Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
What do you buy on Amazon.com?
Follow my advice and stop buying these items…
When people need new small electronics, books, toothbrushes, candles, and basically everything else, Amazon.com is most likely the first thing that comes to mind. I get 2-5 packages with the A to Z smile each week. Many of us assume that Amazon always has the best deals, with better delivery service, as well as a good shipping and return policy.
As every other company even started to sell things online, Amazon had planted its roots in the online shopping realm. There are, however, some things that you should not buy on Amazon; not because of fake or defective items, but mainly because you can get a better price elsewhere.
Here are some things NOT to buy from Amazon.com:
Groceries
One of the biggest problems with Amazon (a problem for customers, not the company) is that they try to sell everything; and so they need to have more items than other retailers and make a high volume of sales. Some items are not in Amazon's inventory, so they use third-party vendors to list the items so you can still make the purchase.
So when it comes to buying groceries online, it is best to purchase them from specialty shops or retailers that only sell groceries – for example, Peapod and FreshDirect. Price-conscious buyers know that specialty grocery stores are aware of the real-life retail price, and what they need to do to compete with other vendors.
Hardware
For home improvement hardware and power tools, Lowe’s is a strong contender. Amazon and Lowe's are competitive in terms of price, but hand tools and home improvement equipment can be tricky. You don’t buy hand tools very often; when you do need to buy, you usually want it quickly to use it immediately. Lowe’s is open until 10 p.m., so it does not make sense to halt your DIY door repair until your cordless drill arrives in two days from Amazon. More importantly, you need to make sure that the tools you're getting work for what you want and need. And that's difficult when you can't touch them.
Cleaning Supplies
If there is one category that Amazon really falls behind in price competition, it's cleaning supplies. Even with Amazon Prime, free shipping, and other perks, Amazon simply cannot beat your regular brick and mortar stores. Even supermarkets offer better prices for most (if not all) cleaning supplies listed on Amazon. Add in some coupons from our free coupon database at SavingsAngel.com, and it isn't even close. Stick with brick & mortar for now.
Furnishings
Amazon sets good rules and requirements for vendors to attach pictures with quite good resolution, so buyers are able to magnify the product images properly. Being able to zoom in is good, but you also need many different points of view to get a good look at everything. Home furnishing is a category that demands careful attention to detail, and Amazon cannot surpass specialty shops. Furniture product photos are captured at the right angles to showcase the details. Amazon tries to do the same thing, but it does not apply to every item.
Photography
One of the most noticeable differences in price is in the photography category, especially high-end equipment. Photography retailers are making serious efforts to stay competitive in the market due to the invasion of camera phones. Prices for cameras and other photography equipment change quite often in Amazon, but surprisingly, the changes basically revolve around its original list price. While discounts and deals can be found on Amazon, you need to compare prices between multiple retailers. According to a research conducted by Profitero in November 2013, Amazon changed prices multiple times more often than any brick and mortar store ever does. In fact, it was found that Amazon changed prices on its products 2.5 million times a day – in comparison to Best Buy and Walmart's averages of 50,000 changes a month.
Shoes and clothing
Amazon is not the best place to shop for shoes and clothing. Many brand names you can find at Amazon are also available at other retailers that often offer coupons and promotions to help you save more, whereas Amazon offers nothing like that. Add on that some retailers even offer cash back, and hands down Amazon comes out more expensive. Use coupon sites such as RetailMeNot.com to browse through available deals.
Any item more than $100
Savings.com flat out states that you should not buy any item worth more than $100 from Amazon. According to their statistics, there is 70% chance of finding better deals for those same items at other retailers. Some categories they cite in their study include home improvement and kitchen appliances, such as power tools, blenders, juicers, and drill bits.
Conclusion
In addition to all the things listed above, keep in mind that not everything you buy from Amazon is actually sold and shipped by Amazon. Third-party sellers make up a huge part of the entire inventory listed on the retailer’s website. And although Amazon’s shipping rates apply to all items sold, third-party sellers do have control over their prices.
One thing that keeps Amazon interesting and worth continuing to check is that they keep developing and offering more products and services, such as digital files and apps. They have their own e-book readers, electronic personal assistants, streaming tv hardware and offer subscription service for TV shows and videos. So even though not everything is best to purchase from Amazon.com, their variety of products is still unbeatable.
