Confessions from “The Amazon Shop”: My Bargain-Hunting Obsession
Some people have a favourite coffee shop. Others have a favourite clothing store. Me? I have The Amazon Shop. Not that Amazon—the online one with next-day deliveries and awkward impulse buys you have to explain when the bank statement comes in. This is Trade Outlet, affectionately nicknamed The Amazon Shop because it’s basically a warehouse of Amazon returns sold for a fraction of the price—usually around 10–20% of the RRP.
It’s not a shop in the traditional sense. It’s a giant, glorious, indoor car boot sale where you don’t ask questions, there are no returns, and once you hand over your cash (or card), it’s yours. It could be brand new, it could be missing half the bits, or it could be an adult toy in a box that once held a ceiling light—true story. That’s the fun of it.
The Weird and Wonderful Haul
I’ve been going for over a year now—several times a week, actually—and the Wallasey store is dangerously close to home. Over time, I’ve brought home some truly random treasures:
- A £600 robot vacuum for £65 (Baz, as we call him, is now part of the family)
- A doggy ramp, perfect for tiny Rosie the chihuahua
- Curtains, poles, and spare beds
- Enough dog beds, harnesses, toys, and poop bags to open my own pet store
- Desk upgrades: two extra screens, cables, mouse, keyboard, mat, and a laptop stand with a built-in fan
- Workout equipment, Christmas and birthday presents, and those amazing coverless duvets I love
- An air fryer for £3.50, retractable safety gates, a new ceiling light/fan combo, and yes… a treadmill that’s now taking over my living room
- Sofa covers, waterproof bedding (for non-house-trained fosters), and even chocolate.
- My TV stand, various car accessories, and many bulbs, power banks, cleaning products, and ice windscreen protectors.
And my absolute favourite recent purchase? Matching “Stanley” cups (well, imitation ones) that hold three double vodkas with three cans of Pepsi Max plus ice, and the ice cube ring trays to fit inside. Two cups and two trays for under £15—hydrated, trendy, and a little tipsy.
Nothing is off limits in The Amazon Shop, and I mean, nothing!
It’s Not All Bargains and Gemstones
Sadly, there have been a few monumental losses. We heartbreakingly lost the carcass of what promised to be the hanging garden chair of dreams because it was missing a few vital organs, and we just couldn’t make it work. We’re still not quite over this yet. But we kept the seat just in case we stumbled across another frame on a visit.
Then there was the granny table that promised to be my new partner in crime and help me work from the sofa. And upon removing the contents from the significantly damaged box (because why ignore a walking red flag), it became apparent even if lifesaving treatment wouldn’t bring this poor soul back to life. a loss of £7 for that purchase.
But the losses are few and far between, and the wins make up for those “XL” labelled leggings that are only big enough to fit a Barbie or the questionable items that end up in the charity shop. Finding replacement bulbs for my garden lights for under £2 and then months later finding the exact same bulbs for £3 makes up for those items that didn’t work out the way we wanted.
To make life even more difficult, there is a strict no-opening-the-box policy. If you want a closer look, you have to open the actual Amazon app, scan the label, and check the listing to see if it’s there, so you can see what you could be buying. But this definitely adds to the allure, don’t you agree?
The Magic of the Trade Outlet
Sometimes I wander around and leave empty-handed – I swear it has happened at least once. Sometimes I go in for “a quick look” and emerge with 10 things for £30—one of which is worth £55 on its own. And occasionally, the stars align, and the exact thing I’ve been wanting appears on a shelf as if it’s been waiting for me. That was the case with my cooling laptop stand. The elusive universal tap connector for my kitchen hose? Still on the hunt.
Do I need an angle grinder? Not really, but for £5 it might come in handy someday.
Do I need a gaming headset even though I don’t game? At that price, why not?
A gel nail polish kit that promises salon results at home? I can’t paint my nails in a straight line, but I’ll give it a go.
Do the staff know me by name? Yes. Is that embarrassing? Slightly. Do I care? Not really. The thrill of finding a bargain far outweighs any shame.
Shopping Companions Make All the Difference
Most of the time, I go alone—less judgment, more mystery about what I’m buying; it’s the in-person shopping version of hiding your delivery parcels from the husband, even though the one ot hide things from in my house is the dog.
My mum is forever judgey at the till, she likes to state, loudly: “Did you win the lottery?” Eye roll. Mind your business, Susan.
Two of my sisters are happy to indulge me (and their own shopping addictions), so we grab a trolley and fill it without guilt. Olivia loves it too, especially the hair and beauty section. Training to be a hairdresser isn’t cheap, but thanks to the Amazon Shop, she’s fully stocked on styling heads and more hair tools than most salons own, all for bargain basement prices.
The moral of the story? Go in with an open mind and someone who supports your questionable purchases—because theirs will probably be just as bad. In this economy, you can’t afford not to take a punt on that £5 fan in winter on the off chance we get some sun when the summer rolls round (FYI, I have bought 6 fans at least from there, and currently, all of them are on the go because we’re having another hatwave as I write this).
Some people say I’m obsessed. I say I’m savvy. I’ve kitted out my home with things I never thought I’d be able to afford—some useful, some ridiculous, all loved. And as far as I’m concerned, long live the Trade Outlet gods. May they never stop supplying me with the weird, wonderful, and utterly unnecessary treasures I didn’t know I needed but now can’t imagine living without.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go get my new carpet tiles out of the car and figure out where I’m going to lay them.
