Have you walked away from Amazon?

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guppyguy
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Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by guppyguy »

I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

We are probably like most households, Amazon Prime membership with the Visa card to go with it for 5% off. I've looked at our actual usage and after including the savings from cancelling Prime we are only really saving $45/yr.

But unsubscribing from Prime and deleting our entire Amazon are two different things, I clearly acknowledge.

I perused Amazon's account settings and see no control over my data/purchase history. Personally, I've been less and less satisfied with Amazon since the pandemic due to extended delivery times and shame reviews. Then there is also the consideration of competition.

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
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anon_investor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by anon_investor »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

We are probably like most households, Amazon Prime membership with the Visa card to go with it for 5% off. I've looked at our actual usage and after including the savings from cancelling Prime we are only really saving $45/yr.

But unsubscribing from Prime and deleting our entire Amazon are two different things, I clearly acknowledge.

I perused Amazon's account settings and see no control over my data/purchase history. Personally, I've been less and less satisfied with Amazon since the pandemic due to extended delivery times and shame reviews. Then there is also the consideration of competition.

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
No, but have you dug in deeper to the benefits of Prime? We make liberal use of the unlimited photo upload/storage, saving more money. We watch a lot of Prime Video. We read some of the free books on Prime Reading, etc. We know they use our data, but so does everyone else.
SnowBog
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by SnowBog »

No.

But I have deleted my Facebook account.

And if I liked the iPhone enough to switch, I'd happily delete my Google account.

I think both of those are far more invasive, and provide me far less value, than Amazon.

I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs
Topic Author
guppyguy
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by guppyguy »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:58 pm [
No, but have you dug in deeper to the benefits of Prime? We make liberal use of the unlimited photo upload/storage, saving more money. We watch a lot of Prime Video. We read some of the free books on Prime Reading, etc. We know they use our data, but so does everyone else.
Yes I have. We don't tried but don't use any of those services. We have had Prime since the 2000's.

I am not advocating walking away, just never considered it and was surprised to see some have. I do think it is easy to be overly paranoid regarding data privacy, however, I don't think we should turn a blind eye to it either. There is nothing nefarious with Amazon, today, or maybe ever, in my humble present opinion.
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guppyguy
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by guppyguy »

SnowBog wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:01 pm
I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs
I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
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anon_investor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by anon_investor »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:09 pm
SnowBog wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:01 pm
I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs
I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
If you have the Amazon mobile app, and click on that link on your phone and use the mobile app to view it shows you the correct options page.
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TheTimeLord
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by TheTimeLord »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

We are probably like most households, Amazon Prime membership with the Visa card to go with it for 5% off. I've looked at our actual usage and after including the savings from cancelling Prime we are only really saving $45/yr.

But unsubscribing from Prime and deleting our entire Amazon are two different things, I clearly acknowledge.

I perused Amazon's account settings and see no control over my data/purchase history. Personally, I've been less and less satisfied with Amazon since the pandemic due to extended delivery times and shame reviews. Then there is also the consideration of competition.

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
There is no way I am walking away from Amazon. I can't ever remember having an issue with any Sold and Fulfilled by Amazon, and only the rare issue with items sold from another vendor on the site.
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drk
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by drk »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:09 pm I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
Given that you're reading the ProtonMail blog, I don't suppose you have something like PiHole setup on your network? That page routes through amazon-adsystem.com, which is on "EasyList" and "Peter Lowe’s Ad and tracking server list" according to uBlock Origin.
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Topic Author
guppyguy
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by guppyguy »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:14 pm
guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:09 pm
SnowBog wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:01 pm
I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs
I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
If you have the Amazon mobile app, and click on that link on your phone and use the mobile app to view it shows you the correct options page.
Just tried that too, got "page unavailable". Maybe its down right now.
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anon_investor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by anon_investor »

TheTimeLord wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:14 pm
guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

We are probably like most households, Amazon Prime membership with the Visa card to go with it for 5% off. I've looked at our actual usage and after including the savings from cancelling Prime we are only really saving $45/yr.

But unsubscribing from Prime and deleting our entire Amazon are two different things, I clearly acknowledge.

I perused Amazon's account settings and see no control over my data/purchase history. Personally, I've been less and less satisfied with Amazon since the pandemic due to extended delivery times and shame reviews. Then there is also the consideration of competition.

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
There is no way I am walking away from Amazon. I can't ever remember having an issue with any Sold and Fulfilled by Amazon, and only the rare issue with items sold from another vendor on the site.
+1. I tried Google Shopping the brief time it was available... absolute train wreck. Amazon is a well oiled machine.
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anon_investor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by anon_investor »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:17 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:14 pm
guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:09 pm
SnowBog wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:01 pm
I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs
I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
If you have the Amazon mobile app, and click on that link on your phone and use the mobile app to view it shows you the correct options page.
Just tried that too, got "page unavailable". Maybe its down right now.
Weird just tried it, worked for me.
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AnnetteLouisan
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

I never had Prime since I never need my purchases in a rush and I get free shipping anyway in that case. I’m not a huge Amazon fan. I use it mostly for books, footwear and for anything Walmart doesn’t have.
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by guppyguy »

drk wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:16 pm
guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:09 pm I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
Given that you're reading the ProtonMail blog, I don't suppose you have something like PiHole setup on your network? That page routes through amazon-adsystem.com, which is on "EasyList" and "Peter Lowe’s Ad and tracking server list" according to uBlock Origin.
No, but it must be something in my network. I just tried the app on cell service and was able to get to the page and make the change. Thanks!
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anon_investor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by anon_investor »

AnnetteLouisan wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:19 pm I never had Prime since I never need my purchases in a rush and I get free shipping anyway in that case. I’m not a huge Amazon fan. I use it mostly for books, footwear and for anything Walmart doesn’t have.
Missing out, especially when paired with the 5% cash back Amazon Visa. :wink:
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guppyguy
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by guppyguy »

AnnetteLouisan wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:19 pm I never had Prime since I never need my purchases in a rush and I get free shipping anyway in that case. I’m not a huge Amazon fan. I use it mostly for books, footwear and for anything Walmart doesn’t have.
Do you think you are paying more for shipping overall without Prime?
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JoMoney
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by JoMoney »

Yes, I've deleted my Amazon account. Someone gave me a Kindle shortly after, so that was an issue... until I found this program called "Calibre" that allows to me to copy ebooks to it directly. It's not as streamlined as syncing with an Amazon account, and I'm sure someone that's not a tech tinkerer might have some issues with it.
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SnowBog
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by SnowBog »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:09 pm
SnowBog wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:01 pm
I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs
I've tried that page, multiple browsers. It always says it can't find the server.

Does that link work for you, today?
Yep, works for me.
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AnnetteLouisan
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:23 pm
AnnetteLouisan wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:19 pm I never had Prime since I never need my purchases in a rush and I get free shipping anyway in that case. I’m not a huge Amazon fan. I use it mostly for books, footwear and for anything Walmart doesn’t have.
Do you think you are paying more for shipping overall without Prime?
It’s free either way- check out the delivery options choices. The latest option is free. So I’ll I’m missing is the annual fee and services I don’t use anyway. Maybe the cash back card makes up for the fee but I don’t spend much anyway - under $500/yr on Amazon. Ok maybe $1000 yr absolute max.
Last edited by AnnetteLouisan on Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
tomsense76
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by tomsense76 »

Nope plan on keeping it.

Use it for prime streaming mostly. Also comes in handy for gifts for holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc.. Occasionally buy things for myself there, but don't often need much. With BOA's Customized Cash Rewards (CCR) card, get 5.25% cashback on all purchases from Amazon.

The few things I have ordered from them recently (back in December) have shown up promptly. No delays. It was also handy I could share tracking info with others to make sure they knew when things would arrive and could check themselves.
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Luckywon
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Luckywon »

Amazon makes it so easy for me to find and order things. I'm often amazed at their speed of delivery. When an occasional issue pops up with delivery or the product Amazon has never failed to make it as easy as possible for me to get it corrected. No other online retailer comes close, in my experience. Therefore no plans to walk away from Amazon any time soon and in fact I'd gladly pay a premium to get a product from Amazon, because the potential savings in time and frustration is well worth it to me.

The listings to watch on Amazon Prime Video are icing on the cake. When I first became aware of APV, I thought it was too good to be true. Still feel that way.
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retiredjg
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by retiredjg »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
Keeping mine, but using it somewhat differently. And doing more comparison shopping than in the past.
tim1999
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by tim1999 »

No. I've come to strongly dislike going to stores in-person and dealing with the general public, plus Amazon has many niche items that stores in my area just don't seem to stock anymore.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

I am keeping it and using it more and more often. I like Amazon Video; there was a time when Netflix was not keeping up, and signing up through Amazon for BritBox, PBS, etc was easier than reaching out to each individual provider.

I request most deliveries to arrive on my “Amazon Day,” which is a convenient way to get fewer boxes. They arrive on Wednesday, just in time for me to break down the boxes and have the recycling service pick them up on Thursday.

We are “at heightened risk” if we catch COVID, and have avoided it in part through getting almost everything delivered.

I canceled Facebook quite some time ago. A pox on them.
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safari
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by safari »

I shop a lot at Whole Foods Market, which gives additional 10% off sale prices to Amazon Prime members. That by itself more than pays off the cost of Amazon Prime membership. In addition to that, my Amazon Prime Visa card gives 5% cash back on purchases at Whole Foods Market. I checked my Amazon Prime Visa rewards activity, and in the last year I earned $571 cashback on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. I will never be walking away from Amazon :mrgreen:
meebers
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by meebers »

[/quote] I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs

Weird just tried it, worked for me.
[/quote]

Just tried it myself and checked "NO", assume it will work. ??
Last edited by meebers on Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ktorrence
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Ktorrence »

I use Amazon to save time and money. It’s also a bonus not to have to deal with the headaches of traffic and unmotivated retail employees. When you walk into a fancy shopping store please understand that someone has to pay for that indulgence and it’s definitely not going to be the owner.
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Supergrover
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Supergrover »

safari wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:47 pm I shop a lot at Whole Foods Market, which gives additional 10% off sale prices to Amazon Prime members. That by itself more than pays off the cost of Amazon Prime membership. In addition to that, my Amazon Prime Visa card gives 5% cash back on purchases at Whole Foods Market. I checked my Amazon Prime Visa rewards activity, and in the last year I earned $571 cashback on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. I will never be walking away from Amazon :mrgreen:
Those do sound like very good perks!
I don’t shop much on amazon...not a prime member...but the things I do buy come in 2 or 3 days with the free shipping option.
runner3081
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by runner3081 »

We stopped paying for shopping memberships, dumping both Costco and Amazon nearly 10 years ago. Has had zero impact in our lives. Can still find all we want for the same or lower prices.

We do still use Amazon to borrow eBooks from the local library and deliver to our kindles.

The problem now is that everyone gives us Amazon gift cards, even though we tell them no. Fortunately, we either sell them on Reddit for a discount or buy grocery and Airbnb gift cards.
SnowBog
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by SnowBog »

meebers wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:53 pm
I do however disable their ads, so the random things I look up on Amazon don't follow me everywhere else. https://www.amazon.com/adprefs

Weird just tried it, worked for me.
Just tried it myself and checked "NO", assume it will work. ??
You may want to double check from other devices/browsers.

Originally, this was done by a cookie dropped on that browser. So if you were on a different browser/computer, you'd still see ads there (unless you opted out on that browser as well).

I thought they redesigned this to be an "account" setting, that should apply on other browsers/computers. But again, probably a good idea to confirm the setting is as you want on the devices/browsers you use on a regular basis.
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TheTimeLord
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by TheTimeLord »

I also use Amazon to donate to charities through their wish lists and Amazon Smile.
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Tony
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Tony »

Yes I've walked away. The more I learn about the way Amazon treats its employees, the happier I am to be out of it. I don't care that much about missing out on saving money - I can view that as one of my charitable donations.
I also don't like the fact that, because of Amazon, other businesses have not survived.
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windaar
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by windaar »

With two working parents and two kids the convenience of Amazon Prime is a Godsend. For brick & mortar we use Target w/ 5% off Red Card. For groceries local grocers and Trader Joe's. Done.
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runninginvestor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by runninginvestor »

I brought it up to my spouse. They reacted as if I told her I was burning her books. Suffice to say, we will have prime for awhile.

For $120/year with free shipping (we make small purchases so rarely hit the minimum for free shipping w/o an account), video (Lord of the rings this year!), Photo storage, music, kindle books from our library. It's a much better deal than paying Netflix $240 /year for just tv and movies.
UpperNwGuy
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by UpperNwGuy »

I used to use Amazon a lot, but over time I have drifted away. I never joined Prime because I could always get free shipping if I spent $35 on each order and was willing to wait a week to receive my shipment. I have never had their credit card because I refuse to use merchant-sponsored credit cards. The Amazon website has become a confused mess over the years, and it's hard to tell the real products from the imitations. I no longer believe the reviews. In recent years I automatically check other sellers before ordering anything from Amazon.
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Bogle7
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Nope

Post by Bogle7 »

We are very satisfied with Jeff’s empire.
In 2021, we spent way over $4000.

My $3.99 super glue order is being shipped separately. How does Jeff make money on that?
Last edited by Bogle7 on Tue Jan 25, 2022 9:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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PoppyA
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by PoppyA »

Amazon is amazing for convenience.

Prices….I’m not convinced. I wonder why prices fluctuate.
Do they lull us into subscriptions, & then slowly raise the prices when we are not watching?
If you have the Amazon credit card, are you quoted a higher price on items ?
Normchad
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Normchad »

I don’t believe that Amazon has the best prices. I also don’t believe that Costco has the best prices.

In each case though, I will continue to use them as long as they give me the best customer experience, are the most convenient, and back me up when I need it.

It’s so easy. That’s why I do it. Once in a while I checkout Walmart.com, Home Depot, etc. and they are just awful to even try to use. Trash compared to Amazon.

At this point, I almost think my paycheck should be direct deposited to Amazon to cover my purchases.
rxtra8
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by rxtra8 »

guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
...

Not I and we live in Hong Kong; free delivery once you spend >$49.95...truly amazing. We use the 5% back Visa card. I still use Prime Video, but unfortunately content is less even with my VPN; they know I live in HK as they ship to me so no hiding (my VPN still allows me to see US Netflix though). Amazon prime is still useful as is, incredibly convenient and they have what I need and want (do not ship food stuff or medicine).

I will continue to use Amazon as long as they continue to deal with me in HK.
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Marylander1
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Marylander1 »

We dropped Prime and look elsewhere before resorting to Amazon, largely because of the way they treat their employees and the insane prevalence of counterfeit goods. Amazon accepted our returns of counterfeit products, and used products sold as new, but I don't want to invest so much effort in detecting counterfeits when it's much easier to purchase from a vendor that maintains a supply chain instead of letting rejected products get inserted and sold as new. We found Amazon's "co-mingling" policy meant that even "sold by and shipped by Amazon" products were used or counterfeit or expired.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-might- ... 1576599910

We will sign up for another month to watch the final season of The Expanse.

Marylander1
TallBoy29er
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by TallBoy29er »

Yep, walked away from Amazon about 6 months ago. Happily we are consuming less.
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by whodidntante »

I am careful what I buy from Amazon due to fake and expired products. Walmart+ has so far been better, at least by sticking to products sold by Walmart. Plus, I like it when they send an employee out to hand-deliver my $2 body wash purchase. Walmart+ is free with certain AmEx cards.
Da5id
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Da5id »

Mostly. I've gotten rid of Prime, and look elsewhere first. I'm not willing to cut off my nose to spite my face, if Amazon is the best place to get something, I am willing to get it there.
Mako
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by Mako »

I find myself using Amazon less and less, it seems like whenever I want something on a whim it’s cheaper at Walmart and that’s close to my daughter’s school so it’s easy. But I cut the cord last year and my kids make extensive use of prime video so I’m keeping it for now.
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by PhoebeCoco »

tim1999 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:38 pm No. I've come to strongly dislike going to stores in-person and dealing with the general public, plus Amazon has many niche items that stores in my area just don't seem to stock anymore.
+1

I also use Amazon Prime Video, Amazon grocery delivery, and free Prime Kindle books. I have the 5% cash back Chase Amazon Prime VISA, and am on my 3rd Kindle.

So I guess I'm a total convert.
smectym
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by smectym »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:17 pm
TheTimeLord wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:14 pm
guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

We are probably like most households, Amazon Prime membership with the Visa card to go with it for 5% off. I've looked at our actual usage and after including the savings from cancelling Prime we are only really saving $45/yr.

But unsubscribing from Prime and deleting our entire Amazon are two different things, I clearly acknowledge.

I perused Amazon's account settings and see no control over my data/purchase history. Personally, I've been less and less satisfied with Amazon since the pandemic due to extended delivery times and shame reviews. Then there is also the consideration of competition.

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
There is no way I am walking away from Amazon. I can't ever remember having an issue with any Sold and Fulfilled by Amazon, and only the rare issue with items sold from another vendor on the site.
+1. I tried Google Shopping the brief time it was available... absolute train wreck. Amazon is a well oiled machine.
Agree, Amazon gets the job done. My account says “customer since 1999.” I often wonder what stopped me from also buying a little AMZN in 1999. Probably some dogma I picked up from somewhere against buying single stocks…just kidding
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by willthrill81 »

The timing of this thread is interesting. Just a couple of days ago, my DW and I decided not to renew our Amazon Prime membership in a few months. You get free shipping on $25 orders already; it just takes longer to receive the item. We don't watch their videos nor use their photo storage service, so the value just isn't there for us. We'll still order from them occasionally, but their prices have gotten too high on many items. It's not uncommon for them to charge double or more for an identical item what we can buy it for on other sites or locally.
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anon_investor
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by anon_investor »

smectym wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:42 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:17 pm
TheTimeLord wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:14 pm
guppyguy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:54 pm I was perusing some of the blog posts on ProtonMail and came across:
https://protonmail.com/blog/how-to-delete-amazon/

I have not heard of anybody doing this, have you?

We are probably like most households, Amazon Prime membership with the Visa card to go with it for 5% off. I've looked at our actual usage and after including the savings from cancelling Prime we are only really saving $45/yr.

But unsubscribing from Prime and deleting our entire Amazon are two different things, I clearly acknowledge.

I perused Amazon's account settings and see no control over my data/purchase history. Personally, I've been less and less satisfied with Amazon since the pandemic due to extended delivery times and shame reviews. Then there is also the consideration of competition.

So has anybody deleted their Amazon account entirely?
There is no way I am walking away from Amazon. I can't ever remember having an issue with any Sold and Fulfilled by Amazon, and only the rare issue with items sold from another vendor on the site.
+1. I tried Google Shopping the brief time it was available... absolute train wreck. Amazon is a well oiled machine.
Agree, Amazon gets the job done. My account says “customer since 1999.” I often wonder what stopped me from also buying a little AMZN in 1999. Probably some dogma I picked up from somewhere against buying single stocks…just kidding
I remember when people couldn't figure out how Amazon would ever make any money... :oops:
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by investorpeter »

Ensuring privacy of my shopping history at Amazon is not really a serious concern for me. Lol. If someone wants to peek at all the random items I buy at Amazon and try to make something of it, I say have at it! I actually appreciate that Amazon recommends things I really do need to purchase every once in a while. And my shopping history is also available to Visa and Mastercard, and each bank where I have a credit card. I don’t feel that Amazon is as intrusive to personal privacy in the way that Facebook or Google are, who are trying to build a profile of your actual person. Amazon is just keeping records of purchases like any retailer would. So I really don’t connect with that ProtonMail blog post at all. Seems a bit too extreme on the privacy spectrum, which I guess is what would be expected from ProtonMail, but I can also see how people would strive for total anonymity on the internet. That had originally been one of the principles guiding its initial development, but that got thrown under the bus once it became apparent marketing ads would be the primary revenue generator for the internet. Perhaps crypto will follow the same course. So as long as I am still ordering a lot of things from Amazon, I am keeping my account. I suppose there’s nothing stopping one from creating an Amazon account with a fake name, paying with a prepaid credit card, shipping to a PO Box, etc. if one really wanted to maintain privacy. Because you are going to have the same problem with any other retailer. In fact, it’s probably easier to remain anonymous on Amazon than other smaller retailers just due to the volume of business they do. Hiding amongst the crowd, etc.
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by SnowBog »

willthrill81 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:45 pm ...decided not to renew our Amazon Prime...We'll still order from them occasionally, but their prices have gotten too high on many items. It's not uncommon for them to charge double or more for an identical item what we can buy it for on other sites or locally.
Out of curiosity, what other sites?

For items large enough, I'll check prices at Amazon and national retailers like Target, Walmart, etc. and - where applicable - local grocery stores, and buy the one that's the best value (I'm willing to pay a little more to have it show up at my door with no hassle).

I'll also occasionally check Edge's built-in "price checker", but I rarely buy from what to me are "unknown sites" that pop up on there from time-to-time. So, I'm curious if there are reputable sites I should be paying more attention to...
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Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

SnowBog wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 10:23 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:45 pm ...decided not to renew our Amazon Prime...We'll still order from them occasionally, but their prices have gotten too high on many items. It's not uncommon for them to charge double or more for an identical item what we can buy it for on other sites or locally.
Out of curiosity, what other sites?

For items large enough, I'll check prices at Amazon and national retailers like Target, Walmart, etc. and - where applicable - local grocery stores, and buy the one that's the best value (I'm willing to pay a little more to have it show up at my door with no hassle).

I'll also occasionally check Edge's built-in "price checker", but I rarely buy from what to me are "unknown sites" that pop up on there from time-to-time. So, I'm curious if there are reputable sites I should be paying more attention to...
Well, not an endorsement but:

Heartland.com- bought a killer bathrobe there once
Wayfair.com - cheap furniture
Overstock.com - haven’t tried it, but looks like good bedding and linens

Aldi and Lidl are great but they don’t deliver to my knowledge
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