3 ms·

Well, also it turns out that most people won't pay that much extra for something to last longer.

entropi 2y ago
Also paying extra does not in any way mean you will get any better quality these days. It is indeed a market for lemons.
AngryData 2y ago
It might if there was an actual reliable correlation between the price of a product and its longevity. But many times the shittiest products will slap on some marketing materials about it being extra heavy duty or something, or design it to appear like a more reliable competing product, but charge more for it. I buy the cheapest parts not because I want the cheapest parts, but because spending an extra 20% on the price often results in the exact same part with zero extra value.
Salgat 2y ago
And part of this is because it's very difficult for consumers to measure this, especially as even the best brands experience enshitification. Sears' Craftsman tools famously had a lifetime warranty, but capitalism eventually did its thing and outsourced their manufacture and removed the lifetime warranty, hoping to leverage years of good will for a short term gain.
- genewitch 2y ago
  They also started putting plastic gears in their gas powered stuff. No bearings, just bushings in the shaft. Crap like that. All these companies some of us remember are all now owned by the same company. This is how capitalism goes. Eventually, a company makes a mistake, and a competitor will absorb them. This is dramatically simplified, but the big joke is that capitalism breeds competition and that is good for the consumer. The illusion of choice via mergers and acquisitions.
  - Salgat 2y ago
    That reminds me of what happened with Kitchenaid, where now only the pro line and better has metal gears, which is why folks seek out the old models at garage sales.
skinkestek 2y ago
People have typical shelled out significant more money for Miele washing machines because they were known to last typically up to somewhere between 1 and 2 decades and be repairable. People pay a lot extra for Toyota. I don't want to pay extra for my pants to last at least a full year (think 100 days use, 30 wash cycles), or for my electronics to last at least five years since I am old enough to remember that this used to be absolutely normal and the way things used to be.

Also paying extra does not in any way mean you will get any better quality these days. It is indeed a market for lemons.

AngryData 2y ago

It might if there was an actual reliable correlation between the price of a product and its longevity. But many times the shittiest products will slap on some marketing materials about it being extra heavy duty or something, or design it to appear like a more reliable competing product, but charge more for it. I buy the cheapest parts not because I want the cheapest parts, but because spending an extra 20% on the price often results in the exact same part with zero extra value.

Salgat 2y ago

And part of this is because it's very difficult for consumers to measure this, especially as even the best brands experience enshitification. Sears' Craftsman tools famously had a lifetime warranty, but capitalism eventually did its thing and outsourced their manufacture and removed the lifetime warranty, hoping to leverage years of good will for a short term gain.

genewitch 2y ago
They also started putting plastic gears in their gas powered stuff. No bearings, just bushings in the shaft. Crap like that. All these companies some of us remember are all now owned by the same company. This is how capitalism goes. Eventually, a company makes a mistake, and a competitor will absorb them. This is dramatically simplified, but the big joke is that capitalism breeds competition and that is good for the consumer. The illusion of choice via mergers and acquisitions.
- Salgat 2y ago
  That reminds me of what happened with Kitchenaid, where now only the pro line and better has metal gears, which is why folks seek out the old models at garage sales.

skinkestek 2y ago

People have typical shelled out significant more money for Miele washing machines because they were known to last typically up to somewhere between 1 and 2 decades and be repairable. People pay a lot extra for Toyota. I don't want to pay extra for my pants to last at least a full year (think 100 days use, 30 wash cycles), or for my electronics to last at least five years since I am old enough to remember that this used to be absolutely normal and the way things used to be.