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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/2013/may/16/amazon-alternatives-where-shop-online
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Amazon alternatives: where else do you shop online? | Amazon alternatives: where else do you shop online? |
| (4 months later) | |
| Amazon's tax bill is in the news again, after a Guardian investigation put the spotlight on its financial arrangements. There's a growing swell of people who want to use an alternative place to buy – including my colleague Patrick Collinson who wrote about his attempts to kick the Amazon habit in November. | Amazon's tax bill is in the news again, after a Guardian investigation put the spotlight on its financial arrangements. There's a growing swell of people who want to use an alternative place to buy – including my colleague Patrick Collinson who wrote about his attempts to kick the Amazon habit in November. |
| But it is not always easy to find good alternatives online: if you want to buy either the latest Dan Brown novel (and clearly some people do), Mad Men series five on DVD, or even a packet of Pampers nappies, Amazon seems to come top of the search pages. | But it is not always easy to find good alternatives online: if you want to buy either the latest Dan Brown novel (and clearly some people do), Mad Men series five on DVD, or even a packet of Pampers nappies, Amazon seems to come top of the search pages. |
| Independent retailers point to the difficulties they face attracting customers now that big firms have got better at optimising their pages for search and Google has started charging them to appear in Google Shopping results. | Independent retailers point to the difficulties they face attracting customers now that big firms have got better at optimising their pages for search and Google has started charging them to appear in Google Shopping results. |
| Kate Bendix who set up the website myitchydog.co.uk says it is tough to get noticed these days. "Whereas before you got high in Google Shopping through having a great shop, useful content and links from other sites, now you get to the top if you have enough money. Just like Google Ads," she says. | Kate Bendix who set up the website myitchydog.co.uk says it is tough to get noticed these days. "Whereas before you got high in Google Shopping through having a great shop, useful content and links from other sites, now you get to the top if you have enough money. Just like Google Ads," she says. |
| "The likes of John Lewis, the revamped Jessops and Debenhams have SEO experts and marketing budgets the likes of which I can only dream of. It begs the question, will independent online shops go the way of the high street." | "The likes of John Lewis, the revamped Jessops and Debenhams have SEO experts and marketing budgets the likes of which I can only dream of. It begs the question, will independent online shops go the way of the high street." |
| We would like you to share your recommendations for online shoppers. Where do you go for the latest music CDs, if it isn't Amazon? Who delivers best-selling books at a reasonable price without bother? Where do you turn if you need a last-minute gift for someone delivered to their door? | We would like you to share your recommendations for online shoppers. Where do you go for the latest music CDs, if it isn't Amazon? Who delivers best-selling books at a reasonable price without bother? Where do you turn if you need a last-minute gift for someone delivered to their door? |