Amazon v Play

I do a lot of online shopping. Most of this shopping is for other people's birthday and Christmas presents, but I do also do a lot of browsing which involves adding numerous things I'll never buy to my wish list.

Although I browse a lot of high street websites such as New Look and Debenhams, I do most of my online shopping on Amazon and Play. I know some people refuse to use sites like Amazon and Play because they feel that they're taking business away from local retailers, but I'm always looking for a bargain. When I was in university, Play used to the first place I went to for CDs and DVDs. However, in later years, Amazon took over and I rarely visited Play at all. The pendulum is now switching back the other way and I prefer Play again... I've summed up the pros and cons of each site below.


Amazon

Amazon is a trusted retailer and I've ordered countless items from this website over the years. Books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, bedding, gadgets, jewellery, random novelty gifts... you name it, I've probably bought it from Amazon. It's a great place to look for birthday and Christmas presents as there's such a huge variety and a big choice of sellers, and I rarely have any issues with delivery delays. I've also never received a faulty product from Amazon. I love their pre order price guarantee, and their customer reviews are always really useful. Lastly, I absolutely love my Amazon wish list. It's currently packed full of wedding paraphernalia and a few DVDs and books I've had my eye on for a while. I also love the fact that I can buy gifts for people from their own wish lists as I know I'm buying them exactly what they want.

However, one thing has put me right off Amazon over the last few months. They've now started charging for delivery for all items under £10 which are dispatched directly from Amazon. This is a real pain as very often the items I want to buy are under £10, and I certainly don't want to fork out for delivery charges when I've never had to before. If I have to pay an extra £3 for a DVD to be delivered, I'd prefer to buy it from Tesco so that I can get some Clubcard points. Amazon did originally say that this charge wouldn't be applicable for DVDs and books, but it's now been rolled out to these items too. It's particularly annoying if I want to buy an item that's £9.99! This delivery charge has been a big factor in my conversion back to Play in recent months, and I suspect that many other people will feel the same.

Before anyone comments on it, I'm steering well clear of the tax avoidance issue in this blog post. This is not the place to discuss it!


Play 

Play was taken over by Rakuten in the last year or so and is now a marketplace website. Although this puts a lot of people off, I think it's actually improved the choice available on the website. Items are often cheaper on Play than they are on Amazon, and there's a bigger choice of sellers if you're looking for a brand new item. Delivery is always free on Play so there are no hidden charges. Play has a great selection of clothes with reputable brand names, and you can also get Quidco cashback when you buy from Play which is a huge bonus for me. Play has also introduced Rakuten Super Points which work the same as Tesco's Clubard points. You earn one point per pound, and every point is worth a penny. You can eventually save up enough to buy an item with your points, which means you effectively get this item for free. Play's customer reviews are also very informative and, although they often don't have as many reviews as Amazon have, they are slowly increasing in quantity as more people discover Play and start buying items from there.

Do you use Amazon and Play at all? Which is your favourite?