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Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

pluralistic.net

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Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#131

Post by smugma »

guepe wrote: post #123
ndeast wrote: post #113

My default assumption is that if a product is using targeted (or really any digital ads) that it is garbage. I don't think I have ever seen a product advertised on social media that wasn't a drop shipped Chinese rebrand or just a straight up scam. For a while now when ever a thing in my daily life needs replacement (or I have a need for a new thing ) I spend a good amount of time researching those products to find th…

Do you happen to have a summary of your findings somewhere ? I'm all to improve my sponges, umbrellas, etc... !

Not the OP but my $80 Yamasaki Japanese dish rack is great.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#132

Post by smugma »

OldGuyInTheClub wrote: post #64
figassis wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not true that established brands made cheaper products to compete. Their prices remained the same or got higher, but quality still suffered. It’s just greed, no complex reasoning required. I recently bought a gym bag from Nike. Feels super cheap, like I could have gotten it from Aliexpress. The zippers keep locking into the fabric. Feels completely disposable. Bought a pair of running shoes from Skechers early l…

I see what you are seeing. I recently replaced some major appliances that wore out after 25+ years. Sales people were quite up front about the replacements from the same name brand now being designed to fail after 5 to 7 years: Cheaper motors, flimsier construction, and especially electronics. I could pay 3x for a higher-end brand but there is no assurance that it would buy a more reliable product. Skechers is buildi…

Skechers was founded in Manhattan Beach. They’ve grown their footprint. MB is a very expensive city for housing but the commercial buildings on PCH aren’t outrageously priced. Sure, more expensive than Lawndale or Gardena, but cheaper than lots of DTLA.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#133

Post by taeric »

amgutier wrote: post #124
taeric wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Appliances are a tough comparison. Yes, they will "fail" faster. However, material and energy costs means you are still way ahead in many cases. Older appliances were grossly wasteful in both, by modern standards. And shoes are an odd one. They have never lasted a long time. Ever. Only shoes that will last, are the ones you don't use often. You can kind of make this work with a rotation of shoes. Having recovery betw…

Well-made leather shoes and boots can be repaired though. With regular oil/polish and a new sole on every couple of years you can keep a good pair for decades.

Ish. The new sole will require a surprising amount of glue, for one. For two, I maintain that this is only true for non daily shoes. I have yet to see shoes worn daily that stand up to this standard.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#134

Post by guepe »

smugma wrote: post #131
guepe wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you happen to have a summary of your findings somewhere ? I'm all to improve my sponges, umbrellas, etc... !

Not the OP but my $80 Yamasaki Japanese dish rack is great.

Noted ! Mine sucks so I'll check it out.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#135

Post by MichaelZuo »

looping__lui wrote: post #130
xapata wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an auction. The buyers are driving up prices until it's no longer profitable.

With only one seller ;-) That’s usually kind of what you call a monopoly. A bit like just a single entity selling oil and then arguing “oh this is a free market because we auction of the oil…”

No?

Alphabet, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, Bytedance, Yandex each have more than 1% of digital ad spend marketshare, and none of them have 50% of total marketshare. They compete in many areas too.

I think there are credible Indian competitors growing too.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#136

Post by taeric »

OldGuyInTheClub wrote: post #128
taeric wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Appliances are a tough comparison. Yes, they will "fail" faster. However, material and energy costs means you are still way ahead in many cases. Older appliances were grossly wasteful in both, by modern standards. And shoes are an odd one. They have never lasted a long time. Ever. Only shoes that will last, are the ones you don't use often. You can kind of make this work with a rotation of shoes. Having recovery betw…

I don't follow. If I have to replace a dishwasher, refrigerator, or washer/dryer every five years as opposed to every twenty, that's a lot of stuff going to a landfill. My old appliances didn't break the energy bank. What I'm hearing and reading is that manufacturers don't want things to last and are designing motors, pumps, and circuit boards with cheaper materials and less metal so they will conk out resulting in e…

You don't have to landfill it every five years, so that is a bit of a straw man. Even with it, though, it takes several modern dish washers to be the same raw material as older ones.

For shoes, I don't know what to tell you. They have always been consumable. And often uncomfortable. Such that I honestly think the catch is we get more sensitive as we get older. Certainly moving more weight.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#137

Post by jeremyjh »

ndeast wrote: post #113

My default assumption is that if a product is using targeted (or really any digital ads) that it is garbage. I don't think I have ever seen a product advertised on social media that wasn't a drop shipped Chinese rebrand or just a straight up scam. For a while now when ever a thing in my daily life needs replacement (or I have a need for a new thing ) I spend a good amount of time researching those products to find th…

You should write it all up and then later cash in as a professional influencer.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#138

Post by pg938hkd »

grugagag wrote: post #112
pg938hkd wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nike quality is atrocious materials are garbage grade but shoes still sell for 200+

The brand has some inertia. Eventually word will spread out deeply that nike is trash and the perceived value will go with it or along with the generation that knew them if they’re lucky.

I think it’s the celebrity endorsements. They really live in the Jordan name/brand. Kind of like adidas lives on soccer and for a while yeezy branding.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#139

Post by theshrike79 »

VeninVidiaVicii wrote: post #5

> Passing a federal privacy law would end surveillance advertising at the stroke of a pen Unlikely—breaking the laws would likely just become a business cost, and make everything even more expensive for everyone.

GDPR is a privacy law, it's quite effective.

The solution is to make the fine a percentage of global turnover, not a static fee. That way the "cost of business" will be big enough to put the fear of law even to the largest corporation.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#140

Post by uejfiweun »

guepe wrote: post #123
ndeast wrote: post #113

My default assumption is that if a product is using targeted (or really any digital ads) that it is garbage. I don't think I have ever seen a product advertised on social media that wasn't a drop shipped Chinese rebrand or just a straight up scam. For a while now when ever a thing in my daily life needs replacement (or I have a need for a new thing ) I spend a good amount of time researching those products to find th…

Do you happen to have a summary of your findings somewhere ? I'm all to improve my sponges, umbrellas, etc... !

I'd recommend r/buyitforlife. I'm not a big spender but the few products I have gotten after reading recommendations from there, I've been quite happy with.
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