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Posted to this site on March 03, 2021
Welcome to the most lovingly curated selection of Amazon and Prime alternatives
anywhere. We aim to make giving up Amazon easy and to encourage more people to
spend their money with businesses that have higher ethical standards. While
Amazon's monopolistic stranglehold on our economy has made it increasingly
difficult to completely avoid supporting them, we've discovered that—contrary
to conventional wisdom— it’s often possible to find lower prices, sometimes
substantially, by shopping elsewhere. You just have to know where to look...
This is a subjective selection of our ideal Prime-replacing bundle from the
extensive options we’ve researched and tested. We think the average user of
these alternatives to Amazon will be able to access a broader selection of
goods, save money and support more ethical business practices.
already shopping, including many of the stores in this guide. Get their credit
card to get an extra 3 percent off purchases. When you join with our link you
get $25 credit and our Amazon-fighting campaign gets $25 as soon as you spend
$25 at any participating store. This little icon in one of our entries means
that store offers a rebate to shoppers using the Rakuten plugin.
browsing on Amazon (and elsewhere). Seems to find better prices about half the
time but really depends on what you’re shopping for. Also searches
automatically for coupons on most shopping sites.
that’s underselling what you saw on Amazon, sometimes significantly, and
offering free shipping (63% of eBay listings offer free shipping). And, of
course, you can still find used stuff there, too. Many listings include a
“make an offer” button that can result in even lower prices if you like to
bargain. Has some eye-popping daily deals on tech, fashion, home/garden, tools,
sporting goods, toys, etc, with a guarantee of best price anywhere.
and ebooks for free! Good for the wallet, the planet and democracy (the more we
use shared resources, the more we want to support and protect them). Overdrive,
Hoopla and Libby apps connect you to your library's digital content. A 5-star
rated browser plugin called Library Extension does the magic trick of showing
you whether the book you're looking to buy on Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble,
Goodreads, etc, is available to borrow at your library.
and eBooks, is ethically sound and builds libraries in the developing world.
Better World Books is also awesome, does carbon offsetting, donates books for
education, and has free shipping to anywhere.
purchasing. Profits split between them and your local indie bookstore. Special
offer when you switch from another provider.
make you feel like you’re still getting the cutting edge but with way lower
prices and less impact on the planet. From a company on a mission to
"make resurrected devices mainstream." In the past year and a half of watching,
we've seen them vastly expand the range of products they offer, and that mission
looks promising.
your health, local community and the environment. Use Instacart, et al, if you
need delivery.
Membership is $79/year but free for AmEx and Mastercard cardholders, Yahoo
users and PayPal members (the latter two of which are free, too, so...). Offers
a global search box to search all member stores. We don't note any particular
ShopRunner values or practices that show special concern for social responsibity.
search results for “green” products. Price matching. E-waste and toner recycling.
Donates percentagae of profits to community organizations that customers choose.
Free next day deliveries on all orders in some areas and free 2-3 day shipping
in other places.
artists; music videos; exclusive ticket access; supports the end of mass
incarceration; pays artists better than most others (6x what Spotify does).
$10/mo, $15 for families, $5 for students. New tidal subscribers get an extra
30 days free (total of 60) when using our link.
it; you’ll often find lower prices, too. Shipping charges vary widely and are
often free. Yes, as a testament to Juggernaut Jeff's ever growing power, many
ebay sellers use Amazon to warehouse, pack and ship their orders. To avoid
this, ask the seller whether they use Fulfilled by Amazon, or watch out for
sellers with no physical address who offer 2-day shipping.
already shopping, including many of the stores in this guide (denoted with this
little icon). For saving money while shopping online, it’s a no brainer
(as long as you don't let its emails sucker you into impulse buying). When you
join with our link you get $10 credit as soon as you spend $25 at any
participating store, and our 501c3 non-profit gets $25, too. Formerly known as
ebates.
and sellers. From shoes to t-shirts to jewelry to toys to art to vintage, Etsy
really does have a lot of unique stuff. With a mission to “keep commerce
human,” and a strong commitment to community, environment (including a
commitment to 100% renewable energy and zero waste by 2020) and fostering
economic security for creative entrepreneurs, Etsy is in many ways the
antithesis of Amazon, although some sellers have complained that conditions for
them worsened following the recent acquisition of the company.
by really thoughtful people using their companies to try to do right by the
planet. As EarthHero says, "literally anyone can say that their products are
earth-friendly without having the facts to back it up." Do you know what the
NSF/ANSI 305 Guidelines are? Us neither. Whether or not you're in the market
for some consumption today, you'll definitely learn something about what
separates the green washers from the Earth lovers in their super intricate
5-step sourcing methodology. From refillable razors to eco-crayons, with svelt
recycled pantyhose and reusable silicon sandwich bags in-between. Certified B
Corp. 1% for the planet.
cash back, free returns, up to $20 to review things, dedicated support line,
free online stock trades, hotel discounts and so many deals and sales it’s
hard to keep track. $20/year but free for military, students, teachers, first
responders and holders of the Overstock credit card, which has no annual fee.
some good deals if you can successfully navigate the search. Highly rated by
sellers for treating them well. Be warned that—as this monopoly trends—some
sellers use Amazon for fullfilment.
to use CL’s “save search” function and wait for the right match to show
up in your email inbox. For hard-to-find items, try a Google search of
“craigslist” + “the thing you’re looking for” to search all the CL
sites in the world. Or, try SearchTempest to search multiple craigslist cities
(by region) at once.
Craigslist by offering a better user experience, including simplified posting,
profiles and user ratings. They both seem to get mixed reviews on Reddit, but
their apps are well rated.
worker-led sickout for unsafe working conditions related to COVID. We rescind
our recommendation until the company adequately responds. Lots of quick and
cheap shipping options. Same day delivery by Shipt (free for 4 week trial).
Free 1- or 2-day shipping for many items with $35 purchase. Customers using a
Target REDcard get free shipping on all orders—no minimum purchase—plus an
extra 5% off. Return shipping is free as well. Full year to return or exchange
Target-owned brands.
The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world. Major brands
are exploiting garment workers and harming the environment in the production
of shoes and clothing. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing
every year. And it takes around 1,800 gallons of water to make a pair of blue
jeans. Watch Why your $8 shirt is a huge problem, then check out Ethical
Consumer’s Fashion Guide before you buy. Most of our recommendations are
centered on used clothing, since that's the most ecological way to get dressed!
Ok, end of sermon. Here's how to avoid Amazon and find clothes you love:
how the pros do it.
used kid's and women's clothes. Parents can donate clothing by mail for the
benefit of their school. Kids can track their school’s fundraising progress
on their school page, and Schoola funds programs that have seen severe budget
cuts, such as art, music, field trips and P.E. Looking for a fundraising idea
that is easy, green, and doesn’t require students to be salespeople?
Top-earning schools have raised more than $50,000 each.
the conveniences of digital searching and deep discounts on fancy brands
(and not-fancy ones too—they have 35k brands on the site). Free shipping on
orders over $79 and a mission to "inspire a new generation of shoppers to think
secondhand first." Want to sell? They’ll send you a huge polka-dot bag that
fits all the clothes you no longer wear. Ship it back for FREE and they’ll
inspect, photograph, and list your items.
$60 and free return shipping, too. This eco-focused blogger compares Swap vs.
Poshmark vs. thredUP (and a few others, too).
men, and kids. Sort by style, brand, size, and price point. Also has social
features for getting style help and buyer protection.
focused. Members (see ShopRunner in Our Ideal Bundle) can use their global
search to find what you’re looking for in a participating store and get free
2-day shipping.
manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, with a range of prices and quality
levels for any given part. Their prices are typically as good or better than
everyone else's. Easy-to-use parts catalog saves your vehicle(s) to simplify p
arts search.
cities. Free 2-day delivery of a broader selection in any location with
ShopRunner. Sign up for their text deals to get substantial offers regularly.
Please note that AutoZone has fought and lost numerous employee-discrimination
lawsuits in the past. It may be that the culture has improved -- we don't see
any evidence of suits in the recent couple years.
Amazon sells about half of all new print books and 83 percent of Ebooks in the
US. If they don’t like a book, for any reason, because they’re battling the
distributor over price, or it takes them to task for their monopolistic
tendencies, they can bury it in searches or just remove the Buy button. No
bueno for democracy. Fortunately, there are still numerous thriving
alternatives that offer both lower prices and a larger selection. Some offer
free shipping, too. Many of our suggestions steer you towards used books, which
are great for the planet and the pocketbook, but not helpful for the pocketbooks
of the people who wrote them. After buying new, the second best way to support
authors is to check out books from a library, since libraries are more likely
to order books by the same author if previous ones were popular with their
clientele. If you're more interested in supporting the authors and the little
guys than you are in getting cheap books, try ordering directly from authors
'or small publishers' sites.
better price than anywhere else, from a global network of indy booksellers.
Has used profits to build 12 public libraries in rural villages of South
America. Strives for a bottom line called EPIC, balancing Environment, Profit,
Independence and Community. The first bookselling marketplace to offer
carbon-offsetting on all orders. Millions of used textbooks. Green America
certified.
to buy on Amazon a little window popped up and told you that it was available
at your library? There's an app for that. Library Extension is a 5-star-rated
browser plugin that let's you know if the book or eBook you're checking out on
Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, etc, is available to borrow
locally, and even has a button to check it out or reserve it. Free. Wow!
homepage has some interesting data about the impacts of buying local,
including: “Spend $100 at a local-owned business and $52 of that stays in
your community. Spend $100 at a national chain and keep $13 in the local
community. Spend $100 online with a remote vendor with no sales tax collected
and keep not one penny in your local community. Local businesses donate to
charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.” Unlike with
purchasing used books, buying new ones from your local bookstore ensures that
authors receive a small royalty and helps bookstores to promote and sponsor
book events and author readings.
someone who needs it for every book sold (over 13 million to date), and offers
free shipping. Need it now? With eDelivery any physical book can be scanned
and sent digitally in as little as two hours. Certified B Corp.
book sellers around the world. How can you go wrong when a book seller’s
mission is: “Be fair to customers and our employees, promote literacy, be
kind to the environment and remain financially viable so we may continue.”
DVDs, CDs, vinyl and even cassettes from thousands of independent sellers
worldwide. Arguably older than Amazon and certainly more ethical. Alibris has
also recently gotten into the textbook rental game. They allow you to return
rentals for a full refund within 21 days and allow written notes and
highlighting. Bonus: Many items ship for free, and if you sign up for their
newsletter, you get loads of coupons.
have to give away and a wish list of the ones you’d like to get. When someone
requests one of yours, you ship it to them (that’s the only cost involved)
and earn a point. You can use your point to request a book from someone else
or donate the points you earn to charity. PaperBackSwap is very similar with
an added bonus: you get two credits just for signing up, so your first two
books are completely free.
remaindered by publishers — new books that went unsold last year, now selling
at a very steep discount.
local public library, enabling you to borrow audiobooks and ebooks (and, in the
case of Hoopla, feature films, music, comics, and TV shows, too) to enjoy on your
computer, tablet, phone or TV. Overdrive is also a Certified B Corporation.
Compare the three.
Enki, Freading, the Digitalia Public Library, SimplyE, Biblioboard or RBdigital,
which has hundreds of digital magazines including popular titles like the New
Yorker, Wired, Newsweek, the Economist, National Geographic. When libraries use
multiple service providers, they make different book collections available
though each. If your library doesn’t have what you’re looking for, several
libraries offer cards to non-residents for free or modest fees. Many big city
libraries offer free cards to everyone who lives in the state.
purchasing. Profits split between them and your local indie bookstore. You can
search by book first and choose your store later, or pick the store first and
browse what your favorite indie bookstore has available. Special offer when you
switch from another provider. Bulk memberships for corporate customers.
Will match anyone’s price plus a 10% credit. 5 million titles. Offers titles
in highly compatible EPUB and PDF formats.
850,000 titles (including 60,000 audiobooks) on their mobile app
(iOS, Android and Windows). $9.99/month.
One million titles. Seems to pay authors 2-5x what Amazon does.
(Chirp), no subscription necessary. They are able to offer such low prices
because authors and publishers offer short term discounts to drive awareness.
Get alerts of new offerings from your favorite authors, and get recommendations
from authors, editors, and your friends.
that includes one million titles. Scribd hosts 60 million documents on its open
publishing platform.
deals at $2-4/title. Limited selection compared to Audible. All content is
DRM free, meaning you can play it on any platform, now and forever. Once you
buy a book it's yours. "When you buy from Downpour instead of Audible, you get
the same book, at the same price, but you get a better product, because you
don't have to worry about having it taken away from you by the march of time
the greed of faceless corporations that view you as an ambulatory wallet."
-BoingBoing
allows you to upload the ebooks you own to the player so your library is all
in one place. A la carte, no subscriptions.
your library as long as its a PDF, EPUB or IBA file. There is no webpage for
the Apple Books Store which means there is no way to browse the eBook selection
without installing the app.
articles , a non-profit offering over 3 million ebooks and audiobooks to read
online or download. The World Library Foundation is a global coordinated effort
to preserve and disseminate digital copies of historical books, classic works
of literature, serials, bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias in a
number of languages and countries around the world. $8.95/yr.
25 days. Free shipping on orders over $35.
ebooks, instructional videos, live courses, interactive tutorials, case
studies, transformation playlists—all in all, probably beats just reading the
book. The largest online library of reference and learning content for
technical and business topics available on the Internet.
disabilities, offering almost 700,000 titles.
eBooks. The World Digital Library has 20,000 items about 193 countries between
8000 BCE and 2000 CE, while the Digital Public Library houses 30 million
images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States. One hundred
extensive university libraries from around the world that anyone can access.
products gives them even more competitive leverage to use against publishers
and writers, since every Audible book you buy is locked to Audible's platform
and it's a felony to unlock them and move them to a competing one." -BoingBoing
Are you content to read on your phone or tablet, or do you want a dedicated
reader? Or do you need help deciding? If you already own a Kindle and you want
to use it to read books from other sources besides Amazon, you can. An app
called Calibre can convert almost any ebook file to be read by almost any
e-reader. As with all electronic devices, buying second-hand is the best way
to minimize the negative impacts of manufacturing. Ethical Consumer does not
rate any e-reader manufacturer as an “ethical company worth supporting.”
also owns the Overdrive public library app (and the Rakuten shopping plugin in
our Ideal Bundle). According to PC Mag (11 September 2018), the Kobo Clara HD
is the best all-around e-reader for anyone who borrows books from public
libraries. Buy it on kobo or eBay.
from Ethical Consumer than most tablets and E-readers and Apple gets the
highest ratings for avoiding conflict minerals, though not all is rosy with
the world’s most valuable company. According the Greenpeace, Apple products,
including cables, are free from phthalates, lead, mercury, PVC/BFR and arsenic.
products at reduced prices . $60 membership fee. Substantially better prices
than Amazon on many items. Free shipping on orders over $49.
always offer more local and sustainably produced products than their
competitors and generally support the community and environment in myriad ways.
They’re usually cheaper than Whole Foods, too. Many co-ops offer the option of
ordering large quantities from their supplier for wholesale prices plus a
modest markup.
shipped 1,500 miles to get to you, the carrot at the farmer’s market only
came as far as the farmer could drive that morning. Skip the middle person
and support small farms . Here are nine more good reasons.
will get you a weekly box of just-harvested veggies direct from the grower.
Some CSAs include the option to buy shares of eggs, homemade bread, meat,
cheese, fruit, or flowers along with your vegetables. Connect with your farmer
and eat in season!
score the highest marks in sustainability and community, but Costco does much
better than others. Consistently earns kudos for social responsibility and
consistently rated one of the top 50 places to work in America. Non-perishable
food and household supplies have free 2-day delivery on orders of $75 or more,
for Costco members. Web prices generally beat Amazon on a wide variety of
items, and in-store prices are better yet. Costco Business offers free next
business day delivery to business addresses for members on orders over $250.
bath, body, home and cleaning . Limited, curated offering of “essentials”
reduces the risk of impulse buys. Often has the best prices by a significant
margin. Free samples and free 2-day delivery on orders over $50.
sickout for unsafe working conditions related to COVID. We rescind our
recommendations until the companies adequately respond. Shipt, Instacart, and
Peapod all offer same day delivery of groceries. Instacart seems to have the
biggest service area and offers a broader selection of stores, including
Costco, CVS, Petco, Kroger, Aldi, and many local grocers. Peapod shops from
their own virtual stores. Here’s a nice comparison of the three.
developers, allows you to choose how much you want to pay and how you want it
divided between Humble Bundle, the developer, and charity. When you buy a
cross-platform game, you get a version for each available OS. HB has contributed
over $152,000,000 to charity since 2010.
to make you feel like you’re still getting the cutting edge.
used Apple products.
threshold, your membership category notches up and free shipping gets faster,
among other benefits, including extended return privileges. Price matching in store.
apparel, automotive, toys, etc. No apparent commitment to sustainability. Weak
position on supply chain ethics. Newegg Premier offers free 3-day-or-sooner
shipping, free returns and the ability to add up to 4 friends to your account.
$50/year. [ShopRunner]
accessories. [ShopRunner]
responsibility in certain areas and low marks elsewhere. Overall, it does
better than the other internet behemoths on the ethics scale, which,
increasingly, isn't saying much.
dedicated to musical instruments—old, new, vintage—and run and frequented
by musicians? That's what Reverb is all about. It's also home to what's
possibly the world's most comprehensive "blue book" for pricing used music
gear. Wholly owned subsidiary of etsy.
Humanity. They sell much of what you’d see in a hardware or furniture store—new
and used—but usually at greatly reduced prices. If you’re fortunate enough to
have one in your town, it’s an unbeatable place to begin your search for tool,
supplies and building materials.
You can filter for a great array of features, including: organic,
energy-efficient, water conserving, recycled-upcycled, health sensitive,
non-toxic, USA made, socially conscious, sustainable and compostable. Gold
certified Green America business, certified B corporation. Free shipping on
orders over $100.
membership, but you get a $25 gift card with renewal.
manufacturing, etc) with mountains of inventory. Extensive commitment to
social responsibility.
on higher end tools. Generous return and buyer protection policies.
but does usually have competitive prices.
Office Supplies
Filter search results for “green” products. Price matching. E-waste and
toner recycling. Donates percentagae of profits to community organizations
that customers choose. Free next day deliveries on all orders in some areas
and free 2-3 day shipping in other places. Blaisdell's recently acquired Give
Something Back, our previous top choice that was a certified B-Corp and donated
70% of profits. Hopefully some of that culture will rub off on the new owners.
You can filter for a great array of features, including: organic,
energy-efficient, water conserving, recycled-upcycled, health sensitive,
non-toxic, USA made, socially conscious, sustainable and compostable. Gold
certified Green America business, certified B corporation. Free shipping on
orders over $100.
option and Blaisdell's doesn’t have what you need, this is a good one.
Guaranteed lowest prices on your five favorite items, $25 paper deal every day,
and no-minimum free next day delivery with $49 membership. Free 2-day delivery
with ShopRunner.
new and gently used sporting apparel and equipment.
ethics and commitment to supporting environmental non-profits. Co-op members
($20/lifetime) get 10% back on most purchases.
take it back when its life is over. Probably the most ethical large company in
America.
you've narrowed down your search using the menu on the left, try saving your
search and getting email notifications when a new match is posted.
shipping on orders over $49. Daily deals. Owned by PetSmart.
worker-led sickout for unsafe working conditions related to COVID. We rescind our
recommendation until the company adequately responds. Easy navigation, less
selection than Chewy. Same day delivery by Shipt (free for 4 week trial). Free
1-2 delivery on certain items with $35 purchase. Free same day order pickup at
stores. Customers using a Target REDcard get free shipping on all orders—no
minimum purchase—plus an extra 5% off. Return shipping is free as well.
over $49. Donates a bowl of food to a shelter for every bag you buy. Use our
link to get $10 in store credit (we get $10, too, better get some more kittens
around the office).
variety of upcycled and recycled materials in manufacturing, like nylon made
from old fishing nets. Has some vegan shoes. Certified B Corp and member of
Leather Working Group, Fair Labor Association and Canopy. Gives away 1/3 of
profits. Lots of good here—TOMS seems like the Patagonia of footwear.
footprint of zero on each manufactured pair. Time magazine called their wool
runner the "world's most comfortable shoe." Certified B Corp.
Amazon said "we want to buy you." Zappos said, "nah, we're good." So Amazon
undersold them (at a loss) for so long that Zappos finally had no choice. For
much of the past hundred years it was illegal to use one of your business arms
to subsidize another one so that you could undercut a competitor, but Reaganomics
gutted antitrust and now it's just fine. We can change it back to not fine by
electing leaders who will stand up to crony capitalism.
Prime has thrived for a reason: the convenience of being able to order things
with a single click and have them show up in 2 days (or less) and imagine that
you’re getting the lowest price is a powerful trifecta; throw in a bunch of
movies, original tv shows and music and you’ve got a recipe for hooking 120
million folks.
But, when we began to actively avoid Prime, we quickly realized that we
weren’t just finding substitute ways to buy the same stuff but that we were
actually buying less stuff. This confirmed a hunch that many of us probably
have: convenient shopping encourages more of it. The realization that we
are now buying less stuff and that the quality of our lives hasn’t suffered
is a good “a-ha.” The best deal might be the one where you shut the computer
(or watch the unboxing YouTube, if you must) instead of clicking Buy.
That said, we think we’ve done our homework on sleuthing out the best
alternatives for every category of stuff that Prime serves up.
ShopRunner membership will get you free 2-day shipping and free returns. Many
participating retailers have a $25 minimum purchase. Membership is $79/year
but free for AmEx and Mastercard holders and PayPal members
(which is free, too, so…). The app gets poor ratings, but you don’t need
it to use the service.
shipping, 5% cash back, free returns, up to $20 to review things, dedicated
support line, free online stock trades, hotel discounts and so many deals and
sales it’s hard to keep track. $20/year but free for military, students,
teachers, first responders and holders of the Overstock credit card, which has
no annual fee.
threshold, your membership category notches up and free shipping gets
faster, among other benefits, including extended return privileges.
Price matching in store.
worker-led sickout for unsafe working conditions related to COVID. We rescind
our recommendation until the company adequately responds. Lots of quick and
cheap shipping options. Same day delivery by Shipt (free for 4 week trial).
Free 1- or 2-day shipping for many items with $35 purchase. Customers using a
Target REDcard get free shipping on all orders—no minimum purchase—plus an
extra 5% off. Return shipping is free as well. Full year to return or exchange
Target-owned brands.
that always offer shoppers free, no-minimum-purchase-required shipping on all
orders.
carte, or $7.99/month for unlimited delivery.
search results for “green” products. Price matching. E-waste and toner
recycling. Donates percentage of profits to community organizations that
customers choose. Free next day deliveries on all orders in some areas and
free 2-3 day shipping in other places.
certain cities. Free 2-day delivery of a broader selection to any location
with ShopRunner. Please note that AutoZone has fought and lost numerous
employee-discrimination lawsuits in the past. It may be that the culture has
improved -- we don't see any evidence of suits in the recent couple years.
shipping on most online orders over $45. Over 158,000 items are eligible for
free shipping to Alaska and Hawaii. Free standard delivery on appliance
purchases of $396 or more.
membership, but you get a $25 gift card with renewal.
Check out a good head-to-head of the big three streamers here.
options, some of which offer content you’ll never find on a subscription
streaming service. See the Books section for tips about making the most of the
public library. Of course, if you're addicted to an Amazon show, you might hold
on to Prime but stop shopping at Amazon. Or, quit Prime and watch with a friend
who hasn't.
with over 30,000 feature films and documentaries and featuring over 1,000 producers
and distributors, including Criterion Collection, Great Courses, BBC and more.
“One of the most unique and compelling film collections in the world.” -Forbes.
Use it to check movies out for free if your public library is a member.
public library), but they do have some classic films, new and old, and TV shows,
too. Best of all, it’s Free. All you need is a library card.
year. They play at prestigious film festivals, but it’s difficult to find
them online. Flix finds and curates these movies in its quest to be your #1
destination for the best of independent film. Many films are free to stream.
$5/month.
your used music and movies." Very reasonable shipping rates, including
international.
world. 30 curated films per month. $9/month.
films and premieres from around the world. Ad supported. Free.
subtitled. Access to many popular TV shows from other networks—a year after
originally airing. Netflix gets middling marks from Ethical Consumer,
but better than most competitors.
original television shows. Hulu also has a highly rated interface and the
most economical basic plan, and generally gets new content first.
Netflix is cheaper and has a bigger library.
consider time spent watching ads to have a cost). And, of course, you can
comment. Premium does away with the ads.
While the features of the major streamers are pretty similar, some pay artists
much better than others. Tidal and Google Play Music pay about 2–7x what
Spotify does, for example, and Resonate pays even more. A signed artist would
need 4.2 million streams on YouTube in a month to make minimum wage; on Tidal,
she’d only need 180k. An unfortunate thing about streaming music is that
it’s harder on the climate than the radio. Streams come from data centers,
which take electricity, lots of it. If you stream a song 100 times it takes
100 times more energy than downloading it once to your device and then
listening to it whenever you want. This is true for movies, too, but we don’t
tend to watch a movie a hundred times. (Using YouTube to stream when you aren’t
even watching the video is the most energy wasting way to play music.) So, we
recommend downloading tracks and storing them on your device once you know you
like them. That can also save your mobile data, too.
supports the end of mass incarceration; pays artists much better than most
others, owned by artists. Its manifesto is worth a read. Supports downloading
for offline listening. TIDAL claims to pay the highest ratio of royalties vs.
revenues to music creators of any streaming service, and equal rates are paid
to artists regardless of whether they're signed to a major label, an indie
label, or not signed to a label at all $10/mo, $15 for families, $5 for students.
New tidal subscribers get an extra 30 days free (total of 60) when using our link.
unique pay-as-you-go model, after you stream a song 9 times you own it forever
and the artist makes as much as they would if you paid to download it. They
claim that you could stream new music for an entire month for just two bucks.
What's more, Resonate is a co-op that's owned by the listeners, the artists,
and the workers, who all share the profits. As with Tidal, the manifesto is
worth a read. Here's a taste: "Co-ops are the future of an equitable internet.
Technology should benefit all involved, not just a handful of shareholders."
Their success will most likely depend on whether they can grow their catalog.
Tell your musician friends to sign on!
your used music and movies." Very reasonable shipping rates, including
international.
Not much, except now you can probably pick it up online if your antenna is too
short. Still the best place to hear music chosen by real humans in real time.
Almost certainly a more effective way to discover new music you like.
Don’t like your local selection? Check out this list of 40 great ones.
artist-worshipping place to discover and buy real music (almost) directly
from the people who made it. Fan-curated collections. Bandcamp has paid mostly
independent artists almost $500 million since launch. Passes artists 80-85
cents of every dollar of revenue. iOS and Android app.
too, and offers a bundle deal with Hulu. Earns good marks in employee reviews,
but doesn't compensate artists well. Store up to 10,000 tracks locally.
rated apps. Easily integrate your iTunes library with music you don’t own.
Download as many tracks as you like.
independent music and a good way to get more of your money to the artist. CDs
and downloads.
catalog. Monthly fee includes commercial-free streaming on YouTube. Allows
downloading.
music, video games, ebooks and audiobooks all in a single subscription. Also
offers unbundled options. Very spotty reviews of the tech, though.
the Sony Music catalog. All selections are DRM-free in mp3 format. Works with
your library card.
What can we say that a Ecosia search (or a Duck Duck Go search if only they’d
stop promoting Amazon in results) doesn’t say better? Well, maybe one thing:
Alexa is recording you and storing your conversations in the Amazon cloud, and
other smart speakers are equally scary from a privacy point of view, too. Make
sure you know what you’re giving up in exchange for what you’re getting.
Actually, scratch that, you don’t know what you’re giving up because they
aren’t telling you. Then again, you could say the same things about smartphones...
company promises to never sell your data or feed you ads. It runs on many
platforms—including desktop, their Mark II device (for any level of tech expertise
or lack thereof, but not yet in production), or on a Raspberry Pi
(for the geeks). Although it may go without saying, it's absolutely critical that
we support open source alternatives to the creepy, spying, ad-enabled versions
brought to us "for free!" by Big Brother Tech Inc.
on Raspberry Pi, which means, find your inner nerd or enlist one to get your
smart home up and going without Big Snoopy.
We’ve been putting more and more of our photos and videos in the cloud, which
can make them more convenient to share and keep track of, but it also comes
with privacy risks and an environmental cost. Data centers use a lot of energy.
Up- and downloading big files increases that cost. Does every video need to
be HD and every photo need to be 14 megapixels? You can adjust your phone
settings so the resolution fits the purpose, and you can minimize file sizes
before sending them anywhere, built into Mail and simple with Image Size on
iOS, or Photo and Picture Resizer —and built-in options depending on your
device—on Android. Amazon’s photo storage solution isn’t especially
popular, so we haven’t prioritized identifying the best alternatives.
“We have a problem with Stuff. We use too much, too much of it is toxic and
we don’t share it very well. But that’s not the way things have to be.
Together, we can build a society based on better not more, sharing not
selfishness, community not division.” -Story of Stuff Project Start the
journey by unsubscribing from all the emails from companies that want to sell
you stuff. Yes, you’ll miss out on some good deals, but you’ll most likely
save more money by avoiding impulsive buys of things you don’t need.
transform the ways they consume to improve well-being for people and the
planet.
experiences, time with family and friends, and offerings of service and support
for events and causes that matter the most. Music lessons? Homemade dinners? A
museum membership? Donations to your favorite charity? Register for gifts of
time, experience, and skill, as well as traditional material gifts and
secondhand items.
creatively. Post anything you’d like to give away, lend, or share among
neighbors. Ask for anything you’d like to receive for free or borrow.
button on popular sites with a “put it on ice” button, allowing you to
postpone the decision until later. Of the 88.6% of American adults who make
impulsive online purchases , regret is their number one post-shopping concern.
worse, depressed,” argues futurist James Wallman. In Stuffocation: Living
More with Less, he offers cures for “affluenza.”
possession, the writer found his stuff threshold and it made his life better.
9 Reasons Buying Stuff Will Never Make You Happy, from some minimalism experts.
about the way we make, use and throw away all the Stuff in our lives. It’s
now a community of more than a million changemakers worldwide, working to
build a more healthy and just planet.
challenging outmoded beliefs about how the world works – that ordinary people
can’t govern themselves directly; that nonstop economic growth leads to
widespread prosperity; and that more stuff leads to more happiness.
New and resurgent solutions like DIY, collaborative consumption, the
solidarity economy, open source software, transition towns, open government,
and social enterprise are democratizing how we produce, consume, govern, and
solve social problems.
cut down forests to make paper and gulp fossil fuels to send you catalogs you
don't want that entice you to spend money you don't have to buy stuff you
don't need.
Tools + Ideas
products and find sustainable alternatives. Includes eye opening family trees
that show you the big companies that own the companies you thought were small.
browsing on Amazon . Seems to find better prices about half the time but really
depends on what you’re shopping for. Also searches automatically for coupons
on any shopping site. One neat feature shows you a historical graph of a
product’s price so you can get a sense whether it might come down in price
if you wait or know a realistic price for a “Make an Offer” to an Ebay seller.
stuff—from web browsers to web hosts to phones to spreadsheets to maps to
magazines to video hosting—you know, like a who's who of companies and
non-profits that aren't spying on you or screwing the planet or buying
politicians? Ethical.net is all that, and more.
as you shop at affiliated stores, of which there are hundreds. The refund can
be up to 30% of the purchase, so it seems like a worthy browser extension.
ratings of 40,000 brands and products. Product guides help you learn about the
ethical implications of would-be purchases. For example, Fleece Jackets
explores the ethical and environmental record of 36 providers of the same
(TL;dr: yes to Paramo, Patagonia and Fjallraven, no to The North Face, Helly
Hansen, Nike, Jack Wolfskin and Marmot). A wonderful place to begin your
shopping trip! High level info is free while access to detailed reviews requires
membership. Ethical Consumer offers a well researched Amazon Alternatives
resource for folks in the UK or Europe.
for their social and environmental impacts. They have reviewed over 8,000
small green businesses and offer one of the oldest and most reputable assurance
programs for small businesses committed to social and environmental responsibility.
Search for ethical apparel, beds and bedding, personal care, kitchenware, and
most of the other stuff you might want to buy.
already on. Also looks for better prices than the one you’re seeing on an
Amazon product page.
something and then gets merchants to bid to meet it.
“put it on ice” button that enables shoppers to think about it for 3-30
days. It even keeps track of how much you’ve saved by not buying things.
Finder, the company behind the app, also has lots of well-researched, useful
guides to choosing wireless plans, credit cards, etc.
and also alerts you when they go on sale. This is a great alternative if
you’re accustomed to using Amazon’s Wish List feature. Make multiple lists
and share easily. WishList is a similar service that some of our users say
gives more options for choosing sites and adding notes.
In addition to the publically known subsidiaries, there are also upwards of
400 Amazon-owned brands available at amazon.com, most (all?) of which are
currently simple to avoid simply by not shopping there. The biggest:
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