7 ms·

This doesn't surprise me the slightest. Goods sold in online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay have taken a nose dive in durability and finish. The review farmin

This doesn't surprise me the slightest. Goods sold in online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay have taken a nose dive in durability and finish. The review farming has also gotten so out of control that a nearly five star rating can't even be trusted. If these companies weren't as good as they are with their return and refund policies they'd be out of business overnight.

xenadu02 4y ago
It's difficult to find anything good these days. Search "pedestal fan" on Amazon and you'll be flooded with Chinese imports without any indication of quality or even any ability to search for specific features (eg continuous speed adjustment vs 3 fixed speeds), requiring you to read the detailed reviews for the thousands of search results. If I want to buy from random Chinese suppliers I'll go to AliExperess.
- klysm 4y ago
  Nowadays I view Amazon as Aliexpress with a markup for faster shipping, it’s literally the same shit just more expensive.
  - nfriedly 4y ago
    And easier returns. And a marginally better interface (which isn't saying much.) But yeah, the majority of the products are the same thing with a higher price tag.
- Epiphany21 4y ago
  It gets even worse. Products you've already purchased and enjoyed will be silently replaced with cheaper, shittier versions over time because these companies are betting we're all too dumb to notice. The last thing I bought before I closed my Amazon account this year was one of those little Honeywell desk fans. It was the same model I had before at the same price. The new one was made of brittle, horrible plastic already cracked out of the box that feels rough and nasty to touch. If you leave it on for 3+ hours the motor overheats. It's not the same fan, but it sure is advertised like it.
  - lukevp 4y ago
    Sounds like you might’ve gotten a counterfeit. This can happen even if you buy from Amazon, because they commingle 3rd party goods and their own. I ordered some incense samplers, and some of them were clearly fake. Who would fake something so cheap? At this point it seems almost anything is a candidate. Amazon feels like a gamble every time you buy now.
    - jstarfish 4y ago
      > Who would fake something so cheap? Opportunists who "knows a guy" in logistics or manufacturing that is sitting on a pile of defective/lost anything. Got a batch of incense that didn't pass QA? I buy it from you for pennies (or free), fabricate brand-name packaging, sell for full retail price. No risk, all reward. It's not like traditional counterfeiting-- you don't set out looking to make knockoff Band-Aids like you would a designer handbag. This stuff just falls into peoples' laps. Selling counterfeit product is more rewarding than throwing it away.
  - BadCookie 4y ago
    I’ve seen products get replaced with something completely unrelated as well. These scar removal sheets used to be Listerine floss according to my order history: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NHWZ17K https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NHWZ17K I find myself ordering from Amazon less and less, in part because I am tired of wading through all the crap and fake reviews. I’ve been a Prime member for years, but I’ve decided not to renew it. The recent price increase doesn’t help, nor does all the negative PR around how they treat employees.
anm89 4y ago
Yeah, I just moved back to the US and bought a whole house worth of new stuff on amazon. It is definitely noticeable how much junkier this stuff is than it was in the past. I ended up with a huge amount of returns.

xenadu02 4y ago

It's difficult to find anything good these days. Search "pedestal fan" on Amazon and you'll be flooded with Chinese imports without any indication of quality or even any ability to search for specific features (eg continuous speed adjustment vs 3 fixed speeds), requiring you to read the detailed reviews for the thousands of search results. If I want to buy from random Chinese suppliers I'll go to AliExperess.

klysm 4y ago
Nowadays I view Amazon as Aliexpress with a markup for faster shipping, it’s literally the same shit just more expensive.
- nfriedly 4y ago
  And easier returns. And a marginally better interface (which isn't saying much.) But yeah, the majority of the products are the same thing with a higher price tag.
Epiphany21 4y ago
It gets even worse. Products you've already purchased and enjoyed will be silently replaced with cheaper, shittier versions over time because these companies are betting we're all too dumb to notice. The last thing I bought before I closed my Amazon account this year was one of those little Honeywell desk fans. It was the same model I had before at the same price. The new one was made of brittle, horrible plastic already cracked out of the box that feels rough and nasty to touch. If you leave it on for 3+ hours the motor overheats. It's not the same fan, but it sure is advertised like it.
- lukevp 4y ago
  Sounds like you might’ve gotten a counterfeit. This can happen even if you buy from Amazon, because they commingle 3rd party goods and their own. I ordered some incense samplers, and some of them were clearly fake. Who would fake something so cheap? At this point it seems almost anything is a candidate. Amazon feels like a gamble every time you buy now.
  - jstarfish 4y ago
    > Who would fake something so cheap? Opportunists who "knows a guy" in logistics or manufacturing that is sitting on a pile of defective/lost anything. Got a batch of incense that didn't pass QA? I buy it from you for pennies (or free), fabricate brand-name packaging, sell for full retail price. No risk, all reward. It's not like traditional counterfeiting-- you don't set out looking to make knockoff Band-Aids like you would a designer handbag. This stuff just falls into peoples' laps. Selling counterfeit product is more rewarding than throwing it away.
- BadCookie 4y ago
  I’ve seen products get replaced with something completely unrelated as well. These scar removal sheets used to be Listerine floss according to my order history: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NHWZ17K https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NHWZ17K I find myself ordering from Amazon less and less, in part because I am tired of wading through all the crap and fake reviews. I’ve been a Prime member for years, but I’ve decided not to renew it. The recent price increase doesn’t help, nor does all the negative PR around how they treat employees.

anm89 4y ago

Yeah, I just moved back to the US and bought a whole house worth of new stuff on amazon. It is definitely noticeable how much junkier this stuff is than it was in the past. I ended up with a huge amount of returns.