Amazon

Full review
I've been a frequent customer of Amazon.com since 1999, and use Amazon.com as my main source of books, CDs, and occasionally small electronics and housewares such as hand mixers and espresso makers. I've also placed several used book orders through Amazon's Marketplace Sellers, and have had consistently favorable results: items as described and shipped promptly.

A big part of Amazon.com's appeal is in a) its reduced prices and b) user reviews. As for the first, many items that Amazon sells are discounted by 20% or more; CDs and hardcover books in particular tend to be much cheaper (sometimes by as much as 50%) than buying the same item in a brick-and-mortar store. With the exception of one older book, every hardcover and paperback book that I've bought new from Amazon has arrived in mint condition with no bent pages, tears in slipcovers, etc.

Amazon's customer service is also up to snuff; on several occasions, Amazon had the incorrect information listed on a number of CD singles that I purchased. Rather than make me return the import singles and reorder, Amazon allowed me to keep the mistake and sent me the new item free of charge. I also had another experience involving an import CD that featured a Region 2 PAL DVD that I was unable to access. The CD/DVD set was not marketed as being Region 2 PAL, so Amazon cheerfully refunded my purchase even though it had been opened.

The reader reviews used to be my one and only purchase guide before I discovered Epinions.com, but in the last several years there have been some unpleasant developments. Many times, certain reviews are flamed simply on the basis of an unpopular artist (I remember reading excellent reviews for Rod Stewart American Songbook CDs and Celine Dion CDs that were given 0 helpful votes but dozens of negative ones) or an unpopular reviewer. Still, I generally read Amazon reviews (along with Epinions) before purchasing new products.

Similar to Netflix, Amazon also features a recommendation feature based on viewing history and previous purchases. I can't say that it's been terribly successful for me, but I have discovered several new artists and authors that were previously unknown to me.

The free shipping on orders over $25 is also a nice bonus. Items from Amazon are generally packaged well and arrive in advance of the estimated date. You can also order gift receipts and gift wrap for the perfect gift. Returns are easy to do (you simply print out a generated return label and send the item back, paying return postage) and my orders were credited promptly.