I have been shopping on Amazon for years now. It use to be for 2 day service, but I won't pay prime membership prices anymore unless I absolutely have to because I think it is a clear rip off if you use none of their other services. It's a bait and switch for other product lines. But I have always shopped there because you could just about never beat their prices...until now it seems.
I don't know if it is that I am shopping more for just bicycle stuff in general and it is this specific niche that they can't beat competitor prices easily on and I never noticed so much before. Or I am noticing a sincere pattern now where I am often finding items at other places cheaper.
For instance:
WD-40 BIKE: All-Conditions Lube, Dry Lube, Wet Lube, Bike Wash, Chain Degreaser
Amazon Price $9
Walmart Price $4.74
Now that may be a silly example, but I just got my Brooks saddle at
Planetcyclery because it "was" cheaper than Amazon. Just about anything bicycle related I am finding prices cheaper elsewhere especially at Chain
Reaction Cycles. I just had a list of things in my Amazon shopping cart that dwindled away because I can get the products elsewhere cheaper. That isn't something common I have seen in the last couple of years with Amazon.
I am wondering if I am just noticing a trend with Amazon that they finally can't keep undercutting everyone on costs, and pushing their other products so much that it is finally starting to catch up to them.
That their prices on the average are coming up, or I am just noticing an anomaly.
Anyone else notice this?