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Memorable eCommerce experiences

The previous post inspired me to jot down some of the nice eCommerce experiences of the recent six years or so, which have made me an eCommerce fan who tries to buy everything that is possible on the Internet.

• 1996 or 1997. Not sure which year. I ordered my first book at ABC Bücherdienst/Telebuch (later acquired by Amazon.de) because I couldn't find it at the local store. Two days later it was there. I was hooked.
• 1998. My first US book arrived. Supercool, finally no strange translations anymore. Haven't looked back since.
• 1998. 1-click-shopping at Amazon scared the hell out of me. I was using a public computer at university to buy a book. The next day I went to that same computer, everybody could buy from my account with one-click. I freaked out on Amazon's customer care. Now I know better...
• 1998. Wrote my first opinion on a book at Amazon (it's still online here). I use recommendations and real-people advice ever since for shopping decisions. I liked it so much, I later worked in that field at dooyoo.
• 1999. Had my overall best experience in shopping in my life so far. Ordered a Palm V at (now defunct) Urbanfetch. It arrived 45 minutes later at my place in New York City. Wow!!!! What an instant gratification. I am so sad the business model couldn't be profitable.
• 2000. Got a bike delivered from Otto. The largest thing I've ever ordered online.
• 2001. The first time the Amazon collaborative filtering really worked for me. They recommended a CD I wasn't aware of yet, and I bought it.
• 2001. Ordered my first food online at Kaiser's. I can safely select food from my desk while watching TV, someone else is doing all the heavy beverage lifting up to my fifth floor. Yes.
• 2002. Sold my first used DVD on Amazon.de. Put it online, and 25 minutes later I got confirmation that someone had bought it. Wow again! Another instant gratification.
• 2002. Received my first item as a gift from someone off my Amazon wishlist.

There are many more experiences which I haven't mentioned here (travel tickets, t-shirts from the US, etc. etc.), but most importantly: I am sure many more experiences like these will follow. I love eCommerce!