Watch out Amazon Marketplace, Amazon Basics launches
Saturday, Amazon took on a small segment of the third-party market with a new line of electronics called “Amazon Basics.”
Gadget fans don’t need to get all a-twitter yet- the line is mostly cables, blank CDs and blank DVDs, but they’re offered at a cost lower than most competition on Amazon. Some of the items, like USB cables, are “available for pre-order,” which I found perplexing. I thought a cable was something you ordered in frustration when you stepped on the end of it with your motorcycle boots rendering it unusable, not something you acquired in the vague notion of receiving it someday.
Looked at as a harbinger of things to come, though, the line certainly has promise. Amazon has indicated they don’t plan to branch off into the more exciting stuff- this appears to be more of a True Value Hardware for your computer and other electronics. Even though the pricing isn’t always necessarily the lowest- this 100 pack of blank CDs scoops the new Amazon ones by 49 cents and is Prime Eligible- Amazon’s status as a trusted brand for online shopping means buyers may flock to the new offerings. As someone who ends up renewing my Prime membership grudgingly every Christmas to avoid the high shipping costs and the toy store crush, I’ll certainly look there before I go to a seller with whom I have no experience.
