Amazon is facing a serious downturn

outmywindow wrote in post #16803971
In states where Amazon has some type of presence, the sales tax alone has already made buying some items (particularly items which are essentially priced the same as local retailers) not worth the hassle of waiting for shipping and whatnot because it essentially comes out to being the same price locally, and if you buy it local you can walk away with the item in hand vs waiting 2 days. Mind you I still use Amazon to buy a lot of things, but I have definitely become much more selective recently.

Amazon already has a presence here in VA, but I still buy from them, because they carry things that I cant get at my local stores. And usually but not always they are cheaper even with the added tax..And if the item is stocked locally, shipping is 1 day...

Phoenixkh wrote in post #16803768
That being said, I am going to make an effort to use both B&H and Adorama more often.

Thank you! - and if you ever need any advice or after-sales support, please don't hesitate to email me directly: Helen@adorama.com

v35skyline wrote in post #16803929
I'm sure Amazon will survive without you.

I am not sure if you know anything about running a retail business but if you're in retail, every customers counts. Yeah, there are a few "un-profitable" customers out there but this is a part of retailing business....

And, if you are capable of planning ahead or have a little patience, that little 2-day shipping perk does not mean much....

Amazon used to be very competitive but now with the taxes and price increases, I am pretty sure that most people don't mind buying local since the price difference is not that great.

I would use Adorama or BH if they had free shipping to HI. Adoramas eBay site doesn't even deliver here at all. I know it costs money but I'd be happy with a flat rate box because I haven't had any problems. I'll stick with amazon and Buydig for now.

oahumike wrote in post #16807291
Adoramas eBay site doesn't even deliver here at all. I know it costs money but I'd be happy with a flat rate box because I haven't had any problems. ...

Unfortunately, this is due to limitations set by eBay. I'm really sorry. But if you would like to email me: Helen@adorama.com next time you are looking to place an order from the main website, I can certainly ask one of the rreps if there may be anything he can do to help you with the shipping costs.

isoMorphic wrote in post #16806205
And for the unbelievers the financials do not lie. Amazon is bleeding and the only real money being made is from Kindle/Digital media and Prime fees. They obviously need to raise Prime to be able to cover the huge expense of their new TV box venture.

http://www.marketwatch​.com/investing/Stock/A​MZN

Umm... did you go to that link? If you did you may need to be reminded that the alligator eats the larger number > vs <.

I've noticed lately that printed books and CDs are not the cheapest at Amazon like they used to be.

Yeah, I'm a dinosaur that still buys printed books and CDs.

gpswiz wrote in post #16807094
I am not sure if you know anything about running a retail business but if you're in retail, every customers counts. Yeah, there are a few "un-profitable" customers out there but this is a part of retailing business....

And, if you are capable of planning ahead or have a little patience, that little 2-day shipping perk does not mean much....

Amazon used to be very competitive but now with the taxes and price increases, I am pretty sure that most people don't mind buying local since the price difference is not that great.

Mhmm.

It could also be MAP pricing.

travisvwright wrote in post #16807439
Umm... did you go to that link? If you did you may need to be reminded that the alligator eats the larger number > vs <.

Check the earnings and get back to me.

kthanxbye

isoMorphic wrote in post #16808246
Check the earnings and get back to me.

kthanxbye

Hmmm.. Doesn't really look that bad unless your one of the Wall Street types who tend not to live in reality. $24 billion in sales, a 20% increase over last year, $240 million in profit, doubling last years results. Seems that the only ones ticked off are the traders who set their expectations higher.

gpswiz wrote in post #16807094
Amazon used to be very competitive but now with the taxes and price increases, I am pretty sure that most people don't mind buying local since the price difference is not that great.

Quite often for me the issue is not price or taxes, but availability. Amazon has a major warehouse only about 9 miles from my home, so I can get 90% of what I order in 2 days - and in some cases the same day. And they carry something like 3 million items.

I also buy fairly often from B&H and Adorama, mainly again for the availability. The chances of any local stores having many of the items I buy are usually pretty low. While I can find many major items - such as a camera - locally, often small gadgets and accessories are pretty limited.

Windsun33 wrote in post #16808359
Quite often for me the issue is not price or taxes, but availability. Amazon has a major warehouse only about 9 miles from my home, so I can get 90% of what I order in 2 days - and in some cases the same day. And they carry something like 3 million items.

I also buy fairly often from B&H and Adorama, mainly again for the availability. The chances of any local stores having many of the items I buy are usually pretty low. While I can find many major items - such as a camera - locally, often small gadgets and accessories are pretty limited.

Abso-freaking-lutely.

I live not too far from some major east coast cities, but still sort of in the middle of nowhere. And I like it that way, usually. Within 10 minutes of my house I have almost no options to buy anything beyond groceries or tools or office supplies or car parts (or guns, plenty of guns). Within 45 minutes some better ones, but still limited.

Amazon is a no-brainer for me. And I don't care about 2 day shipping. I seldom need something tomorrow that I couldn't plan for a week ago. Hell, don't tell 'em, but I'd pay more for stuff from Amazon. Great selection and super-easy to do business with.

gjl711 wrote in post #16808324
Hmmm.. Doesn't really look that bad unless your one of the Wall Street types who tend not to live in reality. $24 billion in sales, a 20% increase over last year, $240 million in profit, doubling last years results. Seems that the only ones ticked off are the traders who set their expectations higher.

And I say this again the retail sector is not making them as much as it's costing them as of late. Before the Kindle Amazon was making the bulk of it's profits on actual hard goods. Today it loses money on hard goods to hopefully sell you on digital goods and Prime access. If a sector is losing money, they are pumping more and more in to get less and less out. Investors obviously have very little reason to be happy. And go figure even if they suspend your account they will still let you pay to access the digital video (not music) portion of the site.

If you want to bet on a wet dog winning the race buy some amazon stock. I would assume plenty of it's being unloaded right now. Just keep in mind Netflix earnings estimates are about 50% higher.

oahumike wrote in post #16807291
I would use Adorama or BH if they had free shipping to HI. Adoramas eBay site doesn't even deliver here at all. I know it costs money but I'd be happy with a flat rate box because I haven't had any problems. I'll stick with amazon and Buydig for now.

Saw Helen's reply. I'll go one better, get your stuff shipped to my place, and once a month i'll fly over and deliver them. All you need to do is get me plane ticket. I know the bus system there pretty well, and will bring your items right to your door.