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Amazon: The Wal-Mart of the Internet

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NEW: How Close is Amazon to Doctor Who’s Kerblam? (Nov 24, 2018)

WHY SO MANY BOYCOTT AMAZON CALLS?

There are increasing calls to boycott Amazon, but I had no idea just how many different issues are involved and how serious they are until I started researching this post.

Amazon bully
Image Credit: Broken Sword Publications ~ Click Image to Read Amazon Threats to Publishers

Just like Wal-Mart, Amazon engages in unethical and unfair practices.

If you are not familiar with the reasons many people – myself included – boycott Wal-Mart please read my post about How WalMart Practices affect small business and local tax revenues.

AMAZON CENSORSHIP: DELETES KINDLE BOOKS

In Why Amazon Went Big Brother, Arstechnica wrote:

“Amazon.com shocked customers yesterday when it reached out to hundreds, if not thousands of Kindles and simply deleted texts that users had not only purchased, but had started to read!”

The New York Times reported:

In George Orwell’s “1984,” government censors erase all traces of news articles embarrassing to Big Brother by sending them down an incineration chute called the “memory hole.”

On Friday, it was “1984” and another Orwell book, “Animal Farm,” that were dropped down the memory hole — by Amazon.com.

Amazon customers were so outraged that Amazon Said They Will Stop Deleting Kindle Books. When they start editing books you already bought how many will notice? Almost NONE!

Boycott Amazon
MUST READ: Amazon moving to force authors to use THEM as their publisher

SMALL BUSINESS INDIE BOOK SELLER BOYCOTT

This week, Small Business supporters called for a boycott of Amazon because of their recent targeting of all small businesses that sell books, electronics and anything else Amazon offers.

Sarah Woodbury called Amazon’s tactic of offering buyers a discount for reporting prices and not buying from local businesses “a pretty low blow—despicable—…” in her comprehensive post on her Word Hits book review blog about Amazon’s Price Check App:

“Amazon wants shoppers to scan the price of electronics, toys, or dvd’s with their Price Check app (thus sending them [Amazon] this data) – and then walk out of the store to get a discount of up to $5 on that item online.”

This is going too far – and on top of their choosing to have ambulances stand by instead of bringing their warehouses down to a safe working temperature and then making employees stand outside in 26 degree weather –  I am joining the calls to officially boycott Amazon.

I have previously written about Amazon’s heartless employee practices which intentionally endanger their employee’s lives.  Details on that are at the bottom of this post so that all Amazon related issues are in this one post for easier sharing.

I realize that many bloggers and affiliate marketers are in the middle
of their prime revenue generating period and now may be the worst
possible time to make changes, so I ask you to at least REMEMBER.
Change who you’re promoting at your earliest convenience.

ShareASale Most Trusted Affiliate Network

As you can tell by the tower ad in the center column of this blog, I have chosen to go with Bigger Books as an alternative to Amazon. Their affiliate program is on ShareASale.

The ShareASale Affiliate Network is where I always look first because they have been protecting merchants and affiliates alike from predatory affiliate practices. We need to encourage them to continue to make that their most important USP.  It IS the reason we use, recommend and promote ShareASale. Without a continued commitment to keep their network clean they will be just another network.

BOYCOTT AMAZON TAX NEXUS ISSUE:

There are numerous other calls to boycott Amazon including the lobbying organization Alliance for Main Street Fairness boycott Amazon call over the sales tax Nexus issue.

While obviously wishing to APPEAR TO BE a small business organization, that alliance was actually formed by large retail corporations such as AutoZone, Best Buy, Home Depot, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart.

That alliance is a good example of why intelligent individuals MUST
learn to be VERY discerning in what information you believe.

The quality and quantity of disinformation
being generated every day is astounding.

BOYCOTT AMAZON CENSORSHIP ISSUE:

Boycott amazon
Image Credit SoYouThinkYouCanInvest ~ Click Image to Read their Boycott Amazon post

Amazon has periodically banned books that reveal truths that are not in line with what the global elite want us to believe. When they banned one such book, The Secret of Oz, some called for us to boycott Amazon for censorship.

Amazon lifted the ban of that book so there was no boycott. As I come across other incidents of censorship for political reasons I will add them here. If you know of any please leave details including links in the comments.

BOYCOTT AMAZON CHILD PROTECTION ISSUE:

Amazon is also being boycotted for selling books that are pro-child molestation. This issue makes it clear that the issue of free speech is not a simple one.

We can not protect ALL speech; however, as soon as we move
to limit SOME speech all Freedom of Speech is imperiled.

There are no easy answers when it comes to allowing free speech while at least keeping the most objectionable issues behind closed doors where only those who really want to see them can voluntarily go.

Laws of all kinds are used more to protect evil
than to protect us FROM evil.

Cetronia Ambulances
Cetronia Ambulance Corps hired to stand by at Amazon warehouses

When you buy and recommend books this year I ask you to consider supporting small book sellers instead of automatically buying or acting as an affiliate for Amazon.

This is especially important in light of the extremely bad publicity Amazon is getting REPEATEDLY regarding their putting profits before lives.

Amazon endangers employee’s lives:

Apparently learning nothing from the bad publicity over employees suffering from heat stroke, last month that same Amazon warehouse left their workers standing outside in sub-freezing temperatures because apparently identifying who pulled the fire alarm was more important than letting them die from exposure:

On Dec. 3, Cetronia Ambulance Corps transported six Amazon warehouse workers to the hospital to be treated for cold exposure following a fire alarm evacuation, said Larry Wiersch, CEO of the nonprofit ambulance service.

About 30 other people got into ambulances to warm up, he said.

“It was cold — 26 degrees — and it was windy,” Wiersch said.

“There were pregnant women, men and women in T-shirts and shorts, some with sleeveless shirts and shorts,” one complaint states.

“People were passing out and feeling ill left and right. … I am absolutely disgusted with this company’s practices and I do believe OSHA should visit this building and give them some sort of coaching on how to better handle the situation before there are more people suffering from hypothermia.”

These incidents make it painfully obvious that Amazon does not consider their employee’s lives when making business decisions. It is up to us to hold companies like this accountable for their actions.

You don’t have ambulances stand by – you FIX THE PROBLEM!

If we look the other way and continue to buy from Amazon and promote them as affiliates we are equally complicit and guilty of enabling them to intentionally endanger lives by negligent homicide or even criminal negligence.

The best way to get the attention of those who worship money
is this: Amazon Suffers Big Drop in Income

Keep giving them your money and you are guilty, too!

I encourage all people of conscience to switch to other affiliate programs and buy from other book sellers. There are many and I am personally supporting Bigger Books because they are on ShareASale and have every book I’ve searched for so far.

If you don’t care about the Amazon employees, at least care about you, your friends and your family because what we allow to happen to anyone CAN and DOES happen to us eventually. As Joan Baez sings, “There but for fortune, go YOU or I…”

Do you know of an Amazon issue not yet covered on this page?
Please do leave details and relevant links in the comments.

If you are a new commenter here or you provide multiple links in one comment, your comment WILL be automatically held for moderation, but I will approve all relevant comments.

Originally published 12/12/11; added new information 12/2/18.

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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap
Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist she mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.

Comments

  1. I didn’t realize that Amazon was involved in unfair and unethical practices. Your article on the warehouse workers was a real eye opener. I’m a firm believer in taking care of your employees first. Thanks for the great information.

    Reply

  3. Amazon is such a great site that i can purchase all gifts for my family and love one online easily….and its service is very fast…and also so cheap.

    Reply

    • So you’re good with Amazon’s policies of deleting what you buy from your Kindle and endangering their employee’s lives – as long as you can get things cheap?

      Reply

  4. I can not understand this logic that why the peoples are so against of this website..i think thataffiliate marketers are in the middle
    of their prime revenue generating period and now may be the worst possible
    time to make changes……………

    Reply

    • If you do not understand then you have not comprehended the meaning of the words on this page OR have no problem with people dying so you can have what you want cheaper.

      Reply

  7. Hi Billy,

    Thank you for those links and this information. Amazon is part of what I collectively call “The Borg” – those controlled by what George Carlin refers to as “the owners” which is appropriate because they DO control everything. As soon as they were able to take control of the money supplies in nearly every country they could then control the governments, stock markets, and now they’re coming for the Internet through DMCA, COPPA, SOPA, PIPA, etc.

    We all need to wake up to the fact that to these people we are simply disposable “human resources”. They live in another world where only they count and the rest of us are “useless eaters” – their phrase – not mine.

    You’re right – the reason they’re trying to make the Kindle where people read their books is because they can easily rewrite history ala Orwell’s 1984 by changing the books in your Kindle any time they wish – or deleting them altogether.

    Almost no one would notice and the few that did can usually be easily mollified by saying “it was a computer glitch”. Computers are THE best scapegoat ever!
    growmap would love you to read ..Social Networking, LinkedIn, Blogging and MusicMy Profile

    Reply

    • Hi Shine,

      Yes, they should but people who treat others this way see them as unimportant – disposable commodities no different than a paper clip or a piece of paper. That is why when we recognize evil in any form we must STOP supporting it and find alternatives. If there are none it is only because these companies compete unfairly so we must MAKE some.
      growmap would love you to read ..Why We Need Group Geo-Targeted Niche BlogsMy Profile

      Reply

  9. Hi
    This boycott is done because of thousands of user are using this site. May be some people are not like this,.
    thanks,

    [Hi Jac. Your comments are being stuck in spam by WordPress (Automattic) so you are probably on the worst Akismet blacklist. You may want to contact them to see if they will reconsider and get you off. Use the test link at the top of this Akismet Blacklist post and the link to contact Akismet further down in the post.]
    Jac Evans would love you to read ..No Posts Were Found!My Profile

    Reply

    • No, Jac, the boycott calls are because Amazon does not care if people DIE or if they want the freedom to publish anywhere else. They are BULLIES who steam roll all that get in their way. Is it not about time we hold them accountable for what they do?

      I don’t care how big and successful someone is as long as they do it ethically. If they do it by abusing their suppliers, workers, or anyone else then I refuse to enable them by promoting or buying from them.

      Anyone who keeps on supporting a company that they KNOW is evil is just as guilty as the company itself because it is those who are willing to look the other way that allow these atrocities to continue.
      growmap would love you to read ..SOPA Blackout Strike Already Started; Why Major Sites and Blogs Went Dark in SupportMy Profile

      Reply

  10. For me personally, Wal-Mart is easy to avoid shopping at — it doesn’t have anything specifically that I want, or can’t get other places, and there’s nothing making me want to go there. While I don’t buy much from Amazon in general, I do make occasional purchases from them because they often have obscure items that can’t be found locally. In fact I don’t believe I’ve *ever* ordered something from Amazon that could be easily found locally for purchase.
    Gregory would love you to read ..AFA Congratulates Advancing Teams in CyberPatriot CompetitionMy Profile

    Reply

  12. This issue is somewhat very similar to the other business like Amazon. I think this BOYCOTT thing is an act of other competitors that offer the same service as Amazon. We can’t deny the fact that Amazon has grown steady despite the issue they face. I do believe Amazon is one of the safest online trading network I’ve tried.

    Reply

    • Hello Jac,

      I assure you that I am not a competitor of Amazon. I don’t care how safe they are – if they think causing DEATHS is an acceptable way to do business any person who promotes them or buys from them is equally guilty of causing people to suffer or even die.

      It is obvious that many people still just can not grasp that WE are responsible for the consequences of our decisions – or more likely CHOOSE not to accept that fact – and it IS a fact.
      growmap would love you to read ..Using Social Media: How Not to Burn Bridges in Your Social Media CampaignsMy Profile

      Reply

  13. Great article. I think that’s the problem when a compnay hits a certain % of market share they can begin to flex their muscles and not always in positive ways.

    I’ll make sure I check out ShareASale and GEMM.

    Reply

  15. I enjoy your site – I would like to talk with you about buying ad space here granted you do that. Hit me up at the email I provided and we can talk about, thanks mate.

    Reply

  16. Hi
    Calls are increasing when we bycott the amazon. People want to know that why we bycott. Infact Amazon is the big site of books in which books are selling.
    thanks,

    Reply

  17. Try GEMM dot com as a great alternative to Amazon’s marketplace . GEMM is easy to get set up on and gets a pretty good international audience. 13% fee when something sells. No listing fees, no other fees whatsoever. GEMM’s been online since September 1994 and does have some serious popularity in other countries. It’s a small company run by an avid record and book collecting surfer and friends in California.
    Read about the founder, how he got started, and his experience with Amazon here: http://gemm-ayudahelper.blogspot.com/2009/10/interview-with-gemm-ceo-roger-raffee.html

    Reply

      • I know the owner Roger Raffee. It’s a shame people are completely brain-washed in to thinking Ebay or Amazon, Google, and wherever and whatever else these sheep are led to. Not thinking, not opening their eyes, just blindly following. Even the “occupy” people are just more blind sheep following blindly as are the “tea party” people. Probably almost nobody’s paying attention to or caring about what you’re saying. The rich get richer sticking it to people who gladly bend over and take it…and ask for more. Then complain when they got nothing left, and then keep going back for more..

        Reply

    • Did you even READ this post? Is letting people die so a company can maximize profits perfectly ok with you? Both Amazon and eBay were made into “the” companies everyone knows about because the people behind them own the major media.

      The business model of both of them is to suck out most of the profit as middle men and leave the sellers with as little as possible. The problem with people being so selfish that they don’t care what companies do as long as they get the cheapest price and it is “easy” for them is that the economy they are destroying WILL affect them, too.

      It has and it is going to keep getting worse until the few wake up and create alternate economies by supporting online and local small businesses.
      growmap would love you to read ..Future of Engagement: Identifying InfluencersMy Profile

      Reply

  20. I get the feeling that when a company, any company, grows as large as Amazon, or Apple, or Walmart, or Google, or General Electric, they by default turn “evil.” I don’t know if this is a consequence of becoming a publically traded multinational with a global presence and more cash reserves than many small countries, but each and every one of these companies, without fail, end up doing stuff that is downright evil or, at the very least, highly questionable.

    Reply

  21. I couldn’t find anything more proper than just quote:
    “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men”
    (by john Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton)

    “Nothing personal; It’s just business”
    (Mario Puzo, Author of The Godfather)

    Reply

  23. Oh my God – I must have my head in the sand – I had no idea that this was going on – and here I was thinking that “Amazon” was a great company -Yeah Right.
    But it has crossed my mind many times that high unemployment is to the benefit of employers – large and small. Just check through Craigslist help wanted ads – small employers have definitely taken advantage of this “Economy from Hell.”
    I can only hope their’s a special place in Hell for all of these employers who pull this type of crap.

    Reply

    • Hi Susan,

      Don’t blame yourself. The major media rarely covers news that is negative to a big brand except when they are favoring a “competitor” to drive the “competitor’s” stock price up and they want that stock to go down so they can later buy it back at low prices.

      Most people just assume the largest companies that get the most media attention online and off are the “best” companies – never questioning WHY they get so much buzz and small businesses never do.

      There are people who will take advantage of others – they are the majority – and they are in both large and small companies. But there ARE people who believe in Fair Trade and a decent standard of living for all – and that is who I seek out and write about.

      Soon I will finally launch my healthy living blog where I will share what brands can be trusted and which to avoid. I have been doing research for many, many years and did not want to publish it until I could be 100% sure of who we CAN trust.

      As a percentage of brands there really are not all that many. We can then use those brands to find local businesses that sell them as a shortcut to evaluating what local businesses can be trusted. I’m already bringing the highly ethical bloggers into a private invitation only forum so we will be ready to spread the good news locally as well as nationally.

      Anyone who is already on my lists will be invited. Any DoFollow CommentLuv bloggers with quality blogs are asked to PLEASE leave your information and links in the Promote Your Blog post.

      For more information on what we are doing see Blogging Collaborations Best Practices.

      Anyone who is interested in guest blogging is invited to let me know. If your content fits here it may be published on GrowMap – and I will introduce you to bloggers who cover your niche.

      Writers who do not know how to blog are encouraged to contact me. I can easily teach you to use WordPress and find you blogs to publish your content. It is NOT necessary for everyone to have their own blog – group blogs are actually a better idea.
      growmap would love you to read ..Why We Need Group Geo-Targeted Niche BlogsMy Profile

      Reply

  24. Amazon is continue eating hungry margin. We need to avoid to buying Amazon any product unless they become good boy. Also low margin of every product.

    Reply

  28. If big names such as Amazon get into these practices it will be hard for consumers to show trust on big companies. What this article illustrates is quite an eye opener for me.

    Reply

  29. You know, you would think since Amazon was started in a basement with one single guy and basically came from being a small business to the biggest internet retailer, they would have different attitude towards small businesses. But I guess, most of us do forget where we came from.
    satrap would love you to read ..Online Surveys for MoneyMy Profile

    Reply

    • Hi Satrap,

      By now hasn’t anyone else realized how suspicious these “rags to riches” stories are? No single guy in some basement with no connections could ever build a huge corporation. Logic says that it just didn’t happen that way.

      By claiming all these huge companies that enjoy continual major media touting were started by ordinary people they perpetuate the illusion of the American Dream.
      growmap would love you to read ..Fast Easy Way to Get More Holiday Twitter TrafficMy Profile

      Reply

  30. I heard about Amazon but never went in deep to learn. Thanks to your article that I came to know something about the e commerce stores and about amazon.

    Reply

  31. To become more competitive, brick and mortar stores should lobby their state legislatures for lower sales taxes instead. Don’t tax the net!. I appreciate for this explanation.

    Reply

    • Hi William,

      What neither local governments nor other businesses seem to be paying attention to is that these big brands are getting tax incentives and tax breaks for destroying our economy. THAT is what needs to end – and sense they have the money to buy policitians we need to find other ways to stop them.

      The EASIEST way is to quit supporting them with your time and money! Just stop buying from evil companies and instead buy from small local and online businesses. That is all it takes.

      Sales tax is not automatically evil. It is good when it is used for good. But we need to quit acting like we are perpetual children which allows government to meddle in everything. If we want a better world, government should do VERY LITTLE and private SMALL non-corrupt companies should do much more.

      I can’t tell much from your Twitter profile, William. You’ll want to add a bio and ideally link to something that lets people who see it know what is important to you. See my post on How to use Twitter effectively for tips.

      Your comments need to be original here, William. If I find them on another site I can’t tell if you wrote them or someone else did – so don’t do that. Copying content from anyone else is copyright infringement and can have serious legal consequences. See my post about ebusiness ethics and copied comment spam for more details.

      growmap would love you to read ..Small Business Internet Marketing: Where to StartMy Profile

      Reply

  32. I agree that Amazon is the leader , but why not to play fair on the market and there are many examples when leaders crashed. I think they will change the tactics when they understand all the troubles that they have caused.

    Reply

    • There are some excellent paper companies that we can all support and their products are often available at any kind of store:

      • Marcal Small Steps Quality, recycled paper products – widely available in all sizes of stores.
      • Seventh Generation Recycled Paper Products – found at Whole Foods and other alternative stores and possibly at traditional markets, too.

      I hope to get independent grocery stores interested in carrying products that are better for us all – like these brands and organic products that really ARE healthier and not just greenwashed imitations created by big brands wanting to get on the bandwagon to preserve their profits.
      growmap would love you to read ..Why Your Geographic Location IS a NicheMy Profile

      Reply

  36. Amazon offers a lot. No need to boycott them because they contributed a lot and helps save money and energy of the people.

    Reply

    • So as long as you get what you want it is fine with you if they sacrifice the lives of their employees so you can have it? I would feel sorry for you if I thought you were deserving – but you’re not. You will reap what you sow in the long run.

      MONEY is NOT the most important thing in the world although no doubt it is to people like you.

      Where would you draw the line about boycotting evil? If intentionally causing death doesn’t do it for you probably nothing will.
      growmap would love you to read ..For Bloggers Who Hate Comment SpamMy Profile

      Reply

  37. Hi,

    The realty is that from my point of view every customer wants to save something. No doubt in that whenever we will go to purchase something in market then every time we will try to save some money for us and these kind of company help lot for us for save some money.
    goa carnival would love you to read ..Goa Carnival 2012My Profile

    Reply

    • While I agree that the self-absorbed “always want to save something” and would go on purchasing from the evil entities even if they started publicly beating or executing people, I write for the few – that tiny percentage of people who are NOT self-absorbed and want to discuss what the RIGHT thing to do is – and then DO IT.

      When the economy crashes worldwide because of stupidity all the short-sighted and self-absorbed will have the world they deserve = deserve because their bad decisions are what allowed it to happen.

      By then I hope the few will have created local physical communities many hours from any major city – as far from the desperate and starving as possible. There will be no way to help them and they will reap what they have sowed.

      In these remote communities they may be able to live as people were created to live:

      Caring about each other instead of worshipping money.
      Contributing all they can without concern about being compensated.
      Providing to each a decent place to live, plenty to eat, fresh clear water not being intentionally contaminated by heavy metals that keep brains asleep, and allowing them to use their unique talents to be a contributor to the community.
      growmap would love you to read ..Why We Need Group Geo-Targeted Niche BlogsMy Profile

      Reply

  38. Hey,

    Don’t know why so many people have something against Amazon. I have purchased plenty of times from them and i was always happy..

    Stephan

    Reply

    • Hello Stephan,

      If you actually read this post then you should know, but I will summarize for you:

      1) They put profits before human life – repeatedly and intentionally endangering their employee’s lives

      2) They compete unfairly with the clear intention of putting competitors out of business.

      3) They are bullies who should be arrested for strong-arming publishers – but that won’t happen because they are part of the favored few who control governments and legal systems.

      THAT is a short list of why so many people have something against Amazon.
      growmap would love you to read ..How to Increase Sales: Learn from Those Who DOMy Profile

      Reply

  39. Amazon is the leader in this sector and it start create its own rules. So we’ll see in future how this things will affect the sales.

    Reply

  40. Hi Cathy,

    Whatever Amazon sells other merchants sell – including the ones whose products you are probably currently promoting because they also appear on Amazon’s site.

    It is more beneficial for the merchants if you recommend them directly instead of on Amazon where they have to share the profits from any sales they may make. It is highly likely that you will also earn higher commissions if you become an affiliate of the merchants directly.

    The sellers of most products on Amazon actually have their own sites, too. If we spend the time to go buy directly we give the merchants more profit to benefit their communities and employees. If we let Amazon take a cut that will primarily only benefit Amazon.
    growmap would love you to read ..How to Increase Sales: Learn from Those Who DOMy Profile

    Reply

    • But for e-marketers it is easier when all affiliates are in one place…
      Of course if you are market one particular product, then it more reasonable to contact vendor directly.

      Reply

    • Hi
      Try GEMM dot com as a great alternative to Amazon’s marketplace . GEMM is easy to get set up on and gets a pretty good international audience. 13% fee when something sells. No listing fees, no other fees whatsoever. GEMM’s been online since September 1994 and does have some serious popularity in other countries. It’s a small company run by an avid record and book collecting surfer and friends in California.
      Jac Evans would love you to read ..1500 Calorie Diet – MenuMy Profile

      Reply

    • Hi
      In my personal view, we can not comparison to other site with Amazon. There are thousands of user of Amazon.
      thanks,

      [Hi Jac. Your comments are being stuck in spam by WordPress (Automattic) so you are probably on the worst Akismet blacklist. You may want to contact them to see if they will reconsider and get you off. Use the test link at the top of this Akismet Blacklist post and the link to contact Akismet further down in the post.]
      Jac Evans would love you to read ..No Posts Were Found!My Profile

      Reply

      • Wal-Mart is the store being used to destroy small businesses, towns and communities across America. They open a store with artificially low prices to great fanfare. People who have shopped in their neighborhood stores all their lives – or even for multiple generations – lured by the unsustainable low prices and cheap junk Wal-Mart sells stop buying from the local businesses who must charge more than the cost of doing business fairly to STAY in business.

        As the small businesses close one by one, people say “oh, too bad, so-and-so store is closing” but never seem to connect that the REASON they’re closing is because their neighbors are spending their money at Wal-Mart instead of in a real business that pays a living wage and gives back to the community.

        This happens because we have lost our moral compass – too many are so selfish that they want everything now and don’t care if the reason the prices are low is because corporations like Wal-Mart transfer their overhead onto the taxpayer, mistreat and warehouse child and slave labor, trick suppliers into going into debt to expand and then refuse to pay them enough to make a reasonable profit and many more evil ways.

        Fair Trade has arisen because of the horrendous evil that multi-national corporations are doing and where they are trying to take us. If we don’t wake up there will be one company store where you can only buy if you take the microchip and they LET you buy and all Americans will lose even the illusion of freedom we think we have today.

        Reply

    • Hello there,
      Amazon is the best online shopping website but sometimes they may use sad techniques to keep the competitors away. Anyways, nice post and I got all the truth.
      Thanks,

      Reply

  41. hello!
    thanks for all this detailed explanation. i buy a lot of things on amazon. well, they are cheaper, and a lot of people are looking to spend less money where possible. however, i didnt know that they want shoppers to scan different prices with their Price Check app and then give them a discount of up to $5 on that item online.
    EleonoraEOF would love you to read ..How to Get Motivation to Lose WeightMy Profile

    Reply

    • Hi Eleonora,

      The pendulum of ‘cheap’ has swung way too far and the long term consequences are truly severe. If we continue to buy from whatever business has the lowest price – no matter what horrendous business practices they have used to drive those prices down – we are creating a world where eventually there is only one company store and we are all slaves. That IS where this is going – unless we change our ways.
      growmap would love you to read ..Why Your Geographic Location IS a NicheMy Profile

      Reply

  42. This post reminds me of Wal Mart using illegal workers to cut expenses. Or firms moving production in Mexico and China where there are almost zero rights for workers and everyone agrees because this way products are cheaper and earnings are higher. I personally when possible avoid buying things made in China, at least when I can identify them. To increase earnings for top managers, investors and administrators everything can be done and ethic is just an empty word.

    As for the business side Amazon gives so little revenues that it can easily be substituted with something else. I’ve decided to go with share a sale, because you said it’s an ethical business. In this world we have now they a kind of white fly, I just hope they will remain this way, without being corrupted, so to speak. 🙂

    Very interesting post.

    Reply

    • Hi Hypnodude,

      Your examples are only the tip of a huge iceberg when it comes to unfair business practices by WalMart, Amazon, and almost every multi-national corporation. It is up to us to take their power to make us all their slaves away from them.

      Amazon does pay their affiliates poorly and there are so many other bookstores. ShareASale is an affiliate network and they have many book sellers in their network. BiggerBooks is the one I found that carries all the books I’m currently reviewing.

      A post that will be useful to you is How to Deep Link Shareasale. That post tells you how to create affiliate links that go directly to individual product pages on merchant sites.

      I am pleased to have “met” you because you understand the importance of our actions.
      growmap would love you to read ..Twitter for Business: How to Geo Target Twitter for Small Business Local Social Media #smallbusinessMy Profile

      Reply

      • GrowMap, I already followed your blog but with today you’ve definitely won my support, that is to say thanks for your advices. Actually I can’t say that I know everything about Livefyre but I’ll surely check what you’ve said. Or better I’m waiting for a reply from them on my blog so we can see if what you say is right. I know it is but it’s fair to give them a chance to reply.

        Oh well, let’s see if it’s better to stick with them or move to CommentLuv, the free version obviously, at least for now.

        Have a great day! And thanks again.

        Reply

        • Hi Hypnodude,

          Livefyre will deny that they censor what we try to share. We can not expect them to do otherwise. I can not imagine any entity that censors us to say, “Sure, of course we do…we didn’t think you’d mind.”

          This is a simple decision, really. For those who want to get more than they give Livefyre does that. For those who believe in paying it forward to create a better world, using CommentLuv and dofollow and even KeywordLuv are the best choice.

          Reply

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