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Anecdote Illustrating What Amazon’s Competitors Are Up Against
I know there are negative views of Amazon out there (my wife calls them “the evil empire” because of how they treated some publishers and authors). But there’s a reason for Amazon’s dominance: they are often damn good at what they do.
Consider this story as one data point:
I had a Dell laptop at work with a failed battery, and I wanted to buy a new one. I have a corporate account at Dell so I went to their website and tried to find the right battery by myself, using the laptop model to narrow down the choices. After maybe 20 minutes I thought I had found one, although they didn’t offer the exact battery I was looking for, and it was a lower capacity than the original. I bought it, it came, it was wrong. It fit, but the connector was in the wrong place so I couldn’t use it.
At this point I talked to my Dell sales rep and asked him to help me find the right one – I know their view of the inventory is different from the public’s. He found one, sent me a quote, I ordered it, it came, it was also wrong. In fact, it was the exact same battery I had found, which we already knew didn’t work!
I sent my sales rep an email at 1:16 p.m. telling him I was going to look elsewhere. I logged into Amazon, typed in the model number of the battery and it came right up. There was a picture where I could see that the connector was in the right place. It was the exact one I was looking for. I clicked the order button and confirmed it, and it was on its way. (With free shipping!) I sent my rep another email telling him I had found what I needed. The time was 1:20 p.m.
I tried the old way and, after a week and a half, didn’t have what I needed. And I had two batteries I had to return, which is a pain.
The Amazon way took four minutes and it was exactly what I needed. The actual shopping and ordering probably took two minutes. I had it in two days. The next time I need a part like that, why should I even try Dell?
If I called Dell and told them I want to be able to complete a purchase in two minutes they’d think I was crazy. But that’s what the competition can do, at least for this kind of sale.
That’s one example of why Amazon is so successful.
Published in General
The problem I have is that a lot of the things I order from them aren’t available for “a little more.” Usually, it’s “near double” or isn’t available at all, much less delivered within two days.
I know people who order stuff from Alibaba (which I absolutely refuse to touch), and while the selection is neat, and the prices great, that week-to-two-weeks delay for items is just ridiculous.
When I get a chance, I sometimes buy computer parts from NewEgg, but the time/cost factor is usually a problem.
Not me! I love Amazon. If someone comes along that is better, I’ll use them. Until then their only competitor is the Chinese company Ali Baba. No one else comes close.
I agree with you there! No such gadgets in my house.
https://hotair.com/archives/jazz-shaw/2019/10/21/shocker-alexa-google-apps-letting-hackers-spy/
I feel the same way, and then I remember I have a phone that does all the same stuff.
My only issue with Amazon involves their delivery service. I hate having to play hide-and-seek with packages.
Then there is the delivery idiot that think setting a package in front of the garage door is smart. It takes real forethought to consistently place the package in front of the door so that when I open the garage door and drive out my truck wheel crushes the package 9 times out of 10.
It’s a shame you have such a bad experience. We have a good relationship with our UPS driver.
I would suggest, whether you have a bad delivery driver or not, you should always be looking behind your car before you get in the car. That’s kind of a big part of being a responsible driver.
Oh bs. Like everybody does a walk around of their car and garage before starting their car and driving off. I also don’t open the hood and check fluid levels, belt condition, tire pressure and all the recommended before trip activities of responsible drivers.
How am I supposed to develop a relationship with a delivery driver for the multitude of people that deliver this junk? Stalk them?
Hey, it’s your UPS package. I’d have thought you would have figured it out by now.
When I was a kid, my dad taught me that when I drive a car, I am responsible for anything I run over no matter what. If there is a kid behind the car and I run him over, it doesn’t matter that I didn’t see him, it’s still my fault.
So you don’t want to look behind your car before driving off? It’s not a hard thing to do. It’s your UPS package. Do as you will. But someday a kid might leave his bike behind your car. You’ll crush that bike, and you’ll likely damage your car. But, it’s your business. And if little kids are playing hide and seek and one is behind your car . . . . Well, your insurance will pay his family. Don’t worry.
I didn’t mean to imply that you should develop that relationship. Neighborhoods will be different. I was just saying that I was luckier than you in that regard.
Ya know, there’s a section of your Amazon profile where you can put delivery instructions for each address you have on file. Automatically sent to the carrier, whoever they end up using for each order. Works for me.
I just learned that every minute of every day, $200,000 in purchases are made at Amazon. It just boggles the mind.
And that’s just my wife!
nope. does not work for us.
yeah, everybody is for evolution but hate to see it in action.
Not all drivers pay attention.
Mine says to deliver to “door by car.” It’s the kitchen door in my carport, and is actually easier to get to than the front door. It’s also harder to see packages left there, which is nice.
About twenty percent of the time, the package ends up leaned up against my front door, out in the open where anyone can see it.
On the other hand, if I’m not going to be home during the day, I have them deliver to an Amazon Locker, and pick it up there.
I almost always have stuff delivered to me at work. That way I know it won’t be sitting outside in the weather.
I do often buy tech stuff from Amazon, but NewEgg.com is my first choice. Sometimes Amazon will have a better price, sometimes NewEgg will. On those rare occasions when a unit is defective and needs to be returned, NewEgg makes it very easy. The thing I like best about NewEgg is how easy they make it to narrow down the list of choices to what you want. I was looking at computer monitors and they’ve got about a couple dozen criteria you can check off, so you only need to look through the ones that have all the features you want. Amazon has that to some degree, but NewEgg’s system is much more thorough.
When I was little, I jumped for joy whenever the Christmas catalog came out. It was also a joy when my grandfather would take me to Sears, a long time ago when it was in the Cameron Village Shopping Center in Raleigh. It’s sad to see it in decline.
But as a grownup consumer, Amazon is amazing. I can’t wait to see the looks on my neighbors faces when an Amazon drone delivers my sex robot . . .
Amazon is my go to for all things parts related: computer parts, appliance, auto parts…you just can’t beat em. I’ve called around town for hours trying to find a dryer part only to give up and go to Amazon and viola, exactly what I need, and a return policy if I don’t. Just about every other parts outlet online is a crap-shoot when it comes to accuracy, and the cost they charge for shipping is crazy. New Egg wanted to charge me over $100 for a laptop motherboard, with an additional $35 for shipping, no return warranty, and no visual comparison to ensure it was the correct part. Amazon charged $60, free shipping, free 90 returns, and there were several pictures to ensure it would fit.
Ironically though, my only real beef with Amazon is with books. They frequently toss my books into the same box as my other products. That’s not a problem with coffee or toothpaste, but I’ve gotten books thrown into a box with studded mountain bike tires, and another time two books were in the same box with a 50lb bag of cat litter. Of course they were damaged, and Amazon sent me replacements, but it’s stuff like that that keeps me going to Costco and REI for a lot of things.
Speaking as an author, I’m pretty convinced Amazon just hates us now considering how many issues we have with our books and how often we get to speak with Haji Coptar about it.
I know, it is true how so many small business people don’t figure out how to make things work. A thrift shop near my house refused to take credit cards, because in this day and age people walk around with lots of cash. (Not!) The thrift shop owner wanted my advise on her business. First thing I said was “Start taking credit cards.”
“But the credit card people then take x amount from my sale.”
“So start pricing your stuff at Price + x” says I. She was then horrified that a $ 10 item would now be $ 10.75. It’s sad, but she is out of business now.
Amazon started out as a book purveyor. They caught on because back then, you could order a book from the local bookstore, wait 4 weeks, get a phone call it was finally in the store, go to the store, then watch for 35 mins while clerk tried to find it. Or you could go on Amazon and get the book in 4 days delivered right to your mailbox.
I think he or she means that the old way of doing things by the Old Contenders like Sears had no inclination or motivation to change the way they did things. Not even over a long 20 year period.
I am hoping that Guruforhire answers yr query because my curiosity is piqued.
airbnb would not exist without amazon web services (cloud computing).
its founders said so.
how many hosts/travelers have benefited from airbnb?
how many investors and shareholders and employees of airbnb have benefited?
all because of AWS.
this is how you create wealth.
you don’t create wealth by punishing the rich, by discouraging innovation.
Here is fun tidbit. As I write I’m currently in a chat with Abhishek with Amazon trying to get him to send me a $2.00 book, next day air, that was supposed to arrive last week and he’s saying it’s not possible. So, there’s that.
I see they’re opening a new distribution center nearby – depending on what they stock there, I will be able to get some stuff delivered in hours. Minutes if they use a drone . . .
https://buffalonews.com/2019/10/24/amazon-confirms-it-is-opening-distribution-center-in-tonawanda/
I’ve had that happen before. Astounded me.
Sounds as if you need to order books separately.
I do, it doesn’t seem to matter. I haven’t figured out their methods but they always seem to wait on shipping till there are more items ordered. So the initial order for days will say: arriving between _ and_. But as soon as I make another order it all ships right away, in the same box.
I recently ordered two things from Amazon in different sessions on the same day, but delivered to the same address. They came in the same box. This is clearly something their systems are always looking for.
An under appreciated and under utilized service.
Very true. You know who had the infrastructure to out Amazon Amazon? Sears. But they had forgotten what business they were in. Originally, the old Sears was a virtual department store, doing 95% of its sales through the catalog. Just at the very moment a catalog would have been a competitive advantage, they shut it down.