Read 1,583 reviews Write a review at Epinions.com

I have been shopping at Amazon.com for years. I don’t buy everything there, but Amazon offers competitive prices and items difficult for me to find locally. Amazon is a huge website. Here is an overview of my experiences.


What the Site Offers

Amazon.com is easy to navigate. Links are organized by category, and the search engine works very well. Most people know Amazon offers a huge array of books, videos and music. They also partner with others who offer merchandise through the Amazon.com storefront. Items for sale: Household, Kitchen, Garden, Tools, Crafts, Toys, Video Games, Computers, Electronics, Groceries and Clothing. This website covers a lot of territory.


Making the Purchase

Each product page features product photos that can be enlarged. Many of the books include views of the Table of Contents and inside pages. Also listen to song bites. Each item has a description. Many times the products have customer reviews.

Note, don’t be fooled. Often a product page will say, “If you buy this and also this product, only pay $$$.” There is no cost savings. It’s a ploy to sell more merchandise.

I have bought gift certificates and have had them sent via snail mail or email. A quick gift that brings smiles.

Add items to the cart and checkout. There is a place to enter gift certificates or a promotional code. Amazon accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s Club, JCB, Visa or MasterCard check cards or ATM cards, and their Amazon Credit Account.

I always order $25.00 or more to qualify for free Super Saving Shipping. Shipping rates include a per item charge of around 99-cents, plus added shipping costs that range from $4.99 - $10.98. Larger items can cost more to ship. If buying from one of Amazon’s partners, shipping costs vary.

After finishing my purchase, I always receive an email with my order number and item summary. When the items ship, I receive another email with detailed shipping information that includes tracking info.


Delivery & Customer Service

Delivery is always prompt. However, some items have arrived damaged, such as the package of DVD blank media I ordered. The case arrived broken.

Customer service has always responded, whether via their website or phone (800-201-7575). I have never been unhappy with a resolution. When using the online form, make sure to check off that the product arrived damaged (if it did) since that results in a pre-paid postage label to print out.


Amazon Associates

I also partner with Amazon on my website; there is no charge to apply. I offer Amazon links to visitors and receive a sale percentage (4% to 10%). I have received money from them. Choose to receive a check, but you need to reach $100.00 before receiving one. I opted to receive an Amazon.com gift certificate, and receive one for every $10.00 earned. The Associates website also offers a variety of reports to track sales and buying trends.


Amazon Visa Card

Sometimes Amazon offers a rebate on an item if you apply for their Amazon Visa credit card. I did this and saved $30.00 on a purchase. As I make purchases, points are accrued. I reach a certain level, and Amazon.com sends me a $25.00 gift certificate to their website. This is a great card. I regularly receive their gift certificates and have no trouble using them.

My Amazon.com credit card number was once stolen from another website ( read about that here). When I phoned the credit card company to cancel the card, they were helpful and efficient. They cancelled the card and reissued me another one. I had it in days.


Summary

My experiences with Amazon.com are positive. They provide a lot of quality merchandise at affordable prices. If a problem does arise, they quickly handle it and either offer a product exchange or refund. I foresee shopping with them for a long time.

I hope you found this review useful.

Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com

Copyright 2007 Dawn L. Stewart

This review is part of the Lean-n-mean VI write off. (660 words)