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Imagine a world in which buying food at the supermarket were like this. You could only ever buy name brand anything, otherwise your cereal might be cardboard or

Imagine a world in which buying food at the supermarket were like this. You could only ever buy name brand anything, otherwise your cereal might be cardboard or your baked beans might taste like vinegar or whatever. I'd much rather there were just a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge. Maybe it's that UK supermarkets' economy ranges are just really good.

ikeboy 7y ago
Food isn't a valid comparison for many reasons. If you buy food from Amazon you'll be fine. And if you go to your local flea market and buy random electronics you're likely to get just as bad a result as if you do that on Amazon. If you want a curated selection go to a place that curates it.
fullshark 7y ago
>I'd much rather there were just a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge. Aren't most online retailers that control their supply like this? Amazon and Ebay are platforms, but walmart and target for example have actual warehouses full of every item they sell right?
- ImprovedSilence 7y ago
  I think Walmart’s online store works the same way amazon does. It’s full of third party crap too.
  - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
    Just restrict yourself to "available in store" if that's what you want then.
snowwrestler 7y ago
Everything in a supermarket was selected by a buyer. It's not a two-sided marketplace that just connects random sellers and buyers, takes its cut, and disclaims all responsibility for whatever is being sold. Someone is responsible for every item on a shelf in a supermarket. There are still plenty of stores that work this way for electronics. Buy a USB cable at Apple, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, heck, even Walgreens, and you're going to get a USB cable that some person sourced from a wholesaler. The retailer is going to stand by it and exchange it if it doesn't work. The real shame of Amazon is that it started out that way and developed a great reputation as a result--and now they have thrown it away by letting anyone sell anything on their platform, even counterfeit crap. I don't understand it.
- ikeboy 7y ago
  >The retailer is going to stand by it and exchange it if it doesn't work. Amazon also accepts returns within 30 days. And most stores will reject returns after a certain amount of time even if it doesn't work.
  - rabidrat 7y ago
    I don't want to have to return things! What a waste of packaging and shipping and effort. Now fraud detection and product QA are added to the gig economy, and we're paying for the privilege.
    - ikeboy 7y ago
      Then, as above, buy name brand items. The cost of buying off-brand is that occasionally you need to return.
      - piva00 7y ago
        I do that but still care about the environmental impact of thousands of other people that don't have either the means to buy name brand or the awareness of the problem they are causing. I'd really like for crap products to disappear but... I don't see this happening in this world anytime soon.
        ikeboy 7y ago
        Have you considered that people are making a rational choice to get something cheaper yet lower quality?
  - mistersquid 7y ago
    Many electronic items under $10 can only be returned at an staffed Amazon pickup location. In urban areas (e.g. Bay Area), that's a BART ride or a toll charge. The round-trip BART ride will be $6 or more. The toll charge maybe $5.00 or whatever FastPass costs (not factoring in gas, maintenance, parking). Such items are essentially un-returnable, unless you want to pay more to return it than simply dispose of it. I make it a point to return such items. Having done so a handful of times, I now buy most of my electronics gear from brick-and-mortar shops.
sk5t 7y ago
> I'd much rather there were just a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge. It is with no small uneasiness that I wonder if Walmart (or Target) might or will fill those shoes.
hurrdurr2 7y ago
“...a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge.” It's disruption time!
jmkni 7y ago
There's a guy on Youtube called Mike Jeavons who has a week on series, where he will eat only a particular UK supermarkets economy range for a week, it's pretty good.

ikeboy 7y ago

Food isn't a valid comparison for many reasons. If you buy food from Amazon you'll be fine. And if you go to your local flea market and buy random electronics you're likely to get just as bad a result as if you do that on Amazon. If you want a curated selection go to a place that curates it.

fullshark 7y ago

>I'd much rather there were just a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge. Aren't most online retailers that control their supply like this? Amazon and Ebay are platforms, but walmart and target for example have actual warehouses full of every item they sell right?

ImprovedSilence 7y ago
I think Walmart’s online store works the same way amazon does. It’s full of third party crap too.
- dsfyu404ed 7y ago
  Just restrict yourself to "available in store" if that's what you want then.

snowwrestler 7y ago

Everything in a supermarket was selected by a buyer. It's not a two-sided marketplace that just connects random sellers and buyers, takes its cut, and disclaims all responsibility for whatever is being sold. Someone is responsible for every item on a shelf in a supermarket. There are still plenty of stores that work this way for electronics. Buy a USB cable at Apple, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, heck, even Walgreens, and you're going to get a USB cable that some person sourced from a wholesaler. The retailer is going to stand by it and exchange it if it doesn't work. The real shame of Amazon is that it started out that way and developed a great reputation as a result--and now they have thrown it away by letting anyone sell anything on their platform, even counterfeit crap. I don't understand it.

ikeboy 7y ago
>The retailer is going to stand by it and exchange it if it doesn't work. Amazon also accepts returns within 30 days. And most stores will reject returns after a certain amount of time even if it doesn't work.
- rabidrat 7y ago
  I don't want to have to return things! What a waste of packaging and shipping and effort. Now fraud detection and product QA are added to the gig economy, and we're paying for the privilege.
  - ikeboy 7y ago
    Then, as above, buy name brand items. The cost of buying off-brand is that occasionally you need to return.
    - piva00 7y ago
      I do that but still care about the environmental impact of thousands of other people that don't have either the means to buy name brand or the awareness of the problem they are causing. I'd really like for crap products to disappear but... I don't see this happening in this world anytime soon.
      - ikeboy 7y ago
        Have you considered that people are making a rational choice to get something cheaper yet lower quality?
- mistersquid 7y ago
  Many electronic items under $10 can only be returned at an staffed Amazon pickup location. In urban areas (e.g. Bay Area), that's a BART ride or a toll charge. The round-trip BART ride will be $6 or more. The toll charge maybe $5.00 or whatever FastPass costs (not factoring in gas, maintenance, parking). Such items are essentially un-returnable, unless you want to pay more to return it than simply dispose of it. I make it a point to return such items. Having done so a handful of times, I now buy most of my electronics gear from brick-and-mortar shops.

sk5t 7y ago

> I'd much rather there were just a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge. It is with no small uneasiness that I wonder if Walmart (or Target) might or will fill those shoes.

hurrdurr2 7y ago

“...a nonshit Amazon that didn't gouge.” It's disruption time!

jmkni 7y ago

There's a guy on Youtube called Mike Jeavons who has a week on series, where he will eat only a particular UK supermarkets economy range for a week, it's pretty good.