Shopping on Amazon [View all]

[matt819]

There are those who argue that Amazon.com is evil. Puts small business out of business. Unkind to contract workers. Avoiding state sales taxes. Just too damn big. Screws merchant sellers with fees and race-to-the-bottom pricing.

But. . .

I needed a few office things. A cat 5 cable, a box of envelopes, microfiber wipes, and custom stamp.

I would usually head over to Staples (not a favorite but the only office store in town), but since there's no urgency, I thought I'd check Amazon.

Cat 5 cable, 35" - $25.99 at Staples, $7.99 at Amazon
100 envelopes - $10.59 at Staples, $8.49 at Amazon
Microfiber wipes, large - size not available at Staples, $9.98 at Amazon
Stamp - $18.99 at Staples, $8.70 at Amazon

I also needed to reorder some tea. Not in stock at Amazon, but has been between $21 and $23 previously. From the mfr - Tao of Tea - it's $28 plus shipping. Maybe it's fresher tea from the mfr.

I know this is not always the case. Sometimes stuff is not available on Amazon. It happens. Sometimes stuff is cheaper elsewhere, and I'm pretty sure we all shop around, and when we find the less expensive source, or the source we want to buy from instead of from Amazon, e.g., small business, closer to home, etc., we bookmark it and go there next time. So, while I don't necessarily want to catapult Jeff Bezos to become the first trillionaire, saving close to 50% is hard to pass up.

Just some random thoughts before I head home.