Yahoo Finance 12 Things You Shouldn’t Buy on Amazon While on a Retirement Budget
Amazon is nothing if not convenient — is it budget-friendly, though? You click a button or two to buy just about anything available in the entire world and a few days later you have it.
But that convenience can make us lazy. Many people now check Amazon first — and don’t even bother to comparison shop.
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Which is exactly the point. Like salivating dogs, Amazon has conditioned us well.
So which items should retirees watch out for on Amazon?
Alternatively, here are 10 things retirees should buy on Amazon.
Cheap Items Without Free Shipping
It makes little sense to buy an item for $6.99 when it costs another $6.99 to ship. Unless the combined price is still cheaper than you can find it anywhere else.
Just make sure you actually check that “anywhere else” before clicking the Buy button.
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Products With Dubious Reviews
An entire cottage industry has popped up to provide sellers with glowing reviews. Reviews written by conversational AI chatbots.
It’s such a problem on Amazon that the company has started suing fake review brokers.
Before just buying into the hype of high review scores and endless “Great product!” and “Awesome!” reviews, actually read them. Do they mention specific customer experiences with the product? Or could they have been written about any product on the market?
Also watch out for robotic sounding reviews that just rattle off product features with no thoughtful commentary. These are a little sneakier, but just as fake.
Items With Fake Discounts
Prices on Amazon sometimes look as volatile as a stock chart.
Retailers often raise a product’s price by 30% then a few weeks later offer a “massive 25% discount!” Which is still 5% higher than it was last month.
Check the pricing history of items on Amazon with CamelCamelCamel before buying. And then check competing retailers.
Competitors’ Products
Amazon is ruthless about promoting its own flagship products such as Echo and dodging discounts on its competitors’ products such as Google Home.
If you want to buy a Big Tech product, go to the source first. You can also check Google Shopping results to quickly compare prices.
Pet Food
Amazon loves to get you hooked with its “Subscribe & Save” program to earn your business once then collect recurring revenue from you.
They set the hook with an initial discount — and then charge you higher-than-market prices thereafter. And they get away with it because you stop checking the pricing after the first shipment or two.
Pet food makes a perfect example. Owners need it on a recurring basis and love the convenience of it just showing up at the door.
Which may be worth paying extra for, especially as a retiree who doesn’t want to haul heavy bags of pet food home from Costco. Just make sure that’s a conscious decision based on a cost-benefit analysis, having checked the prices at Costco, Walmart, Target or other retailers before committing to paying Amazon prices.
Most Human Food, Too
Often food products cost more at Amazon than Costco and even supermarkets.
Worse, many food products from third-party retailers are either expired or nearing expiration. Double check expiration dates before buying any food product from a third-party seller.
Toilet Paper and Other Staples
Likewise, Costco usually beats Amazon on household staples like toilet paper, paper towels and the like.
Check bulk-buy purchases at big box stores before clicking that “Subscribe & Save” button on Amazon.
Cheap Chargers
Amazon is flooded with cheap, generic phone chargers and other electronic accessories.
And you get what you pay for.
These products often offer no surge protection, so saving a buck on the charger can fry your $1,500 phone. They also charge slower than the fast charging cables that come from the manufacturer, sometimes turning what could be a one-hour turbo charge to a five-hour wait.
Expensive Electronics
When you buy an expensive, complex electronic device such as a laptop or tablet or phone, you want the best possible warranty and tech support.
Which you won’t get from Amazon sellers, in most cases.
Buy these products directly from the manufacturer for the best warranty and support. Otherwise you can find yourself with the world’s most expensive paperweight ten months from now.
And that says nothing of the risk of counterfeit products.
High-End Clothes and Accessories
Counterfeit products sold on Amazon is such a serious problem that Amazon has created an entire Counterfeit Crimes Unit to combat them.
Not all products come with the same risk however. There’s virtually no risk of that Kirkland hair spray being counterfeit and a very real risk of that Rolex watch being counterfeit.
When you shop for high-end purses, watches, shoes and clothing brands, watch out for fakes. Many are extremely convincing.
When in doubt, buy directly from the manufacturer.
Nike and Birkenstock Shoes
Nike and Birkenstock don’t sell their shoes on Amazon, to avoid “brand dilution.”
Which means when you see them listed on Amazon, they could be knockoffs or used and being sold as new.
Repeat the refrain and buy from the manufacturer or another reputable shoe retailer.
Kirkland and Trader Joe’s Products
Similarly, Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell its products online. Costco doesn’t sell its (often excellent) Kirkland generic brand products outside of Costco.
Which means when you see those products on Amazon, they’re coming from a reseller looking to earn a profit margin on them. In other words, you can buy them cheaper yourself by going to the source.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 12 Things You Shouldn’t Buy on Amazon While on a Retirement Budget
