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Since 2001 I have had an account with Amazon. Back in 2001, it wasn’t exactly a new idea, but it was appealing. Appealing because before then, if I needed anything, I had to go to town and buy it from a shop.
Now as we sail through 2025, I still find that idea – the concept of online shopping, that is – appealing. However for some reason that I’m trying to put my finger on (without seeming like a hypocrite), I’m not so keen on using the big corporate entities like Amazon any longer.
Why not?
The thing that kicked off this thought in the back of my mind was that Amazon in the UK paid very little tax for a while. This was as a result of an agreement with the UK Government at the time, which didn’t go down well with anyone except Amazon UK, especially given the amount of profit made by them during those years.
In addition, there were stories in the news about treatment (or lack of) of Amazon staff, both warehouse staff and delivery staff. I know that post-pandemic, 99% of my deliveries have been what I would call hit-and-run: put the parcel down outside the front door, ring the bell (not necessarily every time) and run (literally) on to the next delivery (I write about this in my post: The Invisible Doorbell). It’s just a guess, but I imagine that’s as a result of unreasonable delivery targets set by some Amazon manager.
Price hikes (inflation)
Price increases – particularly recently – due to the UK Government’s inability to properly govern. Big inflation means rising prices – not just on Amazon sold goods, but everywhere else as well.
Aside from the price of the products, the cost of “free delivery” just keeps on rising. The limit on Amazon used to be about £10. Now you have to put over £35 quid’s worth of qualifying goods before it’s free delivery.
Then there’s the crap
Crap, as in the quality of some of the products sold on Amazon and the like. Not that I buy much of it, but it’s irritating have to wade through pages and pages of (usually Chinese) sub-par crap, before you find anything resembling decent.
The other market areas
Amazon of course, don’t just sell physical products. They are a provider of streaming services, both music and video, and hold a large chunk of the ebook market with Kindle devices and Kindle ebooks.
I don’t use any of their streaming services, but I have made more than a few music purchases – both physical and digital – from the Amazon Music Library.
I also own an Amazon Kindle and 150 Kindle eBooks.
Turn around (bright eyes)
I’ve mentioned in a couple of posts that I’ve stopped buying digital music nowadays. I would rather buy a band’s CD album, so that they (the band) get whatever cut they are supposed to have of that money, rather than giving it to Amazon. If it has to be digital, then I’d rather use something like Bandcamp, where the profit goes to the band.
Reading (the riot act)
I started to buy Kindle books in about 2011. I had an iPad at the time and had the Kindle app on it. Ideal for taking on holiday to read books, instead of the six or so paperback books I used to take. If nothing else, it left more room in my suitcase to bring back duty-frees! In 2014, I bought a Kindle paperwhite (mainly because the iPad “moved on”). Again, perfect to store books on to read etc.
I ended up with an electronic library of exactly 150 books, saving me no end of shelf space in my home bookcases.
Pause for thought
Recently, an author that I follow announced he might be removing some of his books for sale on Amazon. Given that I have a few of his books – all in Kindle format – it made me pause for thought. If he did remove his books for sale, I would still retain my copy on my Kindle (unless Amazon removed them from the Kindle library), so that was all good, but then I thought “what if Amazon did remove them, or selected other books”. I would be left without them, with all of my physical books on my (many) bookshelves taunting me forever. Or – what if Amazon got hacked *gasp*. Nowadays, the frequency and the likelihood of big corporate entities getting hacked is increasing.
Using the same philosophy that I applied to my thoughts about music, I decided not to buy eBooks any longer. I can always buy more bookshelves, or a bigger suitcase.
But it does leave me with 150 books still left with Amazon Kindle services. For the favourite ones (e.g. the author that I am currently following), I’ll replace the Kindle books with paperbacks. For the rest… we’ll see. If I like them enough to want to read them again (Asimov), then I’ll re-purchase them in paperback form.
A decision of epic proportions
I’ve decided to no longer use the big corporate shops. But I still want to buy goods. What am I going to do?
I’m going to deliberately spend the time to search for small independent shops and buy the product that I need directly from them. I’ve been doing that since January this year and so far, I’ve been fairly successful. OK, sometimes I might have to pay postage, but I know that my money is going towards supporting a small business and although I am usually enraged at the lack-of-service from the local Postman, at least he knows where my house is. And I know who he is!
Obviously, it’s nowhere near as quick a process as just going on to Amazon’s website (or app) and ordering stuff. But I have the time to do the research and sometimes, it’s well worth it. I’ve been rewarded with some top quality goods and customer service on more than one occasion so far, so I’m going to stick with it. As far as prices go, I’ve actually paid less than I would have done on Amazon, if I’d ordered through them. And in most cases, had it delivered for free within a couple of days.
It’s also quite nice not to have to suffer the overpackaging that Amazon uses. I’ve had some ridiculously large boxes with a small product rattling around inside on more than one occasion.
Oh, the irony
I am fully, and acutely aware of the several ironies surrounding this decision. It is people like me, from way back in 2001, that constantly used places like Amazon, for convenience and for (at the time) price. No doubt, that drove many smaller businesses into closing their shops for good. Now – 24 years later – here’s me attempting to do what I consider to be the right thing and support the descendants of those very people that I helped force out of business in the first place.
eBay, Etsy
In the case of eBay, Etsy and similar “shopfront” type websites, where individuals are selling goods (either new or used), it’s a slightly different scenario than the Amazon situation, I think. Individuals that are making products and selling them on Etsy, or selling off their old used unwanted goods on eBay aren’t really part of the big corporate machine. Of course, the likes of eBay and Etsy take their cut for allowing the individuals to sell, but realistically, that’s just like renting a table at a car boot sale. You have to pay a little bit, in order to sell your wares. So although the likes of eBay and Etsy are large global concerns, they are nothing like the Amazons of the world.
To end
Of course, I can’t “stick it to the man” so to speak, at all times, for everything. Well, not at the moment, anyway. In my area specifically, there are no grocers, haberdashers, bakeries or butchers shops any longer. Realistically, I am forced to use supermarkets for food and general goods. So to some extent, I am still pandering to the whim of corporate Britain, just not on the scale of Amazon. And I’m comfortable with that at the moment. I’ll continue to look for other, smaller independent places to buy the things I want, however.
I’ve posted a small appendix, outlining the reasons why I wanted to support small businesses. Hopefully, people will read it and think the same way as I do. You never know.
Appendix A
Supporting small businesses over large corporations like Amazon has several benefits, depending on what your priorities are.
Here are some key reasons:
- Ethical & Community Impact: Keeps money in the local economy – Small businesses are more likely to reinvest profits in the community, supporting jobs and local growth.
- Encourages entrepreneurship: Helps individuals build independent businesses rather than consolidating power into massive corporations.
- Better wages & working conditions: Amazon is notorious for its labor issues, whereas many small businesses treat employees with more care.
- Higher Quality & Unique Products: Better craftsmanship – Small businesses often focus on quality over mass production.
- Unique & niche products: You can find handmade, customized, or locally produced goods that aren’t available on Amazon.
- Personalized service: Direct interactions with sellers mean better customer service, customization, and accountability.
- Sustainability & Environmental Considerations: Less environmental impact – Local businesses usually have a smaller carbon footprint compared to Amazon’s massive logistics network.
- Less wasteful packaging: Amazon is infamous for excessive packaging, whereas small businesses often use minimal or eco-friendly options.
- More sustainable sourcing: Many small businesses focus on ethical sourcing rather than relying on exploitative supply chains.
- Avoiding Monopolistic Practices: Encourages competition – Supporting small businesses prevents Amazon from gaining even more market dominance.
- Fairer pricing in the long run: When Amazon undercuts competitors and drives them out of business, it can later raise prices unchecked.
- Supporting Creativity & Independent Artists: Directly supports creators – Platforms like Etsy (if buying from independent sellers) or direct websites allow you to support artists without a middleman taking a huge cut.
- More originality: Large corporations often rip off independent designers and mass-produce their ideas.
If convenience is your main concern, Amazon might seem like the better option. But if you value ethics, quality, and community impact – and you have the time to invest in doing it – supporting small businesses makes a real difference.