Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in his garage when he was 30 years old. Watching the rapid growth of internet, Bezos decided to quit his job and have a punt at taking advantage of this new phenomenon by selling books online. Fast forward a couple of years — Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer.
Although Amazon now sells a lot more products than it did originally, it’s still a great site to buy books. Any title you can think of, Amazon probably stocks it in hard and paperback copies. However, with the rise of the Amazon Kindle, you can now purchase e-books.
The Kindle is a great evolution to reading culture for many reasons. Namely, you can now carry hundreds on books in your pocket, making it perfect to take on holiday or those longer travelling trips. It’s also kinder to the environment, as no trees have to be cut down in order to produce it. What’s more, the Kindle uses intelligent technology to help you choose your next book. It looks at your previous book preferences and recommends new titles for you. No longer will you ever be stuck for something to read.
It doesn’t stop there. Enter Kindle Fire. Arriving in 2011, the Kindle Fire was the transition of the Kindle from an e-reader into a tablet. As well as downloading and reading books, you could now browse the web, post on social media and watch movies and TV shows on your Kindle.
On the latest Kindle Fire models, you can now use Alexa — Amazon’s answer to artificial intelligence. Alexa is a voice-activated assistance tool. You can ask her to show your favourite book, tell you what the weather’s like or Skype your friend.
Most people who use Alexa, however, do so on the Amazon Echo.
While the Kindle developed from an e-book into a tablet, the Echo is essentially a speaker that doubles up as a voice-activated gadget that can help you with your day-to-day life. If you connect your Echo to a music streaming service, such as Spotify or Apple Music you can tell Alexa to play any artist, album or song without having to leave the sofa. You can also set reminders, call people and even turn the lights on and off!
Like the Kindle, the Echo comes in a range of prices. The Echo Plus (the premium option) goes currently for £139.99, the Echo costs £89.99 and the Echo Dot is an affordable £49.99.
With the click of a button, you can get books, electronics, clothes etc. delivered straight to your door usually within three to five business days. But what about those last-minute emergencies, where you need your purchase the next day? Well, if you invest in Amazon Prime you can get millions of items delivered the next day.
That’s not all. Prime also doubles up as a movie, tv and music streaming service. For £9.99 a month (or an upfront cost £79 for the whole year) you can access thousands of TV shows and movies, along with one-day delivery.
We all know you can find most big-name items on Amazon, but what about when you want to buy something a bit more unique? Amazon Handmade allows you to take a break from the well-known brands and get a more personal product.
Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful gift or a bespoke house ornament, with Amazon Handmade you’re not only getting appealingly unordinary items, but you’re helping fund independent retailers in the process.
This section of the site is especially good for products like jewellery. When it comes to gifting that special someone in your life a ring, necklace or bracelet, you don’t want to buy something factory produced that everyone else on the high street is wearing. Instead, find them a present that’s been lovingly handmade and unique to them.
Amazon has everything — and we mean everything — you need to kit out your home and kitchen. Moving house and need to equip a whole kitchen, or are you just looking for a new toaster? Either way, follow Quidco’s cashback links to Amazon to browse the huge breadth of choice that is on offer.
What’s more, there are usually more than a few great deals where you can buy luxury items, such as coffee machines and blenders. Just scroll down the page to the ‘Deals in Kitchen Appliances’ section and browse some of the bargains. Note that if you are an Amazon Prime member, you will have early access to some of the deals, giving you a headstart.
By now, you know that Amazon sells almost everything, but did you know that you can do your food shopping on the site? With Amazon Grocery Store, you can have your weekly grocery shop sent directly to your door. No more long queues and carrying heavy bags.
Having a party? Grab all the essentials, such as booze and snacks, with the click of a button. And if you have Amazon Prime, you can receive your grocery shop the next day, so they’ll be no more last-minute rushing around.
The grocery section of Amazon is a great place to buy long-lasting goods in bulk, such as non-perishables, coffee and alcohol. It’s cheaper to do this than buy these products in drags from the shop, and Amazon Grocery Store usually has some great deals on these items. Earn some cashback on top, and that’s some real money saved.
Amazon Fresh is also a great way to save money on your shopping orders. There are always daily deals, with special offers such 2-for-1 on fresh fruit and veg. If you’re feeling adventurous, and want to try a new product, check out Amazon’s free samples. These are certain items that you can add to your shopping cart and get them for free. Amazon changes these items regularly so you can always be trying new and exciting food and drink.
Whatever your brand, you’ll be able to find it available and at a great price on Amazon beauty. Shop anything from day-to-day essentials, such as mascara and razors, to big-ticket electricals, like hair straighteners and electric shavers. Amazon host a vast selection of brands, from the relatively unknown to fan favourites, such as Calvin Klein.
Amazon beauty is split into sections. You can shop by best sellers, brands and current deals. There will usually be a few ‘deals of the day’, shown at the top of the page. If you’re looking for a particular item, it’s wise to check the site regularly to see if the product is on special offer. There’s also an ‘upcoming’ tab, which will show you future deals, how much you can save and when the offer will go live. Again, if you’re a Prime member, these deals will be available to you earlier than for non-Prime members.
Amazon has always offered great deals on any item under the sun, and now with Quidco, you can earn cashback on some of its items. Here’s how.
Rather than getting the tradesmen around, why don’t you DIY it with Amazon’s great deals on tools and equipment? Whether you’re painting the bedroom or building a whole new shed, Amazon has all you need to take home improvement into your own hands.
Shop everything from power tools to ladders to home security systems. If you purchase these products through Quidco you can also earn cashback on your purchases, along with saving money on professionals!
Additionally, if you work in a trade, fill your toolbox with all the latest gear you need to get the job done. Whatever you are — carpenter, plumber or electrician — shop Amazon tools and you could earn cashback on your day-to-day necessities.
You’d be forgiven for not picturing Amazon as a contender when asked to think out clothes retailers. Well, that’s changing. Amazon are now making waves in world of garments by selling products from popular brands such as New Look and Ted Baker.
Amazon fashion is divided into three sections. If you’re looking for the latest trends, head to the ‘New Arrivals’ section. For the famous brands, visit ‘The Boutique’, and to steal a bargain on the clearances, go to ‘The Outlet’. To be even smarter with your money, buy Amazon fashion products through Quidco, and you could earn cashback on your purchases!
It’s almost Christmas, which means it’s nearly the new year, and many of you will be getting back in shape after the slight overindulgence of the festive season. Fear not, with Amazon’s immense selection of sports equipment, you’ll be back running, swimming and footballing in no time at all.
With brands from Adidas to Reebok to Speedo, Amazon sells everything from running trainers to goggles. You can also introduce smart technology into your fitness life with the new fitbit. These watches track your body metrics while your exercising and provide you with the information to help you reach your goals. Remember that if you buy sports equipment through Quidco you could earn cashback while you shop.
Amazon has always been a favourite when shopping for audio and hi-fi products. As already mentioned, the online retailer has branched out into developing its own speaker products with the Amazon Echo.
However, there’s a huge choice of other brands on offer, depending on what kind of listening experience you’re after. For that intimate music feeling, browse the headphones section — complete with a buyer’s guide, so you can find the right type for you. Kitting out your house for a party? Take a look at the range of speakers, from large home units to portable Bluetooth players.
Amazon is such a complex and large retailer that navigating it can sometimes get a little confusing. Don’t worry! Here are the answers to some of the most common queries.
Selling on Amazon is a fantastic way of getting your products in front on millions of potential buyers. And it’s really easy! First off, you must register a seller account. To do this you upload some details to the site. These include credit card details, phone number, company registration, contact and bank account information. These are necessary for the customers to contact you and for you to be paid for your sales!
After this you can upload your products to Amazon with products description and pricing. Then you have two options. You can either let Amazon do the storage and delivery of your products for you by choosing the ‘Fulfilment by Amazon’ option, or you can do the posting and packaging yourself.
The cost of selling on Amazon depends on how often you plan to sell. If you plan to sell more than 35 items a month you need an Amazon Pro account, which costs £25.00 per month, excluding VAT. If you plan to sell less than 35 items per month, you’ll have a basic account, which has no monthly cost, but you’ll get charged a small fee on each item that you sell.
Once you’re all set up, you can sell your products and get paid directly into your bank account. It’s good to remember that customer reviews are one of the most important metrics Amazon (and its customers) uses to determine the trustworthiness of the seller and the quality of their products — so keep an eye on these.
Amazon Prime Day is Amazon’s very own international online deals day. Starting in 2015, Prime Day takes place every year on 16th July. It offers huge discounts on millions of items to Prime members only.
With eye-watering price slashes on everything from tech to fashion, Prime day is aiming to rival Black Friday as the best day of the year to get discounted goodies.
It happens. Maybe you didn’t check the product description properly, perhaps you clicked ‘add to basket’ too hastily, or possibly you’ve just changed your mind. Either way there may come a point where you want to cancel your Amazon order.
Fortunately this is easy to do. If your order hasn’t been shipped you can simply go the ‘Your Orders’ section of the site. Then you can click on the check box next to the items you want cancelled and then click cancel orders. If your product is coming from an individual retailer, it might be a good idea to contact them directly
If your order has been shipped go to your orders and click ‘Request Cancellation’, then your refund will begin to be processed. If the delivery comes, you should refuse it.
No, they won’t. There have been some rumours about Amazon’s movement into accepting the cryptocurrency, but the main hesitation on Amazon’s side being that Bitcoin’s value remains too volatile
However, there are ways around this. Some gift card sites do accept Bitcoin. So if you buy an Amazon gift card through them, you can then go to Amazon to spend that, essentially buying the products through Bitcoin.
In the unlikely event you can't find what you're looking for, we've got cashback, voucher and discount code deals other large retailers, such as eBay and Argos. If you’re looking for electronics, have a look at Curry’s.
Alternatively, if you want cashback offers on large online retailers that focus more on clothes and fashion, check out ASOS and Very.co.uk.
Even though we do our best to keep the information on this page up-to-date, it may be out of date from time to time.
