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Comment by redcobra762 | Hacker News Reader

Counting it up, I've ordered 58 times from Amazon in 2023 and every single item was exactly what I asked for, and arrived within a few days. I wonder why we're having such wildly different experiences...

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It depends on the kinds of things you order and how attuned you are to the games they play. If it's all name brand stuff and you are careful to actually order from Amazon and not a store hosted by Amazon it's not bad (although there are a lot of counterfeit goods on the site, in mixed inventory so it can come directly from Amazon even if it was stocked by some other store).

If you're getting commodity stuff from the cheapest vendor, good luck. There's lots of stuff put in there by Chinese shops that's garbage quality, mislabeled, a miniature model of the real thing, etc.

I do think it’s helpful that I’m an Internet native/formerly in cybersecurity. I would buy the (flattering) argument that I’m passively filtering out the shit in a way that’s not intuitive for everyone.

I strongly agree that it's dependent based on what you order. I've had mixed experiences in the past so now I basically only use Amazon to order used books. I don't expect them on time (nor do they promise it) and they have almost every title I could ask for!

My experience is like yours. Amazon has been very reliable for me and the few times I’ve had a problem, their phone support people have fixed it.

I think one factor might be what city you are in. I’m in Austin and I think there must be a big warehouse nearby because it’s not that unusual for something I order to show up a few hours later.

FWIW, I placed exactly 100 orders in 2023.

That’s the thing, I’m not in a city, my backyard abuts a farm!

I'm about 45 minutes outside a couple of major-ish cities (RDU/triangle area). I pass a goat farm just before my house (it's maybe a 1/3rd of a mile away). We still get most Amazon stuff next day, occasionally same day. I was a bit surprised, but here we are.

I think Amazon is a good platform to buy from when you know exactly what you want, or when you are good at researching and weeding out the crap. People who explore products on Amazon and make quick purchases, or impulsive shoppers in general probably have a bad time.

Yeah same here, 67 orders and no issues, perhaps it's a location thing?

Seems like an issue with people buying the cheapest stuff from brands no one has ever heard of. See previous comment, someone bought a blender that doesn't blend. Pretty sure if you buy a mid-high price blender on Amazon from a reputable brand, it will blend.

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