Amazon.co.uk > Reviews > Enjoy

Author's product rating:   

Range of Services / Products	Very complete
Products & Services Pricing	Reasonable
Security & Privacy Statement	Good
Purchase Tracking Function	Excellent
Customer Services Support	Good

Advantages:	Mostly cheap, fast service, large range
Disadvantages:	Pay for delivery

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Amazon was one of the first major companies to take the UK into the internet shopping market. They, in their place had to put aside the delusions of internet shopping and how dangerous it could supposedly be. At the time of launch, less then 20% of the UK market said they would even consider using their credit card on a web site however many times they were told it was secure. Amazon therefore had a little work to do. They approached with the idea of bypassing these fears in a way that although not exactly original, proved very affective, through mass advertising campaigns the country over. They plastered their name on many a billboard and signed up to have their advertisements within the mailing lists for specialised magazines, soon their name became a brand and they were away. Amazon began to stand for a huge range, cheap prices, quick delivery and quality service on the majority of which they quickly provided.

That was how they made their start, now a few years later, after many an order, this is how they’ve done for me.

Prices - not including delivery

On this Amazon have been fairly mixed. Books are nearly always competitive, being Amazon’s major enterprise the prices are generally always cheaper then you could find on the high street. CD’s are not always the most competitive, while they’ll easily knock your local HMV out of the water, other websites such as www.cd-wow.com are a lot less expensive at times. The occasional special offers can be really worth while, with Nirvana’s In Utero for example currently at a rather nice £7.99 this makes a visit thoroughly worth while. I’ve had limited experience of the other products that Amazon offer, the MP3 player I got from the Electronics section was very reasonable and the DVDs likewise. But I can't really comment on the kid’s toys, videos etc but I assume they follow the rule.

Delivery

One of Amazon’s most promising features is the very quick delivery they persistently offer. Same day dispatch, and Royal Mail 1st Class are standard. This is great and of course appreciated, but you do pay for it. Delivery charges for a CD or DVD are £1.19, Books, Audio books, Videos, Software and Toys are all at £2.16, electronics are £3.31 and PC or Video games £1.40. This comes to a lot of money for small items, and makes chunking your stuff together really worth while.

Range Options

As I mentioned before Amazon's range is simply huge, every obscure band from Sprung Monkey to Sky Diving Penguins can generally be found. However diverse your tastes are in books, music, DVDs etc you will be able to find what you need. The pre-ordering is excellent giving you the chance to stake an interest weeks and sometimes months before the product becomes available. They wont credit your account until the dispatch so there’s no risk and you can change your mind as you wish until the release date arrives.

It’s great web site with more features then I’ve mentioned, the recommendations for example, are based on the buying patterns of all their millions of past customers and are quite accurate when I’ve used them in the past. You can rate your purchases on how much you liked them so they can tailor the recommendations to your taste. It’s a nice touch and they’re going to make a fortune from their wealth of knowledge in the future. Check it out, it’s all worth it.