Our Birdseed Adventure - Don't Go On "Amazon Autopilot", It's Not Always The Best Deal
Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!
We spend a lot at Amazon. Some embarrassing figures:
Last year, we placed 825 orders at Amazon
At this point, Amazon is our main or #2 go-to for essentially everything, from electronics to school supplies to household items to groceries.
Amazon now accounts for well over half of our shopping and 12% of all of our expenses
So strong is our attachment to Amazon that Saving Money on Amazon was one of my first posts (it’s a good one!), and I start at Amazon for virtually every purchase.[1]
While Amazon is extremely convenient, there are some major pitfalls. The largest pitfall is going on “Amazon autopilot”, simply buying almost everything there because it’s convenient.
One recent example:
[2]
We love birds. We really, really love them. We’re fortunate to live in a neighborhood with a diverse bird population. But cardinals, bluejays, woodpeckers, and the occasional rare bird don’t just come to our window for nothing. We must pay the “seed price”, setting up four birdfeeders with black oil sunflower seeds to be refilled at regular intervals.
These seeds are heavy, and they’re not cheap. Sellers on Amazon are currently asking $65 for a 20lb bag of our preferred type (one sign, aside from the price, that this is a terrible deal—it’s not “Sold by” Amazon.com, but instead by a third-party seller).
A few quick searches turned up a much better deal at Chewy, where we could get 7% in cashback and 35% off our first Autoship order (just cancel the automatic shipments right after), for just $35 before tax for two 20lb bags, enough to last us two months.
A couple of tipoffs that you’re likely to find a much better deal away from Amazon:
Third-Party Seller - always check the “Ships from” and “Sold by” entries on the Amazon product page. If it’s not sold by Amazon.com, it’s a third-party seller that must pay Amazon steep fees to sell on their platform, meaning that they may charge a premium to offset the fee.
Bulky Items - Amazon sometimes does not carry very bulky items that are logistically difficult to fulfill, meaning these items are more likely to be sold by a third-party seller at a steep premium. I often find that places like Chewy (for pet-related items) or Home Depot (home improvement) are much more likely to offer good deals on very heavy items.
Household Items (toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc) - Be careful when buying these items on Amazon. While Amazon has great deals on many household items, it is common for third-party sellers to offer these items on Amazon for a large premium. I always check Amazon’s prices against Target and Walmart before purchasing a new item I’ve never bought on Amazon before.
And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:
What is the third-most common household language in each US state? You may be surprised.
And The Haves and the Have-Yachts is a terrific read about the extremely strange world of superyachts.
I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.
[1] If you shop at Amazon a lot, it’s essential that you save as much money as possible there. So you should definitely get 5% cash back on all purchases (including at Whole Foods) with the Amazon.com Prime Rewards Visa, and also donate an additional 0.5% to a charity of your choice (at no cost to you!) through buying everything through smile.amazon.com.
[2] By Rob Hanson from Welland, Ontario, Canada - Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3201406