General Request to pretty much everybody (or so it seems).

[tcreeley]

It is too handy a source to stop using it. I don't like Bezos, but then I don't like Walmart either. Both are useful.

 

[daugen]

It is too handy a source to stop using it. I don't like Bezos, but then I don't like Walmart either. Both are useful.

I agree. It's all about reasonable alternatives. If you don't have any, Amazon is wonderful. I just ordered some nice quality flavored fig bars to hand out for Halloween. Food Lion sure doesn't have what I ordered...so where else am I going to find them? I have to order online. And I get 5 percent back from Amazon, who else does that? Is that predatory or just providing a needed service?

I drove all the way across NC to pick up my new EA rear blade and rake, plus a set of CA HD forks.
I'm willing to do that for something special and big. Am I willing to drive three hours to the closest store for normal needs? No.

The question is how to add value, not just location info, to the product.
My new Audi was built in Mexico. Stuff is built all over the place now.
I guess I'm happy to prioritize US first, North America second. But if you want me to prioritize some place other than Amazon, where?
Now I want to see Walmart go to 15 bucks an hour too.
I always liked Grainger but their retail prices were crazy. Maybe business accounts get a big discount to make
it a better value.

Happily Tractor Supply is about 15 minutes from my home. I always check there first, then Lowes, then Ace, which is no more, than Amazon.

How about a whole new section of Amazon devoted to US made?

 

[cdb2]

^^ They want to drive the independent small businesses out of the market. Another reason to avoid JeffCo.

On the contrary, it's a reason to fix our government.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Uh oh....

Amazon eliminates monthly bonuses and stock grants after minimum wage increase - The Verge

 

[rox]

What Amazon has done is spawned many millions of small businesses, the Sellers who sell on Amazon.
I feel that the costs I pay to Amazon are worth it even though like everybody I wish the costs were less :laughing:.

The predatory thing Amazon does do is, if you are a Seller and you list a new product and if you start getting a lot of sales, Amazon sees that because they see your business records, and then Amazon comes in buys inventory and sells against you. I am protected since we are our own brand, but I have interacted with many many Sellers this has happened to. When you sign up to sell on Amazon you have to give them permission to have access to all of your sales records so what they are doing is legal. I do not believe it is morally right though. I think the whole world would be better off if Amazon was forced to split in 2, one half where they source and sell products on their own platform and another half where they offer the selling platform to other Sellers and do not share your sales data with the Selling part of Amazon. Does this make sense? The way I described it?

As a Seller if you can handle the aggravation factor of their constant software upgrades that many times screw with you listings it is a great platform to sell on. Your local hardware store who closed down? Many of them have started a new business selling on Amazon. Big brands used to sell to, Circuit City (now closed) K-Mart (on life support) etc. etc. as their dealers dried up they to are directly selling on Amazon also.

I could write a lot lot more but I think I will leave this here with just one more thought. Our olive oil, you would not be able to locally buy our olive oil so Amazon is providing a way for you to buy a product you would not be able to get locally.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

A substitute teacher with a 4yr teaching degree gets $11 an hr and no benefits.

 

[MossRoad]

A substitute teacher with a 4yr teaching degree gets $11 an hr and no benefits.

The substitute teacher can quit anytime they like, gets 3 months off at summer, two weeks at Christmas, two days at Thanksgiving, a few days in the spring, a few other days, too, and should have picked another career other than 'substitute teacher'....

Traditionally, a substitute teacher is a job for 4 year college grads to gain teaching experience while working on their master's degree. It's required for their degree. So, in essence, they are getting paid to take a required educational experience.

I come from a family of teachers. Mom was a part-time art teacher for many years, then full time. Another sister taught theater and stage craft in high schools and college. Another sister teaches art in public schools full-time. Third sister is a college professor that did the whole substitute teaching thing working towards her masters. Fourth was an English teacher working on her PHD..... so I kinda know what it's like being around teachers while they're subbing.

I also have friends whose children got out of 4 year college and did substitute teaching while applying for full time jobs after college. Some took a couple years to land a full-time job. Several others went back to school and got nursing degrees in just a year and a half of accelerated courses. Actually, I'm surprised at the number of people that come out of college with a bachelor of whatever degree, find they don't like the field or can't find a job in the field, then go back to school for nursing. I'll bet 15% of the people my oldest kid went to high school with are now in the nursing field.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That's a nice business model Amazon has. Form a partnership with a little guy and when things go good, stab him in the back.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Which is why I buy stuff elsewhere, including oils and things. Business people, merchants, etc. should expand where they sell to reach a wider range of customers.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was surprised that a customer of mine that deals in used Telecom equipment has partnered with Amazon. He seems to think, there is little other alternative "moving forward" as that stupid saying I hate goes. To me, it means, don't learn from the past or look at who did what.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The substitute teacher can quit anytime they like, gets 3 months off at summer, two weeks at Christmas, two days at Thanksgiving, a few days in the spring, a few other days, too, and should have picked another career other than 'substitute teacher'....

Traditionally, a substitute teacher is a job for 4 year college grads to gain teaching experience while working on their master's degree. It's required for their degree. So, in essence, they are getting paid to take a required educational experience.

I come from a family of teachers. Mom was a part-time art teacher for many years, then full time. Another sister taught theater and stage craft in high schools and college. Another sister teaches art in public schools full-time. Third sister is a college professor that did the whole substitute teaching thing working towards her masters. Fourth was an English teacher working on her PHD..... so I kinda know what it's like being around teachers while they're subbing.

I also have friends whose children got out of 4 year college and did substitute teaching while applying for full time jobs after college. Some took a couple years to land a full-time job. Several others went back to school and got nursing degrees in just a year and a half of accelerated courses. Actually, I'm surprised at the number of people that come out of college with a bachelor of whatever degree, find they don't like the field or can't find a job in the field, then go back to school for nursing. I'll bet 15% of the people my oldest kid went to high school with are now in the nursing field.

Not like that here. Lots of teachers in my family also. Subs need a degree, are in high demand, and get low pay and no benefits.

Those wanting $15 an hour for unskilled work do quit all the time, fail to show up consistently. They chose their path also, and expect more pay than the market dictates.

 

[Soundguy]

Can we ease up with the references to the shopping site named after a South American river? Jeff's already a multi-billionaire and he doesn't need your money. The little guys do. I know a lot of times when you buy from there, it's a little guy seller, but that isn't always true and even when it is, Jeff still gets his cut.

I just find it annoying that so many threads point people there for one thing or another that is almost always available from other sites.

Just say No to JeffCo.


K?



:cool2:

Sorry.. can't agree. the overwhelming majority of the stuff I order comes thru that site. why? the #1 reason is because that's the easiest way for me to get it. " Easy" as a concept takes into account price, availability, speed of shipping, ease of ordering, and customer service if I have a problem.

lets break that down.

ease of ordering: If i need to order a widget, and I search online and find that the widget is available thru a couple places, one of them being the river site, where I already have an established account and payment method setup and can literally do 1-click ordering and shipping.. vs a site I am going to have to make an account and hand enter all of my information.. possibly even waiting on an account confirmation.. then the river site is going to win every time, if the prices are similar.

price: the VAST majority of a time if I am looking for a widget, it's available at the lowest price from the river seller. in rare instances I can find a few pennies difference elsewhere. most of the time if I am ordering I can get the lowest price AND free shipping. Sorry.. river is going to win EVERY time.

availability: Heck.. I've tried to order widgets from the manufacturer before and they had none.. but dealers selling on the river company did.. Guess what.. I'm going to buy from the dealer on the river company and get the widget I need vs not getting what I need from people that don't have any in stock.

speed of shipping: exactly like it says. I can choose anything from free 2nd day with prime on prime items, to free 5-8 days on orders over a certain amount, or next day for extra $ for orders placed in the next x hours and xx minutes. From what I have seen in the past.. those offerings on price to ship cannot be beat by the onsie sellers. river company does alot of shipping and is good at it.

customer service: While it's rare, if I do have a problem, I have a very simple interface with which to deal with both the dealer or the river company if I have a problem. Last problem I had was a product damaged in shipping.. a bottle of liquid die lubrication that was crushed by a 5# metal ingot that was in the same package. I used the report a problem link, offerred to send pictures, got a answer back in minutes asking if I wanted the entire order re-shipped.. nope.. just needed that bottle of cutting lubricant. got a next day shipping notification in minutes. I was still standing at my post off ice box doing all this on my phone.. all within about 5 minutes. That level of service might be equalled by joebobmomnpop seller.. but they surely can't do any better.

so why in the world would I switch?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

That's a nice business model Amazon has. Form a partnership with a little guy and when things go good, stab him in the back.

They learned it from the "little guys" who did the same thing.

People lament over dept stores going out of business, but those same dept stores put many mom and pop stores out of business. Ive heard in my area most gas stations are owned by one company, they arent individual mom and pop stores. They basically have the market locked up. If someone new tries to open, they fight it via planning,zoning, organize "neigborhood" resistance. It's the same old song and dance.

 

[atsah]

Easy and quick, that's the Amazon way..

Home depot, Lowes, I don't go anywhere near those places either, they sell junk and if you need some lumber you better have plenty of time to sort through the bent, warped, broken good for nothing lumber pile, Americans are use to buying garbage these days, I don't mind paying extra for something that will last and not break the first of second time I use it. I spent a few grand at the depot on stuff for my house when I bought it, I may as well have sent my money down a rat hole..

 

[Industrial Toys]

You could always just go get yourself bullied by the Big Corporations by buying a franchise. Talk about legalized slavery! You buy a franchise, it does well and they open (sell) another down the road or even across the street. So much love!

 

[3930dave]

When you sign up to sell on Amazon you have to give them permission to have access to all of your sales records so what they are doing is legal. I do not believe it is morally right though. I think the whole world would be better off if Amazon was forced to split in 2, one half where they source and sell products on their own platform and another half where they offer the selling platform to other Sellers and do not share your sales data with the Selling part of Amazon. Does this make sense? The way I described it?

I could write a lot lot more but I think I will leave this here with just one more thought. Our olive oil, you would not be able to locally buy our olive oil so Amazon is providing a way for you to buy a product you would not be able to get locally.

Your description makes sense Rox, and you raise an excellent point. Amazon didn't invent this game, but they have definitely put a 21'st century spin on it..... I'm generally not interested in more govt intervention, but Amazon's impact on the overall market probably needs to be reviewed, long-term.

Your post had me thinking of something I've wondered (I buy occasionally, but don't Sell there....).... How easy is it to "escape" Amazon, once you are a Seller there ? Are you legally bound long-term to them ?

With an established unique brand like you have, could you just move your marketing to your own website, Facebook page..... and deal with the distribution yourself ?

More to it I'm sure, but of my simplistic questions above, I suspect that the distribution (esp. internationally) would be the bigger challenge. I've come across USA companies that don't want to ship product to Canada, as they've experienced or perceive too many headaches with crossing the border....

So Rox, as a Seller on Amazon, what do you find to be their biggest value to you, and what aspects of what they deliver would be the hardest to duplicate on your own ?

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Uh oh....

Amazon eliminates monthly bonuses and stock grants after minimum wage increase - The Verge

Not a surprise, I'd expect many large companies would make the same move - at that level, many/most decisions are effectively CFO driven. Most companies prefer variable costs that they can selectively control, to higher fixed costs.

I don't consider myself to be an Amazon fan-boy, but rather I view them as no worse than average on this issue, today.

Rgds, D.

 

[aczlan]

Your post had me thinking of something I've wondered (I buy occasionally, but don't Sell there....).... How easy is it to "escape" Amazon, once you are a Seller there ? Are you legally bound long-term to them?

As I understand it, there is nothing keeping them from stopping selling through Amazon once all of their orders are filled.

Aaron Z

 

[/pine]

Except when it comes to BK's...public companies generally must appease the shareholders...It's all about the balance sheet and the quarterly earning reports...

 

[prichard]

Except when it comes to BK's...public companies generally must appease the shareholders...It's all about the balance sheet and the quarterly earning reports...

What's a BK?