I've been a member of Amazon for more years than I can honestly remember. Amazon was launched in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. It's a website which primarily focused on offering an online bookstore. It has since had huge success and today sells far more than books...

Amazon offers a extensive amount of products from Dvds to toys and games, to kitchen and bathroom items. No longer does the site only sell goods from Amazon but it has what is called 'Amazon Marketplace' which means for a fee you or I could sell our items online and indeed many people/businesses do.

::: Navigating :::
Amazon's website is very well laid out and is available to access on a number of formats; iPods, iPads, PC, Mac and on their ebook reader the 'Kindle'. You can browse through categories or use their very effective search engine.

When you've looked at several items and have placed orders the website starts to learn what your interests are and the homepage will make recommendations which they believe will suit your interests. Big Brothers watching you!

::: Ordering :::

Ordering is simple by using the 'add to cart' facility which puts all the items you'd like to purchase into a basket and then asks you to press continue when you'd like to checkout. Amazon accepts all major cards and also has a gift card option available (paper or virtual).

::: Postage and Packaging :::
There are several options available and the cost of these depend on how eager you are for your items to arrive. I usually go for the free super saver delivery which usually means my item will arrive between 3 - 5 days.

Sometimes I'm a little surprised by the size of the box Amazon send their items out in as they are much larger than the products themselves. DVDs can easily fit through a door if put in sensible packaging. Are we not suppose to be a little more economical these days??

::: In my opinion :::
I love Amazon although I should probably hate it for the amount of money I've spent on the website! The website is simple, easy to use and clearly laid out. Nine times out of ten I will find the product I am looking for and the prices are very competitive in comparison to other websites. I was absolutely amazed to learn they even sell Weight Watcher jam!

Martin Lewis's Money Saving Website has a Amazon Bargin Finder search engine which lets you search Amazon for items at our chosen percentage discounts; even items reduced by 70%!

As soon as you're registered you can order items instantly by saving your card details and desired addresses onto the site. At Christmas I ordered my presents to come to work and asked Amazon to ship the items in as less packages as possible (this is another option they give you). I then several days later received all the items I ordered in one big box. Only today I ordered a storage bag, I was at work so I wanted to place the order quickly and it probably took me two minutes to find the item, select the card and address and hey presto it's on its way to me! (they will send you an email to confirm any orders you make and to let you know when your items have been dispatched, I also receive questionnaire emails several days after receiving my goods).

There are many other things you can do on Amazon. I am aware of an Amazon Credit Card which gives you advantages if you order items through Amazon on it. There is also something called Amazon Prime which you will incur a charge of £49.00 a year which isn't that bad as it does let you have free next day delivery and even the same for £7.48 if you live in London or Birmingham there are other privileges too. Amazon Prime offer a 30 day trial of Amazon Prime which I'd recommend if you are or might become a heavy Amazon user...

If you're not already using Amazon then I would suggest you do. Don't forget Dooyoo Miles can be exchanged for Amazon vouchers. Something I am very much looking forward to getting with my first Dooyoo pay packet!

Thanks for reading - happy new year!