# Shopping on Amazon rapidly turning to shit **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313 "2026-08-12T17:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/121 "2026-08-19T23:28:47Z")
Well, yesterday i got a useful email from Amazon saying “this item has been shipped”. Today i got a useless one saying “two items, one book and one health and beauty product, will arrive tomorrow.” If it’s the book they previously said wouldn’t arrive until Sunday I’ll be very happy. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/122 "2026-08-19T23:33:28Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Today i got a useless one saying “two items, one book and one health and beauty product, will arrive tomorrow.” They still give the full order details on their website and app, but yeah, unless you only have one outstanding order at any given time, the now-obfuscated emails are often less than useful. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/123 "2026-08-20T00:10:42Z")
I have zero interest in checking the website, and haven’t loaded the app. The email used to be mildly useful. Now it is much less useful, and saving it (to search my emails to remember from whom i bought those clothpins, or whatever) a complete waste. That’s what i used them for. The stuff will arrive when it arrives, and their estimates aren’t super accurate. But being about to look up who sold me stuff was useful. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/124 "2026-08-20T00:33:59Z")
I want an opt-out on the useless “category” emails. Most of our Amazon packages arrive on time. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/125 "2026-08-20T01:55:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > unless you only have one outstanding order at any given time, the now-obfuscated emails are often less than useful. In my case, at least, one item or several items, they are always each listed as their category, not the specific item; and this is on all emails, Ordered, Shipped and Delivered. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/126 "2026-08-20T04:07:27Z")
I ordered something from Amazon on Tuesday and when it shipped yesterday the email title said the name of the item. And when it was delivered today it said “specific name of item” has been delivered. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/127 "2026-08-20T04:53:29Z")
I just tried something- if I click on “Track package” on a “Shipped: ⁦1⁩ Book item” I get a picture of my book. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/128 "2026-08-20T14:42:25Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I ordered something from Amazon on Tuesday and when it shipped yesterday the email title said the name of the item. And when it was delivered today it said “specific name of item” has been delivered. > 🤔 I think these changes are being rolled out gradually, as we can see from responses here, some still have product information and some don’t. > [@DrDeth](#): > > I just tried something- if I click on “Track package” on a “Shipped: ⁦1⁩ Book item” I get a picture of my book. This is true for me as well, and thanks for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/129 "2026-08-20T21:29:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > > I ordered something from Amazon on Tuesday and when it shipped yesterday the email title said the name of the item. And when it was delivered today it said “specific name of item” has been delivered. > > 🤔 > > I think these changes are being rolled out gradually, as we can see from responses here, some still have product information and some don’t. Yes, i literally got the new email style between Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, long after others were complaining about it. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/130 "2026-08-24T10:16:09Z")
Today i was shopping on Amazon for a new nonstick skillet. I went to reviews and tried to click on 1-star reviews. Nothing happened, so I tried to scroll to the bottom of all the reviews. I got the message the OP mentioned: > Your request to see more reviews has been sent. You’ll receive an email within 5 business days. This totally sucks! What are they thinking? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/131 "2026-08-24T11:25:20Z")
As discussed upthread, they are trying to prevent AIs from scraping their review info. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/132 "2026-08-24T12:18:35Z")
If only there were a better workaround #captcha #verifyyourhumanity. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/133 "2026-08-24T17:49:26Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Today i was shopping on Amazon for a new nonstick skillet. I went to reviews and tried to click on 1-star reviews. Nothing happened, so I tried to scroll to the bottom of all the reviews. In some case- not necessarily yours- the one star reviews are just ratings, not reviews with words. I found this out yesterday, when I clicked on the one star reviews for a book, and got nothing, Then I went over to a product where I know i saw some 1 star reviews before - the new 2024 Players handbook, and there they were. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/134 "2026-08-24T18:27:42Z")
I just checked and I still have 1-Star approval. Lots of 1-Star reviews are idiotic. It will be like “Great product but the box arrived with damage”. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/135 "2026-08-24T18:53:15Z")
I tried looking for 3 inch receipt paper rolls and relearned Amazon search doesn’t support exclusion booleans. This means the huge number of listings for 3.125 inch thermal paper totally dominate my search hits. Granted, my paper is a less common than thermal paper that’s 1/8" too wide but the lack of -thermal or -3.125 is a pain in the neck. I think the term is bond paper, device is Epson TMU220 impact printer. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/136 "2026-08-24T18:59:50Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I have a different Amazon problem - how do I get them to **stop** delivering packages to me. We get a few packages for our neighbours. Usually when they are out at work and the driver doesn’t want to leave them outside. I am happy to take them so long as they leave a note at the correct address. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/137 "2026-08-24T19:10:12Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > If only there were a better workaround #captcha #verifyyourhumanity. I hate those things but I’d do it for product reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/138 "2026-08-24T23:51:38Z")
Just to compare, I decided to order an item on Walmart dot com. The price was lower than on Amazon, but delivery was neither free (around $10) nor fast (6 days, by USPS). I suppose they have some sort of premium membership which gives such privileges, I did not look for it. I also did not look to see whether, with a minimum order amount, delivery was at least free. So I guess it wasn’t really a fair comparison. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/139 "2026-08-25T00:13:02Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > The price was lower than on Amazon, but delivery was neither free (around $10) nor fast (6 days, by USPS). Amazon exerts its massive market presence to force competing retailers to match its prices, so it will be tough to find any place cheaper (except maybe ebay) once you figure in shipping. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5otF7Bj5LxI/maxresdefault.jpg "We Uncovered Amazon’s Scheme To Inflate Prices Everywhere") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5otF7Bj5LxI) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/140 "2026-08-25T00:13:05Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I just checked and I still have 1-Star approval. Lots of 1-Star reviews are idiotic. It will be like “Great product but the box arrived with damage”. In the book I mentioned, and several others- the trolls often give a one star for having gay characters or being “woke”. I report those. > [@bobsmom101](#): > > Amazon exerts its massive market presence to force competing retailers to match its prices Your cite is a YouTube?? 🙄 I mean, that is like the New York Post, but worse. Do note that Walmart and Amazon have almost exactly the same market share. Any market power Amazon has is matched by Walmart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313.md?page=8)