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Are you buying GOOD brand names? BIFL stuff? I could name a ton of brand name items I've bought off Amazon that were just bad that I replaced multiple times. A

by swozey 9y ago

Are you buying GOOD brand names? BIFL stuff? I could name a ton of brand name items I've bought off Amazon that were just bad that I replaced multiple times. A big problem with that is not seeing it in person to see what comes with it, etc. Example, I've owned just about every brand of electric shaver and hated something about nearly all of them. I finally dropped the $70 on a Wahl that has a third of the features but it's a beast. Couldn't even tell you how many kitchen appliances I have bought and thought were awful. Or bathroom mats, towels, patio mats, etc. Personally I think a lot of consumer products just suck and Amazon is pretty much the equivalent of Walmart now when it comes to filtering through cheap crap. Products are half-assed most of the time and companies spend more money on marketing than making a good product (or the best they can for the price). Or they focus on one really big feature and skimp out on the rest. I'm trying to buy a lot LESS but very high quality stuff nowadays. I've had to stop using Amazon as my "buy-all" place. Almost felt like I was being gaslit by 5 star reviewers of shitty towels/etc when I finally discovered Frontage products and went "wow, lux Hotel quality towels DO exist." I don't want to use Amazon for cheap Walmart quality junk, I want it for its fast shipping and options. edit: Frontgate not Frontage.. they make killer towels, I'm a changed man

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martin-adams 9y ago
Sadly it's not just about the brand name. This blender was a near perefect replica of the official NutriBullet product. It took me buying it from a retail store to compare them side by side when I noticed the imperfections. But I couldn't tell without having one to compare with. Worst part is I paid MORE on the fake, so it's not even about price. I used to have this problem buying brand razor blades from eBay a few years back. They were counterfeit because they actually hurt to shave with, yet the supermarket version (same brand), were perfect. Long story short, when it comes spare power adapters (e.g. Macbook), I only buy from Apple direct. I do fear getting a knockoff which is unsafe.
- jtbayly 9y ago
  I had that same problem with buying razor blades online. It was impossible to tell them apart until you put them to your skin. Then it was obvious.
- balls187 9y ago
  Are you sure it was a fake Nutribullet? They are sold on TV via infomercial, made by Magic Bullet. They're pretty much junk manufactured by lowest bidder factories with quality problems. If you paid slightly above retail, it seems even less likely it was fake, and probably just shoddy QC.
  - martin-adams 9y ago
    I was hoping to find out 100% and Amazon originally said NutriBullet would get in touch, but nothing happened. When I got back to them they had no idea what to do or what I was previously told. So disappointed in them. As for the higher price, when I brought it was out of stock everywhere which limited my options to an Amazon seller. It was the run up to Christmas and after buying, other places got stock. I did as much research as I could to spot it, even buying a new on from a trusted retailer. But when the consequence could be fire[1] it wasn’t worth the risk and I couldn’t face passing that risk to someone else by returning it. I wanted a proper investigation. That didn’t happen. [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-35075642/fake-nutribullet-explodes-in-safety-test-after-four-seconds http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-35075642/fake-nutribul...
dahart 9y ago
> Are you buying GOOD brand names? BIFL stuff? Those are being faked on Amazon. You can't know if you're getting the brand you think. It's a huge problem.
- beager 9y ago
  Is it enough to know that things are "Sold by and shipped from Amazon" or whatever the phrase is, rather than "Sold by XYZ TRADING INDUSTRIES LTD"? Or does the quality issue find its way into official Amazon distribution?
  - yoklov 9y ago
    My understanding is that the way they perform fulfillment it's almost impossible to avoid for things sold by Amazon. I don't know about the case of the 3rd party distributor, although it seems likely to be worse and not better.
  - extrapickles 9y ago
    No. You have to make sure that there is not anyone else selling the same SKU, which is somewhat painful to do. The problem is that Amazon commingles by default, so if you bought something from seller A, but seller B’s counterfit was closer to you, you will get the counterfit.
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by swozey 9y ago

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martin-adams 9y ago

Sadly it's not just about the brand name. This blender was a near perefect replica of the official NutriBullet product. It took me buying it from a retail store to compare them side by side when I noticed the imperfections. But I couldn't tell without having one to compare with. Worst part is I paid MORE on the fake, so it's not even about price. I used to have this problem buying brand razor blades from eBay a few years back. They were counterfeit because they actually hurt to shave with, yet the supermarket version (same brand), were perfect. Long story short, when it comes spare power adapters (e.g. Macbook), I only buy from Apple direct. I do fear getting a knockoff which is unsafe.

jtbayly 9y ago
I had that same problem with buying razor blades online. It was impossible to tell them apart until you put them to your skin. Then it was obvious.
balls187 9y ago
Are you sure it was a fake Nutribullet? They are sold on TV via infomercial, made by Magic Bullet. They're pretty much junk manufactured by lowest bidder factories with quality problems. If you paid slightly above retail, it seems even less likely it was fake, and probably just shoddy QC.
- martin-adams 9y ago
  I was hoping to find out 100% and Amazon originally said NutriBullet would get in touch, but nothing happened. When I got back to them they had no idea what to do or what I was previously told. So disappointed in them. As for the higher price, when I brought it was out of stock everywhere which limited my options to an Amazon seller. It was the run up to Christmas and after buying, other places got stock. I did as much research as I could to spot it, even buying a new on from a trusted retailer. But when the consequence could be fire[1] it wasn’t worth the risk and I couldn’t face passing that risk to someone else by returning it. I wanted a proper investigation. That didn’t happen. [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-35075642/fake-nutribullet-explodes-in-safety-test-after-four-seconds http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-35075642/fake-nutribul...

dahart 9y ago

> Are you buying GOOD brand names? BIFL stuff? Those are being faked on Amazon. You can't know if you're getting the brand you think. It's a huge problem.

beager 9y ago
Is it enough to know that things are "Sold by and shipped from Amazon" or whatever the phrase is, rather than "Sold by XYZ TRADING INDUSTRIES LTD"? Or does the quality issue find its way into official Amazon distribution?
- yoklov 9y ago
  My understanding is that the way they perform fulfillment it's almost impossible to avoid for things sold by Amazon. I don't know about the case of the 3rd party distributor, although it seems likely to be worse and not better.
- extrapickles 9y ago
  No. You have to make sure that there is not anyone else selling the same SKU, which is somewhat painful to do. The problem is that Amazon commingles by default, so if you bought something from seller A, but seller B’s counterfit was closer to you, you will get the counterfit.

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