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Amazon is the first place many go when shopping online.
Unfortunately, Amazon isn’t an ethical brand and there are regularly controversies around how they treat works, engage in uncompetitive practices against small brands, and avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
Due to the convenience of fast shipping and a wide range of products, it can be hard to stop shopping on the platform.
However, there are an amazing range of alternatives out there that you can use to find a wide range of products suited to every need.
It’s a simple way to support green businesses, and use your purchases to make a difference.
In this guide, we’ll show you some of the best alternatives to Amazon. We’ve broken the post up into sections: Best for Clothing, Homeware, and Books. You can use the table of contents below to jump to specific sections.
Happy reading, and we’re so glad to see you’re interested in shopping from these sustainable platforms.
Best for Clothing, Accessories, and Beauty Products
1. Made Trade
Shipping: Based in US, affordable worldwide shipping available
What you can find: Ethical and sustainable clothing, home goods
Made Trade is an ethical marketplace selling high-quality clothing, shoes, jewelry, as well as a variety of homeware.
They’re a member of 1% for the Planet, which means they donate 1% of their profits each year to charitable, ec-friendly causes.
There are a range of ways you can filter your results, such as searching for women owned stores, BIPOC owned, vegan stores, and made in the USA.
2. WeDressFair
Shipping: Europe
What you can find: Ethical fashion from 70+ brands
WeDressFair is a French ethical fashion marketplace stocking brands like Veja, Nudie, People Tree, Patagonia, and Organic Basics.
There is a variety of womenswear as well as menswear, plus accessories and shoes.
They currently ship to all countries in Europe.
3. BuyMeOnce
Shipping: USA & UK
What you can find: Womenswear, menswear, child & baby clothes, homeware, electricals
BuyMeOnce is pushing the Buy It For Life movement forwards with a marketplace of tried and tested products designed to last forever (or, as long as possible).
They carefully select brands to list on their website, and you can shop a range of womenswear, menswear, but also kitchen and homeware, and even electricals. Brands are vetted for durability, sustainability, and how much value their products will offer over a lifetime of use.
4. Etsy
Shipping: Worldwide
What you can find: Handemade items in every shape and size. From jewelry to homeware to garden furniture.
Etsy is a global marketplace that brings together independent sellers. Etsy don’t own any warehouses, and everything is shipped directly to you from local craftsmakers.
You can find everything on there, from eco-friendly furniture, to clothing, to handmade jewelry.
The only thing to watch out for is that some wholesalers use Etsy as a channel similar to Amazon, so there’s a risk you end up buying from a similar company. Always make sure to seek out individual and small sellers to ensure your purchases have a positive impact.
5. SAM & LANCE
Shipping: Canada and the USA
What you can find: All products made by women
SAM & LANCE is an ethical marketplace promoting women-made products.
You can find clothing, ethical jewelry, skincare products, and much more. They also create a variety of subscription boxes where you can have a handpicked selection of sustainable products delivered to you every quarter.
6. Greenbeauty Market
Shipping: Europe
What you can find: Skincare, haircare, makeup, and all types of beauty products
Greenbeauty Market was created to be the “one stop shop for all your vegan, natural, and organic beauty products”.
They feature brands creating clean, ethical beauty products, that don’t compromise on quality.
You can see transparent information on every product about the ingredients and supply chains to ensure you have all the information you need to make a conscious choice.
Best for Homeware and Everyday Purchases
1. Package Free
Shipping: Worldwide
What you can find: Homeware, health & beauty products,
As the name suggests, Package Free sources products from individual creators and brands with ethical, sustainable processes.
Package Free’s mission is to enable everyone to live a zero-waste lifestyle, and in their marketplace, they ensure every brand avoids using single use plastic or disposable materials destined for landfill.
2. The Bare Home
Shipping: U.S and Canada
What you can find: Cleaning products, homeware, glassware, soap, candles
The Bare Home is a Canadian eco-friendly shop creating a variety of homeware, from candles, to cleaning products.
It’s the perfect place to buy those everyday essentials that you’d usually use Amazon for. To avoid waste, you can buy refill packs to avoid throwing out any packaging.
3. Grove Collaborative
What you can find: Homewear, cleaning products, toileteries
Grove Collaborative helps you shop clean home and toiletry products like detergent and hand soap, made with sustainable, eco-friendly processes.
The brand is on track to be plastic free by 2025, and it’s the perfect place to find home essentials for anyone looking to reduce waste and support ethical businesses whilst doing so.
Grove is a Certified B Corp, plastic neutral, and support reforestation, on a mission to plant 1 million trees by 2022. As well as that, all of their shipments and facilities are carbon neutral. You can find out more on their sustainability page.
4. The Little Market
Shipping: Worldwide
What you can find: Home decor, candles, bedding, dining wear
The Little Market was founded by women to empower women. It’s a nonprofit dedicated to poverty alleviation.
They stock a wide range of home decor products, including candles, organic bedding, dining sets soaps, and much more.
The Little Market is the perfect Amazon alternative to find gifts for loved ones (or for yourself!). You can see details on who made every product. For example, the candle pictured here was made by women entrepreneurs who are settled refugees. Every purchase will have a real positive impact on individuals and communities.
5. Uncommon Goods
Shipping: Worldwide
What you can find: Unique products made by craftsmakers and artists around the world
This Brooklyn-based sustainable company is the poerfect place to find creative, original gifts and products for your own home, or as a gift for a loved one.
Their team partner with craftsmakers around the world to feature products that aren’t usually stocked anywhere else online.
Uncommon Goods also encourage artists they work with to use eco-friendly materials, and everything is shipped in eco-friendly packaging. As well as that, all products are free of fur, feather, or leather.
The company is a B Corp, and $2 is donated to non-profits for every purchase, making it the perfect place to buy gifts that isn’t Amazon.
Best Places For Books
1. Better World Books
Shipping: Worldwide (some shipping services delayed due to COVID)
What you can find: Pre-loved books
Better World Books was founded to help people have access to affordable books without having to shop from platforms like Amazon.
Since the company was founded, they’ve raised over $28 million for literacy funds and libraries, and enabled over 320 million books to be reused and recycled.
As books need to be shipped to you after purchase, BetterWorldBooks offset the carbon created during the process, which is a great initiative.
2. Abe Books
Shipping: Worldwide
What you can find: New and used books, as well as rare books and texts
Abe Books is a well-established but independent book store offering a huge selection of books that easily rivals Amazon.
You can shop books that are new or used, with details on the condition of used books.
Pictured: Slave to Fashion, Safia Minney
3. Hive
Shipping: UK
Hive is a platform that connects independent bookshops to buyers who would otherwise shop from stores like Amazon.
For every purchase, they give a minimum of 10% to an independent bookshop (chosen by you). It’s the perfect way to combine the convenience of online shopping with the benefits of shopping from independent sellers.
They’re connected to hundreds of bookshops around the UK, and there’s a great selection of books related to sustainable fashion and eco-friendly living.
Pictured: Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard
