All it would take is a unique crypto signature QR code on each product that lets you look it up and see how many other people looked up the same QR code.
Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
171–180 of 429 posts
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google has been about the same for me. I went from total Google fanboy to migrating a lot of my life away from them and advising others to do the same.
Thinking about doing the same to diversify where my private info gets sucked up. Who do you use for email?
The folks that created Rails are looking to compete on email soon...
There's also more encrypted providers like https://protonmail.com/.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#173It's funny: I always thought the Internet and platforms like Amazon with the collaborative reviewing system would make brands more and more obsolete, because you could just pick high-quality products from smaller manufacturers by looking at user reviews. Now I find that I rely more and more on brands to decide which things I buy, because I simply cannot trust user reviews in most of the cases. Recently there are more…
I think we are going in the expected direction, but we’re not at the end yet.
About brands, we’ve seen the rise of comparison sites and review videos that allows unknown products to raise to the top. I’d say that’s pretty in line with your expectations towards user reviews. We just have more experienced, less influencable/buyable reviewers (in general). For instance the top vacuum cleaner on wirecutter doesn’t need to be a Dyson to get recognized.
The main issue here is really Amazon messing with the supply chain and injecting fakes where they could be guaranteeing genuine products instead. In a sense, looking at a wirecutter like site and buying directly from the maker is the best of both worlds.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#174Amazon really needs a social review feature, I want to trust only my close circle of friends with vouching for a product or not.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
> On Ebay, you directly know if you are buying from a legitimate distributor, small time grey market / surplus dealer, or a knockoff shop. Would you mind explaining how you can figure this out? (I've never bought anything on Ebay, so I'm completely ignorant about how it works.)
From the combination of store name, item description/template, quantity, other items by the seller, and comparable items. These things are up front and in your face, with each seller having a vested interest in creating a reputation. Once you see the patterns, you don't have to "investigate" each thing, you just get a feeling. Legitimate distributors generally have recognizable names and other web presences - Best Bu…
Thanks, that was very helpful. I'll check out eBay the next time I need to shop for something.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#176It's funny: I always thought the Internet and platforms like Amazon with the collaborative reviewing system would make brands more and more obsolete, because you could just pick high-quality products from smaller manufacturers by looking at user reviews. Now I find that I rely more and more on brands to decide which things I buy, because I simply cannot trust user reviews in most of the cases. Recently there are more…
Now I find that I rely more and more on brands to decide which things I buy I do the same. I wish I didn't, but I don't know what the practical alternative is. I guess it's the whole reason that brands were created in the first place. I do source some of my stuff from smaller brands and shops, whenever I can. But that's not always an option. When it comes to software, I'm not entirely satisfied with Apple's "walled g…
It’s confidence-inspiring that Apple hasn’t stopped software updates for AirPort routers (I have a 5th gen). There’s even an unofficial Python script that enables SSH, giving you root access to the NetBSD system underneath. So even when Apple finally does abandon it, it might still be possible to customize the Unix underpinnings.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#177I have started buying most products directly from manufacturer's websites or in physical stores now. The amount of fake products on Amazon is appalling, I wonder why they don't put effort into stopping this.
Very few products on Amazon are sold by the creator. Virtually everything is sold by a mixture of middlemen and importers and drop shippers. Its virtually impossible to tell the difference between a product I'm middle-manning that's interpreted by investigators as real, vs a product that's interpreted as fake. With books, nobody really minds if conceptually a book sat unopened on a bookstore shelf with the general pu…
>Possibly that type of product is inherently unsuitable for online purchase.
You're confusing online purchasing with "Amazon's approach to online purchasing." They are not the same thing. It's possible to manage the supply chain when selling online just like brick and mortal retails already do. Of course, you don't make as much money in the process.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#178"Getting the fake gloves removed from Amazon can be a long process, Hirsch said, taking weeks or even months of playing whack-a-mole with counterfeit sellers" That's the brand owner saying that. I'd love to see an Amazon response to that.
Personally the brand owner makes me trust them as far as I can throw them as they have a fundamental interest in hampering secondary markets and undermining right of first sale. Sure there are valid concerns but it becomes "CEOs claim higher CEO compensation main factor linked to better company performance".
I don’t know if blatant trademark infringement and fraudulent misrepresentation makes for a valid secondary market. It’s crime.
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#179Gutsy for them to write such an article when they rely so much on affiliate links. Definitely makes me respect The Wire Cutter much more. Maybe does their article imply that as long as you purchase through their recommended links you'd be safe(er)?
> Definitely makes me respect The Wire Cutter much more. I'll probably respect them more when they stop hypocritically linking to Amazon. > Maybe does their article imply that as long as you purchase through their recommended links you'd be safe(er)? The article implies that, but it's not true.
How would you like them to pay for their writing?
Re: Which of these Amazon Prime purchases are real?
#180I just watched a CBC Marketplace spot on this topic. What scared me the most was the danger of toxic materials in fake products and especially makeup. Some lipsticks from brand name knock offs had had mercury levels hundreds of times higher than the maximum levels recommended by industry standards.