- anecdotal, but in the several years of using amazon, never had a problem with any of the 'non-amazon' sellers. There are ratings for a reason. That's like saying you didn't get what you wanted from one ebay listing so all of ebay is bad
- reviews don't mean nothing..what's your problem with the current reviews. Like anything you read, take it with a grain of salt. Amazon also includes verified reviews, as in, people who actually purchased the product. Search google if amazon isn't enough for you
- based on the rest of your post you ordered what you thought was an arduino from a non-amazon seller off of amazon, found out it was a clone, and was pissed cause you thought the reviews would have made that more clear
Idunno, maybe he's Canadian? Amazon.ca is a joke compared to the American inventory.
It's still far from amazon.com, but they just added quite a few non-book items. I recently ordered three electronic items that normally I would have had to get shipped across the border.
It's a good company, but I have seen them start to slip. I still buy from them, but I don't just click like I used to.
- inventory is limited? which amazon website are you visiting?
That could be what is being said. Almost everyone I've talked to that doesn't like eBay essentially says something like this.
Kidding aside, it's horrible. I find myself going to other sites for reviews (NewEgg is a good one), then buying on Amazon. Crappy of me, I suppose. But they've hooked me with Prime.
I love and use Amazon all the time. but there are so many weird things about it.
Sometimes I buy something thinking it's from Amazon, but it's not, it's from another seller, and sometimes the product is not "mint." It seems like it was opened before and put back in and there are finger prints all over it or something that is "slightly" off like a tiny dent.
I feel like there's definitely room for something better.
I do read the negative Amazon reviews, though. I'm also finding myself looking at their customer-submitted photos to get a better sense of size+function, and checking on YouTube for reviews as well. I'd rather get a review of a radiator thermostat from a guy that has reviewed a few of them (and posted videos of them all) than trust a bunch of 50-word reviews anywhere else.
Inventory sucks? Reviews meaning nothing? Incorrect!
unless you count in the other sellers. i.e. stuff not marked as sold by amazon, then all that you said stop to be true.
reviews means little because when bad reviews pile up, they create a new listing.
shipping is weird. some stuff may be shipped from china. arduino clones.
oh and that, you get arduinos clones being sold as originals.
at least the returns are usually still better than the alternatives.