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I got unhappy with eBay because a couple of their vendors screwed up a couple of back to back orders.
One got canceled.
The other was returned.
What really ticked me off was that eBay blamed me for them and sanctioned me for too many returns and cancellations.
I flipped them off, stopped using them, and have been marking all their advertisement e-mails as spam.
Don't know if that knowledge is getting back to them.
But, I feel better about it, and hope so.
Amazon has been my only recent online supplier.
I'm getting real unhappy with the way they're beginning to act as if they're the only mail order source any more.
They're obviously getting too big, and thinking too highly of themselves.
So, that's my question:
What are our alternatives to Amazon and eBay for ordering purchases of general items?
Who, if anyone, competes with them directly?
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
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Direct from the manufacturer is usually the best way.
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I believe Walmart is offering a competing service these days.
Posts: 1,238
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Joined: Jun 2018
Wal-Mart has attempted an e-commerce service that is a hybrid of eBay and Amazon. Some of the products listed for sale are sold and fulfilled by Wal-Mart and others are sold and fulfilled by private individuals.
Caveat Emptor...
Posts: 1,052
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I've been using Walmart for about a year now. I got a discount on the 1 year membership (free shipping). I'm happy with it. Watch the prices though. Most are the same as the store but sometimes it can be overly expensive, usually on stuff not sold by them.
The free shipping is great and it's free for almost everything. Some things they won't ship at all.
The one thing that is a little disheartening is that the packaging is really excessive. I've gotten a pack of razor blades in a 12" square box with lots of that blow up plastic packing material. Really bad for the planet but, hey, really convenient!
It seems like no matter how many items you order at one time, they all seem to be packaged and arrive separately. Also, you don't know how it's going to come until it ships (UPS, USPS, FedEx or a combination of the aforementioned). That can sometimes be a problem for me since I live in Kea'au with no mail delivery and my P.O. box is in Hilo.
I'm pretty sure they still offer a trial membership for free for 30 days to try it out. I did that at first and then cancelled it. Cancelling was easy. But then I was offered a discounted membership through one of my credit cards so I got back in. I'll probably renew it. Saves driving all the way to Hilo and going into the store. That alone makes it worth it to me.
Posts: 926
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Joined: Mar 2012
Thanks Chas,
I'll look into Wally's World again.
Last time I checked them out they were not a very good way to do more than just buying directly from the store.
At that time, their mail order was little more than a scam.
I ended up going elsewhere.
That was over 5 years ago.
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
Posts: 1,238
Threads: 39
Joined: Jun 2018
Buying disposable razor blades - Really bad for the planet but, hey, really convenient!
Buying from Walmart where 80% of the products are Made and Shipped from China - Really bad for the planet but, hey, really convenient!
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...sadly most/much of what is on Amazon is also made in China as well.
Who else here remembers waaaay back when Walmart's big "thing" was all about "Made in the USA"? :::eyeroll::: like maybe back in the 80s?
I'm getting pretty fed up with Amazon as well. Lotta money paid for Prime when that's the *only* thing I use them for...not movies (gladly have no TV), not music, not audio/e-books, nothing.
Maybe I'll hafta check out Walmart's membership.
Posts: 1,052
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1V1, it's kind of hit or miss. The only way you find out what you can and can't get delivered is in the checkout section. Some items are pickup only, which does mean going to the store but at least it's right at the front and you just go in and grab it.
I'd hardly say I highly recommend them, but try it out and see how it works out as far as the things you need. You can always cancel. I know I've gotten my money's worth as far as the free shipping and convenience.
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OK, so I read all this about Walmart's web service and decided to do a free trial. Found a fantastic price on my favorite hiking shorts and tried to order. The shipping page would not accept either my P.O. box or my physical address. Glad I didn't pay yet. I may try ordering something else to see if it works, but this isn't promising.
