What was once a rather scary proposition has become a way of life for people around the world. Yes, we’re referring to online shopping; and the big daddy of online shopping – Amazon. In case you’ve had your fill of it, and are looking for some interesting Amazon alternatives, this Techspirited post has 11 of them listed just for you. Take your pick…
Jeff Bezos decided to begin with selling books online, owing to the large, worldwide demand for them, making Amazon a one-of-a-kind online bookstore in 1995. Books and book-related sales bring in a major chunk of revenue for Amazon, even today.
Amazon is known as the ‘big daddy’ among online retailers for all the right reasons. The company claims to have the biggest selection of books, magazines, music, DVDs, electronics, computers, software, clothing, accessories, jewelry, tools, hardware, housewares, furniture, sporting equipment, and beauty products on the entire planet. No one’s really verified this, but one look at the site’s enormous range of products, and you realize that there is some truth to this.
Despite being a top-of-the-rung shopping site, Amazon does have its own share of competitors. And even if you happen to be an Amazon loyalist, it would only be interesting to check out these great alternatives.
What can we say about Overstock that hasn’t already been said? 1,000,000+ amazing products from all over the world. This site offers some fabulous value-added deals on a wide range of products, following a model that is pretty similar to Amazon’s. Overstock is steadily climbing the charts as Amazon’s closest competitor, and they have also begun to cater to customers from all over the globe.
Overstock
This Japanese e-commerce giant made quite a splash when it took over Buy.com, breaking into US and European markets. In terms of sales figures, Rakuten ranks among the world’s top sites. Their forte remains electronics, and you can find some amazing value-for-money deals on appliances and gadgets on the site.
Rakuten
Consumers in the United States are all too familiar with Sears, and its long standing legacy in the retail sector. Their online store offers the same clean-cut and no-frills shopping experience. With a Sears card in hand, your discounted deals only get sweeter; besides you’re always assured of timely delivery and quality products at your doorstep.
Sears
Now, we know how Bluefly is an online store exclusively dedicated to fashion. But there indeed are a lot of consumers out there looking to get decent deals on high-end fashion brandsāand honestly, Amazon does disappoint in this area. We’ve included Bluefly for this very reasonāeven fashionistas deserve to get their share of discounted deals online.
Bluefly
It’s short for Want, Need, Love, in case you were among the few who were wondering. The reason why this site is a must-visit is because it combines the two great loves of our livesāPinterest-style hoarding, and discounted shopping. Check out the site in case you don’t believe this is actually happening.
Wanelo
There are times when laziness takes over our lives, rendering us as paralyzed slobs. This is the time when we get really thankful for Target having an amazing online portal for us to shop in the comfort of our homes. You’ve been warned though, that the site can be as addictive as the stores themselves.
Target
Quirky’s name ought to give you a fair idea about what’s in store for youāand it’s all delightfully quirky in every sense of the word. Any shopper’s regular grouse remains that the products are all too similar across all websites, which can dull the shopping experience to a great degree. But with Quirky, you get to browse through some really unique products which aren’t always mass-manufactured. As a consumer, it always is a win-win to get their hands on something which really is one-of-a-kind.
Quirky
This one’s a cute site, which again lets you ‘heart’ your favorite products, creating a pile of your coveted items. Flash sales are frequently organized, which allows users to pick up their listed items for less. They ensure that you get the best pricing by comparing costs across a list of vendors.
Fab
We just can’t complete this piece without awarding a mention to Walmart. The word ‘savings’ is synonymous with ‘Walmart’, gaining a long list of fans for this enterprise. So, just like in the case of Target, if you’re feeling to lazy to drive to a store, check out Walmart’s websiteāit offers all the happiness of shopping without moving a muscle.
Walmart
What on earth would we do with our unwanted used goods if ebay didn’t exist? Yes, we let out a shudder too. Ebay is a favorite among people looking to sell (nice) things that they don’t wish to keep for themselves, along with buyers who don’t mind picking up (nice) used goods at a fair price. A pioneer of sorts among all auction sites, ebay is worth its weight in gold.
Ebay
Best Buy is the go-to option to fulfill your shopping needs when it comes to all kinds of electronics, gadgets, and accessories. The site lets you buy a product online, and pick it up from their store if it happens to be in your vicinity, thus saving you shipping costs. They also have an excellent reward system in place for regular shoppers.
BestBuy