# Whoa's me.. Amazon to shutter 42 facilities and stop building many others.



## woodchucker (Sep 3, 2022)

Don't you feel bad, they need to tighten their belts, they are not making enough money.
Their prices in general are higher than others, the delivery has slowed to about 6 days on average, sometimes 2 days, but not usually.
I read the article and felt SO BAD FOR THEM *(NOT) *imagine if they had to pay taxes?


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## Dhal22 (Sep 3, 2022)

Next day usually for me (living in metro Atlanta).  Taxes would just be passed on to the consumer.................................


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## savarin (Sep 3, 2022)

wanted a book from amazon au, it was dearer than i expected, the delivery charge was one and a half times the book price, delivery time 12 days or more  and in very tiny print it stated shipping from usa.
I have never used amazon before and I never will in the future.


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## Dhal22 (Sep 3, 2022)

At a stop light and think of something you need?  A voice prompt or 2 and you are swiping buy it now on Amazon before the light turns green.


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## alloy (Sep 3, 2022)

I always compare prices for anything I buy.  I'm looking for  a holley sniper SBC distributor and from holley, summit racing, jegs, speedway, ebay they are $349.  Amazon $319.

Sometimes I know I pay more, but some of the odd one off things I need for my shop or a car build and some of the web sites I find the parts are are sketchy, but I know if I buy it from amazon I will get my money back if the parts is bad or gets lost.


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## woodchucker (Sep 3, 2022)

alloy said:


> I always compare prices for anything I buy.  I'm looking for  a holley sniper SBC distributor and from holley, summit racing, jegs, speedway, ebay they are $349.  Amazon $319.
> 
> Sometimes I know I pay more, but some of the odd one off things I need for my shop or a car build and some of the web sites I find the parts are are sketchy, but I know if I buy it from amazon I will get my money back if the parts is bad or gets lost.


Only if it's from Amazon, if it's a third party dealer, you may not get your money back if the part is bad.  I keep reading stories about people complaining that Amazon turns a blind eye to these sellers.


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## alloy (Sep 4, 2022)

So far I guess I've been lucky.


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## DavidR8 (Sep 4, 2022)

I have bought dozens upon dozens of things from Amazon, both direct and third party sellers and never had an issue returning anything.


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## jbaccell (Sep 4, 2022)

I fall into the camp of never having an issue returning anything to Amazon!  Other than having to pack the item up and dropping it off at a specified shipping location, the process was completely painless.


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## Ischgl99 (Sep 4, 2022)

This is not something I would be cheering, it could be an indication they expect the economy to crash in the near future, and I think they are right.

As far as shopping from Amazon, I have pretty much stopped buying from them.  I received a number of used items that were supposed to be new, and the drivers around here are constantly delivering to the wrong addresses.  I can get just about anything they sell elsewhere, so no need to deal with their horrible website.  On the plus side, returns are very easy and I can drop them off at our local Kohls.


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## Winegrower (Sep 4, 2022)

Amazon’s return process is pretty simple, print out a sheet of paper and drop the product and it off at a UPS store.   No boxing up.


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## Jake P (Sep 4, 2022)

Winegrower said:


> Amazon’s return process is pretty simple, print out a sheet of paper and drop the product and it off at a UPS store.   No boxing up.


If you have another package coming in the near future (you have 30 days to get the return going back) just wait for that delivery and give the return package to the driver, save yourself the trip to the UPS store.  Just another option.

Of course you do need to put the label on the package yourself.


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## NCjeeper (Sep 4, 2022)

Jake P said:


> If you have another package coming in the near future (you have 30 days to get the return going back) just wait for that delivery and give the return package to the driver, save yourself the trip to the UPS store.  Just another option.
> 
> Of course you do need to put the label on the package yourself.


Especially when you live out in the country and you don’t have a UPS store.


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## Chewy (Sep 4, 2022)

I shop prices and shipping on everything I buy.  Amazon may or may not be cheaper or faster.  When I do order, it tells me when to expect it.  90 percent comes in two days.  A few items come the same day.  I have only returned a few items. Dropped them off at Kohls.  My daughter lives off of Amazon, it is her lifestyle.  In my case I buy online more then ever because the old hardware stores don't exist anymore and the box stores have a poor selection. Started getting a lot of auto parts from Rock Auto because the local stores can't get it or they are more expensive. Only had to return one part to them and it took about a week to get refund, minus shipping.


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## Larry$ (Sep 4, 2022)

I don't get all that much from Amazon but delivery has been pretty much as stated on their site.  I shop prices before ordering. 

I suspect they geared up for the pandemic jump and now don't need all that space.


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## RJSakowski (Sep 4, 2022)

Amazon was a life saver for us these past two years, especially in 2020.  Rather than running into town for some little thing, around trip of some 60 miles involving $4 of gas and close to two hours of my time. I could go on Amazon's website  and purchase the item in five minutes, often for less than locally available, and receive the item in a day or two.  

I have only had to return an item from an Amazon third party seller once.  That was for a replacement battery for my cell phone that advertised as having twice the capacity of the OEM battery but had less capacity than my nearly defunct OEM battery.  A message to the vendor resulted in a return shipping label b3eing sent via email and the battery was packed up in the original shipping bix and dropped at a UPS drop site.  A refund was issued in a few days.

I have one complaint about Amazon and that is that their technical specifications are woefully lacking.  If you aren't fully familiar with the proideuct you're buying, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise.  As a result, I try to do my research before hitting the "buy it now" button.


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## woodchucker (Sep 4, 2022)

I personally have had mostly good results with Amazon, what I don't like is their predatory practices. They used to use (am not sure if they still do the courts ordered them to stop) the data to decide to bring on products third party vendors offered. If they saw it sold, then they would undercut them and so the story goes.  My returns have been good. That doesn't mean that everyone's is. I have read many complaints some very well documented even by writers at I think it was ZDnet.  

There are many things I can't get locally anymore. The stores are gone, or the stores stopped carrying the items. I think Amazon helped create that atmosphere. 

I don't think the local stores will ever return, but I am hopeful. When I used to travel the country and see little towns and cities empty because the big box stores moved in, and the business left the central districts, it felt awful. I motorcycled around the country when I was young, what made each area unique no longer exists. They are now just copies of other towns with newer shopping districts outside town and big box stores reigning.  And now Amazon is doing to them what they did to the towns. The ratables disappear, the unique flavor of a town will not return, and maybe the town dies too.   As Eric Clapton sang  ... Tears in Heaven.


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## Manual Mac (Sep 4, 2022)

We have met the enemy, and he is us.


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## HandyNotHandsome (Sep 4, 2022)

Why do people think Amazon doesn't have to pay taxes?  They're governed by the same tax laws as everyone else is, and they follow them.  (No dog in the fight, except that I am a happy Amazon customer.)


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## woodchucker (Sep 4, 2022)

HandyNotHandsome said:


> Why do people think Amazon doesn't have to pay taxes? They're governed by the same tax laws as everyone else is, and they follow them. (No dog in the fight, except that I am a happy Amazon customer.)


Amazon avoids most taxes. They get multiple breaks. The biggest is the research loophole. The wealthiest companies claim research and get a huge break. Pharmacy , oil, technology, amazon.









						Amazon Avoids More Than $5 Billion in Corporate Income Taxes, Reports 6 Percent Tax Rate on $35 Billion of US Income
					

Amazon avoided about $5.2 billion of federal income tax on its record $36 billion in U.S. pretax income for fiscal year 2021.




					itep.org
				




Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## HandyNotHandsome (Sep 4, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> Amazon avoids most taxes. They get multiple breaks. The biggest is the research loophole.


But that's not a loophole!  Congress - both parties - voted to stimulate US business growth by giving companies (of any size) tax credits for investing in R&D, and building plants.  Because companies like Amazon invest so much in their own growth, they pay less taxes than they would otherwise.  The treasury gets less money, but the economy as a whole gets hundreds of thousands of new jobs (from Amazon alone).  Seems like a good tradeoff.


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## savarin (Sep 4, 2022)

A lot of you are stating thats its very easy to return stuff to amazon.
Doesnt that mean a lot of you are very unsatisfied with what was delivered?


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## Shotgun (Sep 4, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> Amazon avoids most taxes. They get multiple breaks. The biggest is the research loophole. The wealthiest companies claim research and get a huge break. Pharmacy , oil, technology, amazon.


I know for sure that if I was running the company, I wouldn't be paying taxes.
You pay taxes on profits, ie cash that goes and sits in a bank.  Why would any smart business man do that, when he could invest it back in the business, take a bonus, pay employees more, or a thousand other things rather that give it to politicians to **** away?
We're mighty close to talking politics, but showing a business profit in this day and age should result in a shareholder lawsuit for business malpractice.


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## Boswell (Sep 4, 2022)

savarin said:


> Doesnt that mean a lot of you are very unsatisfied with what was delivered


I buy a lot through Amazon and from time to time need to return something. Probably 75% of what I have returned has been on me. Sometimes I mis-understand what I am buying, other times, I don't need it anymore when it arrives. and about 1/4 of the time, I get damaged or incorrect product. The only time that has ever been a problem has been when the produce was not sold and delivered by Amazon. Just sold through there website. I think this is called Amazon Marketplace.  Even then, I can open a dispute with my Credit Card company to resolve it.  While Amazon can be very convenient, it does not release the consumer from the rule that is as old as sales and buying. "Buyer Beware"


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## Dhal22 (Sep 4, 2022)

Often Amazon or a 3rd party vendor says don't bother with returning a damaged or incorrect item,  they say keep it and mail a replacement.


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## craniac (Sep 6, 2022)

savarin said:


> A lot of you are stating thats its very easy to return stuff to amazon.
> Doesnt that mean a lot of you are very unsatisfied with what was delivered?


Because one can no longer physically view a product before buying in a local store and Amazon's listing of technical specs or even basic description is lacking it has now become the defacto standard that people buy instead of browsing and send back what they don't like. This is a huge thing. Most "returned" product winds up sold in bulk to pickers who resell on ebay and etc because it is too costly to restock.

In our hobby arena of machining this is might be less apparent but think clothes shopping. You can't find a local store that has even a pair of jeans in your size, or you name it. You buy a bunch of stuff on amazon and send 75% of it back when it doesn't fit. How can this be sustainable. It has to be driving costs up too. 

As a small business person (now retired) I have been relentless at shopping locally and willing to pay for the privilege. This is a losing battle, but I value human relationships and network building and my own community enough to put in the effort. Sometimes you even get customer service! 

But who am I kidding instent gratification wins every time. (There's no fool like an old fool I guess).

tc


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## mcostello (Sep 6, 2022)

Wife worked for a Major retailer,You would know the name. Tee shirts bought from Africa for .050 ¢, sold on sale for 2$, people were wondering how they made money.


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## Boswell (Sep 6, 2022)

There is an online auction company here in Austin that seems to specialize in returns to Amazon. Hundreds of items each month.


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## RJSakowski (Sep 6, 2022)

My philosophy is to buy it and keep it.  I almost never buy clothing or shoes online because it that.  The exception is a brand and product that I have previously purchased and I can be reasonably certain that it will be what I expect.  

Returning purchased items is a lose/lose situation.  The purchaser has the inconvenience and the seller has restocking cost at best and someone picks up the return shipping.  I can't see buying a half dozen different colors or styles of clothing and returning all bur one.  If you want to try before you buy, go to a bricks and mortar store.


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## jpackard56 (Sep 6, 2022)

Work boots, even at the brick n mortar I can have 3 pair pulled from stock and I will guarantee you one pair will fit and feel better than the other two, how can I do that online ? 
My work boots make my life bearable even now that I retired.


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## pontiac428 (Sep 6, 2022)

jpackard56 said:


> Work boots, even at the brick n mortar I can have 3 pair pulled from stock and I will guarantee you one pair will fit and feel better than the other two, how can I do that online ?
> My work boots make my life bearable even now that I retired.


Ever had a pair of Red Wings?  Used to be one in a strip mall in every town.  I don't even know where to look for one now.  Their whole business model was built on quality and on service.


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## RJSakowski (Sep 6, 2022)

pontiac428 said:


> Ever had a pair of Red Wings?  Used to be one in a strip mall in every town.  I don't even know where to look for one now.  Their whole business model was built on quality and on service.


I wore Red Wing boots every day for more than fifty years.  I had two pairs of boots, the 1155 in brown and the 1116 in black.  https://www.redwingshoes.com/work/mens/soft-toe/NailSeat-01155.html
They were classy enough for dress wear but tough enough for every day work indoors and out.   When the boots became too scuffed up for dress, they would be relegated to work around home. They were the most comfortable boots I have ever worn from day 1.  The 1155 is still made but Red Wing stopped making the 1116 some years back.  Our local Red Wing dealer talked me into an 1125 instead.  It was a clunky looking boot with coarse grained leather and chafed my feet something awful.  I have worn them exactly one time and they have sat in my closet for the past six years.  My last pair of 1155's is probably ten years old now and I only wear them for dress in the winter since retiring so I expect that they will last me the rest of my life.

I also have had two pairs of Red Wing Gore Tex hunting boots for close to forty years.  I bought them primarily for hunting but also wear them for spring and fall fishing and winter outdoor activities. Previously, O wore Sorrels for hunting and my feet would sweat something terrible in them.  With the Red Wing, I never had that problem again.

The Shoe Box in nearby Black Earth has been my supplier for the past fifty years and still carries Red Wings.





						The Shoe Box - Black Earth, WI - Service Like It 'Oughta Be!
					

Shoes for men, women and kids.  One of the largest shoe stores in the US, located in Black Earth, WI.  An incredible selection of over 300,000 shoes.




					theshoebox.com


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## pontiac428 (Sep 6, 2022)

I used to wear the heavy logger's boots, but I'll tell you Robert, I'm not nearly as tough as I used to be...


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