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Amazon without the knockoffs

knockoff.shopping

181–190 of 273 posts

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#181
post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Project: https://github.com/chris-mosley/AmazonBrandFilter Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/amazonbrandfi... TIL, thanks for your work!

Nice. I wish there was something like this but that filtered out AI books.

Are there any objectively good systems for sussing out AI books? If not, perhaps treating them like "low background steel" wrt their publication date is the way to go (known good up to a point and confidence falls off without human review and confirmation after a specific year).

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#182
post #85

Cuts two ways. Why should I pay $200 for a BigBrand dog bed if this knockoff site shows SHRDLU has the same thing for $40? We all know that BigBrand gets it from the same supplier. The real knockoff problem I see is that you buy what you think is BigBrand and get shipped Knockoff because someone is mingling inventory.

“Knockoffs” can be of many different types: - Coming from the same factory line with the same quality control, just rebranded (Costco famously does this a lot) - Factory seconds, goods with very minor defects (sometimes not even in the product itself but in the box etc) - Manufacturers copying specs and running illicit production lines without the company’s authorization - Complete knockoffs, where the external desig…

Also one very common subtype of the first option nowadays is that some company is just buying the exact same product from alibaba that you could buy from a random company on amazon or aliexpress, marking it up, and spending a few bucks on an internet presence and advertising to try to seem like a more legit company but doesn't really offer any more support or warranty than the brands that seem like a random combination of letters.

Whereas if it's costco it will at least be easy to get your money back if it dies in six months.

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#183
Love the idea of this but it has the inverse problem for me. So many brands are simply selling rebranded chinese goods anyway that I am probably better using review count and reviews to find low cost quality Chinese goods.

I don’t know if it will ever happen but the only solution imo is better curation from an online site.

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I see keyboard-mashed company names I know I can go to Temu/AliExpress and get it directly there. You can tell when they are all sourcing from the same batch and instead of paying $40 the same thing is often $3.28 if you don't mind waiting a week.

Aliexpress used to ship almost exclusively from China, so your package took 4-6 weeks in a best case scenario. The value prop of Amazon is (was?) getting your item fast (not cheapest anymore and certainly not highest quality).

AliExpress rarely takes longer than 2 weeks from china these days, and I’ve had AE ship from china and beat Amazon sending domestically before.

Amazon used to be the cheapest and fastest with the best customer support. They have slipped backwards on all those fronts.

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#185
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Knockoffs” can be of many different types: - Coming from the same factory line with the same quality control, just rebranded (Costco famously does this a lot) - Factory seconds, goods with very minor defects (sometimes not even in the product itself but in the box etc) - Manufacturers copying specs and running illicit production lines without the company’s authorization - Complete knockoffs, where the external desig…

It's more than likely you're getting the first since Chinese factories simply make more of what the big brand has ordered and sell the rest to drop shippers

I don't think that's necessarily true as a general statement. There are also lots of knockoffs where they clearly aren't actually the exact same product because they're obviously slightly different in a way that shows it wasn't produced with the same dies/molds. I own several knockoffs like that (which I bought intentionally knowing they were a knockoff but the knockoff had good reviews and it wasn't worth spending extra for the original).

Occasionally there are even knockoffs that improve on the original product in some way, although usually they are just nearly as good at a much lower price.

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"BigBrand gets it from the same supplier" I don't think commerce (especially at Amazon) works the way you think it does. There is a very good chance that when you buy something at Amazon that says it's BigBrand ... it's just a knockoff. Or a fake that has infiltrated another part of Amazon's supply chain. There is big money in lying to customers through Amazon.

Depends what it is. I would trust Nike products from Dick's Sporting Goods physical store and from the Nike store online but not Amazon or any other online retailer. I'd be suspicious of perfume from (say) Giorgi Armani because rip-off artists have heard of it but who would rip off an boutique bland like Phlur?

It probably goes deeper than you expect. A friend of mine unknowingly bought counterfeit Darn Tough socks from Amazon, and only found out when he sent them in for warranty repair. Clough42 has a video on YouTube about identifying counterfeit Mitutoyo calipers (though I believe they came from Ebay rather than Amazon).

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#187
post #32

I worked for a hardware startup ten years ago now, and a big problem that was rampant at the time (and seemingly has only gotten worse) is that basically the Contract Manufacturers (CMs) in China take the BOMs and plans they’re given, and since they already have the molds, the same product will mysteriously be produced with a knock-off name, within weeks of your product being produced in china. At the time (and still…

If amazon suddenly banned this class of products temu and alibaba are there to take up the slack.

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you really the dev or just the person who signed up with this name? The profile was created 6 minutes before this post and the only one ever.

Yeah my buddy sent it to me. I don't usually visit ycombinator. I just created an account because I'm basking in my small amount of recognition. But if ya want some proof I'm about to update the filter list with a bunch of mosquito repellents in like 10 minutes :)

You forgot Skin So Soft! My grandmother swore by that brand!

Re: Amazon without the knockoffs

#190
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see what you're doing, and you're completely correct. It's expensive to make meals solo. But it's an uphill battle and you won't win. Nobody cares that buying new ingredients to make tacos for a party of 1 is expensive. If they aren't doing it yet, they will soon be telling you that you aren't holding it right, wherein: You should enjoy leftovers. You should embrace and cherish the idea that electing to have some t…

> For a person cooking for themselves who isn't inclined to eat the same thing for multiple days in short succession For this person: too fucking bad, that's life If you don't want to live that life then you should pay a premium for the privilege

Does that mean that folks are not free to complain about the price of a burrito at a restaurant? What's your end goal, here?
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