Even though mom and pop stores are mostly dead, Amazon's market share is thankfully still relatively contained where I live. So it's still simply a matter of just picking a different "big box store" to order your things from.
this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2025
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Somewhat depending on your country, local shops may have opened online storefronts during COVID. Them having a physical presence means their products tend to be decent quality (as most customers look at them physically before buying).
I use Facebook. I hate that I have to use Facebook, but I feel like using it to buy second hand items (which is most of what I buy anyway) is slightly more ethical.
Benelux has Bol, so that's what I use.
It's very easy in Sweden - there are plenty of e-commerce alternatives present, and you can use a comparison website to find the best price for any given item.
For various cycling gadgets and other cheap stuff, I've started ordering on AliExpress, with a pretty decent success rate so far.
Search for real businesses that sell items near you or online. Also, eBay. It has a sort by distance option so you can see if there’s something near you for faster shipping. eBay is full of Amazon dropshippers so if there’s free expedited shipping and free returns and they have thousands of feedback, they may be a dropshipper.
If your search engine allows you to configure your results, you can set it to block any results from amazon.com. I use Kagi and have been pretty happy with that feature.
I've always considered Amazon a store that mostly Americans use. Personally I've always just used eBay and Aliexpress myself.
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Not perfect but if you can't get it from the company's website or at a local shop, try Target and Walmart they both offer free ship options too. Lastly, something like Google shopping sometimes works.
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If you are using Amazon, you can look for products from small businesses. There are many that only sell on Amazon. At least your helping someone else at the same time.
And you're supporting one of the few companies that actually give immigrants, transgender people, mentally and/or physically disabled people, recovered felons/addicts/etc, the homeless, single parents, poor people, people facing eviction, and anyone else in horrible situations multiple chances at saving themselves, living real lives, being independent, and actually living. All while being the most flexible workplace so whatever life throws at you doesn't ever cost you your job, and paying for their college tuition as a benefit alongside access to emergency loans on top of that.
Can Amazon be a better employer? Sure, there is much more room for improvement. But they are far from unethical or evil. Boycott all the big box retailers and shop exclusively on Amazon. You're literally saving lives by doing nothing. You all wish for a button you could press to make people less poor and struggling, and you already have it. Buy your Pampers and cat litter on Amazon. Stream Prime shows. Watch Twitch. Shop at Whole Foods. Support the only actually ethical company.
No one cares about their employees, let alone their entry level employees, as much as Amazon.
Easy, in Switzerland we don't have amazon (there are only a few sellers that send to Switzerland. We only got Galaxus and other shops.
Easy ... we don't really have Amazon.
Generally I don't buy shit I don't need. Most shit I want but I don't really need I can find it in a brick and mortar shop. For everything else I try to go to the source or a specialised seller as close as possible to where I live.