Another reason why Amazon Prime is pretty good. I've found their knife selection has been just what I've been looking for recently. I have little confidence in Ebay. Even with Amazon I will not buy if Amazon itself is not at least responsible for the fulfillment. The issues I've had with Amazon have all been with partner purchases. If Amazon is the seller and or shipper, they make things right for the customer if a problem comes up.
Amazon Prime costs almost $100/year. That is a LOT of money for me. I spend $50/month on food, to put it in perspective.
The big problem I have with Amazon is they have NO, or extremely limited, product descriptions. And I CONSTANTLY SEE the wrong photographs for an item I am very familiar with. You don't know if you are going to get the item in the photograph, or the item by its name/catalog number.
So I have to search elsewhere, to try to find a good product description. One that has the FULL description of the product's specifications. This can be really hard to find, especially if it's a new product.
Amazon does a very good job of getting newly released products for sale, onto their website quichly. But a huge percentage of the products for sale on Amazon have NO DESCRIPTION or specifications.
I remember once wanting buy a newly released Zebralight flashlight. The ONLY place I could find selling it, was Amazon. The Zebralight flashlight flashlight was available in 2 versions: One ran on ONLY primary (disposable) CR123 lithium batteries. The other one ran on AA batteries, and worked best with rechargeable NiMH AA batteries. I have rechargeable NiMH AA batteries.
Amazon had both versions on their website. They used the EXACT same photograph for BOTH versions. There was absolutely NO WAY to tell which one ran on AA batteries, or CR123 cells.
I don't have a shipping center inside my home. I can't print postage on my computer. Returning things is a MAJOR PITA. And it takes TIME. And it costs MONEY. I have drive to the Post Office, and stand in line, and watch the Thorazine Commandos working at the speed of Post Office.
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He finally takes my package. He has to put it in the correct cart bin. There are three.
He executes a Post Office 180 degree turn. This take FOUR STEPS. He pauses, to look at the three cart bins. There are big signs on each one. I can hear him mumbling, as he reads each sign on each of the three bins.
First Class Packages.
Priority Mail Packages.
Dead Letter Office Packages.
He looks at the package.
He looks at the three bins again.
He reads the three signs again, mumbling almost loud enough to hear.
First Class Packages.
Priority Mail Packages.
Dead Letter Office Packages.
He has a quota to fill. A certain percentage of packages HAVE to go to the Dead Letter Office. Hundreds of Postal Employees' jobs are on the line. If he doesn't meet his quota of diverting enough packages to the Dead Letter Office, some Post Office Employees could be forced into early retirement.
Full pay.
Full benefits.
No work.
Jeopardy, on cable TV.
24/7/365.
Paradise on earth, for a retired Post Office Employee.
Which. Bin. Will. It. Be?
