Amazon can DIAF as far as I'm concerned. I've made an "Anywhere but Amazon" pledge to myself, and order elsewhere even if it's somewhat more expensive.
From the manufacturer's standpoint, they pay 15% referal fee to Amazon for getting them the sale. They also have a 5% coupon. Taking both of those things into account, their revenue on the sale is ~$64 compared to the ~$54 on their site. But I'd wager they're not getting very many sales on their website.
[0] https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/G5TUVJKZHU...
Also, I looked at the name brand dive lights. They're 3-5X more expensive and don't spec the LEDs. To a flashlight geek, these seem to be wholly inferior to the reputable chinese brands like wurkkos or sofirn.
Also also, I just threw out a set of expensive UK halogen lights. I expect to replace these new ones in a few years as LEDs continue to get more efficient. Going cheap seems to be the right choice for this kind of technology product.
Random example I bought a few weeks ago, a dive light:
Amazon, $80: https://smile.amazon.com/DL07-Flashlight-Underwater-Recharge...
Manufacturer, $55 (free shipping too): https://wurkkos.com/products/wurkkos-dl07-mulit-color-led-fl...
I still buy a lot of items from Amazon, but at this point I always check other sources for products >$50.
I have noticed a massive uptick in sponsored listings, which are rarely what I want. The utility of basic search is dramatically worse than it was a few years ago. Can anyone recommend an adblocking browser extension that kills off sponsored listings?