The convenience of using Amazon is hard to resist. You can get almost anything within a couple of days, at most maybe a week. But let me explain why, when you can, you should avoid using it.
Monopolization of the Marketplace
An antitrust lawsuit was started against Amazon from 17 states and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Based on information from Statista, in 2022 Amazon owned 37.8% of the US retail e-commerce market. The next highest was WalMart with 6.3% market share.
Amazon is such an appealing option for sellers. Many businesses make the tough decision to utilize this marketplace since it has access to millions of customers. Amazon starts by providing low seller entry fees and providing customers with sign up deals and access to millions of products. Then drives up platform fees that take money out of the hands of both small business and customers (i.e., increase in prime membership cost, forced margin cuts on third party sellers).
When competition is removed innovation is discouraged. If Amazon is allowed to continue to grow they will work to remove all of their competitors. Did you know Amazon takes seller’s 3rd party data and uses it to discover what is popular; then creates its own version of those products? Amazon even puts their products as the top suggested in search. (For example, Amazon Basics). Amazon’s unethical use of data harms countless numbers of businesses without any remorse. Supporting small businesses encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, and fosters a vibrant business ecosystem.
Environmental Harm
How often do you see the plastic packaging that they ship your product in in the trash? Yep, you guessed it, that doesn’t recycle well or even at all.
If you order prime and get the product in one day, how much extra energy is used to get what you purchased to you in that short amount of time?
Simply put, the shorter the supply chain and less packaging waste the better for the planet.
Why should I Shop Small or Local?
Shopping small, whether it’s in a store or on a brand’s website, helps drive up their profit. It may on occasion be a more expensive purchase, but by supporting small business directly it removes unwarranted profits that Amazon forces companies to fork over. Plus if you shop local you completely remove the need for packaging, shipping, and help your community's small business owners.
Local businesses often offer a curated selection of products and services that you won’t find on Amazon. (Including SUS products :) ) They also provide a level of customer service that can’t be matched by ordering something online.
Check out some of our sustainable products and we can be one of the small businesses you can support on Prime Day(s):
References:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/274255/market-share-of-the-leading-retailers-in-us-e-commerce/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/28/tech/amazon-ftc-lawsuit-takeaways/index.html