I’ve been a really active Internet user for about a decade, but I did
venture online now and then in the few years before that. One of the
first sites I recall visiting was Amazon.com. I was in search of The Keeper,
a children’s album by former Irish Rover Will Millar, whose title track
he had sung at a concert in Erie before he left the band. I found the
CD, and with a very reasonable price tag, too. It was the first of many
purchases I would make there.
My most memorable Amazon
experience dates back to 2000. My mom was shopping for a Father’s Day
present for my grandpa, and we noticed that there was a promotion
running that offered free shipping on orders over $25. That has since
become standard on Amazon, both a blessing and a curse, as it pretty
much guarantees that unless I’m buying something used (in which case the
special rate doesn’t apply) I will find a way to spend at least $25
there. Mom had found a couple of things, but it still came in at under
$25. Then we recalled that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
would be coming out that summer. So we pre-ordered that, because of
course I would be buying it anyway. Except we kinda forgot that the
order was going directly to Grandpa. So he got his Father’s Day
presents, and shortly thereafter, the hefty new Harry Potter landed on
his doorstep. And though I’d been so ahead of the game, it was a month
before we made it to York for a visit, at which point I felt like the
last person on the planet to have read the fourth installment. Lesson
learned: Don’t order stuff for yourself when it’s going to somebody
else!
In the years since, I’ve probably plunked down a
thousand dollars on Amazon. It’s certainly not difficult to spend money
there, since just about any movie, book or CD you could possibly want is
available through the site, especially if you don’t mind buying it
second-hand. There are other things as well; I’ve bought action figures,
vending machine toys and other such indulgences, not to mention a
microphone. It’s rare that I’ve spent full price for something there,
and music seems to be especially cost-effective. For instance, I’ve
pre-ordered Celtic Thunder’s upcoming CD and DVD It‘s Entertainment; the list price for the two combined is $39, but on Amazon I’m only paying $24.
In all my years buying from Amazon, I can’t recall having any negative
experiences. On the rare occasion that I’ve received something that was
damaged, I was able to return it quickly and painlessly. I’ve
occasionally received Amazon gift cards, and I had no trouble using
them. The one thing I haven’t been able to do is get an Amazon credit
card, which is rather a shame since I buy more from them than any other
retailer, but given my aversion to credit cards in general, I guess I
can’t fault them for viewing my lack of credit experience as a
liability. I generally use my debit card on Amazon, which works fine,
and with Visa Extras I’m still able to get a little reward for my
dollars spent; in fact, I have a $25 Amazon gift card headed my way
right now.
One aspect of Amazon that is both helpful and
maddening is the feature that shows you similar items that might be of
interest. The trouble is that these items usually are of
interest, and goodness knows I don’t need any more temptation. Still,
I’ve discovered some great stuff through Amazon that way. If you’re a
media lover, this is an indispensable website, and if you time your
purchases so that you buy several things at once, you can avoid shipping
costs and make the reasonable prices even more palatable. For a
bookworm and audiophile like me, Amazon is the river of dreams.
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