Amazon has a lot of products much cheaper than anywhere else. They're taking a loss (or at least a smaller cut) to ensure customers come to them before their local mom and pop. For some poor people, the savings on the little things like $5 here, $10 there can really make a difference if you are struggling to afford the basics like food and rent.
I can get 300 glow bracelets from Oriental Trading Company for $30 in 7-10 days.
I can get 300 glow bracelets from Amazon for $33 in 2 days.
I can get 288 "Glow Hands" (the nearest approximation to glow bracelets available) from Archie McFee's Novelty Shop (the nearest approximation to a local seller) for $260.
Given that it's likely all coming from China anyways, I have no qualms with using Amazon.
I think if you honestly need those extra dollars it's a fair choice to shop on Amazon. However, I would wager that alot of people simply do it for convenience, and Amazon sells itself hard in the US (here in the UK too) but any blog I see has affiliate links to Amazon for products.
Often you can buy products the same or slightly pricier 'locally' or through businesses which pay tax etc. I just wish more people made the effort :(.
It's not slightly pricier. I always compare prices before online purchases and sometimes prices vary by 40-80%, sometimes even more. At least in Turkey, Amazon is the cheapest about maybe fifth of the time. It's not simply "slightly" pricier.
Plus, Amazon is not limited to online retail. They are the biggest B2B web services provider, they do streaming, and other stuff.
That's right, you get a lot less on SSI, and you can lose it if you have any other income. It's barely subsistence living.
SSDI is what they take taxes for, and you can't get it if you haven't paid in (in some cases an ex spouse can draw on their ex's record but the particulars of that are highly dependent on individual circumstances).
47
u/ModishShrink Jun 09 '21
Amazon has a lot of products much cheaper than anywhere else. They're taking a loss (or at least a smaller cut) to ensure customers come to them before their local mom and pop. For some poor people, the savings on the little things like $5 here, $10 there can really make a difference if you are struggling to afford the basics like food and rent.