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I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

amazon.com

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Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#321

I get that this is basically fraud and spam, but this should really highlight the dangers of letting an unattended LLM do anything for your company at all. It can, and will, fuck up dramatically sooner or later.

What dangers? Nobody will see any consequences for this: not Amazon-- they're a monopoly, they don't give a shit-- and not the seller-- who probably won't see any impact whatsoever on their sales or reputation, and will just recreate under a new shell name if they do.

The fact that LLMs drive the cost of junk text production to zero is a tremendous opportunity when there is no penalty for messing up. It's the same think as bulk spam mailing: if it's free, there's no reason not to keep trying even if only one a million is a success.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Feels like arguing semantics instead of replying to the stated wish I can't get a hitman on amazon, so technically it's not an "everything store" to begin with. But for the purposes of this conversation it clearly is

good response

Could you use a amazon tuckle though?

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#323

Using Amazon for shopping is terrible, borderline unusable in 2024. They're hard to compete with because they're giant and have an amazing logistics network, but it also seems like there's a big vacuum in the market for an "everything store" that's actually good.

The worst thing for me is how the Amazon search algorithm seems to want to show you everything but the item you searched for. In many categories, even when explicitly searching for brand and model names, you’ll get dozens of off-brand substitutions and even random unrelated products appearing above it in the search results. Occasionally I’ve even noticed products that are available for sale (if you click on a direct…

> The worst thing for me is how the Amazon search algorithm seems to want to show you everything but the item you searched for.

Hey boss I made the site better! Through rigorous A/B testing I could figure out a way to tweak our search algorithm so people spend much more time on our site! It seems they now really enjoy browsing for products!

Ok but seriously, I have witnessed A/B testing go wrong in the past so I'm biased to blame everything on it. I wouldn't think this particular thing happened though. :)

What I could imagine is that they measure number of items bought or money spent, but even then if eg you don't also track how much of these people return stuff later you still might draw the wrong conclusions. Figuring out that a user is less likely to use your site six months down the line due to building frustration is even harder.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#324

Using Amazon for shopping is terrible, borderline unusable in 2024. They're hard to compete with because they're giant and have an amazing logistics network, but it also seems like there's a big vacuum in the market for an "everything store" that's actually good.

> vacuum in the market for an "everything store" that's actually good.

I would like a "what store is everything in" product. Search for something, and it gives you back matching products in stores 5/10/50 miles from you; purchase online, pickup from the store (or pay for an ubereats like delivery). As you build a cart, it attempts to cluster items. You get the convenience of search and online purchase, so that you don't waste time wandering around stores and not finding things, and you get the item in your hand quicker if you're prepared to go get it once purchased.

Big advantage to whoever built it: you don't need to compete with Amazon on logistics. On the other hand, you have a hell of a network effect to overcome, though if you focused on one geography only to start, it could be doable.

Such a thing, if it took off, could reinvigorate physical retail businesses. Google had a half-assed attempt for a while with local shopping, but they never really pushed it that hard...which I think was a missed opportunity.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#325
post #274
post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about the price, it's about getting a more trustworthy device.

The amount of trust you need in a device varies based on what you’re buying. There are a whole lot of products where saving cash easily trumps having a good brand standing behind it. Phone cases are a classic example. Some of my recent purchases like a toilet paper holder or emergency ponchos are similar. Even clothing is getting to the point where name brands are barely more dependable than Amazon off-brand clothes…

AutoZone is doing us all a favor. Most people whack in an LED replacement for their turn signals and end up with a quick flashing mess that may be partially green. Or they put in LED brake lights that are blindingly bright and have no differentiation between idle and braking.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#326
post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Search Amazon for "Whetstone". You'll find tons of quality products from legitimate brands, mixed indiscriminately with the exact same dropshipped trash item repeated over and over for countless pages. Amazon has been entirely enshittified.

What are your standards for quality? I’m an enthusiastic amateur home chef. I have ordered some of these “trash” whetstones. My knives get sharp. They aren’t damaged. The whetstone works over time. If you are like a knife artisan, yeah I guess Amazon won’t work for you. But I’m guessing the results work for 99.9% of people.

Is a generic AliExpress whetstone good enough for most home chefs? I don't know, probably. But if I'm going to spend $40, I would rather do it on a high quality Japanese unit than something I can get for $20 on AliExpress. On Amazon they're priced and presented as alike, and that's a problem.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"everything" but only the "high quality" (or highER quality) instances of everything. seems pretty reasonable.

Costco/Nordstroms/Apple/Lululemon/etc. Even BestBuy/Target/Walmart/Home Depot/Lowes/Staples/REI/etc to an extent, if the item is sold by them. Stores with physical inventory and presence that have to worry about rates of return will probably do more due diligence than an online marketplace.

With inventory mixing, in service of "Fulfilled by Amazon" that is what Amazon used to have, and lost.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish Sears sold do-it-yourself-houses again like they did in the 1920s. That would be very cool of them.

If you go to a real lumber yard - the type of places the pros go - they will look at any blueprint print and prepare you the kit. Prices are better than Home Depot after you account for free delivery and they pick up your returns. The kit won't include plumbing, HVAC, electric... so it isn't 100% what Sears did in the 1910s, but it is actually pretty close.

what's a lumber yard?

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counting it up, I've ordered 58 times from Amazon in 2023 and every single item was exactly what I asked for, and arrived within a few days. I wonder why we're having such wildly different experiences...

Yeah same here, 67 orders and no issues, perhaps it's a location thing?

Seems like an issue with people buying the cheapest stuff from brands no one has ever heard of. See previous comment, someone bought a blender that doesn't blend. Pretty sure if you buy a mid-high price blender on Amazon from a reputable brand, it will blend.

Re: I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy

#330

Using Amazon for shopping is terrible, borderline unusable in 2024. They're hard to compete with because they're giant and have an amazing logistics network, but it also seems like there's a big vacuum in the market for an "everything store" that's actually good.

The worst thing for me is how the Amazon search algorithm seems to want to show you everything but the item you searched for. In many categories, even when explicitly searching for brand and model names, you’ll get dozens of off-brand substitutions and even random unrelated products appearing above it in the search results. Occasionally I’ve even noticed products that are available for sale (if you click on a direct…

I think I'd probably cope with it including irrelevant and mislabelled stuff and the inevitable tons of Alibaba crap if it (.co.uk) didn't fail so hard at pagination that most of the results were inaccessible. Feels like some marketing bod has wargamed the "bust if we fix this people buy cheaper variants of the same product and don't check the Prime box" scenario and decided that as they're Amazon and people will use them regardless, broken search results are better than functional search results
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