It was for that reason I started buying my household stuff at Amazon — because I could save a buck or two, per item, which adds up.

Then — as you pointed out — stuff got weird. Amazon's prices became consistently higher than the supermarkets.

Then the third-party sellers started using "AI" pricing, so that a package of soap bars that is $3.59 at Safeway is $61 on Amazon.

Then the counterfeits arrived, and now my family has a policy of not buying anything from Amazon that goes on, or in, our bodies.

These days there are bargains to be had through Amazon, but only through the two-hour shipping from Whole Foods. At least in my market. (A particular cheese that is $15/pound at Kroger is $5/pound when I get it delivered from my local Whole Foods.)

It's not too late to Amazon to regain trust. But it's not going to be a quick or easy process.

It was likely they were fakes and if they provide electrical power they may be a fire hazard.

Amazon seemed to realize how big of a problem this was (or Apple took them aside and made it a problem for them) because they just announced they are taking action: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bjexb5/amazon-is-...

Basically we pay Amazon $1 or 15% of sale (whichever is higher + ~$2.50 for shipping before anything else, so after margins and what not that's a minimum of $4 going to Amazon for marketing and logistics. That's why low dollar 1-pack items feel like price gouging -- there's been years of A/B testing on the marketplace that shows a $4.99+free ship item is way more attractive than $1.99+$3 shipping.

Amazon itself sells stuff direct from manufacturer at a loss or breakeven-ish cost for items under $3 because they can, but even those prices aren't hugely sustainable and they play around with algorithmic pricing themselves over time.

Retail logistics for low dollar items is a Hard problem. :|

https://www.amazon.com/Formula-409-Purpose-Cleaner-Bottles/d...

You can get the normal retail prices on all this stuff and still shop online. You just can't do that on Amazon any more.

https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/23/investing/target-earnings/i...

And as a result, I've become much more careful about checking prices on Amazon, which can't be good for Amazon overall.

By contrast, when I go to the grocery store, I generally assume the amount I'm paying is more-or-less the same as what I would pay elsewhere. (Likely a poor overall mindset on my part, but good for the store.)

For out-of-print books/toys/games/etc., eBay is usually your best bet. Computer hardware (video cards, RAM, etc.) is often cheaper on either eBay or NewEgg. Et cetera.

Some of these items, like the pasta, are things I'd previously ordered from Amazon for a fraction of the current price. Which, again, has caused me to be much more cautious—every time I reorder something nowadays, I have to check whether the price has changed. How does Amazon expect people to use stuff like the dash button when prices can vary this much?

But the products that double in price have made more sensitive to the ones that change by a few dollars, because I'm now on high alert for price changes in general.

I have a couple of Dash buttons for Gatorade and pistachios and such. I stopped using them because I couldn't be certain of a reasonable price, or that the products wouldn't be fakes.

Safety > price > convenience, Amazon.

I think it all stems from the same thing. Dishonest Amazon sellers know that most Amazon shoppers don't price check, so they can all get away with selling way over market price as long as everyone selling a given item stays the course.

Last week I tried Mercari, and it was... OK. Better selection than Goodwill. The shippers don't seem to be in a hurry to get things out. Both sellers offered excuses when they missed Mercari's three day window. But the stuff finally got here.

Can anyone recommend another marketplace? Something not Alibaba or DX.com?