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Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#251

Post by jsmith99 »

arcticfox wrote: post #234
cratermoon wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference between the US and the UK is size and the sheer remoteness of some places, even small cities. Unless you've been there, it's hard to grasp. I've driven around large parts of the western US and there's a LOT of empty space. I don't know how many shipping centers Amazon has in the UK, but I am about 99.999% sure that there's areas of the US larger than all of the British Isle that are served by a single…

I took a week off work once and walked from one side of England to the other, it was awesome. That would get me almost to the neighboring city where I’m from in the western US.

Hadrian's wall?

Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#253

Post by paulcole »

moolcool wrote: post #42

It runs deeper than just everything being an ad. It's also completely flooded with rebadged junk from dropshippers. A few weeks ago, I was looking for a new whetstone, and this is what I got when I searched Amazon https://i.imgur.com/1Utp2dF.png The results keep going like that. You see constant repetition of the exact same units with slightly different branding, often with the same stock photography, repeated for pa…

I don’t see why you wouldn’t just spend the $21.99 and get the Amazon’s Choice one and be done with it? It’s like you’re looking to be annoyed in a situation that you could be done with in 5 minutes.

Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#255

Post by 2pEXgD0fZ5cF »

It has become impossible to find certain products on Amazon unless I know the exact name of it already, instead it will show me multiple pages of garbage that does not even belong to the same category. Often times Amazon will refuse to show me the product I am looking for, going as far as not even list it in the 3-4 pages of results, as if it did not exist. Then I go and enter the exact name and suddenly it shows up, but even then it is often not even among the first results...

Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#256

Post by banana_giraffe »

chihuahua wrote: post #151
chrisbaker98 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> YGGFSS What does this mean?

It was probably meant to be an example of the millions of machine-generated nonsensical names that a certain kind of 3rd party seller uses. Typically these names are a bit more pronounceable - the algorithms that generate them usually include some vowels. Examples from a search for bike fenders: TAGVO, XINBOUS, MEGHNA, NICEDACK, RBRL BRL, ENLEE, FETESNICE, JIVMEE

And sometimes the machine generated product descriptions seem to have gone live seemingly without someone that speaks English giving them a once-over:

https://imgur.com/a/kvvO7dM

Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#257

Post by stef25 »

Bad:

- Fake products, including outrageously a Delonghi coffee machine (paint came off the buttons after a few days and then the machine just broke). - Chinese crap with brand names that sound computer generated - Here in EU you'll get some product descriptions in the wrong languages (Polish, Italian ... on the .fr domain), or images that have Chinese text on them.

Good

- The refurbished / Amazon warehouse stuff is great. Just bought 2x 27" computer screens at a price far, far lower than what any other shop was offering. Same for a PS4 a couple years back. Looking at doing the same for a television. Who cares it the remote doesn't have batteries or some cable is missing. No other store here in EU comes close to the prices Amazon has.

Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#258

Post by katbyte »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #237
Edd314159 wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment is why I still use Amazon, even though it has indeed become a catalogue where 90% of the listed products are junk. Because that other 10% are legit brands, and when you want the legit brand, it's still very convenient and often* cheaper than other retailers. You just have to wade through the crap to find the real stuff. (*I said _often_, meaning I concede that it is sometimes actually not cheaper: please…

But Amazon commingles inventory, so how do you know you are receiving the branded item you want and not a counterfeit item that another seller sent to Amazon?

That’s why I stopped buying things that matter from them, but Walmart Best Buy and home depot are chasing the same profits allowing “market place sellers” - we need to hold these stores liable and accountable for everything sold on the site.

I usually check things when they arrive pretty throughly no matter who I buy from and I hate how I have to waste my time doing it

Re: Almost everything on Amazon is becoming an ad

#259

Post by burntwater »

Animats wrote: post #236
kennend3 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Now Amazon is nothing more than AliExpress with faster shipping. Shame. This. Once i realized what was taking place on amazon I simply moved to AliExpress. I mean if i am going to get something from there anyhow i might as well save the middleman fees and take the hit on shipping. I canceled my prime membership a while ago as well. I don't see how amazon can continue to simply be a front end for AliExpress for long…

> Now Amazon is nothing more than AliExpress with faster shipping. Shame. On Alibaba, you get business background info, whether it's a manufacturer or a reseller, a picture of the factory, info about whether someone checked out the factory, what certifications the product has, and how long it takes them to respond to inquiries. Amazon doesn't have any of that. On Alibaba, search for "outlet strip". You can check "Ver…

I’m curious, do you actually trust those certifications? I’m wary of the validity of them, but don’t know how to verify if they’re authentic. Thinking mostly of UL certification.
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