It’s no surprise that Amazon is one of the leading online marketplaces for everything from electronics and homeware to food and even martial arts equipment. On Amazon, there have been reported surges reaching $11,000 (£8,800) a second, making Amazon’s already rich founder, Jeff Bezos, even richer.

It is quite easy to see how Amazon are getting so many customers on their website. If you have ever Google searched ‘what is the best martial arts equipment to buy’ you would of come across plenty of product review websites stating a list of the best products to buy which all have links directing to Amazon.com. This is part of Amazon’s affiliate marketing program to encourage websites and blogging site owners to sign up to their affiliate program.

What is the Amazon Affiliate Program?

Amazon affiliate program is for website owners to advertise goods sold on Amazon to get paid commission based on website sales or traffic.

This has become a brilliant way for website owners or bloggers to generate an income. The more traffic their website gets the more money they will earn. However, websites are optimizing their websites to rank for good keywords like ‘Best boxing gloves to buy?’ with a list of product reviews to generate more visitors for potential buyers.

However, are these Amazon affiliated websites good for the consumer or are the reviews going to be a little biased?

If you are searching for something like boxing gloves, It all depends who has reviewed the products or has physically tested them for review. Ideally, anyone testing boxing or martial arts equipment should be experienced in the sport and understand the different quality’s in manufacturing. The other thing to consider is if their website page is ‘The best boxing gloves 2021’ have they reviewed all the boxing gloves on the market.

So, when searching for martial arts equipment online, it’s best to shop directly from smaller specialist websites. They will be more knowledgeable in their market and the products reviews will reflect the quality of their products. It will also help to support them not only during the pandemic, but also in the future too.

Check out the top reasons why buying directly from websites instead of from Amazon is best for your pocket & for smaller businesses.

1. Support Small Businesses by Buying Directly from their Websites

Especially during this global pandemic, small businesses have suffered under the enormous pressure of having to change their business practices. However, larger companies such as Amazon have profited from the pandemic, and perhaps even profited from small businesses too.

According to Business Insider:

Some small business owners argue that Amazon is actually a threat to their business. According to Forbes, two out of three business owners say their growth is negatively affected by the online retailer. Although Amazon allows small businesses to reach a global audience, the company charges a 15% commission fee.’

This means that buying directly from a small business’s website will give them more of their profit share, helping them to stay on theory feet during these difficult times (as well as to keep this 15% commission fee outside of Amazon’s pocket too!).

2. Keep Money within your Communities

Whether you are buying martial arts equipment from a store just 5 mins down your road, or a website based in the UK, you will help businesses throughout the country keep their doors open by buying directly from their websites. It is these martial arts equipment businesses which invest in combat sports including fighters and promotions.

This is because ‘Shopping at a locally owned small business helps money remain in a local community. When money leaves the community — as when a person shops at Amazon, for instance — the consumer enjoys a short-term benefit, but the community does not.’ (Source: Edition.com)

Rather than supporting large-scale chain stores, or corporate e-commerce marketplaces (like Amazon) you can support small businesses, keeping a shopping variety in your communities both online and offline.

3. Quality Products & Direct Communication with Businesses

Shopping directly from a small business’s website is the best way to ensure that your products are high-quality and adhere to the business’s own standard practices. This also means that you can communicate directly with the business itself.

If you are unsure about which product is right for you, or even if you are unsatisfied with your product, you can communicate directly with the business, rather than going through a third-party. This gives you a better avenue of communication as a customer as well as allows the business to give you the best service and products they possibly can without a middle-man.

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, shopping directly from websites rather than third-part e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon can help keep small businesses up and running. For more information about how to support small businesses, check out this article from NBC News.

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