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Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: February 7th, 2022

Anyone who has done any shopping online has no doubt used Amazon.com. Founded in 1995 and based in Seattle, Washington, Amazon is the king of online shopping. The company boasts an amazing $88 billion in revenue annually and has more than 183,000 employees. The company has a number of subsidiaries and does business internationally. Amazon is also very active in the community and has been a staunch contributor to charitable causes and efforts.

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The Good

  • Reviews
  • Product selection
  • Ease of use
  • Shipping speed and options
Amazon is most likely the best known of any online shopping site. Its popularity can be traced in large part to the many wonderful aspects of its site and service. Here are just a few:
  • Amazon.com provides a tremendous amount of customer reviews for each product. The reviews are thorough, well conceived and especially helpful if you are struggling to know whether a certain product is for you. You can see what the average star rating is for each product, giving you a fair idea of how good the product is.
  • Product selection. The product pool is practically endless. Everything from electronics to books to toys and many, many items in between are available. Even older items you might never find at a store can be found on their site.
  • Ease of use. Amazon makes the entire shopping experience a piece of cake. Even a novice online shopper can find and buy his or her product of choice with little problem at all. Products are easily searchable, and the checkout process is fast and easy.
  • Shipping speed and options. Your item might arrive at your door in as little as a day or two. If you are willing to spend a little more, you can opt for overnight shipping. Even standard shipping only takes a week or less.
Product quality. A purchase from Amazon will come to you just as if you ran down to the corner department store and picked up an item fresh off the manufacturing table. Rarely will you get a product that has flaws or damages, and if you do, Amazon will make it right.
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The Bad

  • Customer service
  • Product availability
There's not much to complain about when it comes to Amazon.com. Here are a few small items:
  • Customer service could be better. If you need to make a change on an item, cancel an order or discuss any issue, customer service can be a little hard to work with. Response and resolution times are bit longer than one would like, and making order changes can be a hassle.
  • Product availability. Some products have limited availability whose selections go fast. You need to be prepared to act quickly if you see an item you want or it can be gone in a flash.
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The Bottom Line

Clearly, Amazon.com is at the forefront of the online shopping industry. No one is better at providing an overall satisfactory customer service experience. Amazon is so good, in fact, that once you use it, you may very well never do online shopping anywhere else. Some people may never do much shopping at all at traditional stores. This is unfortunate for the competition, but the fact is that Amazon is an excellent option, and you are almost certain to like what it has to offer. There's no compelling reason to go anywhere else.
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Star Rating

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4.7

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599 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

76%

4 grade

19%

3 grade

3%

2 grade

1%

1 grade

1%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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Leonard Leo Potomac, MD

Amazon expanded from its book selling roots to selling practically anything in their marketplace. However, buyer beware when comparing similar products. Reviews of products can also be misleading and falsified. However, Amazon is king of delivery, ranging from free shipping to same day delivery. Don't like or unsatisfied? No problem, just return ship it for free. Amazon is definitely one of my "go to" sites for shopping.

5 years ago

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Caloway Salt Lake City, UT

The great thing about Amazon is that there is a wide variety of products that you can order and find different price ranges for each. The only downside is returning items because if you aren't careful, you could end up paying $36 to return something. I wish they had the return pricing in a more obvious place but overall it is a great site to shop at and I don't return much anyway so it all works out.

5 years ago

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Rodger Reed

My experience is overall very good, but Amazon has deceptive practices that ai dislike. Amazon manipulates the free shipping in order to create an exaggerated benefit of Prime membership. Shipping anywhere in the U.S. takes no more than 3-5 days, yet Amazon holds orders in their warehouse in order to create shipping windows of up to 13 days in order to sell Prime. It's disgusting.

7 years ago

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Karen Frisco, TX

I don't shop a lot online, but when I do, I usually use Amazon. I have always had a positive experience with them. All of the items I have received from them have come during the time frame they said it would come and items are well packaged so as not to be damaged. The one time I had to return an item because it broke shortly after using it, Amazon was great in helping me get my money back from the vendor using their site.

8 years ago

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Michael Lyman Salt Lake City, UT

Every time I order anything, I have always received prompt delivery. Even when there is a product that is out of stock, I have received the item before the estimated stock date. I would say that they have some of the best delivery service of online ordering. I have never received any damaged items or any incorrect items. Amazon is also much cheaper than other online stores.

9 years ago

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Megum Povsha Bozeman, MT

I have been satisfied with all of my orders that I have actually received. I think that they could do better with their customer service reps and on keeping their website updated with what products they do have and what they don’t have.

4 years ago

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Jessica Chen Rockville, MD

Amazon provides a range of times to shop from. I use Amazon all the time when looking for specific items to buy like computer cases or earrings. The quality is usually pretty good and the reviews are always honest and helpful.

5 years ago

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Sheila

I order so much from this company. The only improvement it needs is that it sometimes it takes longer to get the items than stated. Example: I ordered an item on Prime and time stated was 2 days, but it was delivered to my post office and they delivered 2 days after I should have received it.

7 years ago

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Christopher Ballenger

They're pretty good in terms of customer service and their expansion of delivery methods, as well as speedy delivery. Their ads on other websites are annoying though because they usually fall in one of two categories: something I've already bought or something i decided not to buy.

7 years ago

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Jonny Hancock

I love the simplicity of amazon. With one search you can find anything from their massive warehouses. My only complaint about amazon is their return labels. I would like amazon to include a return label within your purchase. They waste your time going and printing a return label yourself.

7 years ago

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Rosalyn S. Harriett

I had an Amazon credit card for many years and was NEVER LATE paying my bill. All of a sudden I received a letter advising me they canceled my credit card. I was and am very angry at what they did. I used to buy many products on their website but not anymore.

7 years ago

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Maria Carmody

They are the best. Anytime I need something I go to Amazon. I'm never let down. They always have what I want. The only problem I've ever had is their delivery people. They're getting lazy and just toss packages in lobby. They used to bring to my door.

7 years ago

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Kory Staheli

I have been very pleased with Amazon. You can find almost anything you need from the comfort of your own home and have it delivered promptly. It is easy to search and has great refining capabilities. I especially like the free shipping available through Amazon Prime.

9 years ago

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Emily Norton Tucson, AZ

You can find basically anything on here for any price. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what will be quality products, but you can always go through the reviews and see what your getting. There’s also so many filters you can apply to your search to really narrow down to what exactly you want. It’s definitely worth it to be a prime member to get the faster, free shipping. I’ve never had a problem making returns either.

6 years ago

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Amanda Hodges Little Rock, AR

I love Amazon. What an amazing selection and fast delivery. I bought all of my Christmas presents from Amazon this year and it was the best decision because I did not have to drive to the box stores and fight the crowds of people. I also love the return policy. It is easy and fast and they have convenient locations that will take your returns and return them for free. I tell all my friends and have even set up a business account where I work.

6 years ago

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Kathryn Robinson Riverton, UT

Amazon literally has every product you can think of! I love that they even have things like international foods or difficult to find items. The search function is easy and convenient. And, I love Amazon Prime 2 day shipping! My only complaint is it is getting more challenging to determine the quality of a product because reviews can be biased. Also, the customer service is ok. It is difficult to contact someone at Amazon to help if you have a problem with a product.

6 years ago

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Lily Grant Lehi, UT

Last year during Christmas my family bought allot of stuff off of amazon and for the most part we were able to get everything that we purchased without any issues, and in good time too.

6 years ago

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Yolanda Briganti Riverton, UT

I like Amazon Prime because I can buy almost anything and have it shipped directly to me for free. I’ve found I can get stuff before I would have been able to go to the store.

6 years ago

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george A Easton

excellent. I've used them since they only sold books. Even if i find something on another website i then go search amazon to see if it's cheaper there- because i trust amazon

7 years ago

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Dallas Lasich

Have what you want good response time the quality is not always there but is good. Return policy seems to work ok though not always fast. Some times they don't have the product in stock or on back order

7 years ago

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Veronica S

I always love the merchandise I receive from this company. And the customer service is so polite they will work with you until they are satisfied. I wish they had deals for retired individuals that would be just great.

7 years ago

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Jacinda E Sandy, UT

We use Amazon all the time to look at reviews with certain products and to buy. I like how easy it is to use and the variety of what you can shop for. My one complaint is returning items.

8 years ago

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Chris Johnson American Fork, UT

I love the convenience of being able to order something (anything really) on Amazon, and knowing it will get delivered quickly and in good condition. The return process has also been very easy.

8 years ago

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tania moe Olive Branch, MS

I've had great experiences with Amazon. Even with many variables of making online shopping work consistently and effectively, I have only had maybe 2 or 3 instances where I've had a hiccup. That's a fantastic percentage. Also, they have made returns convenient and easy and the refund happens so much sooner than expected.

6 years ago

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Madge Easton Orem, UT

I like amazon's prime. I can usually find what I'm looking for. Sometimes you pay a little more for the product but it is worth it to get it in just a few days and right on time as to when they tell you it will be delivered to you.

8 years ago

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Ashley

Its annoying that they show product thise doesnt ship to canada and it doesnt tell you until you are trying to check out. And amazon.ca lacks selection.

7 years ago

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Claudia

I like the easy way of ordering and shipping especially as a premium user. Improvement with their search is in need. Often not everything is shown under the search name

7 years ago

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Micki Wiersma

Vast quantity of products available is a plus. They could speed up the process of posting reviews which helps potential buyers. Two days turnaround is way too long.

7 years ago

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Raquel Sandy, UT

Love amazon and love amazon prime. When I needed to cancel an order customer service was great. Very attentive to detail to make sure they got it right.

8 years ago

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Kent Jensen Newberg, OR

Good selection, one stop shopping. Delivery always on time. only one mistake in all the years I have purchased form them and it was corrected quickly. very satisfied.

8 years ago

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Lindsay H. Draper, UT

Amazon is very user friendly. It makes it easy to search for items and add them to your cart. Delivery is super fast with Amazon Prime and it is easy to make returns.

9 years ago

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Brandon Scott Norcross, GA

Nice quality products! The things I order come in in good condition. I really appreciate the organization of the site in the format of how Amazon does things. I will definitely continue to buy things from Amazon.

6 years ago

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Nathan D. Warrendale, PA

I love Amazon.com for shopping and Amazon Prime. The next day delivery is a life saver for many things like Christmas, a birthday, or even planning a Halloween party to get decor.

6 years ago

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Sam Stewart Saint George, UT

Amazon has a massive selection of products for a fairly low price. The shipping is often free and very fast. You can receive almost anything you order in less than three days.

7 years ago

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Allyssa Layton, UT

We love amazon prime in our house! That’s where we registered when we were engaged. It’s so easy to find what you need and read the other reviews and only waiting 2 days is awesome!

7 years ago

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Brenda Spanish Fork, UT

I love Amazons two-day shipping for Prime members. I also like being able to see reviews from other people who have purchased the item. It helps me feel more confident in my purchase.

7 years ago

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Amber C Frey San Diego, CA

I use Amazon all the time and they have great customer service. I hardly ever have any issues with something I ordered but when I do they are very quick to either refund my money or send out a new product.

7 years ago

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KSCOMOGA Overland Park, KS

They try hard to complete my business above and beyond my expectations and when they make a mistake they take care of it to my satisfaction.

7 years ago

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Annette

I love the variety and prices. Ive had some really good experiences but Ive also bought items that came with cheap packages and lack of instructions

7 years ago

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Michelle Hawker

Fast, huge selection, almost always have what I need.timely delivery! Negative is that the quality is not always consistent.

7 years ago

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Easy to use

I'm happy with them because they almost always have whatever I'm looking for. They could improve by behind a little cheaper.

7 years ago

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Joi J

My experience has always been good. They usally have exaxtly what I need. I would prefer only products made in America in the even of a return.

7 years ago

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John Smith Provo, UT

I've had a few bad experiences with amazon (late/damaged shipments), but for the most part it's a great online shopping provider.

8 years ago

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Mark

I use Amazon more than any other online shopping site. I generally get the best prices, quick delivery, easy returns, and good customer service.

9 years ago

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Audrey Mitchell Managua, MN

Amazon has been great to use when wanting to get food, supplies, and clothes fast. Having Amazon Prime is a must because it will save you time and energy!

6 years ago

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Angelina Hamilton Jackson, MS

I think I buy something from here at least once a week. They have anything and everything. Prices are very competitive and I can get it delivered to my door!

6 years ago

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Donna Long Beach, MS

Am new to amazone prime.i love how there is so many diffrent categories. Of houshold to foods.you can mail a gift straight to the person you are buying for.love it so far

6 years ago

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Zharia Allums Haines City, FL

I like using amazon the most when doing online shopping. I even have amazon prime and I like that other services are offered, like music, even though I don't use them.

6 years ago

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Roberson Salt Lake City, UT

Amazon is fantastic and provides and incredibly vast array of items a click away, shipping is fast. However, as a company they could treat their employees much better.

6 years ago

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Roman Christiansen Pleasant Grove, UT

Obviously a go to resource for all our online shopping. It’s amazing how many daily use products (like diapers) are cheaper and more conveniently purchased online.

6 years ago