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Comment by mrweasel | Hacker News Reader

The fact that Amazon doesn't care enough to implement this filter themselves is a strong indicator to just not buy of the site.

Amazon doesn't give a shit if you're being hustled. If they have to issue a refund, that's the sellers problem, in all other cases they make money. There is so much junk of Amazon that's just not worth it. The only reason I ever shop at Amazon is if I truly cannot get the item elsewhere. They aren't cheaper, they're certainly not faster (in my area) and with every purchase you're at a much greater risk at getting scammed, compared to shopping at sites that don't do the marketplace crap.

In a sane world Amazons customers would be leaving in droves, and I cannot figure out why they don't.

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The no hassle returns from Amazon mitigate everything. I recently bought direct from someone and had to return because they didn't send the advertised item. I had to pay return shipping and a restocking fee, costing me $40 and a lot of my time. I tried to work it out with the seller not realizing that I only had 30 days to dispute with Paypal, so I was screwed there. My overwhelming takeaway was I should have bought from Amazon. (and, if you use paypal open a case with them asap instead of talking to the seller first).

I don't particularly like Amazon and would like to shop somewhere else, but it is sooooo convenient that it's hard to quit.

> In a sane world Amazons customers would be leaving in droves, and I cannot figure out why they don't.

Because Costco does not sell a lot of stuff that I want.

Because if you need something in 2 days in the United States its often your _only_ option. I begrudgingly maintain a prime membership because its typically >2 times per month that I need something in two days. Maybe if I planned better that would happen less and I would save money, but its purely a convenience.

Their logistic network is where prime holds its value.

Walmart and Target also do the marketplace stuff.

Costco is great for curation, but only for the items they carry.

A combo of Amazon for the random junk I don’t care much about and Costco for consumer staples works out well.

And no online vendor gets remotely close to Amazon for speed of shipping, ease of returns, and product selection. Usually matches the best price I can find on most things too - outside of stuff I buy direct from China.

Lots of the random crap I buy on Amazon I want the marketplace for. Like I needed a dozen plant domes this spring. I wanted them tomorrow, not next week and I didn’t need qty 100. So having the option for that vs. a gardening warehouse that targets large growers is quite handy and exactly what they excel at for me. I could care less which random brand sells the thing to me since they are all the same.

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