I mean Amazon is a hard service to switch from.

Nearly everything you need is available to order from there. Now of course whatever is the next best thing can still get your address and name (unless you use an alt name and address) but I’m talking about apps or services that have better privacy polices regarding storing personal information.

  • glitching@lemmy.ml
    10·
    2 months ago

    that’s the part that’s bothering you? not evil corp doing evil things in the charge of its evil overlord?

  • The 8232 Project@lemmy.ml
    6·
    2 months ago

    If you want to pay using a private cryptocurrency such as Monero, you can shop on XmrBazaar. Otherwise, you can buy a prepaid VISA with cash and find stores like eBay that accept fake personal information while ordering. Remember to ship to a PO box and not your real address (or mail to an abandoned home if you’re feeling risky).

    If you can, avoid online shopping altogether and use in-person stores with cash.

  • Droggelbecher@lemmy.world
    5·
    2 months ago

    Some countries have a less evil version of Amazon. Mine has shoepping.at, for example.

    But also, there’s very few things you actually NEED that you can’t get anywhere but Amazon. My main strategy in avoiding Amazon is to just reduce my conspicuous consumption. Everything I need, I buy from brick and mortar shops: tech shop, grocery shop, textile retailer, sports shop. When I was living out of town, I’d order from the specific shops/chains website, so at least it was only them who had my address. Also, no account needed.

    All of this, of course, depends on what country you live in and what your town/area has to offer. Except reducing consumption.

  • utopiah@lemmy.ml
    61·
    2 months ago

    It is not. It is hard only if you are lazy, sorry to be so blunt.

    Amazon works because they are :

    • the top links on search engine for a lot of stuff
    • very popular and thus misconstrued as trusted
    • relatively cheap by either abusing its monopoly position and/or selling shitty products that are even cheaper where they come originally from, e.g. AliExpress

    So… as others said here, nearly anything else is better. I left Amazon years ago and basically now my preference is :

    • local specialized shops next door, e.g. butcher, fruit monger, florist, farmer market, bike shop, repair shop, etc
    • local generic shops, e.g. small supermarket
    • city level shops, e.g. sportswear shops
    • nation wide shops with delivery, here in Belgium it would be Bol.com for … anything, for IT it’d be CoolBlue, for sports Decathlon, etc
    • international shops directly from producers, lastly it was NitroKey from Germany (as I’m based in the EU I look for EU alternative first)

    So… this is actually both easy and convenient because each time it becomes easier. You get to know the owners of the local shop, you get to have accounts on the different online websites. You get to actually talk to actual humans, even from online shops. Last example being buying RollerBlades from a Danish shop and nearly 1 year later, a screw went loose so they shipped me for free a replacement just because I explain the problem via email directly to them.

    In the end I’m happier since. I felt like I’m contributing to a better neighborhood and I’m more mindful about my choices. This is even more the case since Trumps tariffs.

  • Matt@lemmy.ml
    1·
    2 months ago

    We have these pickup boxes scattered around the city. On most e-shops here, you have a option to pick it up there. But you also have the option to pick it up in the shop.