4 ms·

About a year ago, I purchased one of the bestsellers on German Amazon (which basically look the same as the bestsellers on the US store). It is flimsy, the spri

About a year ago, I purchased one of the bestsellers on German Amazon (which basically look the same as the bestsellers on the US store). It is flimsy, the springs on one connector are likely to break after using them a few times. The worst thing: one of the connectors didn't retract fully when not in use and was connected to live AC. Yikes! It had tons of great reviews both on the German and on the US store, including ones were you could see the bad construction in the customer photos. After looking closely at them, one of the three-star reviews casually mentioned sparks when used in one configuration... I called customer support and wrote to the responsible regulatory body in Germany. This specific model is not available anymore. A dozen identical looking still are. In the end I used one that is three times as expensive made by a reputable company. That is the problem.

pekk 10y ago
What do you actually want them to do? Should Amazon forbid inexpensive products from being sold?
- germanier 10y ago
  I don't know. Whenever I now see a few identical looking things sold by multiple brands nobody has ever heard of with a lot of positive reviews I close the tab and use some other store. It's just too much work to shift through all the potentially dangerous crap to find the one usable item they have listed. I can't be the only one. If I actually want the cheap stuff I can go to Aliexpress on my own and pay half the price.
pierrebai 10y ago
Here's a list of possible solutions: 1. Ask for referral from people your trust, like your friends. 2. Buy locally in a physical store with a good return policy. 3. Buy from brands you trust. It used to be Walmart, now it's Amazon; people will impoverish their local economy to save 50 cents. Things I bought recently: 1. A rake. I chose the 5$ more expensive one that looked more sturdy and was made in Canada (where I live) instead of China. 2. A old generation smartphone. I chose Motorola G because it's a well-known brand and it had good reviews when it launched, two years ago. It's also got one of the longest battery time. 3. Jeans. I bought Lois Jeans at a local store because it's the last barnd I know of that is still made in Quebec. Buying is also a political action.
- Fjolsvith 10y ago
  The adage, "Buy a cheap car, get a cheap car," applies to everything. Or, in other words, "You get what you pay for."
  - antisthenes 10y ago
    Interestingly enough, it applies less to cars than it does to everything. Even the cheapest cars sold in the last decade are remarkably durable and reliable.
  - nommm-nommm 10y ago
    It's hard to know of something is more expensive for the sake of being more expensive or because it is actually higher quality. I once bought a higher end item because I expected it to be good quality. Ended up being one of the poorest quality items I ever bought, replaced it with something that cost 1/4th the price and is better quality. I have a $200 phone. $600 phones also exist but the $200 does everything l need it to do perfectly. The expensive option isn't better for my needs.

pekk 10y ago

What do you actually want them to do? Should Amazon forbid inexpensive products from being sold?

germanier 10y ago
I don't know. Whenever I now see a few identical looking things sold by multiple brands nobody has ever heard of with a lot of positive reviews I close the tab and use some other store. It's just too much work to shift through all the potentially dangerous crap to find the one usable item they have listed. I can't be the only one. If I actually want the cheap stuff I can go to Aliexpress on my own and pay half the price.

pierrebai 10y ago

Here's a list of possible solutions: 1. Ask for referral from people your trust, like your friends. 2. Buy locally in a physical store with a good return policy. 3. Buy from brands you trust. It used to be Walmart, now it's Amazon; people will impoverish their local economy to save 50 cents. Things I bought recently: 1. A rake. I chose the 5$ more expensive one that looked more sturdy and was made in Canada (where I live) instead of China. 2. A old generation smartphone. I chose Motorola G because it's a well-known brand and it had good reviews when it launched, two years ago. It's also got one of the longest battery time. 3. Jeans. I bought Lois Jeans at a local store because it's the last barnd I know of that is still made in Quebec. Buying is also a political action.

Fjolsvith 10y ago
The adage, "Buy a cheap car, get a cheap car," applies to everything. Or, in other words, "You get what you pay for."
- antisthenes 10y ago
  Interestingly enough, it applies less to cars than it does to everything. Even the cheapest cars sold in the last decade are remarkably durable and reliable.
- nommm-nommm 10y ago
  It's hard to know of something is more expensive for the sake of being more expensive or because it is actually higher quality. I once bought a higher end item because I expected it to be good quality. Ended up being one of the poorest quality items I ever bought, replaced it with something that cost 1/4th the price and is better quality. I have a $200 phone. $600 phones also exist but the $200 does everything l need it to do perfectly. The expensive option isn't better for my needs.