Although Amazon is efficient and convenient, it has a reputation for treating its employees poorly. Low wages, long hours, and high stress are par for the course for most employees. It’s understandable to want to vote with your money and not support a company that operates this way.
O perhaps you think that Jeff Bezos is rich enough.
Amazon is the best if you need a place to buy anything you can think of in one spot. However, there are a lot of great alternatives to Amazon. There are thousands of great places to buy stuff online, and many of them allow you to support small businesses or individuals trying to make a living selling online. It’s best to support the little guy over a billionaire if you can.
Here are the best alternatives to Amazon for everything that you might need.
15 Alternatives to Amazon
A great thing about Amazon is that it has nearly everything you could need. However, it’s not the only place to shop online.
1. Overstock.com
Overstock is an online retailer that sells a variety of household items. They offer furniture, home goods, jewelry, and all types of home décor. One limitation of Overstock is that they don’t have a clothing and apparel product category, so if you are shopping online for new clothes, this isn’t the best option.
Overstock offers free standard shipping on most items to the continental US. They deliver most products in one to two days.
2. Target
Target is the best option for household items. They have everything you might need, from groceries, personal care items, household necessities, and clothing. The great thing about shopping online at Target is that you are less likely to buy a bunch of stuff you don’t need.
Target offers free two-day shipping, but another advantage is that you can pick up the item in the store if you need it right away.
3. Brick and Mortar Online Stores
Most brick-and-mortar retailers have online stores as well. If you can’t find what you need at Target’s online store, check Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond.
These online retailers have everything that you need for your home, and prices are comparable to Amazon. Most of them also offer free shipping to remain competitive with Amazon in the online retail space.
4. Bookshop.org
The best place to buy books online is Bookshop.org. Its mission is to support local, independent bookshops. Bookshop.org has built a network of independent retailers and splits profits among them to help keep them in business. It’s a breath of fresh air against Amazon’s profit above all else ideal and has been a significant player in helping keep indie booksellers afloat.
5. Better World Books
Better World Books is another option for ethical book consumption. This online book store donates books to people in need and has made it their mission to fight for literacy. They’ve donated over 28 million dollars to literacy non-profits such as libraries across the nation.
In addition, Better World Books also tries to be environmentally conscious. They recycle and reuse old, worn-out books whenever possible and offer carbon-reduced shipping options.
6. Barnes & Noble
If you can’t find what you need at the two socially conscious online booksellers, Barnes & Noble is the next best thing. It’s the largest brick-and-mortar book retailer in the country, and supporting them with your online purchases will help ensure that the stores stay open.
Alternatives to Amazon Prime TV
Amazon is trying to take over the streaming industry in addition to the retail sector. Amazon Prime TV has a wide variety of hit shows, and it makes streaming easy. Prime members don’t even have to pay anything extra for this service.
However, there are plenty of other streaming services available, and most of them are better than Amazon Prime TV.
7. Hulu
Hulu has options for both live television and streaming your favorite shows. It has also partnered with Disney+ to give you even more viewing options. It offers a wider variety of shows than Amazon does, and the option for live tv blows Amazon out of the water.
8. Netflix
Netflix is the grandfather of all streaming services. It offers a ton of your favorite shows but is also an excellent choice for original content. Shows like Stranger Things and Cursed, and Prince Harry's docuseries are only available on Netflix.
Alternatives to Amazon for Pet Goods
You can easily get most of your pet’s needs at Amazon, and as a bonus, you can set up reoccurring shipments for perishable items like food and litter. Amazon isn’t the only game in town, though.
9. Chewy
Chewy is the best alternative to Amazon for all of your pet’s needs. Not only do they have all the food, litter, and toys that you could need, but they offer reoccurring shipments for perishable items as well. All you have to do is order what you need, set up your reoccurring shipments, and forget about it, having your items shipped directly to you exactly when you need them.
Chewy offers free shipping on orders over $49, so it’s best to get everything you need at one time.
Alternatives to Amazon for Gifts
Amazon is a great place for one-stop gift shopping. The fact that you can ship directly to your recipient easily makes Amazon one of the go-to places for buying gifts.
However, when you shop for gifts on Amazon, you are limited to the commercial products available. There are much better options for getting unique or handcrafted gifts that show how much you care.
10. Etsy
Etsy is the best place to find unique items for gifts. You can find handcrafted jewelry, antiques, and many digital products, from writing prompts to planners to drawing ideas on this platform. That is a great place to find the perfect gift for friends and family members who have unique tastes or want something that speaks to them.
11. TeePublic
Teepublic is an alternative to Amazon Merch. With Teepublic, you can buy t-shirts, mugs, binders, blankets, and various other items with attractive graphics on them.
Another great reason for shopping on Etsy and Teepublic is that you are generally supporting individual creators. Although the platform always gets a cut, it’s better to support individual artists and content creators whenever possible.
Alternatives to Amazon’s Whole Foods and Grocery Delivery
Amazon is taking over every aspect of our lives. With its acquisition of Whole Foods, it got into the grocery delivery space, and it’s been tough to compete with. However, there are many other online marketplaces, so you don’t need to rely on Amazon for grocery delivery.
12. Instacart
Instacart is the best alternative to Amazon for groceries because you can shop at your local grocery stores and pay a local, independent contractor for delivery.
The problem with Instacart is the cost. It is more expensive than the other services because you pay someone to do your grocery shopping for you. However, if you have the money, using Instacart is a great boon to part-time workers in your community.
13. Thrive Market
Thrive Market is an online retailer of healthy foods. They offer fruits, vegetables and lots more. They offer a wide range of natural, organic, and non-GMO items for shoppers who are health conscious and concerned about what is in our food.
Thrive Market offers automatic delivery of your favorite staples, so you will never run out of a much-needed pantry product. They are a great alternative to Whole Foods for your healthy and organic shopping needs.
14. Hive Brands
Hive is an online grocery that specializes in sustainable groceries. They source locally as much as possible, pride themselves on keeping their carbon footprint as small as possible, and use recycled packaging to the greatest extent possible.
Hive is the best option for the socially and environmentally conscious. Hive has product lines that align with a variety of causes, from animal rights to community development. It’s the best choice if you’re looking for an ethical online retailer.
15. Google Shopping
Google Shopping is a relatively new feature of Google. Although it does have some of its product offerings, that’s not the main point of it. Google Shopping allows you to compare items from online retailers across the internet. It showcases items from other sites in one location. Google shopping can also show you local retailers to pick up the item you need on the same day.
The disadvantage is that you still need to go to the specific retailer to complete your purchase, but it’s nice to see all items in one spot. Google is ever-evolving, so one day, they might launch a cart middleman feature, positioning it to better compete with Amazon.
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Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.