I buy a lot of the "used" stuff from Amazon which usually means open or damaged box. If I don't like it I ship it back for free. You can't beat Amazon's return policy.
A few examples from the last couple of months:
Driver's side w124 front control arm lemforder $36
LG LCRT2010ST microwave $93 ($199 retail)
Castrol 0w40 synthetic 5qt $18 (prime day)
Bosch 5275WS w203 air filters $5/ea
Lemforder w203 transmission mount $7
KYB 553178 w124 rear shocks $18 ea
People abuse the hell out of Amazon's free return policy and most of that stuff gets resold as used for much less. The prime subscription pays for itself in no time. Add to that the 5% back on the Amazon card and it's a no brainier.
Given enough time and effort you'll probably find a physical or online store where any given item is cheaper than amazon. The thing is my time is money and Amazon saves me a lot of time. If I can wait 2 days for any item I'll buy it on Amazon and save myself a trip to the store.
