Before you start reading I want to stress a few points.
First, I’m not against Amazon. This is not a post where I’m going to slam Amazon or try to persuade anyone to stop buying from them.
Second, this is a post about a change I made in my life and what I discovered as a result. The change I made happened to be ceasing my use of Amazon. I committed to stick with this change for one full calendar year. I wanted to see how the change affected me and what I would discover.
Will I go back to shopping on Amazon? Yes I definitely may go back to shopping on Amazon.
Also, in spite of this action I’m taking in my personal life, I still recommend Amazon strongly to some of my business clients. I am in particular a fan of their self-publishing services and how those tools have helped content creators.
Finally, this post is long. There’s a lot to discuss about why I made this change, what I’ve discovered, and how it relates to wellness. I write as few or as many words as I feel the topic deserves. Sometimes my posts are very short, but this one is a long one. I think it’s got a lot of very interesting ideas for us all to consider. I hope you agree and thanks for sticking with me to the end of the post.
The Change I Made
In the summer of 2021 I decided to take a break from using Amazon.com.
Why? A whole bunch of reasons.
The first was the annual renewal fee for my Prime account. I was bothered by it. I’ve actually been bothered this year by all the renewing fees that hit my account. So much so that I have canceled 10+ services and memberships. I even canceled two life insurance policies.
And do you know what I got back after all these cancellations? Almost $400.00 a month! Each monthly renewing fee seemed valuable and worthwhile. They each seemed affordable and not too much. But taken together as a whole – well, they added up.
The Amazon.com Prime renewal fee was another of those fees that were irritating me. Let me be clear about how I felt. I was not in need of money. It’s nice to have the money back, but that’s not what drove my decision. Rather, it was the effort of tracking all of it.
And so we decided to cancel the Prime membership. With it went the Amazon Prime digital services – free TV and movies. The ability to ship items for free and to nearly always get the items in two days.
What I’ve Discovered
A whole bunch of things. Lots and lots and lots of things.
So many that it may be hard for me to capture them all and share them here. Plus, I don’t actually want to burden you with each little thing I noticed – more the big ones that seem like they could be relevant to more people than just me.
Here are some of the discoveries that have made the biggest impact in my life. I may add to this list as time goes on.
First – There are lots of other places to buy books.
I used to think that Amazon.com was the go-to place to purchase a book. If the book existed, it would be on Amazon.com. Definitely for new books. And also for used books. My mom purchased used books avidly from Abe Books – even after they were swallowed up by Amazon.com.
When I decided to take the break from Amazon.com it meant I had to get my books from other sources. I thought I’d feel limited. I thought I’d have to do without some books. I thought I’d just have to miss some things.
What did I discover? Exactly the opposite.
My world of books is more diverse and rich than it ever was before.
I have found SO MANY new places to get books from! And each one has brought fun and enjoyment into my life. Whether it’s the way they package and ship the books, the website, the available books to sort through, or the people themselves.
Who would have thought. And it made me realize something. Amazon.com had me thinking that if I walked away I would lose.
Second – Planning Ahead Has Its Benefits
When there’s no Amazon Prime that means there’s no 2-day shipping.
Now I have to plan ahead. And that is a good thing. Here’s why. Amazon’s so-called “free” shipping that comes in just “two days” (increasingly there have been exceptions).
Third – The ILLUSION of Variety
My Amazon.com experience reminds me a lot of a company I once worked for. Whilst working there, they kept you putting up with their toxic work environment by constantly reminding you of your benefits and perks. Once I left I realized they were probably the most toxic place I could have worked. What seemed like a fair exchange – perks for work annoyances – turned out to be smoke and mirrors.
It turns out that Amazon.com was a lot like that for me. Not the toxic part, but the fact that I kept buying through Amazon.com because they kept telling me it was my best option. That it was where I would find everything I needed. And it turns out that was not the truth.
Fourth – It’s Wonderful to Buy Direct From Companies!
Who knew this would be true?! When I stopped buying through Amazon.com the first step I took was to purchase the same products that I use and love in other ways. Most commonly I checked the brand’s website to see if I could purchase directly from them. Most of the time – about 85% percent – I could buy from the companies themselves.
At first I ran into a negative with this approach. The products usually cost a little more, and I usually have to pay for shipping. That put a pause on my efforts.
Till I thought it through. I learned that companies often enter arrangements with Amazon that mean the lowest price for the product has to be the price used on Amazon. This practice is good for companies because it increases the awareness for their brand. But Amazon takes a cut which means the companies make less in the end. That’s not all bad. The companies are trading some profit in exchange for marketing and distribution.
What I did in the end was gave it a try. I bought directly from the companies themselves – even though I spent a bit more.
Guess what? Wonderful surprises ensued!
I OFTEN received extra freebies with my shipments! Everything from free product to exclusive product to new products coming soon. Plus coupons for discounts in the future, hand-written messages from the company owners or staff, free books, and more.
I used to love the simplicity of the Amazon boxes arriving at the house. Now I am in love with the beautiful assortment of boxes I receive. Many companies invest in lovely branded boxes to ship their items in. Frankly, they are more pleasing to the eye and we have found that to be a positive improvement to our lives. It is a small thing, but it appears to matter.
Fifth – The Streaming Video Service is Gone
Seems like a negative, doesn’t it! No more free streaming of TV shows and films!
Well it turns out, for us at least, that the streaming service was actually a bad thing for us. An un-wellness adventure. And I never would have figured this out if I had not taken the gamble to quit Amazon and Amazon Prime.
Before I explain further, let me take a moment to remind you that this is not a “let’s slam Amazon” article. This article tells the story of one particular wellness adventure I went on and what I discovered on the journey. I feel like this experience really illustrates what you can uncover for yourself when you try small changes. Remember what I said at the beginning of the article – I certainly may buy from Amazon again, and I may be a Prime Member again.
Back to what happened when we removed the streaming video service.
It turns out we were spending an awful lot of money BUYING TV shows and films. Not watching the free stuff, because as time went on we exhausted the free stuff and not much was added that we liked. So we bought what we wanted to watch.
What I ended up disliking about all the digital content I purchased is that unlike a DVD or a BluRay disc … I cannot share or sell or give away my digital content. I would often spend full price for a film, we’d watch it a few times, and then it would sit in my video account.
