A few years ago I read "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" about our former president's expedition into the Amazon. It is a compelling story - I highly recommend it. That book, like nearly all other books I've read in recent years, was purchased from Amazon. In the 18 years since I setup my current Amazon account, I've used it to buy books...and hundreds of other things. Like nearly everyone else I know. Collectively, this creates a "hive mind" of product information, reviews, and questions and answers that I can use to make informed purchasing decisions. While I may not always buy the exact best widget for my widgeting needs, I can be reasonably confident any widget I buy isn't going to give me lead poisoning or burn down my house -- presumably someone else would have had that experience before me and would have noted it in a product review.
I didn't realize how much I take this for granted until today. I was excited to learn that Amazon Prime started in Australia in June. Since we don't have a car, having products delivered quickly to us in Melbourne would be very convenient. So excitedly I signed up for Prime and realized that Australia's Amazon store is completely separate from the US one. This has two important implications:
1) There aren't very many product reviews
2) There are a lot of products that might well give me lead poisoning or burn down my house
For example, consider night lights. Eli wanted one. I could buy something approximating a night light for as little as $0.99 AUD, but the product description was really vague. Would it burn down our apartment? I mean, probably not, but do I want to be the guinea pig who has to write that review a few weeks from now?
So this is my version of Teddy Roosevelt's expedition into the uncertainty of the Amazon. Though mine could be remedied by a trip to buy a night light at Woolworths.
PS - You can tell it is Australian Amazon because you can buy sunscreen by the liter -- and we did! (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B077GR6L2D/ref=pe_2361882_282382012_TE_item)
PS - You can tell it is Australian Amazon because you can buy sunscreen by the liter -- and we did! (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B077GR6L2D/ref=pe_2361882_282382012_TE_item)
