4 ms·

Show HN: Buy For Life – a platform for durable and sustainable products

6 points by hubraumhugo 7y ago

hubraumhugo 7y ago
Independent product research is a huge pain these days and it's tremendously hard to find unbiased reviews. That's why I built an ad-free, independent and crowdsourced database with brands that manufacture durable products that are made to last. I think it can be useful on our way from a throwaway culture towards a more frugal lifestyle. We should spend our money on selected high-quality products instead of short-living garbage.
- zizee 7y ago
  I like the idea, but if this is crowdsourced how can we trust that the reviews will be unbiased? Amazon reviews are supposedly crowdsourced, and we know what a shit show those are.
  - beatgammit 7y ago
    Absolutely. You need some way to prove that the reviewer is acting in good faith. With Amazon reviews, I ignore most of the 5-star reviews and focus on the 2-3 star reviews (1 star reviews are often worthless), mostly because 4-5 star reviews seem to frequently be biased (free item, out outright purchased/fabricated review). How about compensating reviewers relative to the "helpfulness" of their reviews? Maybe allow manufacturers to refund X product purchases for reviews, but with zero control over who does the review and zero knowledge of which order is being reviewed (can't send golden samples). That's basically how "mystery shopping" works, but that seems to not be a thing with online retail. There are a lot of good approaches here, but this seems like the only benefit is that it separates the reviewer platform from the retail platform. It's still ripe for abuse unless reviewers have more incentive to be honest than to be bribed.
    - hubraumhugo 7y ago
      Thanks for the feedback, will definitely think about the helpfulness score and the mistery shopping approach.
  - hubraumhugo 7y ago
    Thanks for your feedback. I thought about the following ideas to make sure reviewers are genuine: -picking reviewers by interviewing them initially - someone who owns and uses the product for a while -The reviewers introduce / refer other reviewers (circle of trust) -mandatory picture upload for every review -phone number verification (like Twitter does it)
bhch 7y ago
It would be good to see the percentage of upvotes on a product. Something like reddit.
rixed 7y ago
I like the idea but the problem I can see with this, is that good reviews on 20+ years old goods from brand X tells very little about the durability of same good from same brand bought new today. Actually, every brand with a good reputation is merely a brand that's been late to convert its product line into the new fashion of programmed (or engineered) obsolescence.
- beatgammit 7y ago
  Then again, some brands have built up a reputation over decades of being durable, so even inferior, current gen products are often more reliable than most of the competition, but they command a premium for the reputation. I certainly wouldn't consider it a guarantee, but having a proven track record still holds weight.

6 points by hubraumhugo 7y ago

Independent product research is a huge pain these days and it's tremendously hard to find unbiased reviews. That's why I built an ad-free, independent and crowdsourced database with brands that manufacture durable products that are made to last. I think it can be useful on our way from a throwaway culture towards a more frugal lifestyle. We should spend our money on selected high-quality products instead of short-living garbage.

zizee 7y ago
I like the idea, but if this is crowdsourced how can we trust that the reviews will be unbiased? Amazon reviews are supposedly crowdsourced, and we know what a shit show those are.
- beatgammit 7y ago
  Absolutely. You need some way to prove that the reviewer is acting in good faith. With Amazon reviews, I ignore most of the 5-star reviews and focus on the 2-3 star reviews (1 star reviews are often worthless), mostly because 4-5 star reviews seem to frequently be biased (free item, out outright purchased/fabricated review). How about compensating reviewers relative to the "helpfulness" of their reviews? Maybe allow manufacturers to refund X product purchases for reviews, but with zero control over who does the review and zero knowledge of which order is being reviewed (can't send golden samples). That's basically how "mystery shopping" works, but that seems to not be a thing with online retail. There are a lot of good approaches here, but this seems like the only benefit is that it separates the reviewer platform from the retail platform. It's still ripe for abuse unless reviewers have more incentive to be honest than to be bribed.
  - hubraumhugo 7y ago
    Thanks for the feedback, will definitely think about the helpfulness score and the mistery shopping approach.
- hubraumhugo 7y ago
  Thanks for your feedback. I thought about the following ideas to make sure reviewers are genuine: -picking reviewers by interviewing them initially - someone who owns and uses the product for a while -The reviewers introduce / refer other reviewers (circle of trust) -mandatory picture upload for every review -phone number verification (like Twitter does it)

bhch 7y ago

It would be good to see the percentage of upvotes on a product. Something like reddit.

rixed 7y ago

I like the idea but the problem I can see with this, is that good reviews on 20+ years old goods from brand X tells very little about the durability of same good from same brand bought new today. Actually, every brand with a good reputation is merely a brand that's been late to convert its product line into the new fashion of programmed (or engineered) obsolescence.

beatgammit 7y ago
Then again, some brands have built up a reputation over decades of being durable, so even inferior, current gen products are often more reliable than most of the competition, but they command a premium for the reputation. I certainly wouldn't consider it a guarantee, but having a proven track record still holds weight.