Are you sure you are not wasting your money on Amazon?

Amazon has become a staple in most Americans’ lives. After all, most households have an Amazon Prime account, and there is just something very convenient about ordering something and having it come to your door in a matter of days. It can also be very convenient when you are buying things in bulk and they are the ones delivering them to you instead of you having to carry them around.

The deal page and the saved events the major e-commerce retailer has made a staple of their brand is also something that has been attracting customers for years, alongside their increasing catalog of entertainment (such as Prime Video and Kindle). You can virtually find anything under the sun on this website, but does that mean that you should be buying anything you may need from them?

The answer is no. There are a lot of products that you are better off not getting rather than risking the possibility of being scammed by a third-party seller or even just because dealing with the return policy on that specific product is not worth the headache.

To help you rule out these categories of products, we have gathered the ones that you definitely need to stop considering when you are shopping on Amazon!

What do you usually get from Amazon? Let us know in the comments below!

Expensive make-up and skincare

Whether you are buying for yourself, a relative, or a friend, you should not choose to get expensive, name-brand items from Amazon. After all, the item is pretty pricey, to begin with, and since you are going to be paying quite a big sum for the products, it is better to make sure that you are not accidentally getting them from a third-party seller or from a place where they haven’t been stored properly.

Since we are talking about expensive make-up and skincare brands (such as La Mer, La Prairie, and Estee Lauder, to name a few), they do have their own online official shops, and the chances that they are selling on Amazon are pretty slim (we doubt they even have a storefront on Amazon). And the online e-commerce giant is known to have a problem with these third-party sellers that do not actually sell the real product.

Expensive make-up and skincare

There are a ton of products that are copied and sold for a premium price, but in reality, you are getting a counterfeit with unknown or harmful ingredients that comes in copied packaging. It is not something you should be willing to risk, and you should only purchase these from their authorized resellers.

To be able to tell if you are buying the real deal, see on the brand’s official site which authorized resellers they work with; if Amazon is not on the list, then you know all the listings are not coming straight from the manufacturer!

Costco Kirkland Products

If you already have a Costco membership, this one may come as a surprise to you. But there are indeed a lot of the Kirkland Signature products available for purchase on Amazon, with their prices having been increased significantly! Some people who do not want to live close to Costco or do not want to pay for the membership choose to get some of their staples from the online retailer, but we would advise against it.

You will be paying more for the same items you can find in the warehouse shop, and if you keep purchasing these overpriced items, you will end up paying for the membership from the difference over the course of the year. For example, a pack of multivitamins has a price difference of about $5.16 per pack, and if we look at something like toilet paper, you may be paying about $12 more than if you were to go to Costco!

Not to mention, these are resellers. You are not actually buying from Costco, since most listings are just from third-party sellers, and if you buy from them, you may end up having to dispute the claim with the seller before Amazon would even want to get involved if the product is faulty. Do not risk it!

Mattresses

You may not have made the mistake of buying a mattress on Amazon, but it may have been a thought that crossed your mind. And we wouldn’t judge you for that! After all, it would be very convenient to be able to just pick one from the myriad of options this online retailer has and just have it delivered to your door. However, we would still advise you to not do this and instead buy it directly from the manufacturer.

The reason for this is simple: you may not like it, and you will not realize that in time to still be able to return it. You are still able to return mattresses on Amazon if you do not like them, but it will only be for 30 days after you have received the item. And you may not manage to form a true impression of the mattress in that time.

Mattresses

Think about it like this: if you buy directly from some mattress manufacturers, a lot of them allow you to return the mattress up to one year after purchase if you do not like it and you return it in good condition for a full refund! That is 365 days, and when you compare it with the Amazon timeframe, it is way too little, and you may even run into a third-party seller that will not accept your claim for return or not want to return the money since it is at their discretion if you get the money refunded. Not worth the hassle in our opinion!

This is in addition to the fact that you may be overpaying for that mattress. If you end up buying directly from the manufacturer, you may be able to enjoy discounts, be it because there is some sort of deal going on when you want to get it, there is a sale, or even because they have a “10% off for first-time customers” offer! It wouldn’t be worth ordering from Amazon and losing these perks.

Jewelry

And we are not talking about those piercing packs or the cheap, plastic kind of jewelry that you can easily get on Amazon for a great deal. We mean the real deal: things like diamond rings and jewelry pieces like earrings and bracelets that are made of solid gold or silver and encrusted with natural precious stones. If you are in the business of buying these types of items, or you know someone who is, Amazon may not be the best place to purchase something like that, and instead, you should stick to a brick-and-mortar place!

If you are willing to drop several hundred dollars on a piece of jewelry or even on a set, you should be able to examine the pieces and make sure that they are to your liking, something that will not be possible on Amazon. There are a lot of elements you will not be able to check if you buy online, especially on Amazon, things like the design, the clarity, cut, and tone of the stone, and even if it is real or not! And running the risk of getting it on Amazon is also not worth it due to their complicated return policy if the item is not to your liking!

Jewelry

To return fine jewelry on Amazon, you will have to use a special return shipping method that costs up to $35, which you will have to pay, along with having to send all the documents needed, including all the packaging, certificates, and warranty cards included in the original version, or else they will not receive it. Moreover, if you have altered or resized the item, or if it is damaged, you will not be able to return it at all! n

Leave the hassle behind and either purchase online from a jewelry shop you know well or go in person to a store where you will not have to run through so many loopholes to return something you may not like.

However, there are a lot of things worthwhile on Amazon and you should know how to navigate the site and make your purchases while also saving some money! Read more about our money-saving tips here!