The missing reason is that you should just buy less anyway and if you avoid Amazon it is slightly harder to just buy stuff.
That being said, if you need it cheap, quick, and you cannot source it locally, just buy it on Amazon. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism. You are not guilty of a moral crime by using them when the need exists.
Like you already said, it’s much easier to separate needs from wants when you just don’t go to Amazon. It was a real eye opener for me, how I could just add a tiny bit of friction to my “customer journey” (just don’t automatically start my search on Amazon), and my desire for the object would usually just … evaporate.
Like a fey mood had overtaken me, but I managed to shake it.
This is so so true. I cancelled prime ages ago so I don’t get fast shipping at all, and I only get free shipping if I spend over $35. Even in the cases where I decide it’s worth buying the thing on Amazon, I’ve got to wait to need more than $35 worth of stuff. Surprise surprise most of it just gets deleted out of the cart anyway.
That being said, I have only been able to find filters for my vacuum on Amazon (some no name brand I bought off there a few years ago) so they’ll still get some money out of me, but most stuff I can just ignore now. Next vacuum will be a big brand name so I can avoid that, but it will be a while before there’s a next vacuum, hopefully. Because in my mind it’s more ethical to keep using the old one as long as it works even if some more $ goes to Amazon vs buying a whole new item I don’t actually need yet.
Another good “trick” is waiting two weeks once you find the thing you “need” before actually buying it. If you forget or change your mind in these two weeks, you didn’t need it that much. Plus it gives more time to think and potentially find a better product
Sometimes adding things to my online cart is enough of a thrill that I don’t even think about the fact I didn’t check out until the website sends me a coupon lol. Then I deleted it anyway because if I didn’t go through with it then I don’t really need it!
Definitely. Another similar trick I used to do was to write down the objects in my agenda under “things I wanted to buy.” Sometimes just the act of writing it down gave me the feeling of having fulfilled the desire in some weird way.
I find this is also a great way to decide if you even need it. I have a tab on my phone for stuff to buy. It collects so much crap I eventually deleted because the desire was fleeting.
I keep a paper list of large ticket items that I actually need so I can save up for them over time. I spend a lot of that time while saving shopping for the best option. I saved a lot while furnishing my house by buying secondhand because I had weeks and weeks to shop around.
The missing reason is that you should just buy less anyway and if you avoid Amazon it is slightly harder to just buy stuff.
That being said, if you need it cheap, quick, and you cannot source it locally, just buy it on Amazon. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism. You are not guilty of a moral crime by using them when the need exists.
Like you already said, it’s much easier to separate needs from wants when you just don’t go to Amazon. It was a real eye opener for me, how I could just add a tiny bit of friction to my “customer journey” (just don’t automatically start my search on Amazon), and my desire for the object would usually just … evaporate.
Like a fey mood had overtaken me, but I managed to shake it.
I guess that’s consumerism.
This is so so true. I cancelled prime ages ago so I don’t get fast shipping at all, and I only get free shipping if I spend over $35. Even in the cases where I decide it’s worth buying the thing on Amazon, I’ve got to wait to need more than $35 worth of stuff. Surprise surprise most of it just gets deleted out of the cart anyway.
That being said, I have only been able to find filters for my vacuum on Amazon (some no name brand I bought off there a few years ago) so they’ll still get some money out of me, but most stuff I can just ignore now. Next vacuum will be a big brand name so I can avoid that, but it will be a while before there’s a next vacuum, hopefully. Because in my mind it’s more ethical to keep using the old one as long as it works even if some more $ goes to Amazon vs buying a whole new item I don’t actually need yet.
Another good “trick” is waiting two weeks once you find the thing you “need” before actually buying it. If you forget or change your mind in these two weeks, you didn’t need it that much. Plus it gives more time to think and potentially find a better product
Sometimes adding things to my online cart is enough of a thrill that I don’t even think about the fact I didn’t check out until the website sends me a coupon lol. Then I deleted it anyway because if I didn’t go through with it then I don’t really need it!
Definitely. Another similar trick I used to do was to write down the objects in my agenda under “things I wanted to buy.” Sometimes just the act of writing it down gave me the feeling of having fulfilled the desire in some weird way.
I find this is also a great way to decide if you even need it. I have a tab on my phone for stuff to buy. It collects so much crap I eventually deleted because the desire was fleeting.
I keep a paper list of large ticket items that I actually need so I can save up for them over time. I spend a lot of that time while saving shopping for the best option. I saved a lot while furnishing my house by buying secondhand because I had weeks and weeks to shop around.