
Lol Amazon is now essentially overpriced Aliexpress - same products with higher prices.
I like the info. I am approaching 2 years working for Amazon. My facility handles a plethora of products, which gets restocked from other Amazon locations near location. I am currently, as well as others at my location, working 11.5 hour shifts, and will continue past christmas. A few of my friends I started with nolonger work there. I miss them. I continue to work and hope to be fiscally better after all this work, except for the cost of everything.
I frequently check the price of a product I want, on eBay, Walmart, or directly from the manufacturer website, etc (anywhere but Amazon) and the price can be up to 30% cheaper.
This crucial information is sorely needed. We are getting ready to launch our business and your presentation has shed a brighter light on many of the pitfalls we face. (As a consumer, I don’t buy on @ma$on for these same reasons.)
I had to skip 3 Amazon ads before this video!!! 😂
Cancelled mine when I found out their drivers were having to pee in bottles in order to meet their quota and the crappy working conditions in the warehouse.
As always short and sweet and riveting. Thank you More Perfect Union and all the Meagan Days and Shay Mitchells out there who are keeping an eye out ( for, mostly, all of the crooks) for all of us.
My latest experience with Amazon was looking for Apple wired earbuds. What I could only find on there was being charged $19.99 and I searched and found them on eBay for $8.50 so this is a real life example of what your story is about so thank you for sharing this and doing all the hard work and research.
I stopped using amazon and buy almost exclusively on ebay. Depending on the seller and location you actually get items in 2 days sometimes too.
Good place for counterfeit tool batteries.
@@jordanrussell345 Yeah you have to be more careful about what you buy. If the price is too good to be true then it is probably fake.
You must be very careful buying on eBay also. I saw a set of flannel sheets on eBay I wanted. They were $49.95 "on sale". I was about to buy them when I thought to compare them to Walmart. When I did I found the exact same set of flannel sheets, with same exact picture the seller showed on eBay, for $19.99, less than half the price I was about to pay on eBay just a minute before. I made extra sure the sheet sets were the exact same too. They were. Many people selling items on eBay just order their sold items from Walmart, then have them shipped to you, but first having raised the price of the item as high as they can get you to pay, and you'll never know. Sometimes they just raise the price of the item a dollar, like toilet paper or something, some items they raise the price more than double, like my flannel sheet set I wanted.
I boycott Amazon a year ago, and found out that it’s not that hard. It’s even a relief and environment friendly
As is often the case, "It's a feature, not a bug."
We also need to grow up and stop believing one of the key myths of capitalism, that it promotes competition. It actually promotes cooperation among the powerful, and eventually monopolies, using barriers to entry.
At the same time, we have to acknowledge that we, the consumers, are also at fault. Just as with "manufacturing stolen by China", it was American business executives and consumers who sent the jobs overseas.
Yes! I've been waiting to hear someone say that. And when Trump was in office, he promised to be tough on CHINA and people cheered. But almost all of what the US consumer buys is Made in China, because most companies send or have sent the production of everything to China. So we're getting screwed twice. Awful situation, but it's the truth. I wish more people understood. There's absolutely no free market but businesses and Wall Street and government want you to think there is.
On the other hand, where else would you go to buy “oligarch sauna hats”, and have them on your doorstep in two days? It’s this type of consumerism that has made this business model successful.
"...godlike entity..." Godlike in the unlimited power sense, not in any other sense.
Amazon is killing seasonal sellers with high fees. It’s outrageous how much more they make on pay ads from us
Why are so many people that desperate?
It's stuff like this that makes me feel lucky that I didn't develop a materialistic personality.
Yet here you are on a materialistic iphone/laptop/desktop...you ever heard of living screen free? Apparently you aren't the minimalist you think you are.
@@pavelow235 Wow, having clothes and shoes must be materialistic too then ... you must be living naked in the woods eating roots to not be considered materialistic I guess
The EU was faster to react. Amazon is not allowed to prevent marketplace sellers from selling cheaper elsewhere. As a result, Amazon is not always the cheapest place to buy a product, and it pays off to shop around.
Amazon is never the cheapest and thats the point.
Walmart does exactly the same thing. WMT hits manufactures with price. Lower the price or we wont carry your product!
Yeah but Amazon is doing the opposite though. Cant lower your price,,, on other platforms.
I wish more people stopped using Amazon.
You do have other options, and everything about Amazon is extremely anti consumer.
"If you can't beat 'em, if you can't join 'em, you gotta break them up."
I like that.
Amazon also used machine learning in a VERY sneaky way to gather data on competitors pricing. It took YEARS. And when I realized what they were doing, my jaw hit the floor.
9:25 yes!! I had commented about this to my partner the other day. "What the hell is with all these random jibberish brand sellers populating the listings?" Glad it's being addressed
This is due to the patent office not being able to keep up. And Amazon doesn't care if you buy a quality product or garbage.. they get their cut either way.
I only shop Amazon when it is my VERY last resort. Or if grandma gives me a gift card....
yo also local govs and federal gov is subsidyzing amazon themsekves, amazon pays no taxes and gets susbsidies ;)
This is simply not true becareful for propaganda. They paid no taxes while growing because they didn't make a.profit. like any other business....recently they have started making profits and are being taxed. At one point people need to.learn how taxes work because a lot of people are being fed lies.
thats bad
The problem is that these conglomerates have gotten away with this crap for way too long with no accountability. Well now the tide is turning and it is not just Amazon that's in trouble. There are a lot of these monsters that are finding out that they aren't as immune as they thought.
Soooo we never find out what scorpion venom has to do with amazon's monopoly haha
The presentation allows for you to make your own mind up, discuss, and decide what factors in Amazons buisness practices lead to scorpion venom to be sold as hats.
Am I the only one who WILL NOT buy ANYTHING from Amazon? If more consumers will do the same, then perhaps we will break their monopoly.
Buy local, folks.
Amazon recently removed the button you as a buyer could click if your didn't receive the item. Now Amazon wants you to knock on your neighbors doors to see if they received your item, wait 48 hours (because it may have been marked as delivered BEFORE it was delivered), and then deal directly with the seller if you still can't find your item. Ridiculous
Basically it is literally the next level walmaet and it looks like temu is then next. This video is almost the same as "the high cost of low prices" back in the day