Amazon Dash Buttons

Do you use them?

What do you use them for?

Trying to decide if they are even useful to have and if so how do you know you are getting the best price for the item you are selecting?

I get it’s all about convenience but yeah.

I’ve got enough random rubbish in my house (ironically, most of it from Amazon), without adding this to the mix as well.

Not to mention the kids joyfully spamming the “toilet roll” dash button for a laugh.

With one click ordering, I just don’t think this is a necessity…

I wonder if you could re-purpose them for something else, since they are basically free once you use them to order something for the first time.

I have a few because they had a sale where they were like £1 or something, but gave you the full amount of credit back the first time you use them (essentially meaning they were less than free). Since then I’ve cancelled my Prime subscription and they’re useless.

I didn’t use them much when I did have Prime as it was often cheaper to buy elsewhere and so I’d prefer to check the price on Amazon and then buy elsewhere. There was one time the price increased quite a lot and wasn’t even close to supermarkets and Amazon doesn’t tell you until you press the button and order. Then you have a small window to cancel as they try to fulfil those orders very quickly.

In theory you can set something up that intercepts the wifi connection from it and get it to do something other than order from Amazon, but the use cases for them are limited in that the device is completely off until you press the button, then it has to connect to wifi, send a request, wait for a response and then turn off, all of which is fairly slow (so useless for lightswitches and the like). I like the idea of using them to order pizza, but there’s no official API for many of them in the UK. There is, however, an IFTTT action to order a “Domino’s Easy order”, but again this is usually not worth it as it’s cheaper to use a deal on the website.

I have seen you can ‘recode’ them

I find them very useful for those household things that you need to remember to buy when they run out. Toilet roll, dishwasher tablets, etc. It’s very nice and convenient to have a button there when you run out and then get a large bulk order left on your doorstep in the next day or two, whereas if I wanted to bulk save in a supermarket I have to A) remember that we need it B) go out of our schedule to get it or plan far enough ahead and C) drag it home

RIP https://www.engadget.com/2019/03/01/amazon-discontinues-dash-buttons/

2 Likes

That’s how we use the Ocado skill for Alexa. Generally when we run out of something we’re in the kitchen and it’s a quick voice command to add it to our shopping basket.

My old flatmate had them for loo roll but it seemed utterly redundant, it’s always pretty obvious when you’re running low, plus we lived literally next door to a huge Waitrose and around the corner from a huge Sainsbury’s, so it just seemed excessive. I’ve never been able to think of another item I would forget and need urgently.

Over xmas they were promoting the buttons so I clicked to see what from my order history they suggested I get them for and one of the suggestions was rather ‘adult’ in nature :flushed: Something I must have bought a long time in the past, but definitely not something that I regularly replaced, or would think to go on Amazon for last minute.
PNG

4 Likes

wh…why would you need that on urgent replacement? Don’t they last for a long time?

1 Like

I don’t think that’s fair to ask such a personal question. Whatever he does with his Stabilo pens is up to him!

10 Likes

In the garage next to the packs of cat food.
I follow the rule of two, (http://www.cgpgrey.com/blog/cortex-12-the-rule-of-two) and press the button when I have one left :smirk_cat:

The only thing I would use the button for is toilet roll as I do buy in bulk, however I have discovered ‘who gives a crap’,it’s great toilet roll and it’s delivered to your door.

Please feel free to save £5 by using the link below and yes I will also get a free fiver. I won’t take it personally if you choose not to accept. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I’ve never had a physical one, but I use the dash buttons in-app fairly frequently, primarily for some toiletries that I can’t find in the Tesco I have across the road.

I don’t so much use them when I urgently need a replacement, it’s more of an “oh, I’m getting a bit low… boop”

Annoying - the buttons will actually stop working this month.

I have just one of them. I put it next to the packet of binliners. When I get to the last binliner, I press the button. It’s a very simple system.

1 Like

Oh no, my cats going to starve :frowning::man_facepalming: