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Trick is to only buy branded stuff off Amazon. Everything else is a shit show. Actually whenever you go shopping know what you want before you go to Amazon. Th

by hvgk 5y ago

Trick is to only buy branded stuff off Amazon. Everything else is a shit show. Actually whenever you go shopping know what you want before you go to Amazon. That helps.

ItIsWhatItIs2 5y ago
True, the issue is if you are getting a niche item without name brands in the market. For example I was trying to get a TV antenna, which to me doesn’t have a recognizable brand to look towards.
ceejayoz 5y ago
Even then, you've got the risk of it being counterfeit.
projectileboy 5y ago
But a big problem is that because they mix items from third parties with everything else because they’re “the same”, you never know when you’re getting counterfeit goods. Amazon has made it so bad that some manufacturers will now actually have a page on their website showing how to detect counterfeit versions of their product.
- AlexandrB 5y ago
  This is an especially big problem for items that are differentiated on quality of materials/coatings/construction/etc. My go-to example is always lens filters: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=22622 https://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News... It's hard to fake a believable iPhone. It's easy to fake a threaded cylinder with a round piece of glass in the middle that can fool the uninitiated.
- bmitc 5y ago
  I found this issue when trying to buy a filter replacement for my LG refrigerator. The reviews reported several cases of wrong filters sent, some used, and some fake/counterfeit. Like one was literally just an empty plastic shell. I ended up just going to LG's website, and it was actually cheaper, albeit with slower shipping. But who cares for something like that.
- billh 5y ago
  A few years ago I bought some brand name shampoo from Amazon and what they sent was very clearly counterfeit. The product and packaging were so bad that if anyone was paying attention to the supply line they should have been able to figure it out. Since then my general rule has been "If it goes on me or in me, I'm not getting it from Amazon"
bencollier49 5y ago
Good luck finding proper brands in the search results. Four times out of five, weird names that I've never heard of dominate the results to the point where it's impossible to filter for a known brand.
- bmitc 5y ago
  Exactly. Just today, even knowing what to expect, I decided to try and search for a mattress pad or cover on Amazon. Just pages and pages of brands I've never heard of.

by hvgk 5y ago

Trick is to only buy branded stuff off Amazon. Everything else is a shit show. Actually whenever you go shopping know what you want before you go to Amazon. That helps.

ItIsWhatItIs2 5y ago

True, the issue is if you are getting a niche item without name brands in the market. For example I was trying to get a TV antenna, which to me doesn’t have a recognizable brand to look towards.

ceejayoz 5y ago

Even then, you've got the risk of it being counterfeit.

projectileboy 5y ago

But a big problem is that because they mix items from third parties with everything else because they’re “the same”, you never know when you’re getting counterfeit goods. Amazon has made it so bad that some manufacturers will now actually have a page on their website showing how to detect counterfeit versions of their product.

AlexandrB 5y ago
This is an especially big problem for items that are differentiated on quality of materials/coatings/construction/etc. My go-to example is always lens filters: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=22622 https://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News... It's hard to fake a believable iPhone. It's easy to fake a threaded cylinder with a round piece of glass in the middle that can fool the uninitiated.
bmitc 5y ago
I found this issue when trying to buy a filter replacement for my LG refrigerator. The reviews reported several cases of wrong filters sent, some used, and some fake/counterfeit. Like one was literally just an empty plastic shell. I ended up just going to LG's website, and it was actually cheaper, albeit with slower shipping. But who cares for something like that.
billh 5y ago
A few years ago I bought some brand name shampoo from Amazon and what they sent was very clearly counterfeit. The product and packaging were so bad that if anyone was paying attention to the supply line they should have been able to figure it out. Since then my general rule has been "If it goes on me or in me, I'm not getting it from Amazon"

bencollier49 5y ago

Good luck finding proper brands in the search results. Four times out of five, weird names that I've never heard of dominate the results to the point where it's impossible to filter for a known brand.

bmitc 5y ago
Exactly. Just today, even knowing what to expect, I decided to try and search for a mattress pad or cover on Amazon. Just pages and pages of brands I've never heard of.