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How to Resist Amazon and Why: The Fight for Local Economies, Data Privacy, Fair Labor, Independent Bookstores, and a People-Powered Future!
When a company's workers are literally dying on the job, when their business model relies on preying on local businesses and even their own companies, when their CEO is literally the richest person in the world while their workers make minimum wage with impossible quotas... wouldn't you want to resist? Danny Caine, owner of Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas compiled this zine about his commitment to fighting the seemingly impossible giant in the bookselling world: Amazon. This zine includes the open letter he wrote to Jeff Bezos, examples of successful social media activism that produced waves of successful economic solidarity for local bookstores, links to other resources, and some sobering words about boycotting. Let this zine inspire you to support independents and stand up to the biggest threats facing our society!
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First published November 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
November 26, 2019
This taught me that goodreads is owned by amazon.
I am... so sad rn.
I am... so sad rn.
February 20, 2022
Like everyone else, I recognize the irony (and hypocrisy) of reviewing this book on an Amazon-owned platform. But until you all move to the StoryGraph, this is where my community is and it's where I'll post my review.
I'm far behind the times in reading this little book. The Raven (Caine's bookstore) is where I get my books, so I have no excuse. Like many people, I've long been uncomfortable with Amazon and it's Smaug-like owner. I don't consider myself radical or anti-business, but Amazon is like the Blob in the old horror movie--it just keeps absorbing everything in sight to feed its unending expansion (and is aiming for the stars now, apparently). My discomfort didn't keep me from ordering things from the company that I couldn't find elsewhere and, obviously, doesn't keep me from using Goodreads.
In this densely informative, but also quite readable, little tome, Caine lays out a useful summary of the issues surrounding Amazon and its practices, together with brief stories of the human cost exacted. This is not a comprehensive study of the topic. It's a good introduction with a useful list of suggested further readings at the end.
Even if you don't think there's anything wrong with Amazon-- Or if you think its monopoly is inevitable-- Or if you can't imagine living without the convenience of same-day delivery, I'd encourage everyone to take an hour or two and read this book. No matter what you decide about using Amazon, you'll be making a better-informed decision.
N.B. I got this book as part of an online order from the Raven. It's normal for orders to take a bit longer since the staff is small and many items have to be retrieved from their warehouse or special ordered, so imagine my surprise when my order was ready the very same day. That speed was far more valuable to me because I've met the people who made it happen and because it came as a pleasant surprise. Strange how that human touch can turn something we take for granted from a big corporation into something that brightens your day.
I'm far behind the times in reading this little book. The Raven (Caine's bookstore) is where I get my books, so I have no excuse. Like many people, I've long been uncomfortable with Amazon and it's Smaug-like owner. I don't consider myself radical or anti-business, but Amazon is like the Blob in the old horror movie--it just keeps absorbing everything in sight to feed its unending expansion (and is aiming for the stars now, apparently). My discomfort didn't keep me from ordering things from the company that I couldn't find elsewhere and, obviously, doesn't keep me from using Goodreads.
In this densely informative, but also quite readable, little tome, Caine lays out a useful summary of the issues surrounding Amazon and its practices, together with brief stories of the human cost exacted. This is not a comprehensive study of the topic. It's a good introduction with a useful list of suggested further readings at the end.
Even if you don't think there's anything wrong with Amazon-- Or if you think its monopoly is inevitable-- Or if you can't imagine living without the convenience of same-day delivery, I'd encourage everyone to take an hour or two and read this book. No matter what you decide about using Amazon, you'll be making a better-informed decision.
N.B. I got this book as part of an online order from the Raven. It's normal for orders to take a bit longer since the staff is small and many items have to be retrieved from their warehouse or special ordered, so imagine my surprise when my order was ready the very same day. That speed was far more valuable to me because I've met the people who made it happen and because it came as a pleasant surprise. Strange how that human touch can turn something we take for granted from a big corporation into something that brightens your day.
March 21, 2020
Amazon has been a soapbox of mine for a while. This zine just drove it all home even more. Admittedly some irony in posting this on Goodreads as they’re owned by Amazon! Try to view my (lack of) interactions with Amazon the same way I approach sustainable living: do what you can without making yourself crazy, make small personal changes, and drive for systemic changes. Do what you can to disentangle yourself slowly and support your local economy!
January 29, 2020
I feel really shitty about posting this on goodreads of all places but alas, I am weak and devoted to this website. Anyway, fuck Jeff Bezos.
November 20, 2019
I pre-ordered this insightful lil zine directly from its publisher, Microcosm Publishing, and was thrilled when it arrived within the week of its release date. While this zine didn’t tell me anything shockingly new, it did give an new perspective on Amazon’s damage to independent American business from the eyes and words of an independent book retailer. In receiving education on how Amazon’s model works to devalue the Book, I feel more and more invested in efforts to resist Amazon.
Want to read
March 3, 2023I remember a snippet from a conversation about Amazon I participated in, over twenty years ago. That was back when Amazon was that "online bookstore" thing that we were just starting to hear about. The speaker was a woman in her late teens, a friend of a friend. I'll call her "Claire."
"I hope Amazon doesn't put all the bookstores out of business," she said, or words to that effect.
I thought Claire's concern was silly. I filed it in my memory under "naïve disaster fantasy from an overheated youthful imagination." I was in my late twenties, old enough to know better. How could anyone ordering books through the internet threaten bookstores? How could you even know what books to read without the chance to explore the shelves of a well-stocked store? Every bibliophile knows browsing a good bookstore is a unique and indispensable pleasure. Bookstores weren't going anywhere. Online shopping? It would never be more than a niche thing.
Fortunately, I didn't vocalize these thoughts. As we all know, my foot would have gone right in my mouth.
I recalled Claire's words occasionally over the next two decades, as bookstore after bookstore in the Seattle area shuttered its doors forever. There was a vibrant, thriving bookstore culture when I moved here in the mid-1990s. Now it’s mostly gone.
If the idea of Amazon destroying bookstores once seemed absurd to me, what would I have thought about the idea of it imperiling the very survival of retail shopping? Beyond absurd! Twenty odd years later the evidence of the "retail apocalypse" is all around us. You can’t leave the house without being confronted by the eyesore of boarded up storefronts. Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, makes more money with each heartbeat than most people earn in their lives. Amazon reigns supreme, from sea to shining sea. And I’m reduced to melancholy reflections, on a website owned by Amazon.
Listen to the youth.
"I hope Amazon doesn't put all the bookstores out of business," she said, or words to that effect.
I thought Claire's concern was silly. I filed it in my memory under "naïve disaster fantasy from an overheated youthful imagination." I was in my late twenties, old enough to know better. How could anyone ordering books through the internet threaten bookstores? How could you even know what books to read without the chance to explore the shelves of a well-stocked store? Every bibliophile knows browsing a good bookstore is a unique and indispensable pleasure. Bookstores weren't going anywhere. Online shopping? It would never be more than a niche thing.
Fortunately, I didn't vocalize these thoughts. As we all know, my foot would have gone right in my mouth.
I recalled Claire's words occasionally over the next two decades, as bookstore after bookstore in the Seattle area shuttered its doors forever. There was a vibrant, thriving bookstore culture when I moved here in the mid-1990s. Now it’s mostly gone.
If the idea of Amazon destroying bookstores once seemed absurd to me, what would I have thought about the idea of it imperiling the very survival of retail shopping? Beyond absurd! Twenty odd years later the evidence of the "retail apocalypse" is all around us. You can’t leave the house without being confronted by the eyesore of boarded up storefronts. Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, makes more money with each heartbeat than most people earn in their lives. Amazon reigns supreme, from sea to shining sea. And I’m reduced to melancholy reflections, on a website owned by Amazon.
Listen to the youth.
July 10, 2022
i feel bad logging this on goodreads
November 20, 2022
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I don't love Amazon either and want the success of small stores and companies, however I found this book to come off as extremely biased, and full of logical fallacies when trying to get you to hate Amazon too. I think the most egregious was the red herring fallacy where the author often would bring up an entirely different topic and argue that topic, then try to equate that argument as a reason to hate Amazon. For example, while writing about privacy, (against Amazon's Ring doorbell) he said that the Ring doorbell is the first step in companies gathering video surveillance and this will eventually be used by the government for facial recognition and in the future facial recognition could be racist by targeting faces based on color, and the government is already racist enough because George Floyd and racism is terrible and therefore if you are pro-Amazon, you are pro-Racism.
There was constant vilification of Amazon, even in things that would be deemed as positives if seen elsewhere. For example, the fact that Amazon had first aid supplies available to warehouse employees was spun to mean that the worker conditions were so bad that Amazon stocked first aid supplies so that all their mistreated injured workers could get back to work as soon as possible. Ok but shouldn't any good employer also have first aid supplies if they care about employee wellbeing?
The author also brought up in a negative light is how Amazon sells books at a loss because they are big enough to make up for the loss in other areas, like their electronics. I thought it was actually a nice thing of Amazon to do, since it is essentially promoting books over other commercial sales, and increasing their availability to more people.
Another thing that really threw me off was the constant quoting of BUZZFEED articles as a factual news source. I think I subconsciously lost most of my trust in any of the data or arguments in the book after reading the 3rd or 4th buzzfeed quote.
The very final 2 chapters, however made this book a 2 star instead of 1. The author bringing up the need for government intervention in the form of antitrust laws (no tax breaks, no monopolies, better worker protection, etc.) was extremely useful and convincing, and the final chapter about the positive cultural experience of shopping in a small independent store was a convincing way to tell a shopper to vote with their money for the experiences they want available to them in the future. If you enjoy perusing a curated small bookstore, then pay for your books there instead of going home and buying them on Amazon. Someone has to keep these stores alive if you want to keep going there, and you have an equal responsibility in that.
Anyway, great idea for a book, overall a couple good takeaways, however the fallacies, bias, and bad data were hard to get past.
There was constant vilification of Amazon, even in things that would be deemed as positives if seen elsewhere. For example, the fact that Amazon had first aid supplies available to warehouse employees was spun to mean that the worker conditions were so bad that Amazon stocked first aid supplies so that all their mistreated injured workers could get back to work as soon as possible. Ok but shouldn't any good employer also have first aid supplies if they care about employee wellbeing?
The author also brought up in a negative light is how Amazon sells books at a loss because they are big enough to make up for the loss in other areas, like their electronics. I thought it was actually a nice thing of Amazon to do, since it is essentially promoting books over other commercial sales, and increasing their availability to more people.
Another thing that really threw me off was the constant quoting of BUZZFEED articles as a factual news source. I think I subconsciously lost most of my trust in any of the data or arguments in the book after reading the 3rd or 4th buzzfeed quote.
The very final 2 chapters, however made this book a 2 star instead of 1. The author bringing up the need for government intervention in the form of antitrust laws (no tax breaks, no monopolies, better worker protection, etc.) was extremely useful and convincing, and the final chapter about the positive cultural experience of shopping in a small independent store was a convincing way to tell a shopper to vote with their money for the experiences they want available to them in the future. If you enjoy perusing a curated small bookstore, then pay for your books there instead of going home and buying them on Amazon. Someone has to keep these stores alive if you want to keep going there, and you have an equal responsibility in that.
Anyway, great idea for a book, overall a couple good takeaways, however the fallacies, bias, and bad data were hard to get past.
October 8, 2023
3.5 stars
This is a 128-page persuasive argument about why you should avoid Amazon with a little bit of how towards the end. It was insightful, but I didn't like the negative whiney tone.
I did learn something from it. I didn't know that some of the Amazon affiliated brands include AbeBooks, IMDb, The Washington Post, Whole Foods, and Zappos. I did know that Amazon owns Goodreads, Alexa, Audible, and Ring.
I like that the author offers alternatives such as Alibris, Libro.fm, Bookshop.org, Wikipedia, The StoryGraph, Netflix, and your local library to access Kanopy and Hoopla. In addition to avoiding Prime Original TV shows (he includes a list of popular ones), he mentions Amazon's publishing imprints, Thomas & Mercer Publishing, Lake Union Publishing Company, and Little A Publishing.
I don't know if I'm ready to avoid buying or reading books published by one of Amazon's publishing companies, but it's worth considering. I can't imagine living without Goodreads! It's one of my favorite social media platforms.
There was a lot more to this book. He's done his research on Amazon's legal issues and how Amazon operates as a whole. One thing that stuck out to me was this:
Some of the products pose health risks to pets as well. It's definitely worth reading.
This is a 128-page persuasive argument about why you should avoid Amazon with a little bit of how towards the end. It was insightful, but I didn't like the negative whiney tone.
I did learn something from it. I didn't know that some of the Amazon affiliated brands include AbeBooks, IMDb, The Washington Post, Whole Foods, and Zappos. I did know that Amazon owns Goodreads, Alexa, Audible, and Ring.
I like that the author offers alternatives such as Alibris, Libro.fm, Bookshop.org, Wikipedia, The StoryGraph, Netflix, and your local library to access Kanopy and Hoopla. In addition to avoiding Prime Original TV shows (he includes a list of popular ones), he mentions Amazon's publishing imprints, Thomas & Mercer Publishing, Lake Union Publishing Company, and Little A Publishing.
I don't know if I'm ready to avoid buying or reading books published by one of Amazon's publishing companies, but it's worth considering. I can't imagine living without Goodreads! It's one of my favorite social media platforms.
There was a lot more to this book. He's done his research on Amazon's legal issues and how Amazon operates as a whole. One thing that stuck out to me was this:
"Reporters Alexandra Berzon, Shane Shifflett, and Justin Scheck found that '4,152 items for sale on Amazon.com Inc.'s site that have been declared unsafe by federal agencies, are deceptively labeled or are banned by federal regulators.' But this is not a question of simple bootlegs: more than 2,000 of those items pose health risks for children."
Some of the products pose health risks to pets as well. It's definitely worth reading.
April 15, 2020
Shop local!
May 2, 2021
There are few things that unite everyone today. It seems, at least here in America, we can't even agree on the importance of combating global warming, or of ensuring that adequate regulations are in place so we have clean air and water.
"Job killer!!" People on the right yell the moment any mention of regulating a major industry comes up.
How can you tell the coal miner in West Virginia that we need to move away from fossil fuels? That such jobs carry with them not just severe consequences for our environment, but for their health as well?
After decades of calls to better regulate the pharmaceutical industry over the mass marketing of addictive opioids, it seems as though some progress is finally starting to be made. Patrick Radden Keefe's recent book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty shows that politicians on both sides of the aisle, however slowly, are finally attributing blame for overdose deaths and addictive pharmaceutical drugs not on the people who get addicted to these drugs, but on the drug companies themselves — unless you're the Trump White House of course, but that's another story.
But what about Amazon?
Talk to people today and they'll nod their heads sadly as you run over the ways in which workers in Amazon's fulfillment centers are made to meet absurdly high quotas, the fact that the company founded by the world's richest man pays no federal taxes, and the number of independent businesses the online behemoth puts out of business every year.
"But I can order a banana costume and it'll get here tomorrow!"
"But they sell the new John Grisham novel for so much less than the independent bookstore in town!"
"But where else am I going to listen to audiobooks?"
1. Do you really need that banana costume? If so, have you tried your local party story?
2. Isn't it worth paying a few dollars more so that your local independent bookstore (which you can also support by ordering online at Bookshop.org) can keep serving the community?
3. Have you tried Libro.fm?
But that's not to say avoiding Amazon is easy. I'm writing this review on Goodreads, of all places, which is owned by Amazon. And that is absolutely crushing. I've started, gradually, to put my reviews on a separate WordPress site, but that doesn't replace the community aspect of Goodreads which is the reason why so many of us are here — to meet people who like books as much as we do.
There are an increasing number of Goodreads substitutes — such as The Storygraph and BookSloth — but they are still in their early stages and suffering some growing pains. However, after reading "How to Resist Amazon and Why" I'm definitely going to open an account on one of these other sites and, hopefully, fully move over one day.
Until then, it's useful to seize on something that Danny Caine — the owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas — writes here. Because Amazon has its tentacles wrapped around so much of the retail industry in America, it's awfully hard to avoid it in every form. You don't have to completely quit Amazon, though that is certainly my goal, so much as you should strive to spend more of your money at independent businesses.
Meaning, instead of buying that book from Amazon, buy it from your local independent bookstore. That's an easy step to take and buying from your local independent bookstore will make far more of a difference to them than not buying it from Amazon would. This is partly because Amazon sells their books at a loss, a completely unfair practice that works for Jeff Bezos and Co. because their company is worth nearly $2 trillion, meaning they can afford to take the hit, while that independent bookstore would never be able to sell their books at Amazon's rates — less than what those books cost from the publisher — because they wouldn't be able to stay in business.
The fact that the majority of politicians fail to see any issue with that, fail to recognize Amazon as a dangerous monopoly that threatens the livelihood of so many wonderful small businesses in America, is yet another indication of how rotten our politics has gotten.
But what is most unfortunate are those authors and artists who sell out to Amazon, creating Audible exclusive content that you can't get anywhere else or signing a deal with Amazon to publish and market their books directly — as that sellout Dean Koontz did in 2019.
I recently watched Best Picture Winner "Nomadland" which is the perfect case in point for the influence Amazon yields over, well, everything.
Unlike Jessica Bruder's Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, Chloé Zhao's adaptation says not one negative thing about the company. In her book Bruder talks about the harsh working conditions at Amazon facilities, interviewing a number of people who spoke from personal experience. Zhao's film, meanwhile, is totally mum on the subject. When someone asks Fern — the character played by Frances McDormand — what it's like working in an Amazon fulfillment center, Fern replies, "great money."
Zhao and Co. reportedly received a lot of input from Amazon while filming the adaptation, with executives visiting the set the day filming took place in the Amazon facility. As much as I otherwise really liked other aspects of the film, I can't think of anything more disgusting than that — whitewashing a significant part of the source material and betraying the subjects of your film by portraying one of the villains in a positive light.
This is a great read on all the ways that Amazon harms human beings, independent business, and the environment in order so you can have that thing you don't even need tomorrow.
Yes, Resist Amazon. The fight will be long, and it will be hard, but it's a fight worth having.
"Job killer!!" People on the right yell the moment any mention of regulating a major industry comes up.
How can you tell the coal miner in West Virginia that we need to move away from fossil fuels? That such jobs carry with them not just severe consequences for our environment, but for their health as well?
After decades of calls to better regulate the pharmaceutical industry over the mass marketing of addictive opioids, it seems as though some progress is finally starting to be made. Patrick Radden Keefe's recent book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty shows that politicians on both sides of the aisle, however slowly, are finally attributing blame for overdose deaths and addictive pharmaceutical drugs not on the people who get addicted to these drugs, but on the drug companies themselves — unless you're the Trump White House of course, but that's another story.
But what about Amazon?
Talk to people today and they'll nod their heads sadly as you run over the ways in which workers in Amazon's fulfillment centers are made to meet absurdly high quotas, the fact that the company founded by the world's richest man pays no federal taxes, and the number of independent businesses the online behemoth puts out of business every year.
"But I can order a banana costume and it'll get here tomorrow!"
"But they sell the new John Grisham novel for so much less than the independent bookstore in town!"
"But where else am I going to listen to audiobooks?"
1. Do you really need that banana costume? If so, have you tried your local party story?
2. Isn't it worth paying a few dollars more so that your local independent bookstore (which you can also support by ordering online at Bookshop.org) can keep serving the community?
3. Have you tried Libro.fm?
But that's not to say avoiding Amazon is easy. I'm writing this review on Goodreads, of all places, which is owned by Amazon. And that is absolutely crushing. I've started, gradually, to put my reviews on a separate WordPress site, but that doesn't replace the community aspect of Goodreads which is the reason why so many of us are here — to meet people who like books as much as we do.
There are an increasing number of Goodreads substitutes — such as The Storygraph and BookSloth — but they are still in their early stages and suffering some growing pains. However, after reading "How to Resist Amazon and Why" I'm definitely going to open an account on one of these other sites and, hopefully, fully move over one day.
Until then, it's useful to seize on something that Danny Caine — the owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas — writes here. Because Amazon has its tentacles wrapped around so much of the retail industry in America, it's awfully hard to avoid it in every form. You don't have to completely quit Amazon, though that is certainly my goal, so much as you should strive to spend more of your money at independent businesses.
Meaning, instead of buying that book from Amazon, buy it from your local independent bookstore. That's an easy step to take and buying from your local independent bookstore will make far more of a difference to them than not buying it from Amazon would. This is partly because Amazon sells their books at a loss, a completely unfair practice that works for Jeff Bezos and Co. because their company is worth nearly $2 trillion, meaning they can afford to take the hit, while that independent bookstore would never be able to sell their books at Amazon's rates — less than what those books cost from the publisher — because they wouldn't be able to stay in business.
The fact that the majority of politicians fail to see any issue with that, fail to recognize Amazon as a dangerous monopoly that threatens the livelihood of so many wonderful small businesses in America, is yet another indication of how rotten our politics has gotten.
But what is most unfortunate are those authors and artists who sell out to Amazon, creating Audible exclusive content that you can't get anywhere else or signing a deal with Amazon to publish and market their books directly — as that sellout Dean Koontz did in 2019.
I recently watched Best Picture Winner "Nomadland" which is the perfect case in point for the influence Amazon yields over, well, everything.
Unlike Jessica Bruder's Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, Chloé Zhao's adaptation says not one negative thing about the company. In her book Bruder talks about the harsh working conditions at Amazon facilities, interviewing a number of people who spoke from personal experience. Zhao's film, meanwhile, is totally mum on the subject. When someone asks Fern — the character played by Frances McDormand — what it's like working in an Amazon fulfillment center, Fern replies, "great money."
Zhao and Co. reportedly received a lot of input from Amazon while filming the adaptation, with executives visiting the set the day filming took place in the Amazon facility. As much as I otherwise really liked other aspects of the film, I can't think of anything more disgusting than that — whitewashing a significant part of the source material and betraying the subjects of your film by portraying one of the villains in a positive light.
This is a great read on all the ways that Amazon harms human beings, independent business, and the environment in order so you can have that thing you don't even need tomorrow.
Yes, Resist Amazon. The fight will be long, and it will be hard, but it's a fight worth having.
December 5, 2024
After watching BUY NOW on Netflix, which covered a small bit of Amazon. Mainly how the company is negatively impacting the environment, this audiobook was a good continuation for me.
To be honest, I’m in the so-called Amazon vortex. Not proud, but I am!
The edition of this book I listened, was about 2 hours. It was fairly good and persuasive. Yet, I’m not sure if that will translate into any solid resistance of AMAZON on my part. However, I will continue shopping local, as I do. Also, purchasing from independent bookstores. There are a few in my area!
So, perhaps the author persuaded me! 😊
To be honest, I’m in the so-called Amazon vortex. Not proud, but I am!
The edition of this book I listened, was about 2 hours. It was fairly good and persuasive. Yet, I’m not sure if that will translate into any solid resistance of AMAZON on my part. However, I will continue shopping local, as I do. Also, purchasing from independent bookstores. There are a few in my area!
So, perhaps the author persuaded me! 😊
October 23, 2024
4.5 ★
i'd pair this up with Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.
makes you think about not only where you are spending your money, but what those companies are doing with data and privacy.
support local bookstores!
audiobook is avail on hoopla
i'd pair this up with Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.
makes you think about not only where you are spending your money, but what those companies are doing with data and privacy.
support local bookstores!
audiobook is avail on hoopla
February 19, 2020
Bought my last ever book on Amazon last year, and will never buy on there again. As a bookseller, my heart thumps with recognition of every word here.
August 19, 2021
I understand the irony of posting this on an amazon-owned entity, but this is where the recs are. Anyways. Fuck Jeff Bezos.
December 31, 2025
Informative, convincing, and succinct. Great for those who have no clue about Amazon’s true influence and also those who hate them with a passion and just need a refresher. Docked a star because the title really should have been “Why We Should Resist Amazon…” and not “How” since the author only dedicates one chapter to how we can resist Amazon in our day to day. In my opinion the How is more important than the Why at this point, so I would have liked to see that section more fleshed out.
June 28, 2021
Excellent information of the dangers posed by this enormous company that needs governmental limits in their marketplace abuses.
August 19, 2025
Okay I recognize the irony of logging a book against Amazon on goodreads but that’s just how the late stage capitalistic cookie crumbles sometimes ! Anyways really important info imo I wish everyone would read— we’re not as powerless as we might be tempted to think!
January 18, 2023
sososo interesting. it’s written by the owner of an independent bookstore so there’s lots of personal anecdotes but then some more general criticism of amazon. i’ve always had a bad taste in my mouth for amazon but what this book said abt the way they price their books and break the rules and treat their workers and collect an ungodly amount of data and just simply don’t pay taxes (!!!) and then deny all responsibly and get away with all of it is insane. obviously have to take it with a grain of salt given the author/his relationship with amazon but still so interesting. it’s almost impossible to escape amazon completely (why does goodreads gotta be owned my mr. bezos) and i’m 100% sure i’m going to keep using amazon and products/services from amazon owned companies but will definitely think twice abt ordering something just out of convenience and try to shop local and support small businesses as much as i can!
also - has anyone tried storygraph to replace goodreads? i’ve heard it’s actually rlly good & imports your goodreads data. and aside from this app being a bezos baby, it’s glitchy and kinda sucks sometimes lol
also - has anyone tried storygraph to replace goodreads? i’ve heard it’s actually rlly good & imports your goodreads data. and aside from this app being a bezos baby, it’s glitchy and kinda sucks sometimes lol
April 1, 2021
Irony of reviewing this book on an amazon owned platform is not lost on me.
But everyone needs to read this book! If you care about our country, our environment, our workers and small businesses...READ THIS BOOK
But everyone needs to read this book! If you care about our country, our environment, our workers and small businesses...READ THIS BOOK
November 7, 2021
An absolute must read for anyone living somewhere affected by Amazon (which is nearly everywhere). Concise, engaging and too the point this was an excellent and in-depth survey of the problematic behemoth that is Amazon. While I recognize the utter irony of posting this on Goodreads, at the same time, this is the exact community who needs this book. Besides as Caines articulately states escape from Amazon and their endless data is nearly impossible. However, resisting them (supporting other unaffiliated company's, avoiding Alexa, and reinvesting capital locally) remains the essential task. While there were more than a few points me and the author disagreed, the beautiful bookstore anecdotes and the compelling case for resisting yellow smirking Goliath remain all the more poignant. You should read this.
April 10, 2021
Seems a tad ironic to be reviewing this wonderful book on a website owned by Amazon, but here goes...this book is a perfect introduction to the harms causes by Amazon. Danny Caine convincingly lays out his argument in easily digestible chapters. My favorite part was his many personal stories as a bookstore owner. These really illustrated his points while also providing some light among the darkness of Amazon. He also offers helpful strategies and alternatives to resist Amazon. A must read for anyone with a Prime subscription (so..pretty much everyone)!
March 1, 2022
I’ve wondered how Amazon is able to sell books at such low prices, and this answered that. It confirmed the damage I assumed Amazon gives to the local book stores. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve ordered plenty of books from Amazon and shopped in their actual book store and got seduced by the low prices - but this put things in perspective and I can honestly say it got me feeling bad. It’ll be a process but I’m definitely going to try and not buy books from Amazon anymore.
January 29, 2022
I first read this when it was in zine form (2019?) and was thrilled to see it in a revised paperback edition. Great for anyone who's interested in becoming more commercially conscious. Even writing this review here in Goodreads just shows how pervasive Amazon has become. However, you can find my future reviews over on The StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile...
March 6, 2022
I didnt know goodreads is owned by Amazon so it is VERY ironic to review thos book here :) Reading about all the wrong things Amazon is deliberately doing to our society was too much to take in but very eye opening. I cancel my prime membership:) and hopefully I will very soon transition from goodreads to StoryGraph for book reviews...
May 5, 2022
So while I agree with the conclusion and haven't bought anything from Amazon in quite a while, I am pretty certain that the answer to mega corporations is not mega government. Just live locally.
And yes, I am aware of the irony posting about a book that tries to move you away from Amazon on an Amazon owned site.
And yes, I am aware of the irony posting about a book that tries to move you away from Amazon on an Amazon owned site.
October 31, 2022
So informative and horrifying. This book inspired me to move over to StoryGraph (non Amazon owned) from goodreads. It’s also a really beautiful user experience including quarter and half star options, content warnings and pie charts about what genres you read most. They have great directions about how to import your library from goodreads too- I highly recommend
January 29, 2020
Informative Resource
Review of the 20 page 2nd printing edition (white cover) (2020)
Review of the 20 page 2nd printing edition (white cover) (2020)
March 30, 2024
Super short zine written by an independent bookstore owner in Lawrence, Kansas, detailing the havoc Amazon has caused on small businesses and local economies.
The main sticking point for me was the breakdown of what a standard book sale does for the writer’s bookstore and local community. When you buy a book from a local independent bookstore, half the price goes back to the publisher (and author), about a quarter of the price pays for employee wages, and the remaining half pays for the store’s maintenance, marketing, donations, and vet bills (for the in-store cat 🐈). All of these expenses stay local; the maintenance costs help support local technicians, the marketing costs go towards local radio stations, and donations support local arts and events.
In comparison, paying $10 for a book from Amazon (a price they’re only able to afford because of its steep profits from AWS and other data-based technologies) goes to other cities and corporate headquarters. It never comes back to benefit the small town.
And on top of all of that (!) Amazon paid $0 in taxes in 2019 and paid just 6% in taxes in 2021. At the same time, during its search for its HQ2 destination, cities across the country were offering tax-payer funded subsidies to attract the company! WHAT! Baltimore, for example, offered $3.8 BILLION in subsidies, and they didn’t even make it to the second round of the search 🤯
The main sticking point for me was the breakdown of what a standard book sale does for the writer’s bookstore and local community. When you buy a book from a local independent bookstore, half the price goes back to the publisher (and author), about a quarter of the price pays for employee wages, and the remaining half pays for the store’s maintenance, marketing, donations, and vet bills (for the in-store cat 🐈). All of these expenses stay local; the maintenance costs help support local technicians, the marketing costs go towards local radio stations, and donations support local arts and events.
In comparison, paying $10 for a book from Amazon (a price they’re only able to afford because of its steep profits from AWS and other data-based technologies) goes to other cities and corporate headquarters. It never comes back to benefit the small town.
And on top of all of that (!) Amazon paid $0 in taxes in 2019 and paid just 6% in taxes in 2021. At the same time, during its search for its HQ2 destination, cities across the country were offering tax-payer funded subsidies to attract the company! WHAT! Baltimore, for example, offered $3.8 BILLION in subsidies, and they didn’t even make it to the second round of the search 🤯
February 21, 2024
Very interesting read and I learned a lot from it. I didn’t know that Goodreads is run by Amazon and also The Washington Post.
Yeah know it’s true that Amazon is like a blob that is sucking up a lot of small businesses. I will say this, support small businesses and your local economy.
I don’t want Amazon to suck up everything.
Yeah know it’s true that Amazon is like a blob that is sucking up a lot of small businesses. I will say this, support small businesses and your local economy.
I don’t want Amazon to suck up everything.
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