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Amazon's Monopoly of the tech industry is ruining the US economy (self.technology)

submitted 2 months ago by Buttflapper to c/technology

221 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I wanted to get printer photo paper for my printer, a Canon. I went to Walmart, They had nothing. Went to Target, they had one pack of photo paper and it was crazy expensive, so I went to micro center. That one was just as expensive. So finally I went back to Amazon, which I was trying to avoid, and saw the price 25 to 40% lower than anywhere I had been. Literally everything that I was looking for, I could find within seconds. Not even Best buy has even close to the amount of inventory or variety, even when you're shopping online....

Therefore, I think Amazon has a literal monopoly in the tech industry right now, you're literally forced to buy from them, because unless you have the money and financial fortitude to protest with your wallet, you're going to be buying from them. There's no other choice. They have so aggressively and dominantly taken over the supply chain market that no other tech company can currently compete with them in any aspect at all. You will be paying 40 to 50% more on everything by cutting out Amazon, and no one has the money for that anymore unless you're upper middle class or above

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I enjoy this narrative of "being forced" to go against ones own morals and principals by big bad companies because one just absolutely has to have a product for as cheap as possible.

You went to two stores and then straight to Amazon. That doesn't mean they have a monopoly, that means you really didn't try that hard to find an alternative.

If you think you have no other choice you are right because you stopped looking for one.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yup, I know of a handful of local stores that would have what OP needs:

office supply stores - there's an Office Depot right next to my local Target
photo supply stores - they specialize more in lenses and accessories, but they should also have photo paper
art stores - even hobby stores like Hobby Lobby, Joanne's, or Michael's would have it
CVS/Walgreens/etc - Walgreens even does prints, so you can just send your prints there if you really can't find paper
"tech" stores, like Best Buy (or Microcenter if you're in the eastern US)
random "everything" stores, like Big Lots, "Dollar" stores, etc (less likely, but worth a shot if one is close)

Your area will certainly be different, and there's also a bunch of online stores, like B&H Photo (and dozens more, not going to list them all).

And I'm not in a big urban area, if you're near a major city, you'll have dozens of small stores that'll sell that kind of stuff, along with some larger stores with discounted items.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Yes, asking for every damn material on facebook group of the university academic year is not suitable in the long run. Yes, there is to be one guy on my year hosting all material for free but he stopped and everybody moved to facebook groups.

[+] [email protected] -14 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Also there is always the second hand market... If you are really looking for deals and can take some risk which I think most adults with jobs can...

[–] SpaceNoodle 32 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I only buy pre-used printer paper

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The second hand market is 80% suck since 2021 or so. Everyone wants retail for their shit. And goodwill has decided to be “the last reseller” and priced accordingly.

People want to sell their beat up tools for $10 less than the full warranty with returns tool (router, brad nailer, palm sander, belt sander, recently, different sellers.) a plug in craftsman belt sander as old as my dad and you want what now?

Shirts. Even the best thrift store will have a $7-8 minimum on a used shirt. Meanwhile, I can get 2 for $10-12 on Amazon, new, with returns.

Photo paper is an uncommon thrift. Though I found two 5x7 packs for $1 each this year. They were in a box with wrapped postits and index cards so I think someone was confused.

Remember, time is a commodity. Killing a day and coming out empty handed isn’t for everyone.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

At least in my area, the online second hand market is pretty decent (in my case, classifieds at local newspaper). I even checked "photo paper" and found a dozen listings (I'm guessing they bought the wrong kind, got a really good deal on it, or decided they don't actually print photos), but nothing as cheap as $1 (I see 2 packs of 50 sheets of 8.5x11 for $8 though, and that's <1/4 the price vs retail).

Some things aren't a good deal at thrift stores, but there still are some great deals. I've rarely found Goodwill to have good deals, but we have a few other thrift store brands in my area that actually have good deals. So like anything else, shop around.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I agree with you there. The second hand market is wonderful for finding ridiculous deals on things people just want gone.

The only problem with the second hand market is the effort needed for it. That effort keeps people from considering it a viable option for goods in the same way the effort to find another store made OP B-line to Amazon.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Agreed, but if you really do want to find a good deal, there are options. If everyone bought second hand, then second hand inventory wouldn't exist. So I'm grateful for the consumers who buy new and resell second hand for less than half the price (with more than twice the life left).

If you're the type where looking at something other than the two biggest retailers in your area is unreasonable, then yeah, second hand isn't going to be your cup of tea. That just means more good deals on the second hand market for the rest of us (e.g. I see photo paper for like 1/4 price of retail on my local classifieds).

[–] PriorityMotif 0 points 2 months ago

eBay, Facebook marketplace/ buy nothing, hibid, thrifts, neighbors, friends, coworkers, family.