My ongoing journey to replace US services with European alternatives
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share my current status quo of gradually moving away from US-based services and products and replacing them with European alternatives where possible.
This is not about perfection or ideological purity — more about direction, values, and supporting EU-based ecosystems when reasonable alternatives exist.
What I’ve Already Switched
Email / Cloud / VPN
I’m fully aware that Proton is a European company based in Switzerland. My decision to move away from Proton was not about trust or geography, but about risk concentration.
I was using Proton Mail, Proton Drive, and Proton VPN at the same time and decided to follow the principle of:
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
So I deliberately split these services across different providers:
- Proton Mail → TutaMail (Germany)
- Proton Drive → Filen (Germany)
- Proton VPN → Mullvad VPN (Sweden) (when I actually need a VPN)
This is more about resilience and diversification than distrust.
Music Streaming
- Deezer → Qobuz (France)
- While Deezer is often seen as European, I decided to move away after learning more about its ownership and investor structure.
- A significant share is held by non-EU stakeholders partly linked to the US, which didn’t align with what I want to support long-term.
- Qobuz feels more in line with my values, and the switch was a nice improvement in sound quality.
Messaging
- WhatsApp → Threema + Signal
- WhatsApp is completely gone.
- Signal is still US-based, but currently required for activism/political work.
Language Models
- ChatGPT → Le Chat
Charging Devices
- Anker → recable (Germany)
Voice Chat
- Discord → TeamSpeak
OS
- Windows → Linux Mint (Oh boy, do I love Linux Mint <3 Fck Windows)
Office / Creative Software
- Microsoft Office → LibreOffice (rarely needed anyway)
- For most creative work, I use Affinity Publisher, Designer & Photo
Entertainment
- Cancelled several US streaming services (e.g., Disney+)
Navigation
- Apple Maps → TomTom
Payments
- PayPal → Wero
Clothing
- While Adidas is a German brand, a lot of their production happens outside the EU, which I want to move away from over time.
- Ideal goal: Support European production under reasonable conditions.
- Shoes: Switching from Adidas → TREAZY (EU production, plant-based materials)
- Socks: Planning to switch to TREAZY socks (made in Portugal)
- Underwear — Open Question
- Looking for high-quality men’s underwear (trunks) that:
- Is genuinely produced in Europe,
- Feels really comfortable,
- Actually lasts a long time (doesn’t stretch out or fall apart after a few months).
- Do you have recommendations? Something you’ve had for years and still feel comfortable in, made in Europe?
- Looking for high-quality men’s underwear (trunks) that:
Audio / Hardware
- Initially planned: Shure SM7B
- Decided on: Sennheiser MD 421 Mark II (Supporting a European audio manufacturer felt like the better fit for me.)
What I Still Use (Reluctantly / Pragmatically)
- Netflix (No real EU alternative with a comparable catalog — I only subscribe occasionally, 1 month every few months.)
- Gaming: Steam (ecosystem reasons)
- Password Manager: 1Password (Canada — not EU, but best fit for my needs so far)
Big Open Topic: Smartphone
- Currently using an iPhone 15 Pro
- Considering a Fairphone with LineageOS
- Waiting to see developments around Fairphone 6
- Would love to see some experiences here.
Where I’d Really Love Community Input
- Messaging: Thoughts on Element / Matrix / XMPP?
- Streaming: Any serious European Netflix alternatives you like?
- Underwear: European underwear brands/experiences that are truly high-quality & long-lasting?
- General: EU services/products you’d strongly recommend or avoid?
This is very much a work in progress, not a finished state. Happy to learn, adjust, and iterate — feedback welcome! 😊
Thanks!
Edit: Improved structure and readability.
For streaming go back to 🏴☠️
It’s your civic duty not to give money to the media conglomerates that put right wing extremists in power everywhere.
Fuck them and take what you wanna watch for free.
Haha, yeah, I can’t really argue with that 😅. The lack of solid EU streaming alternatives makes it tempting to… you know, set the sails.
I’m still trying to stick with legal European options where I can, but sometimes it’s just… frustratingly limited.
Can't blame you for using Netflix since they have a lot of exclusive content that's really good. And they do support local filmmaking and recently joined the Blender development fund too which is at least some good news.
To find other alternatives I recommend looking up whatever you want to watch on https://www.justwatch.com/ (or TMDb where JustWatch is integrated) because it shows you where the movie/series is currently streaming within the country you live in. I found new (sometimes local) platforms like this and one of them was even free with a library card.
Also going to the cinema is always an option although it's not really the same type of activity of course.
Playpilot is a great app that does the same.
Good advice, thanks!
Try your library, maybe they offer some streaming alternatives.
Another idea... Language Learning: Try Babbel from Berlin
Not everyone's piece of cake, but I like Anki (FOSS) and download community made language decks.
It's great for Japanese. I've found it a bit hit and miss for other languages
I know a lot of people love language learning apps, but I'd argue for a different approach: Don't use them at all. I like learning languages a lot, and focus on fluency in one language at a time over learning just the basics in many (nothing wrong with that, just not my approach). And what really works for me has always been a mixture of textbooks, dedicated vocab studying and tons of immersion. Language learning apps are fun, but they don't make you do the boring, hard work that actually sees results.
From my own experience: I know many people who have years-long streaks on DuoLingo and others, but actually speak very little of their target language. Meanwhile I've never used a language for learning Korean (Self-taught. I've been at it for nearly 5 years now) and I can speak to my Korean friends for hours while only having to look up words very occasionally or having them explained to me in Korean.
By all means, use Babbel or another European alternative if you are going to use them. But maybe also consider changing your approach, you might see much better results.
I speak 8 languages, apps work. Just use the right tools.
Babbel doesn't only teach the basics. I learned Swedish tongue twisters and other special stuff.
And once you're done, amend with books and podcasts, for example.
EDIT: Don't use Duolingo. I once made it my point to prove this and deliberately used it for a year and still couldn't speak more than a few sentences in one language. Switched to something else and learned more in three days than in a year on Duolingo. It sucks, it is only intended to keep you there to show you ads or sell subscriptions.
Fair enough. I'm happy that it works for you. I suppose maybe Babbel is the exception. My friends mostly use Duolingo and Lingoda and those are awful, judging by their progress.
Do you speak those 8 languages to a high level? C1 or C2? It's not that I don't believe you and I don't mean to sound condescending, but I've met a lot of people who say they speak 4+ languages and then really only speak them at a A2-B1 level. That's not nothing, but that's not what I'm aiming for and I think not what most people are aiming for.
I want to start learning Japanese this year and I might give Babbel a try, but I'll probably end up sticking to textbooks for grammar + Anki for vocab + podcasts/tv/games and later on books for immersion. But I think part of that is also that I don't really want to study on my phone. Even doing Anki on it is annoying.
I speak 2 at C2, 2 at around C1 to C2, 3 are B1 to C1. One I have started not that long ago and not sure what level yet.
My Danish contains Swedish words occasionally, but people in Sweden and Denmakrk just say "Oh, that's fine, you're just speaking Scandinavian". It's not because my Danish is bad, but I have a lot more practice in Swedish and often find it easier to use a Swedish term, lol
Wow, that is very impressive! I've got a long way to go ... Only 2 at C2 and one at around B2. Also a bit of French, I'd say A1+. Did you use Babbel for all of them? I'm really curious what it does that makes it work so much better than the other apps I've come in contact with. I might have to try it. :D
All except for the newest one, which is not available on Babbel.
Babbel uses a scientifically proven way for teaching languages.
In the beginning, for each language, you'll get simple words and phrases like "Hello", "Thanks" and "My name is...".
It then asks you to match those with the phrase in the language you already know. Then it asks you to arrange sentences, then you type whole words, then you do more of the beginner courses and then move on to courses based on specific topics. Want to be able to order food? Just take a food course. Want to travel? Just take one that teaches you words about hotels, trains and so on.
But they have so much more. And they really love feedback. I sent them a ton and really had an influence on how Babbel is these days. Years ago, before twitter went shit, I jokingly asked them to pay me for that... they actually gave me half a year for free (!), super nice people that take feedback and listen to users.
So it's a good product, worth the money imho, run by people that seem to care about their users.
I'm not paid by them nor have I paid them in years, I now have a lifetime subscription as there has been a special offer years ago. I'm just very happy with the decision to learn there. Pretty sure quite a lot of things in my life would've turned out very different without the languages.
(I swear I'm not paid by them. lol)
Well, with such a glowing endorsement I'll have to give it a try. I checked yesterday, though, and they don't have Japanese, which I want to learn, and Korean, which I am almost "done" learning. So I guess it'll have to wait until I start learning a different language.
Also, with attention difficulties, textbooks might not work for everyone. Apps are better for keeping my attention and the algorithms find out what I cannot remember and just ask me those things again and again... Until I started dreaming in Swedish and later also Norwegian.
I'm using Busuu, originally Spanish but hq in London. They have implemented some AI stuff recently though. :/
I like wlingua. It seems to be from Spain. It teaches all the grammar and always repeats the things you had wrong from time to time.
Also check out local resources for your particular target language. Many countries have online language learning resources primarily targeted at immigrants but usually open for all. And there are often daily news in easy language available from public service TV with online access.
I also read and watch news from other parts of the world in their native language which helps with keeping up understanding and passive language knowledge in addition to the factual contents - not so much with grammar learning, though. My library offers PressReader (Ireland-based) access for free and they have thousands of newspapers and magazines digitally. There is not a lot of material in all languages, unfortunately. Personally, I particularly miss a daily paper in Finnish, but still. And often the papers available are not the biggest ones and sometimes all those available for a particular country have strong political leanings.
Edited spelling
I might give Babbel a try... I used Duolingo some time ago and wasn’t really happy with the way it tries to teach languages.
Right now my main focus is improving my English: my reading and listening are already around C2, but when it comes to speaking or writing, I often struggle to find the right words or get the grammar spot on.
I’m also dabbling a bit in Spanish for fun, but for now I’d rather put most of my effort into really getting my English solid.
Yeah, you probably weren't happy because Duolingo does not work. Babbel has special courses. Like for business, sports, travel, ...
Also, try to watch TV and movies, but without subtitles. Forces your brain to process more. Also, try speaking. I improved pronuouncistion a lot by reading books aloud in bed. Try to, for example, read Sherlock Holmes, but aloud. Don't focus on speed or on the story too much, focus on speaking. I bet this will help a lot.
Yeah, Duolingo felt more like a game than a real way to learn a language.
As for TV and movies, I actually already watch most of what I watch in original language, whether English or now Spanish. Usually without subtitles, unless the accent or dialect is really tricky, then I turn them on. But I’ve been doing this for years, and I don’t really have any issues understanding. I don’t translate in my head, I think and understand directly in English.
The thing I’m really missing is the active speaking part. Traveling isn’t really feasible right now, and while I play games, that doesn’t really help much. Most of the time it’s just short call-outs or quick chat with opponents, which isn’t enough to really improve consistently.
Recable that OP mentioned look great fun
https://en.recable.eu/
...braided charging cables coloured and named after birds.
Yeah right?! They even offer different materials (PET, cotton, flax).
For gaming : GOG (PL)
My Pixel phone OS : iodé os (FR)
Amazon : Cdiscount (FR)
Google drive : Ksuite by infomaniak
Quickshare : LocalShare / KDEconnect
Google Map : CoMaps / RooleMap (FR)
For streaming, if you like documentaries, I recommend arte.
I really like their app and diversity of subjects.
edit: For smartphones, I'm typing this from my Sony Xperia flashed with SailfishOS, same OS that Jolla phones have.
Arte is great if you speak French or German. A lot of European countries have similar things. BBC iPlayer with a VPN is also amazing.
You can have English subtitles on arte.
@jdr8 @cabbage and a free website:https://www.arte.tv/en/ though not same as its mother arte
Many VPNs are blocked, so try a VPN that has many servers, like Mullvad, so you can switch to one that works.
If you have a VPS in the UK, you'll have more luck, as it is probably not blocked. A friend hosts a VPN for me in London, so I can watch from EU land. I mean, could. I'd never do that, of course. :p
Didn't know there's an arte app. I'll check that out later. Thanks!
Just took a quick look, haven't watched anything in full yet, but this seems to have a lot of interesting stuff. Thanks for the recommendation!
EDIT: I just saw that some videos are apparently not available unless you confirm with your ID that you are over 16 or over 18 years old depending on the video. I haven't ran into anything requiring verification yet but I would really rather not do that. What kind of videos require ID and is that often or is it just like one video here and there?
I normally use a vpn so it doesn't ask me to do any verification.
If you are in the UK, I guess it needs to comply with the Online Safety Act, which requires age verification, or you live in a country with similar restrictions.
It hasn't asked me to do it either yet, but I do see the option.
In that case you should be fine though.
It never asked me so it should be ok.
Another great choice for avoiding risk concentration is using a decentralised way to communicate.
This is where XMPP is great.
Here's a flyer from the Digital Independence Day (that was recently proclaimed by the Chaos Computer Club and a lot of other organisations in Germany) that shows two simple ways you can start using it:
English: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-engl-druck.pdf
German: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-Druck.pdf
French: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-F-druck.pdf
If any server goes down, I will not have much of an issue, as long as it is not mine. If it is a server my contacts use, I will only lose contact to a couple people, until those have access again.
It's a very resilient network and that's why I enjoy using it.
Also, the clients run even on old phones, as they do not need a lot of resources, which helps when people have little money and also saves the environment.
Omg how have I missed this? So I take it this is similar to the Lemmy network?
It's been around since 1999, it's much older. But it's evolved to using current cryptography (in fact what Signal uses, the adaptation is called OMEMO), works well for phones and is even what Apple and Google use for push in the background. If you use Conversations, it can be a UnifiedPush provider for other apps, making your battery last longer (just turn on in settings).
For example, my XMPP ID is: xmpp:[email protected] :)
(Feel free to say hello if you give it a try!)
What server software did you use? My quick research didn't come up with one I fully liked...
Thanks, I'll check it out!
This depends on your server. I run my own and have relatively high limits (150 MB, I believe).
Compression also is a client thing, you can turn it off, for example in Conversations, to send images at full resolution. I do that occasionally.
Clients not breing pretty is an opinion and not am issue with XMPP. Perhaps you will like Fluux, which has been released a couple days ago. Does not yet do everything you would expect, but development is happening blazingly fast.
All of what you have mentioned can be solved by choosing the right software and settings. :)
Oh and the reason why I don't recommend Matrix is simply because it has always been slow and unreliable. I've hosted servers since 2017 and feel like it hasn't improved much.
EDIT: This is actually the reason got into hosting XMPP.
Great post which gives a lot of inspiration!
Since you mentioned the fairphone 6, I thought I'd give you my two cents on that topic:
Switched over to a Fairphone 6 about half a year ago (pretty soon after the release). Wanted to get the Murena - e/OS version but since the stock Android was cheaper and quicker for delivery I went with that.
At home, I flashed e/OS myself on the phone after checking everything worked initially (especially phone services).
And what can I say - about a half year later I'm still super happy with it. About 60% of the apps I use are from F-Droid, the other few over AppLounge (Playstore-Mirror) with an anonymous Google-account (very easy to use, works automatically and is preinstalled on e/OS). I should say, my goal switching from a 'normal' Android phone was to degoogle at the same time, which worked well with the fp6. No issues with calls, screen, battery, camera, Apps etc, only thing I needed was a Type-C to Aux adapter (since my last phone still had a 3.5 mm jack).
You need to get used to the volume rocker placement - was taking screenshots in the beginning all the time :D But other than that, I have no regrets. Even dropped it a few times without a case and its sturdy! I can definetely recommend it :) (My parents' next smartphone will be a FP, already influenced them haha)
I recommend some formatting for your comments. Few will read them, otherwise.
Valid point. I initially just typed it out on my (fair) phone in a quick minute, but added some spaces now.
Never knew about Recable, I was just looking to buy quality cables.
Thanks for sharing!
Glad my post was helpful to ohters :)
All the smal creeks turns into the river! :D
Smartphone, USB-C chargers, USB-C cables:
Fairphone
They're great, they are part of the free software community, they contribute to the kernel. I love them.
I buy almost all my clothing from loom www.loom.fr. Everything is made either in France or Portugal. They are extremely transparent about what works (or not) in their business model. Apparently they don't do advertising at all. They deliver in most of Europe, but I couldn't switch the website language from French.
Damn, they don't ship to the Baltics :/
I wouldn't even mind paying 25€ for a T-Shirt if it actually lasts. I've had 5€ Slazenger t-shirts from Sportsdirect develop holes after one wear and one wash (at the label that's sewn into the back of the neck area, 5 shirts ordered and all 5 got the holes real quick)
I'm also the kinda guy who just wears the same shit every day so if I find something that works for me, I'll order 10 more like it lmao
Qobuz is the best and has high res audio
Password Manager:
KeePassXC (Linux)
KeePassDX (Android)
GNOME Secrets (KeePass compatible, Linux and mobile Linux)
Do you sync them between automatically somehow? I have been using these for years, but it's tiresome to sync them manually.
Nextcloud. Turn on the cloud sync option somewhere in the settings and it will work.
Syncthing can also do this seamlessly, and you don't need to set up a central server. The devices connect to each other in a mesh
Navigation on Android: OSMand~ from F-Droid. The name sucks, but otherwise it works well.
I like having the option to enable a OpenRailwayMap overlay, so I can easily see where train and tram lines go, which makes finding the nearest station SOOO much easier.
I use Magic Earth by Magic Lane. The company is based in Switzerland, the maps are OpenStreetMap and the app also gives traffic data, which OSMAnd does not support.
Isn't that proprietary? Has that changed? Also, OSMand~ does public transport routing, I wonder whether Magic Earth does that.
I wish they would collect traffic data or at least let users donate anonymous data. I'd happily do it, if that means improved ETAs.
Since you use 1Password, for underwear there’s MANMADE made in Canada.
After going through all the suggestions in this thread, I think I’ll just order one and give it a try. I still want to do a bit more digging first... check out the company, see how they operate, that kind of thing. But I’m curious to see how it actually feels and holds up, so this seems like the easiest way to find out.
Sadly I just found out that Qobuz is using Amazon Web Services (AWS). So using Qobuz means giving money to Amazon... What a shame!
Unfortunately that's (currently) most of the internet. Hopefully that changes over time.
Clothing: I recommend looking on avocadostore. Erlich Textil is very high quality.
Beautiful post and full of inspirations, thank you!
As for underwear, I can suggest an excellent Italian brand, which I have been using for years: Tezenis https://www.tezenis.com
It does not produce everything in Italy, but also in other European countries and something in Africa, but always in factories controlled by the brand. The quality is good!
As for payments, I would like to use Wero, but in Italy it is not yet there. For now I prefer national platforms such as Satispay and Bancomat.
Glad my post is an inspiration for you :)
I will check out that Italian brand, thanks!
Calida makes good underwear and really nice sleepwear. They are from Switzerland and claim to produce in Eastern Europe.
For streaming try mubi, Wikipedia says its UK based, it doesn't have shows but it has the best movies out there. Also you could pirate stuff you don't want to pay money. You could rip music from various services with lucida.to or use soulseek
I'm also in similar journey to switch although still early. I started using Element in small circle and it works great.
For phones, you might want to check Jolla, its EU/Finish Linux phone.
And for the rest, being a open-source dev myself, I can only suggest open-source digital products:
For design work, see https://penpot.app/ its awesome and mature product.
If you need to publish videos, check https://joinpeertube.org/
You can find much more EU-based and produced digital services here: https://european-alternatives.eu/
Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate it.
Jolla has actually been on my radar for a few days now. I came across it in another thread recently and I do think it is a very interesting concept, especially Sailfish OS. That said, I am currently leaning more towards Fairphone, mainly because of the repairability and the long-term hardware support. That aspect matters a lot to me.
What I might do, though, is take a closer look at Sailfish OS and see whether it could realistically be combined with a Fairphone instead of LineageOS. That really comes down to compatibility and everyday usability, so I will need to evaluate that carefully before deciding.
Penpot looks great. I had a quick look and really liked what I saw. I have saved it for later and will very likely use it for future web projects, so thanks for pointing that out.
european-alternatives.eu is also known to me. I have checked it a couple of times already, but I think I need to spend more time going through it more systematically, especially for areas I have not actively switched yet.
Thanks again for the input!
Do you use Affinity on Linux Mint?
No, haven't tried that yet. Still running on my Windows boot.
For under wear, try Hanro
Thanks, I'll compare it to the other alternatives ppl named here :)
For underwear, I've had one main issue so far with every European brand I've tried (Finnish, German, Italian, Spanish); they're, umm, too "tight" down there. Like it feels like they want to keep it so tight that they suffocate your potential progeny out of existence 😅
So assuming you're a dude and maybe on the bigger side in that region, although it's not European and is Japanese, Muji has a specific line of underwear that has an extra big pouch like space sown that's more comfortable to wear. They're also pretty breathable and last a good while.
I don't remember what they're called though, since I get them from my local Muji store in Finland.
As for pants - that's just luck based. I've resorted to either pants that are too big and using suspenders or having a tailor modify used pants when I can afford to. Sweatpants when possible otherwise. I'm considering looking into Scottish Kilts for the summer though. I don't care what people might think at this point - I just want room down there.
recable only supports USB 2.0. Of course it doesn't matter for charging, but for data transfer it does.
Well that wasn't a criteria for me yet... but thanks for pointing that out. Gotta keep that in mind for recommendations in the future.
No, definitely it is not a requirement for a charging cable. But I usually carry with me:
And it is important that the double USB-C supports USB 4.0 / Thunderbolt 4
Qobuz is amazing!. I've been using it for several months and it's delightful.. also high quality streams and that's importat for my shitty old ears.
Nice list..
Indeed, I'm happy with Qobuz so far!
Only downside is the lack of custom playlist covers :(
Looks good to me! Seems that the biggest steps have been made!
Matrix is great. Love it's decentralized nature. Love their e2e encryption capabilities. Although it can be tricky for novice users to grasp the importance of a recovery key backup - in addition to their regular credentials. Also love that many FOSS communities use it too. Makes it easy to join the discussion & get support. I take it over any proprietary protocol & centralized infrastructure any day.
Take a look at GrapheneOS. You can get a second hand Google Pixel and you'll still not support Alphabet. Hope that GrapheneOS will find a solid hardware alternative in the future. Not sure how far along their talks with their prospective OEM partner are. In terms of security & privacy there just is no alternative. Hopeful about a mainstream Linux based phone in the future. But at the moment it's the best alternative IMO.
What's your impression of the recable cables? Are they (as close as a cable can be) "buy it for life"?
Clothing produced in Germany: https://www.manomama.de/
I haven't ordered myself yet, but know people that have and am overwhelmingly happy with their purchases. Will try next time I need clothing (I think I'm good for a few years).
They also make the Urbandoo, a face mask for urban places. I like it a lot and it has protected me from Covid for the first ~5.75 years of the pandemic. I also like it as an easy way to avoid nasty smells or people smoking in urban areas.
https://www.urbandoo.net/
Underwear: Aubade. French brand with Swiss overlords according to Wikipedia. Not cheap! But very high quality and comfort. I haven't worn much else for years now. Aubade is mainly known as a high end lingerie brand for women, but they make excellent stuff for men too.
I've been using Matrix/Element for about a year now. I think it's been great and have no plans on using anything else, I've even started donating to the matrix foundation. I self-host a server and using bridge bots I've aggregated all my chat services into Matrix, so I talk to my friends on signal using the Element app.
A few notes:
Just curious, how come you moved from proton mail to Tutamail?
Mainly because the combination of TutaMail and Filen was cheaper than Proton Unlimited — which I only used for Mail, Drive, and occasionally VPN.
Secondly, because I have a bad feeling about their rather rapid expansion into new services.
Yeah that's fair
I really want an alternative to Amazon but I’m not sure such a thing exists.
Yeah, as far as I know, there isn’t really an Amazon-style alternative. I’m taking a slightly different approach, though.
I’m trying to buy locally whenever possible, then expand to regional and national options. On top of that, I’m gradually building a pool of reliable online shops that I can draw from when I need something. Basically, whenever I have to order something, I try out a shop, see how it goes, and if I’m happy with it, I’ll order there again in the future. If not, I move on and find a different one. Over time, this gives me a solid set of shops I can trust.
Above all, I try to buy directly from the brand whenever possible - for example, new cables or power supplies from recable, or clothes straight from the brand’s own online shop. This way I avoid middlemen whenever I can.
Try your local ebay merchants. I've found it's a better platofrm for buying stuff than Amazon.
I work for a small business that has a few boutiques and restaurants and the manager loves Amazon.. she'd been doing the purchases for the nuts and bolts "maintenance" items for the locations when I needed to repair something - electronics, lighting, construction materials, etc. - but I've resorted to sending her links to ebay merchants for the exact things instead, as every defective, counterfeit item that has been purchased which failed in the shops under nornal use, came from Amazon.
Last order she put in was a dozen dimmable Feit 4 watt LED "filament" lightbulbs.
10 out of the 12 could not be unscrewed from the lamp sockets because the cement holding the glass of the lamp to the base failed. Twisted the first one right off before I realized it. I had to use cyanoacrylate glue (Krazy Glue) to get the bulbs out in one piece. Glued all of them once they were removed.. (glad that the LED lights do not get hot like incandescent bulbs used to..) When I checked the printing on the bulbs.. Yep. Totally counterfeit.
Done with Amazon.
I get what you’re saying but it’s not like it’s a small sacrifice, there’s just nothing remotely like Amazon’s customer service. I find something I want, click a button, and it arrives at my door the next day. If somethings wrong or I change my mind I can return it without having to argue at all and I can drop it off at the return place at my local supermarket.
This could be replicated by other companies but they just don’t bother. I went to order a wallet from a normal shop once and they had an Apple Pay link. I clicked it and confirmed the purchase and it grabbed my delivery details automatically and sold it for the listed price as delivery was baked into the price. They should all be like that.
About a year ago I went to buy something and found a cheaper price than on Amazon. Went to buy it and it went like this:
Force me to create an account Force me to save payment details Add tax Add delivery Add tax to delivery Add processing fee
After all this I checked again and realised that the price was now nearly double what Amazon wanted for it and it wasn’t even express delivery. So I just deleted my account and ordered from Amazon.
Regarding underwear, you can take a look at SCHIESSER. The company was founded in Germany in 1875 and has always stood for quality. The company has been Israeli-owned since 2011. But the company location is still Germany.
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiesser or https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiesser