Boycotting Amazon - could you do it?

[umslopogaas]

Mr GG

A business account? What's that? I know nothing, I just observe. I'm not in business. HMR&C can visit me any time they like, and if they want to see my paperwork, they are welcome, I've nothing to hide, though perhaps much might be obscured, I'm not the best bookeeper around.

At the risk of repeating myself, I use ebay to check values. I dont use it to sell or buy.

[MrGongGong]

Mr GG

A business account? What's that? I know nothing, I just observe. I'm not in business. HMR&C can visit me any time they like, and if they want to see my paperwork, they are welcome, I've nothing to hide, though perhaps much might be obscured, I'm not the best bookeeper around.

At the risk of repeating myself, I use ebay to check values. I dont use it to sell or buy.

Don't worry about it matey
contrary to what "bankers mate" says you really don't need one anyway (can I have the receipt ?)

[Lateralthinking1]

I was wondering who here could you bring themselves to boycott the site and all those lovely bargains?

Yes, me. I had been put off anyway by the way it can seem to benefit large sellers of CDs. As soon as I saw that they were automatically pushing down individual sellers' prices, ie me, I resented paying out to them. I now prefer clunky old e-bay.

[Anna]

I tend to buy secondhand books so I first check Amazon then Abe Books. Abe are usually cheaper, very often with the same sellers offering the book on both sites but charging a higher price on Amazon (I assume that is simply because Amazon is first port of call for most people) For cds I check Amazon then other sites, like MDT, Presto, etc. Because of where I live internet shopping for a wide variety of goods is essential, the cost of getting to a large shopping centre (such as Cardiff) and then possibly not being able to find an item means using Amazon is far more cheaper, even taking into account any delivery charges.

This month I've bought a rare secondhand cd from an Amazon marketplace seller plus a new printer at a bargain price. So no, I don't think I could totally do without Amazon.

[teamsaint]

I tend to buy secondhand books so I first check Amazon then Abe Books. Abe are usually cheaper, very often with the same sellers offering the book on both sites but charging a higher price on Amazon (I assume that is simply because Amazon is first port of call for most people) For cds I check Amazon then other sites, like MDT, Presto, etc. Because of where I live internet shopping for a wide variety of goods is essential, the cost of getting to a large shopping centre (such as Cardiff) and then possibly not being able to find an item means using Amazon is far more cheaper, even taking into account any delivery charges.

This month I've bought a rare secondhand cd from an Amazon marketplace seller plus a new printer at a bargain price. So no, I don't think I could totally do without Amazon.

and parking costs in Cardiff ...... X 10 !!

[Keith Braidwood]

I stopped buying CDs from Amazon some time ago, I tend to look at MDT and Europadisc and compare between the two. As far as books go, Waterstones' online site often has comparable deals to Amazon as does, but less often, Blackwells. We have a good classical CD shop in Edinburgh, McAlister Matheseon, but when you're buying more than on would you pay £15 for a single CD rather than £8-9 for the same thing online. The difference in cost soon mounts up. I will probably continue to use Amazon but only for things I cannot get elsewhere. Ditched Starbucks years ago, lousy coffee whether sitting in or taking out and apparently they want to know your name for the 'personal touch'.

[roberta]

i boycotted amazon a few years ago for their unethical business practices and i tend to buy secondhand cds (student loan permitting!).

interesting point on last night's question time - apparently the reason why amazon starbucks and other multinational companies pay so little tax is because of of the european union!

the european union is defined as one state and that means that if you base your company in ireland, who undercut everyone on corporate tax rates, you pay the low level throughout europe. thats good for ireland, getting companies like apple etc to be based there, but its bad for the other countries and of course the customers :(

[MrGongGong]

interesting point on last night's question time - apparently the reason why amazon starbucks and other multinational companies pay so little tax is because of of the european union!
(

It them all right along with
Gordon Brown, Single Mothers, Gay people who want to get married and "Young people these days"

[Keith Braidwood]

Thanks Roberta. I didn't see Question Time as I don't have a TV (got rid of it some time ago as I got tired of the quality of programming on all channels) but I'll pick it up on BBC's iPlayer. Amazon is based in Luxembourg so I'm assuming the same reason applies. Something that I now question. Amazon's documentation clearly alludes to its being based in Lux. so I'm surprised no-one made a deal of it before.

You can see why the EU has so many problems.

[roberta]

Thanks Roberta. I didn't see Question Time as I don't have a TV (got rid of it some time ago as I got tired of the quality of programming on all channels) but I'll pick it up on BBC's iPlayer. Amazon is based in Luxembourg so I'm assuming the same reason applies. Something that I now question. Amazon's documentation clearly alludes to its being based in Lux. so I'm surprised no-one made a deal of it before.

You can see why the EU has so many problems.

yes, loook it up. if they are based in luxembourg, it will be to take advantage of eu rules. i quite like the idea of a united europe, but i agree wth you, it does seem to have problems with many things!

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks Roberta. I didn't see Question Time as I don't have a TV

I admire your resolve but what happens when you want to watch a film (DVD) on a screen bigger than a laptop and/or monitor?

[Keith Braidwood]

yes, loook it up. if they are based in luxembourg, it will be to take advantage of eu rules. i quite like the idea of a united europe, but i agree wth you, it does seem to have problems with many things!

Will do.

I admire your resolve but what happens when you want to watch a film (DVD) on a screen bigger than a laptop and/or monitor?

I don't. Films do not, nor seldom have, interested me. I have better things to do than sit and watch television.

[Frances_iom]

the actual tax avoidance scheme is the double Irish - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement - an arrangement (rather like dealing in coffee in Switzerland) purely designed to enable US companies to avoid paying European tax - I still have to meet a morally clean US multinational - all are greedy tax avoiders.

ETA Mitt Romney also uses the same scheme to avoid taxes - http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/11...id-zero-taxes/

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've been considering buying a Kindle for some time, but now I might well opt for the Nook.

[Nick Armstrong]

interesting point on last night's question time - apparently the reason why amazon starbucks and other multinational companies pay so little tax is because of of the european union!

the european union is defined as one state and that means that if you base your company in ireland, who undercut everyone on corporate tax rates, you pay the low level throughout europe. :(

I've recorded QT but not watched it yet. I imagine the above somewhat lit Mr Farage's blue touch-paper, no?