Why You Should Ditch Amazon and Where to Shop Instead
It’s no secret that over-consumption has become rampant in the last few years, detrimentally affecting the environment. We are constantly bombarded with sneaky forms of advertisement from multiple platforms telling us “we need this” or “life would be so much better with that.” The digital retail shift means corporate giants like Amazon are reaping all the benefits.
But who is paying the ultimate cost? It might surprise you to learn it’s not me, or you, the customer. Read on to discover the true cost of bargain-priced, high-convenience, quickly-shipped-to-your-home products, and why you should ditch Amazon for good. We’ll even help you find some amazing sustainable online shopping alternatives to Amazon that will help you shop more consciously.
Jump Ahead:
Why You Should Break Up with Amazon
Sustainable Home Goods Shopping
Clothing Alternatives to Amazon
Furniture Alternatives to Amazon
Other Categories and Recommendations
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why you should shop online without amazon
For the environment
We’ve all had the Amazon “unboxing” experience. Opening one huge cardboard box, sealed with plastic tape, reveals a dozen or more air-packed plastic pouches surrounding another, smaller box, also sealed with plastic tape. Once inside, we find two or three more layers of plastic wrapped around the one tiny object we ordered. Not only is this amount of plastic unnecessary, it was uncovered in an investigation by Bloomberg in 2022 that plastic waste from Amazon was ending up in India, where it was being burnt.
Let’s move past the plastic packaging, shall we? Amazon emitted 68.82 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023. Until recently, Amazon didn’t even legally need to share their annual emissions. Now, by their own sustainability report, we can see that emissions from the company’s direct operations, rose 7% over the entire year. Don’t fret, there are plenty of alternative eco-friendly shopping sites that offer sustainable packaging options. Keep reading!
Even more shocking, Amazon has been rumored to throw returns in perfect condition, and even some brand new items, in the landfill. An investigation by ITV News found that in just one week, a single warehouse in the UK showed more than 124,000 items marked ‘destroy.’
If all that waste isn’t enough to convince you to ditch Amazon, perhaps this will. In October of 2024, Amazon decided to invest more than $500 million in nuclear power with three projects from Virginia to Washington state. They stated the need for more “clean energy” as they expand services into generative AI. If you’re not familiar with the environmental impact of AI, check out this article. Spoiler alert – it involves rare earth elements, electronic waste, and astronomical water waste.
For the people
If the environment isn’t worth disrupting Amazon dominance, perhaps the people all throughout the supply chain are. Amazon has been accused of underpaying employees and aggressively thwarts union attempts, reportedly spending $14 million on anti-union consultants in 2022. High productivity goals also lead to unsafe conditions for workers in fulfillment centres.
And it doesn’t end there. Amazon only gives vague commitments to ensure the entire supply chain is free from violations – meaning their Tier 3 suppliers may not be free from human rights abuse. And we should not be okay with that. Ethical online shopping options exist, so fear not and read on for online marketplace alternatives!
Best Amazon alternatives
Opting to forego supporting Amazon for almost any other retailer is commendable, but which alternative you choose can also make a difference. If you want to support genuinely sustainable shopping alternatives, you’ll want to find ones that offer eco-friendly options that allow you to practice conscious consumerism as well. We’ve curated the following to help you have a more green and fair trade online shopping experience.
Best electronics without Amazon
Find deals without Amazon with these consumer alternatives to big tech.
B & H Photo, Video, Audio
Graded A+ by the Better Business Bureau, B & H focuses on people, not algorithms. Their product specialists are trained to help you when you need answers and solutions, providing customer service that Amazon just simply can’t compete with. This makes them an excellent consumer alternative to other big tech companies as well. They also offer an incredible amount of used and refurbished cameras and electronics as well, making them one of the best second-hand marketplaces for technology.
Another hot tip: if you don’t need to OWN the device you seek, check to see if your local library rents electronics and has what you need! Check out our article “Eco-Friendly Electronic Devices – Planet Positive and Sustainable Gadgets” for more recommended electronics brands and platforms.
Non-Amazon retailers for home goods
Elevate your customer experience with these non-Amazon retailers.
Grove collaborative
One amazon-like platform that you can choose for a more green lifestyle is Grove Collaborative. This Certified B Corporation purchases carbon offsets, while actively advocating and forming relationships with industry partners and suppliers to push for decarbonization. Whether you’re looking for household cleaners, health and wellness products, or garden and outdoor items, you can filter by Grove values – such as certified cruelty-free, beyond plastic, or refill system.
public goods
All products from Public Goods come in 100% recycled, post-consumer plastic bottles and tree-free paper, and every shipment is carbon offset. Ingredients are always clearly listed and are paraben, sulfate, and toxic chemical free. If you’re looking for vegan and gluten-free options, they have those too, and also offer organic, non-GMO groceries. Shop for anything from home decor, to bath and body, and food & dining here. New users can also get 15% off their first order with promo code PUBLIC15.
Sustainable shopping options for clothing
When it comes to clothing, one of the best alternatives to Amazon and fast-fashion is shopping secondhand!
thredup
If you love finding secondhand gems, ThredUp is your best eco-friendly bet online. Not only can you discover the latest trends at a fraction of the price of new, you can send in your unwanted items to be sold on the platform too. We all know the environmental benefits of buying used goods, but ThredUp has taken their sustainability efforts even further. One of the ways they are doing this is reorganizing their shipping structure, which helped them decrease their emissions by 35% in 2022. ThredUp is also a proud founding member of the American Circular Textiles (ACT) policy group, whose mission is to advance circular textile policy.
Prefer to buy a new sustainable clothing item? Check out our certified organic tees and sweaters!
shop ethically for health and wellness products
Your health and wellness products should be natural and toxic-free. These green alternatives to Amazon will keep you safe from chemicals and other harmful ingredients.
BLK + GRN
BLK + GRN (Black and Green) specializes in bringing you cruelty and toxin-free products from Black artisans around the world. Not only do they ensure that everything they sell is checked against their Toxic Twenty list, they inspect every brand in regards to sourcing, packaging, and community responsibility. Next time you’re in need of any skin, hair, or wellness care products, why not support Black while you live Green?
Content Beauty & Wellbeing
We love that you can shop by ethos at Content. Whether it’s vegan, certified organic, or gluten-free you seek, you can filter for that. Founded in 2008 as one of the first organic and natural specialist beauty boutiques in the world, they sell only brands that meet strict ingredients and packaging criteria. Over 85% of these brands have women founders, and orders are delivered in recyclable card boxes, with paper tape and packed with biodegradable, compostable starch packing peanuts. On top of an extensive inventory of non-toxic skincare, cosmetics, and body & hair care, they also sell supplements, clothing, accessories, and home goods.
Save 10% with code SUSTAINABLEJULIE.
shop without prime for books and media
bookshop.org
A climate-neutral Certified B Corporation, Bookshop.org not only offers e-books to reduce your carbon footprint, but you can choose which local bookstore to support with your purchase (in the U.S. and the U.K.) If you can’t find the store you want to support, don’t worry! Every other purchase gives 10 percent of sales to an earnings pool that’s evenly divided between its partners, so you’re still helping local bookshops. Check out our recommended reads on Bookshop.org here.
world of books
Another carbon neutral, Certified B Corporation helping you get your secondhand read on! World of Books rescues unwanted physical books or bulk excess stock from charities. They deliver to over 190 countries worldwide, and you can easily sell your old books to them using their app. They have also won not one, but two Queen’s Awards for Sustainable Development and International Trade – impressive!
Let’s not forget about another exceptionally sustainable option for books – the library! Not only does supporting your local library save trees, it ensures the service will remain available for years to come.
Green alternatives to Amazon for beauty products
detox market
An excellent eco-friendly shopping site for ethical and sustainable beauty products is Detox Market. They want to empower customers to make informed beauty choices that benefit their own wellbeing and that of our planet. Detox Market has recently partnered with European sustainability data platform Provenance, which, in turn, rewards brands for their sustainability progress, and equips customers to make more sustainable choices.
Axiology
Rest assured that your makeup is cruelty-free with PETA Beauty Without Bunnies certified Axiology. Their plastic-free packaging is made from island trash collected in Bali and 100% recyclable. All of their products are palm oil free, non-nano, without synthetic preservatives, and fragrance-free. Their cosmetics excel in versatility – think one product for lips, cheeks and eyes!
Eco-conscious shopping for furniture
When it comes to furniture, we all know that previously loved is best. Why purchase new when you can find incredible second hand pieces on a budget? Here are some ideas to help you find exactly what you’re looking for:
- Follow your local thrift store on social media to keep up to date with new inventory and information about sales.
- Use online marketplaces like Facebook and Etsy to search for specific furniture items from the comfort of your home.
- Look online for someone local who refinishes or creates custom-made products using sustainably sourced materials.
- Find local independent retailers that sell sustainable furniture and support them instead! Find some suggestions in this article.
One-stop shop with these Amazon competitors
We all want product variety in online shopping- and these alternatives to Amazon have it!
done good
“The Amazon for Social Good,” certified B Corporation Done Good makes it quick, easy, and more affordable to discover brands you can feel good about supporting. Information about each brand’s social and environmental impact is listed on every product page, allowing the customer full transparency about the item they are buying. From beauty, books, clothing, home and living, and much more, chances are you can find it on Done Good.
zero waste store
Zero Waste Store only sells 100% all-natural, ethically sourced, zero waste products. You can shop by value – such as vegan, circular, organic, plastic-free, or compostable. Zero Waste Store is your one-stop-shop for everything household, hygiene and beauty, plus all orders ship plastic-free and carbon neutral.
Other Conscious online shopping Sites
Here are some of our other favourite places to shop ethically and sustainably online:
- Plastic Free Pursuit – online store dedicated to offering items that are completely free of single use plastics. Sell home goods, personal care, health & wellness, and clothing & accessories. Save 10% with code SUCCESSFULLYSUSTAINABLE.
- Credo – sell sustainable health and beauty products with strict standards on product, packaging, people, & planet.
- Life Without Plastic – Certified B Corporation & Plastic Pollution Coalition member, they do the legwork in researching, designing, creating, finding, sourcing, testing and offering only the best alternatives to plastics. Sell home goods and plastic-free kits.
- Etee – based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, they are cautious of ingredient selection and use the most effective and eco-friendly ones available. Sell personal care & household products. Save 10% with code SUCCESSFULLYSUSTAINABLE.
- Ecoternatives – affordable online shopping alternative with eco-friendly and sustainable products. Sell household, bathroom, and pet products with carbon free shipping & zero plastic shipping materials.
- Earth Hero – Certified B Corporation & Climate Neutral, brands are vetted using Five Pillars of Sustainable Sourcing. Sell household, beauty, baby & kids, and pet products.
- Package Free Shop – all products are made with safe, non-toxic ingredients – most have only 5 natural ingredients or less! Sell cleaning & home, and beauty & body products.
- Uncommon Goods – specializing in artisan goods shopping, this Certified B Corporation helps you find handmade products online. This marketplace connects makers and their creations with shoppers looking for truly unique goods.
- Chewy – sell everything you could possible need for your furry friend.
- Thrive Market – this grocery delivery alternative is a Certified B Corporation, and Climate and Plastic Neutral. Sell organic, healthy groceries.
- Food 52 – sell all things kitchen and cooking made with sustainable materials.
Looking for something more specific or niche online stores? Check out our Brand Directory to help you find specialty stores with sustainable and responsibly-made products in every category possible!
support your locally-owned store
Although we can still support local businesses online, if your favourite eco-friendly shop has a storefront where you live, why not pop in to say hello? Even better if you can find a locally-owned shop to support while practicing conscious consumerism. Why not do some research to find out where some like-minded and sustainable folks have a shop in your city and shop small?
there you have it! the best alternatives to amazon
Whether you’re looking to do some vintage online shopping, swap for some more sustainable products, or upgrade your electronics, you can avoid Amazon monopolies! Conscious online shopping has never been easier – remember to look for sustainability information and accreditations, and read online store reviews when searching for customer service-friendly alternatives to Amazon. Happy (sustainable) shopping!
All products recommended to you on Successfully Sustainable are independently researched in depth. To avoid waste and lead a minimal lifestyle, we test products only when required. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about this here.
