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I follow r/buyitforlife on Reddit. Is this related to that, in spirit if not in direct affiliation? One problem I have with BIFL is that the people who post ar

I follow r/buyitforlife on Reddit. Is this related to that, in spirit if not in direct affiliation? One problem I have with BIFL is that the people who post are usually posting an older version of the product that has survived through time. However, many times manufacturers will change up the product to be worse such that if you bought the same product today, it would not last as long as the older version did. In other words, people posting on BIFL are exhibiting survivorship bias. Is this something that can be solved here?

hubraumhugo 6y ago
Buyforlife.com was inspired by the subreddit and it's where I posted my very first prototype :) The problem with this subreddit and part of the reason why I started my website was summarized pretty accurately by another user: "I joined this sub for the purpose of buying stuff like lifetime warranty backpacks, tools, camp gear, kitchen wear ect. Yet this sub has basically became an Instagram for the old shit people find in they're grandparents house which offers no benefit to me now. I'm not going to buy, nor could I even find a kitchen aid mixer you grandma still uses from the 70s. Most stuff back then was made to last, we know that. I want stuff thats still made today with quality."
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
snowwrestler 6y ago
Sure, rename it from “Buy It For Life” to “Bought It For Life.” More accurate and you don’t even need to change the acronym. But seriously, one way to leverage survivorship bias is to buy the old thing that survived. Hence why old used Toyota pickups are still expensive.
- cercatrova 6y ago
  See the comment from the Show HN creator: > "I joined this sub for the purpose of buying stuff like lifetime warranty backpacks, tools, camp gear, kitchen wear ect. Yet this sub has basically became an Instagram for the old shit people find in they're grandparents house which offers no benefit to me now. I'm not going to buy, nor could I even find a kitchen aid mixer you grandma still uses from the 70s. Most stuff back then was made to last, we know that. I want stuff thats still made today with quality." So that's the problem, I don't want to buy old stuff, I want to know what to buy today that will last.
- nitrogen 6y ago
  But seriously, one way to leverage survivorship bias is to buy the old thing that survived. When I was a kid I would buy tons (probably literally) of discarded computers from warehouse sales. Most stuff wouldn't work, but the few parts that survived being thrown into piles and shoved around by forklifts tended to be rock freaking solid and last for years.

hubraumhugo 6y ago

Buyforlife.com was inspired by the subreddit and it's where I posted my very first prototype :) The problem with this subreddit and part of the reason why I started my website was summarized pretty accurately by another user: "I joined this sub for the purpose of buying stuff like lifetime warranty backpacks, tools, camp gear, kitchen wear ect. Yet this sub has basically became an Instagram for the old shit people find in they're grandparents house which offers no benefit to me now. I'm not going to buy, nor could I even find a kitchen aid mixer you grandma still uses from the 70s. Most stuff back then was made to last, we know that. I want stuff thats still made today with quality."

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

snowwrestler 6y ago

Sure, rename it from “Buy It For Life” to “Bought It For Life.” More accurate and you don’t even need to change the acronym. But seriously, one way to leverage survivorship bias is to buy the old thing that survived. Hence why old used Toyota pickups are still expensive.

cercatrova 6y ago
See the comment from the Show HN creator: > "I joined this sub for the purpose of buying stuff like lifetime warranty backpacks, tools, camp gear, kitchen wear ect. Yet this sub has basically became an Instagram for the old shit people find in they're grandparents house which offers no benefit to me now. I'm not going to buy, nor could I even find a kitchen aid mixer you grandma still uses from the 70s. Most stuff back then was made to last, we know that. I want stuff thats still made today with quality." So that's the problem, I don't want to buy old stuff, I want to know what to buy today that will last.
nitrogen 6y ago
But seriously, one way to leverage survivorship bias is to buy the old thing that survived. When I was a kid I would buy tons (probably literally) of discarded computers from warehouse sales. Most stuff wouldn't work, but the few parts that survived being thrown into piles and shoved around by forklifts tended to be rock freaking solid and last for years.