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Comment by kortilla | Hacker News Reader

You probably haven’t been using it long enough. 12 years ago+ it was amazing

Yea I guess I'm not sure what people envision when they say "amazing"—having an online store might have been revolutionary in 1994, but not by 2004, and certainly not by 2012. What set them apart was just inventory.

What truly set them apart wasn't inventory. Any large physical retailer could match back them.

It was inventory plus ease of use. Which is customer obsession.

One click purchase. Next day delivery. Flat fee shipping (prime). No questions asked drop-off returns. True, useful reviews. Good algorithmic sorting. Best in class logistics.

It was really much better than anything else online.

Now reviews are shit, searching products is a nightmare of sorting through clones and knockoffs, marketplace returns are hit or miss... and that's why it's worse.

I can't say I've ever used one click purchase or next day delivery, but I'd argue prime is a great example of enshittification, not a positive customer experience. The service is effectively subsidized by the USPS and the customer probably shouldn't pay a dime.

Prime was worth it when it started. The enshittification was Amazon gutting their own golden goose, degrading (and eventually removing) all of the benefits that it originally conveyed.

Amazon's logistical side is still solid. Pretty much the only reason why I still give them any business... but independent stores are catching up on that front.

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