Amazon.co.uk > Reviews > Exploring the Amazing Amazon

Author's product rating:   

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

Advantages:	Vast range of products  |  Free delivery over £15  |  Wish list
Disadvantages:	Not always cheapest

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

One of the first online shops that I discovered was "Amazon" and I found myself regularly buying from them, thinking that as they were the original they had to be the best. When I first starting using it Amazon basically only sold books and DVDs, but recently the range has become enormous, with them selling almost the equivalent of an entire High Street. Although I know now they're not always the cheapest, I still find myself regularly returning and now I'm going to tell you why.

---The Website---

The website is very well designed with a fairly clean, uncluttered look that features mainly text, with a few well placed graphics. I have no difficulty accessing the site using both Internet Explorer and Firefox, and there is only a very occasional pop-up (which is usually an offer). Links to the various sections of the site are clearly laid out at the top of the screen and once logged in the home page features products that Amazon feels you will be interested in. (This seems to be based on what you've previously looked at and bought).

The search function is extremely comprehensive and reliable and easily takes you to the particular product you're looking for, even if you don't know the full name. It's a good job the search function works as well as it does because there are literally thousands of products to choose from.

---The Products---

Amazon sells a huge variety of different products from books, to DVDs to electronic goods and even toys all arranged into different departments :

--Books--

This is the department that I've probably bought the most from and although they're not always the cheapest there is a huge range of all manner of genres to suit all tastes. I was actually surprised that some of the books that I've bought from here were cheaper on other websites (only by a matter of pennies). There are also a range of hard to find books, which they will try to find for you at a premium, but a warning here is that they're not always successful.

--Electronics and Photo--

The electronics department almost manages to compete with the likes of Dixon's, with an amazing range of different gadgets, including MP3 players, DVD recorders and computer peripherals. I've personally bought a DVD recorder from this department, and it was available at the lowest price on the web (at the time). A quick look on the category page tells me that a Creative Zen Touch is available for a very competitive £149.98.

--Music--

There is a large range of CD's both new and old. Chart Cds are very competitively priced at approximately £8.99 for single discs and £12.99 for double disc compilations. As well as all the new release there's a vast back catalogue and I've found many Cds that are no longer available in High Street stores. I'm not really that great a fan of buying Cds (I much prefer the cheaper prices when downloading), but I have occasionally bought older discs that aren't generally available anywhere else. What I do like about the product descriptions in the music section are the track listings and the fact you can listen to samples before buying.

--DVDs/Video--

If films are your thing, then it's the DVD and video sections you'll be looking at. There are once more a huge range of films to choose from, but I've found that price wise they are often beaten by the likes of Play. In fact I've very rarely bought DVDs from here as I've found other websites can be considerably cheaper, especially with boxsets.

--Software/PC & Video Games--

These are sections that I have no experience with, but a quick glance shows me that there is again a vast range and although the prices seem quite competitive they can be beaten by searching around on the net.

--Home and Garden--

Here you find yet another huge range of products with a vast diversity, including personal care and small kitchen appliances. The prices compare well with mainstream websites, but again the majority can be beaten if you look hard enough.

--Toys and Games--

This is a slightly smaller range, that has been growing recently, the toys are arranged in age groups, are very reasonably priced and in fact are often considerably cheaper than other sites. If it's an unusual toy you're looking for, this is probably not the place to look, but there are some nice educational toys available.

---Making a Purchase---

Buying from Amazon is extremely simple, once you've found the product you want to buy simply click "add to basket" and that's it you're ready to check out. To actually pay for your goods you will need to create an account, which is simple but does involve giving out your credit or debit card details. You may be concerned about doing this, and if so there is also the option of paying by check, but this will considerably slow your order down. I've personally had no problems with Amazon keeping my card details, and feel very secure.

Once you've entered your details, you will never need to enter them again, unless you move or your card expires. I find this makes purchasing from Amazon even easier.

---Post and Packing (P&P)---

There are two options for P&P, one is free and the other can work out quite expensive. I personally only ever use the free delivery option for purchases over £15, and find that although the delivery status on the product page says "usually dispatched within 24 hours", there is a delay of two to three days before it actually leaves the depot. However, once I've received my dispatch confirmation my parcels have always been delivered the next day by courier.

If your order is under £15 or you're in a hurry to receive it, you can choose to pay for delivery. The way delivery is then worked out is, to say the least, very confusing and there is a different rate for each type of product and this is per order as well as per item. I find it very confusing to work out and find the easiest way to see if it's worth paying for delivery is too simply let Amazon work it out for me. There again I must say I wonder if it's worth paying for the delivery for the sake of two days.

You also have the choice of deciding whether your order should be grouped into as few deliveries as possible, (if for example one item is out of stock), or if they should dispatch each item as it comes into stock. I personally just wait for everything to come into stock, as I'm not that bothered about how fast I receive my goods, but from what I can tell more deliveries could mean a higher delivery charge.

---Order Tracking---

With Amazon, I find it easy to keep an eye on how close my order is to being delivered by logging into my account and having a quick look. I also find that I receive emails keeping me informed of when items are actually dispatched along with a tracking number for the courier company so I can literally watch as it gets closer to my door.

---Customer Service---

I personally have never needed to use the customer service dept. but there is a vast online help system that answers almost any question you could ever have.

---Other Features---

As well as being a simple on line shop, Amazon has several extra features that really do make it stand out from the crowd, these include :

--Marketplace--

With the majority of products you will not only see Amazon's price, but there will also be a "buy new or used from" price. And this is where you can buy and sell your own goods privately, with Amazon acting as a kind of go between. I've seen some ridiculously cheap prices on here, but have never quite had the confidence to use it.

--DVD Rentals--

Amazon has recently started a pay monthly DVD rental service. The prices seem very reasonable with two options that allow either two or three discs out at a time (max 4/6 month) for £7.99 and £9.99 respectively. Again, as I prefer to have my own copies of DVDs I'm never actually likely to use this, but I can see the attraction for some people.

--Wish List--

This is a great idea and once signed in allows you to create a list of products you would really love to own. This can then be shared with family and friends so that they never need to ask want you want for your birthday/Christmas again. It's really easy to add items to your list, simply browse the site and when you see something you want to add, click on the "Add To Wish list" button, and that's it all done. Removing items from the list is just as simple and involves going into the wish list and simply deleting it, you can even add comments so that your family knows which item you're the most desperate for. Of course it's no good creating your wish list if you don't tell the prospective gift-buyers where it can be found, and spreading the word is once again very easy with a form that allows you to enter their email addresses along with a message.

Purchasing from a wish list is just as simple, and the order is automatically sent to the right address, I'm not sure if the invoice is sent in the parcel, but if I ever find out I'll update.

--Reviews--

The majority of product descriptions are accompanied by reviews written by people that have already bought the item. Some of these reviews are useful and warn of any potential problems, but there are others that either say nothing or give huge plot spoilers. These reviews can be displayed in a number of ways including which have been found most useful.

---My Final Opinion---

While Amazon is not always the cheapest, I find that it is reliable and I like the little personal touches such as the recommendations. I also find that it's the first place that I look when running short of reading matter and I must have bought hundreds of books over the years. While I'm recommending this site, I would say that it's also worth checking that you can't find what you want cheaper elsewhere. And if Amazon is the cheapest then go ahead and buy from there, but try and make sure your order is over £15 so that you can take advantage of the free delivery.