Buying Amazon vs any other website…

[GreyBeard22]

Does anyone specifically avoid, or specifically choose to buy parts from Amazon? Not the cheap, knock off plastic crap, but legit parts like:

https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Factory-Inc-983-02-143-Stabilizer/dp/B07PHL1WL7. (Purely picked as example of the thoughts)

$442 at AMZ with free shipping, $449 at an off road focused websites, shipping unknown

And having an AMZ CC, you get 5% back which is ~$22

I ask, cause there certain Tools I WILL NOT buy from AMZ, because the manufacturer will not honor the Lifetime Service Agreement unless its bought at Home Depot, etc… and I am wondering if its similar for parts manufacturers.


The honest truth is I would most likely buy from the off road/truck focused website, in order to get support if i had concerns questions once i rec’d, but my curiosity is if I am throwing out money, even though i prefer to support the independent businesses.

 

[Mike Alcocer]

We quit buying from Amazon right around Christmas time. A number of factors went into the decision.

Part of it was poor product support.

Part of it was a desire to shop locally as best we could given what was going on with jobs. Being fortunate to not only stay full employed but also had a banner year for us (not due to covid). And yes I know Amazon does employ people locally but....

The last part was just a desire to not feed the corporate beast.

I really enjoy going into our local toy story or chainsaw shop or auto parts place and talking shop. Get your questions answered and usually your return business is rewarded.

 

[GreyBeard22]

All great points that I totally agree with. My only hang up is the lack of local shops to talk shop with any more… Bay Area has run most out

Im mostly just doing mental gymnastics as we are trying to save, still have a comfortable life, and support my vehicle habits… (well at least I am). I like local, and independent as opposed to the corp monsters… i get my fill during the work day

 

[MacTremor]

I hear the “not feeding the corporate beast” however I’ll give you a good Amazon perk.

I ordered a hitch. I was concerned that the drop wouldn’t be correct but couldn’t decide between the 6” or 9”. I ordered the 9.

I had the option to order direct from the manufacturer or Amazon... exact same hitch. Amazon was actually a few dollars more expensive...

I read all the descriptions including the most important part... the measurements. That was my concern (ground to bottom of hitch clearance).

So the hitch arrived (Through Amazon). Turns out, the double ball actually measures an extra 3” below the 9” drop which is (surprise) too low.

So... why was Amazon a better choice?

My return/exchange was free... while I could have exchanged through the manufacturer had I ordered through them, I was dealing with an 80lbs hitch... the return shipping on that was going to be insane!!!!

Amazon was free return shipping... what would have been $150 in shipping through the manufacturer was $0.00.

I get and agree with supporting the local business... however... I think this...

The local business sold it to Amazon... Amazon is selling it to me. The local still made their profit (They sold bulk). Seems like everyone wins. At least in my scenario. ??‍

 

[GreyBeard22]

Valid point, and the return-ability of something does come in to many convo’s around where to buy large or big ticket items..

Great point that the independent DOES have to sell to AMZ, so they’re not losing all profit on the sale through AMZ…

 

[MacTremor]

Valid point, and the return-ability of something does come in to many convo’s around where to buy large or big ticket items..

Great point that the independent DOES have to sell to AMZ, so they’re not losing all profit on the sale through AMZ…

But I agree with your local desire. I have found that in the Bay Area specifically... (that’s all I can compare to) the local craft/auto trade that is left is mostly cosmetic...

Newer vehicles “Tremors” ect are just too much... so accessories, aesthetics are the “local” way to go.

Yes, there are custom shops that will really get down to the motor/power terrain ect but those that really know what they are doing are rare.

My example... there isn’t a local “hitch” manufacturer to support... so what works best for me? that’s my philosophy.

I’ll say this though... my hitch comes in gray... I have all black/black package truck... I’m taking my hitch to my local powder coater. He gets my business ALLL DAY!! Exhaust tips, tailgate handle, HITCH... ect...

 

[Rich Pune]

Does anyone specifically avoid, or specifically choose to buy parts from Amazon? Not the cheap, knock off plastic crap, but legit parts like:

https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Factory-Inc-983-02-143-Stabilizer/dp/B07PHL1WL7. (Purely picked as example of the thoughts)

$442 at AMZ with free shipping, $449 at an off road focused websites, shipping unknown

And having an AMZ CC, you get 5% back which is ~$22

I ask, cause there certain Tools I WILL NOT buy from AMZ, because the manufacturer will not honor the Lifetime Service Agreement unless its bought at Home Depot, etc… and I am wondering if its similar for parts manufacturers.


The honest truth is I would most likely buy from the off road/truck focused website, in order to get support if i had concerns questions once i rec’d, but my curiosity is if I am throwing out money, even though i prefer to support the independent businesses.

Customer service costs money. So if you’re buying a product and want support, I think it is worth it to pay a little more at a business that will provide support.

I personally use Amazon for basic items like dog food or shop towels or items where cheap is ok.

 

[Mike Alcocer]

I hear the “not feeding the corporate beast” however I’ll give you a good Amazon perk.

I ordered a hitch. I was concerned that the drop wouldn’t be correct but couldn’t decide between the 6” or 9”. I ordered the 9.

I had the option to order direct from the manufacturer or Amazon... exact same hitch. Amazon was actually a few dollars more expensive...

I read all the descriptions including the most important part... the measurements. That was my concern (ground to bottom of hitch clearance).

So the hitch arrived (Through Amazon). Turns out, the double ball actually measures an extra 3” below the 9” drop which is (surprise) too low.

So... why was Amazon a better choice?

My return/exchange was free... while I could have exchanged through the manufacturer had I ordered through them, I was dealing with an 80lbs hitch... the return shipping on that was going to be insane!!!!

Amazon was free return shipping... what would have been $150 in shipping through the manufacturer was $0.00.

I get and agree with supporting the local business... however... I think this...

The local business sold it to Amazon... Amazon is selling it to me. The local still made their profit (They sold bulk). Seems like everyone wins. At least in my scenario. ??‍

Same scenario for me with a hitch. Went down to the local shop. They had a ton of options in stock. Tried a couple on, left with the right one the same day. Also went back to the same place later and got a spray in liner, and retrax pro all at discount. The place was recommended by a co worker. Since then 5 of us have gone back for the same type of stuff.

Turns out the owners kid is in the same little league as another co workers.

 

[oops]

Part of it was a desire to shop locally as best we could given what was going on with jobs.

All great points that I totally agree with. My only hang up is the lack of local shops to talk shop with any more… Bay Area has run most out

But I agree with your local desire. I have found that in the Bay Area specifically... (that’s all I can compare to) the local craft/auto trade that is left is mostly cosmetic...

I totally relate to your comments. I’d prefer to shop local but there are so few local places in the Bay Area that I’m willing to give my money to when it comes to auto, tools, supplies, etc.

It’s mostly just big chains with poorer service than Amazon or local shops that have gotten fat price gauging and abusing customers.

An exception is Santa Rosa, which Mike you’re lucky to live in, which still feels like a community and has the goods and services of a regular city. Unfortunately I can’t get over there for the average purchase.

Long story short, the only thing I buy local at this point is food and drink. Everything else is Amazon or some other etailer.

 

[Mike Alcocer]

I totally relate to your comments. I’d prefer to shop local but there are so few local places in the Bay Area that I’m willing to give my money to when it comes to when it comes to auto, tools, supplies, etc.

It’s mostly just big chains with poorer service than Amazon or local shops that have gotten fat price gauging and abusing customers.

An exception is Santa Rosa, which Mike you’re lucky to live in, which still feels like a community and has the goods and services of a regular city. Unfortunately I can’t get over there for the average purchase.

Long story short, the only thing I buy local at this point is food and drink. Everything else is Amazon or some other etailer.

I do feel fortunate to be in the North Bay. It takes a lot of effort to keep the small guys around and "doing the right thing" (not gouging prices). And to be honest we used Amazon A LOT before the end of last year. And it takes A LOT of effort to not use e-commerce. It takes A LOT of effort to afford to live in this area.

With all of that we have people leaving the state in droves. Half of the people I know have bought or are looking at property out of state with plans to move immediately or near retirement. Some of them have already moved their families out of state and are just hear working till retirement. Some of these guys have over 5 years left before they are even eligible for their earliest retirement.

I was born here and cant see just abandoning it. Me and the wife agreed we are too rooted in to leave (5 kids) so we have to stay and try and make a difference for the better. Shop local. Go to school board meetings. Get on these dumb committees and head off the BS thats floating around. Group up with other like minded people and support each other.

Otherwise the movie Idiocracy is looking a lot more realistic.....

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[oops]

Smart way to be. We’re not leaving either.

 

[HubbardTramper]

Personally, I avoid Amazon at all costs. I find Amazon's business model to be unethical. Despite being very excited by Jeff Bezos' take on overhauling stale business segments (pre 2008) I've since turned to despise most everything that's come out of his mouth in the last 10 years.

I do use Amazon for their reviews but never purchase directly from Amazon. I usually buy products straight from the manufacturer or smaller distributors - again a personal, moral decision. I use coupon browsers to use coupon codes when placing orders. Amazon typically has pretty good overall pricing; however I can get the exact same products cheaper elsewhere using discount codes 99% of the time. As other's have mentioned, independent of the cheapest possible price, there are certain items I'm willing to pay more for to receive actual product support - though in actual application, I almost always find a cheaper price elsewhere.

 

[modified]

Does anyone specifically avoid, or specifically choose to buy parts from Amazon? Not the cheap, knock off plastic crap, but legit parts like:

https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Factory-Inc-983-02-143-Stabilizer/dp/B07PHL1WL7. (Purely picked as example of the thoughts)

$442 at AMZ with free shipping, $449 at an off road focused websites, shipping unknown

And having an AMZ CC, you get 5% back which is ~$22

I ask, cause there certain Tools I WILL NOT buy from AMZ, because the manufacturer will not honor the Lifetime Service Agreement unless its bought at Home Depot, etc… and I am wondering if its similar for parts manufacturers.


The honest truth is I would most likely buy from the off road/truck focused website, in order to get support if i had concerns questions once i rec’d, but my curiosity is if I am throwing out money, even though i prefer to support the independent businesses.

If you are interested in that Fox steering stabilizer.. I heard there might be a group buy on it soon.. very soon ?

 

[strogg]

I avoid Amazon unless they are the only supplier for a product I'm looking for. They are on my blacklist. The main reason for that is the plethora of counterfeit products. They are doing NOTHING to combat counterfeit products in their supply stream.

I'm not talking about the Alibaba knock-offs that they and their marketplace folks are reselling. That's a different story. I'm talking about actual counterfeit products. And unfortunately, just buying "sold and ships by Amazon" does not guarantee you a legitimate product. What happens is that Amazon has products that they can legitimately sell. Let's use Sylvania auto bulbs as a real world example. They get the Sylvanias legitimately through Sylvania themselves. They will then put them in the appropriate bins at their distribution centers for sale. At the same time, there are marketplaces on Amazon that are selling counterfeit Sylvania bulbs. These are Chinese knockoffs that illegally put Sylvania logos on the products. These marketplaces then setup a deal with Amazon so that their products will be fulfilled by Amazon. The marketplaces then ship their counterfeit wares to the Amazon distribution centers where they will be placed in THE SAME BINS as the legitimate products. So when you buy that "sold and ships by Amazon" Sylvania bulb, you may be getting a counterfeit. Like I said, that is a real world example. Amazon has numerous lawsuits by manufacturers for that problem, and Amazon is not addressing it.

The most deadly example of a counterfeit item would be tourniquets. North American Rescue does not sell their CAT tourniquets on Amazon for that exact reason. So any CAT tourniquet on Amazon is 100% a counterfeit. That is bad, since they're not made to the same specs as the NAR CAT tourniquets. Amazon could literally be killing people because the counterfeit TQs will break when they are needed the most.

Now this doesn't affect all products, but they will definitely affect any product. I hate to break it to you Anderson plug fans, but no, you won't find an ACTUAL Anderson SB style connector on Amazon. They are not a legitimate reseller. You'd have to go to Powerwerx, Mouser, etc to purchase. So if you think your power plug is fully compatible with the ones on commercial tow and recovery vehicles, you are very much mistaken.

 

[LT75]

If you are interested in that Fox steering stabilizer.. I heard there might be a group buy on it soon.. very soon ?

I’m glad you said this. I was just looking at it on a few sites to buy. I’ll be waiting now ?

I need to use my rebate from retrax

 

[soulezoo]

If you are interested in that Fox steering stabilizer.. I heard there might be a group buy on it soon.. very soon ?

Hopefully, it's a replacement for the factory unit.

 

[GreyBeard22]

All great points and insights. Thank you everyone for your point of view.
As for the “hint” about the group buy… well shit I guess I know what my next parts purchase is!

 

[SVT4X4]

For me, most of the time, I know what I am looking for and do search price. But availability also means so much and Amazon has been great for 1 to 2 day delivery, where I could be waiting much longer buying elsewhere. I used to purchase much more on eBay, and actually have sold a lot on there over the years, but not as much today. Rock Auto has been good for some items, but most regular auto parts I go to my local CARQUEST as they always take care of my needs, especially when I have off the wall stuff.

 

[Rich Pune]

If you are interested in that Fox steering stabilizer.. I heard there might be a group buy on it soon.. very soon ?

LMAO if it is an Amazon group buy.

 

[jhblaze1]

Fuck amazon. When they deplatformed Parler, they lost me.