Sick of Buying Everything on Amazon? Here’s How to Shop Small Businesses Online

Amazon is an undeniably convenient place to shop online, but there are also plenty of reasons to avoid it. Between the poor working conditions in its warehouses, the danger its drivers face, its track record of union busting, its disastrous effect on the environment, the way it dodges income taxes, and the damage it has caused to small businesses, it’s not exactly a bastion of ethical business practices.

But despite what search engines would lead you to believe, Amazon certainly isn’t your only option for online shopping. According to the Small Business Administration, 99.9% of all businesses in the US are small businesses—and the majority of them do business online. These small businesses support local economies (even if they’re not necessarily local to you), provide jobs in communities, generally reduce the carbon footprint of purchases, and often provide more personal customer service.

While the benefits to shopping small are big, it takes some skill to locate just what you’re looking for and sometimes a bit of patience when it comes to delivery times. Here’s how you can get started.

Get Social

Plenty of companies sell their wares on social media, but generally speaking, most of the products you see in your feeds are from bigger companies with big budgets to spend on advertising. If you want to see stuff from smaller businesses, try using hashtags like #handmade, #shoplocal, and #supportsmall on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms.

To Etsy or Not to Etsy

When Etsy first came about nearly 20 years ago, it was the place to go to buy directly from artisans from around the world. But in 2013, Etsy changed its policy to allow sellers to use outside manufacturers and still label their wares “handmade.”After that switch, it became very common to see Etsy products identical to those sold on Amazon, Alibaba, and other similar sites. That, combined with Etsy becoming a place that was increasingly unfriendly to sellers, led to a reckoning of sorts.

While Etsy is still not what it once was, it has recently changed its classifications to “made by,” “designed by,” “handpicked by,” and “sourced by” for more transparency. You can filter your results accordingly, but since the policy relies largely on the honor system, we recommend double-checking before you hit the buy button. Try doing a reverse image search on the item you’re interested in to see if it turns up on mass-market sites.

Search Through the Substacks

Newsletter subscription platform Substack might not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re looking to shop online, but it can be a surprisingly great avenue to find products from small businesses if you know where to look. Vogue Business recently detailed how shoppers are using the comments sections of fashion newsletters like Magasin, The Cereal Aisle, Are You Wearing That?, Back Row, Add To Wishlist, and 5 Things You Should Buy for their latest finds. 

You can sign up for newsletters in your areas of interest (fashion or not) and either scan the comments for ideas or post queries for what you’re looking for so that other shoppers can help. It’s a modern take on making a friend while you’re shifting hangers in a store looking for your size. 

Find Your Locals

Some states, municipalities, and towns have taken on the “shop small” cause and created sites to highlight local businesses. Search for a locale and then add the words “shop small” or “shop local” and you can find sites like Shop Iowa or DC Shop Small to connect you to local businesses. 

One of the best methods is to add “small business” to your Google queries. In most instances, this will surface results from a huge range of independent companies that wouldn’t otherwise appear in your search results. Try it with candles, for example, and you’ll discover Zoe & Co. Candle Company, a Baltimore-based company run by a couple that hand-makes beautiful and affordable candles with soy wax, essential oils, and cotton wicks.    

Browse a Local Bookstore

If you’re shopping for a book, skip Amazon and head to Bookshop.org. It has a nearly endless selection of books that are all sold by independent bookstores. You can select which bookstore to buy from, or if the book you’re looking for is not available there, you can still make a purchase and have it benefit a pool that gets split among all participating stores. 

The Big Bad

If you’re not entirely averse to using Amazon, there’s a way to enjoy its convenience while ensuring local businesses benefit. Click on Amazon Support Small, and you’ll be able to shop on Amazon like you normally do, but the results will only be from small businesses that are Amazon third-party retailers. 

About Chandra Steele

Senior Features Writer

My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme. 

I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light. 

Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.

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