How I Broke Up With Amazon: A Practical Guide
The small and large steps I took that led to big shifts and surprising benefits
If you’ve started feeling uneasy about Amazon’s dominance over, well, everything—and the power billionaires have over, well, also everything—and you’re looking to curb your Amazon consumption in 2025, this is for you. Or if, as you’ll read in my experiences, you are looking to save a bit of money, reduce clutter and have more time for the things that will mean the most to you at the end of your life, then this is also for you.
I began scaling back my reliance on Amazon a handful of years ago. Two years ago, I canceled my Prime membership—and I haven’t missed it for a single day. Now, in 2025, I’ve committed to making zero purchases from Amazon. Today, I’m sharing the approach I took and how it led me here. Plus Amazon alternatives and the benefits I’ve gained along the way.
Start with One Category
One of the first mindful changes I made about 6 years ago was committing to no physical book purchases from Amazon. Since I regularly bought books, this felt like an approachable and meaningful first step. I learned how to order through my local bookstores and library, and when Bookshop.org launched in 2020, I shifted to buying from them as well.
Having an "Amazon No-Buy List" helped me redirect spending back into my community. The more I did it, the more I saw the benefits—not just in supporting local businesses but in my own enjoyment. Bookstores and libraries offer many things Amazon doesn’t: book clubs, curated reading lists, staff recommendations, author events, books that reflect what others in your community are reading, and with all of that: a sense of connection. Plus, most local bookstores have frequent shopper discounts, making the cost difference null.
When Libro.FM launched for audiobooks, which supports independent bookstores, I immediately canceled Audible (which is owned by Amazon). I use Libby to borrow audiobooks from my library and any I can’t find or don’t want to wait for I purchase through Libro.FM with credits. I love that you can choose a local bookstore to support through Libro.FM and the price difference for credits is a mere .04 cents per audiobook and with the amazing sales they offer many audiobooks are a steal. If you haven’t yet made this small switch, there’s really no reason not to (keep your Audible books if you haven’t enjoyed them yet, they wont go away if you cancel your membership).
The last form of literature I relied on Amazon for was e-books. In Oklahoma City, the metro library system was large, so I never needed Amazon for e-books. But in Vermont, our smaller library system carries only about 30% of the books I look up, and wait times can be long. For the past few years, I monitored Amazon’s daily Kindle deals and built a large digital library, but as of January 2025, I’ve committed to no more Amazon e-books. Instead, I’ll rely on what I already own and what’s available at the library—which I know will be more than enough.
Rethinking Amazon for Kids’ Items
Another category I relied on, especially during the pandemic, was kid products. I slowly shifted away from Amazon and, a few years ago, committed to no longer buying toys from them at all. Our community has some awesome local toy stores, and I’ve come to love shopping in person for my kids (they offer online shopping too, if you can’t get away from the littles and you can likely call and special order anything you have in mind). We’ve also dramatically reduced the number of toys coming into our home—we give our kids 1-3 toys max for birthdays and Christmas (along with a stocking), plus a few books—and this has felt like the perfect balance. I’ve also leaned into secondhand options and plan to do even more of this in 2025 after experiencing the joy of up-cycled gifts last Christmas.
As for clothing, 95% of the clothes my kids wear are secondhand. We have friends and neighbors with slightly older kids who generously pass down clothing items to us and our local kids consignment shops fill in any other gaps. This has saved us so much money along with reducing a lot of environmental strain that textile consumption generates.
Adding Friction to the Process
After reducing a few specific categories from my Amazon shopping habits I was motivated to take two steps to make Amazon less convenient:
I deleted the Amazon app. I could still shop via a web browser, but the extra few seconds created a moment to pause and reconsider.
A few months later, I canceled Prime. I realized the $140 annual fee wasn’t worth it. Orders still shipped free at $35+, but the small wait time of getting my cart past that threshold often made me rethink my purchases—and, most of the time, I didn’t need them at all. Two years later and I’ve saved $280 in membership fees alone.
The Power of a Wishlist
Last year, I started a running wishlist in my Notes app. Instead of buying something immediately, I added it to the list (including a link if needed) and revisited it later. Now, a year in, it’s fascinating to scroll through and see that 95% of the things I thought I wanted, I no longer care about. It’s been eye-opening to realize how many things I could have purchased but would have quickly lost interest in.
A Shift in Perspective
Another big turning point for me was committing to a year of no new clothes. This shift deepened my awareness of how little I actually need—and made me more intentional about every purchase.
Now, as 2025 begins, I’m reflecting more deeply on the impact of my spending and how every dollar is a vote. I’ve long applied this mindset to the food I buy, and now I’m extending it to all my purchases.
I recognize that some people rely on Amazon for budget reasons, and accessibility matters. But I know that when I shopped on Amazon I could afford to support local businesses, especially when shopping more mindfully. We tell ourselves that “saving” money means we can spend more—but that cycle swallows us whole, taking small businesses and the planet down with it. The irony? I’ve actually saved more money by stepping away from Amazon. Buying less allows me to be more intentional, and when I do spend, I can support local shops—often seen as “expensive”—without actually spending more overall.
I’ve also rediscovered the joy of things that don’t cost a dime (though, honestly, what can you even buy with a dime anymore?!).
Ready to Join Me? Here’s Where to Start:
Try a No-Buy Month. This is where I started my wishlist strategy, and it taught me how little I truly “need”. Tracking what I wanted to buy helped me see my spending habits more clearly.
Delete the Amazon App. You can still access it via a web browser, but that tiny extra step creates a moment of friction.
Commit to Not Buying Certain Items from Amazon. Books and toys were my starting points. Cutting back even a little makes a difference. Imagine if millions of people spent just $200 a year at their local toy stores instead of Amazon—that's millions redirected into local economies.
Set an Annual Amazon Budget. If you genuinely rely on Amazon, set a cap (say, $200 per year). This creates flexibility while also setting boundaries.
Explore Your Community. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, for every $100 spent at a small business, $48 stays in your community. For Amazon, only $14 stays local. That’s an extra 33% directly benefiting your neighbors. Try visiting a local bookstore or toy shop—you’ll find things you’re unlikely to find on Amazon, and the experience is much more enjoyable. I love shopping locally for gifts and discovering unique treasures. Another thing I’m so happy I familiarized myself with are local specialty food stores. Our local Asian market is incredibly well stocked and the first time I shopped there I struck up a conversation with the owner and discovered that our kids were in the same class in school— that is the beauty of shopping locally friends, your money goes to real life people in your community, families of your children’s classmates!
Cancel Prime. Orders over $35 still ship free, and you can always restart Prime if you truly miss it (trust me, they’ll offer continuous deals to lure you back!). So why not try going without? P.S. If you cancel before your renewal date you should get a prorated refund (if you paid for an annual subscription in advance), so no need to wait until your renewal date!
Switch to Alternatives. What do you rely on Amazon for? I’d love to point you to alternatives—whether online or local. Some of my go-to swaps:
Books: Bookshop.org, BetterWorldBooks, ThriftBooks, Pango, local bookstores, local library
Audiobooks: Libro.FM, Libby, Hoopla, Yoto player (for kids)
Gifts and Specialty Items: Etsy, local shops, Uncommon Goods
Records: local record stores, Ebay, thrift stores
Games and Toys: Local toy stores, Facebook buy nothing groups, and many local libraries even offer games to borrow
Art Supplies: Blick Art Materials, local art supply stores, Buy Nothing groups
Beauty and Skincare: Credo, Thrive Market
Home Goods: Thrift stores, Craig’s List, Facebook buy nothing groups
Bedding and Linens: Parachute, Brooklinen
Clothing: Poshmark, ThredUp, local boutiques and consignment stores
Groceries & Household: Thrive Market, local CSA and farmer’s markets, Costco online, local co-ops and specialty stores
Office & School Supplies: Staples, local office stores, thrift stores
What else? Feel free to share in the comments something you use as an Amazon alternative or an Amazon alternative to something you are in search of.
Final Thoughts
Amazon isn’t the only option, and a little intentionality goes a long way. Dividing up our spending makes a difference. If even a fraction of Amazon's customers shifted just a portion of their purchases elsewhere, the impact would be felt. Collective action is a powerful force.
So, if you’re feeling ready to cut back on Amazon, trust me when I say—it’s lovely over here. I’m saving money, dealing with less clutter, and finding the joy in shopping mindfully and locally. And here’s another bonus— less time online shopping means…less time online! How much screen time do we dedicate to being on Amazon per year? If you shop there even a little, the overall time adds up. Not to mention managing returns or order issues.
I want to know— what steps, big or small, are you taking to reduce your reliance on Amazon and invest in something greater—including your own well-being? We got this!!
Thank you for this! Since the start of the year, our household has bought five things from Amazon, totaling less than $100, a big reduction in our Amazon spending. A little research tells me that those things could have been bought from the brands themselves or from other retailers (we're learning).
I also canceled Prime (although they didn't offer a refund, instead I will have Prime benefits until my July renewal).
Finally, I used my Amazon credit card points (I had a card just for Amazon purchases) to buy a stroller for my granddaughter and applied the rest to my current month's balance.
So happy to be weaning myself off the Amazon ecosystem!
Oh...I wanted to add a couple of other notes. For cleaning and household products I'm going to try Grove Collaborative as an alternative. They have a big focus on plastic free, which is another focus of mine.
And Bookshop.org just introduced a new e-book platform in addition to physical books. You can choose a local bookstore for your purchases to benefit, which I love!