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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

#151

Post by [deleted] »

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... !

[deleted]

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#152

Post by OldGuyInTheClub »

smugma wrote: post #132
OldGuyInTheClub wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

As far as I see, they're knocking down and building afresh. The electric signs on PCH say to expect slowdowns for a few years to come.

Whatever they're not spending on their shoes, they're not spending the money on building design either since the buildings aren't much to look at.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#153

Post by cushychicken »

fxtentacle wrote: post #93
cushychicken wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect targeted ads are a part of the phenomenon the article is talking about. Since targeted ads got so cheap, tiny little businesses could buy super targeted social media ads for less money than they could selling their products wholesale at a store. Net result is that they can flood social media with targeted ads for some geoarbitraged thing that tiny startup found on AliExpress decided to sell DTC, and end run…

Your argument breaks down as soon as there are economies of scale. Gillette can probably buy the same quality as Jeremy's at a better price, because they order larger bulk shipments. That means the new niche DTC companies will most likely be a worse value to consumers than the established big brands. Also, the article links to a study which found DTC to be 10% more expensive than traditional retail.

Lol I made absolutely no argument about product quality. All I point out is the underlying reason for a glut in companies selling stuff through social media advertising.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#154

Post by OldGuyInTheClub »

taeric wrote: post #149
OldGuyInTheClub wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't see how a modern dishwasher has multiple factors less material than the older ones. I get the impression that by cutting materials by 10-20%, the makers get 4x lower lifespan which helps them. Shoes: A month ago I tried on ten pairs of shoes by six or so brands and felt little difference among them. The only difference was price: ~$60 low end, $130 high end. And these were nothing fancy, just shoes intended f…

I'd forego the $300 ones. But I'd also recommend 3 pairs of $60ish shoes. Wear a different one each day. And make sure to get at least 4 miles of walking in. Anything less and it likely isn't the shoes making you uncomfortable.

I have to walk a lot at work. Don't know about 4 miles but I am not sitting at a desk. Rockports used to make great shoes that fit without break-in, were suitable for daily use and in the workplace, and that didn't break the bank. Can't find anything in that style anymore so I have to go with so-called athletic shoes that come in a black finish.

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#155

Post by ndeast »

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 really should start keeping track somewhere.. Here's a good list of things off the top of my head.

Gustbuster Umbrella

Zojila Rohan Dish Drainer

GIR Spatulas/tools: https://gir.co/

Emile Henry Salt Pig

WMF De Luxe Spice/Pepper Mill

OXO makes a ton of fantastic kitchen and household products that I use. Dish Brushes, Cutting boards, toilet scrub brush, measuring cups, ice trays, vacuum sealed containers etc.)

Kai 5210 8 inch Scissors

Suwada Nail Nipper Classic (Nail Clippers)

Nest Easy Breather Pillows

Lilysilk 25 momme terse Silk Pillow Cases

Zojirushi Neurofuzzy Rice Cooker

Inomata Japanese Rice Washing Bowl

SimpleHuman Rectangular Step Can Trash Can

Vitamix 5200 Blender

Breville Toaster Oven/Air Fryer

Breville Loose Leaf Tea Maker

Lodge Cast Iron Pans

AllClad D3 Stainless Steel Pans

Iron Master Adjustable Dumbbells and Kettlebells

Happy Hacking Pro 2 Mechanical Keyboard

CST/x-keys L-Trac Trackball Mouse

Uplift Commercial V2 Standing Desk

Herman Miller Aeron Desk Chair

iFixit Pro Toolkit

RSL Speedwoofer 10S Subwoofer

TravelPro Platinum Elite Luggage

KingKong Gym/Duffel Bags

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#156

Post by taeric »

OldGuyInTheClub wrote: post #154
taeric wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd forego the $300 ones. But I'd also recommend 3 pairs of $60ish shoes. Wear a different one each day. And make sure to get at least 4 miles of walking in. Anything less and it likely isn't the shoes making you uncomfortable.

I have to walk a lot at work. Don't know about 4 miles but I am not sitting at a desk. Rockports used to make great shoes that fit without break-in, were suitable for daily use and in the workplace, and that didn't break the bank. Can't find anything in that style anymore so I have to go with so-called athletic shoes that come in a black finish.

I still have some old rockports. I do remember liking them. I don't remember any being particularly good at heavy use. Quite the contrary, last I tried them on, they were rather bad. Reminds me of trying converse shoes. Memory and age conspire to make things way different.

Four miles is clearly me making up a rough number. My assertion is more that many of us do not have great walking posture or ergonomics. Note I am not saying it is our fault, per se. Just that walking and techniques that lead to long term comfort are surprisingly ignored by most of us. And this has far more impact on things than your shoes will.

Related questions, can you still squat with flat feet? Do you keep your back straight when picking up things? Not just lifting heavy things. When picking a dropped pen off the floor, what do you do?

And obviously, it could very well be in your specific case it is the quality of shoe. I've seen a surprising number of folks where it just isn't. :(

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#157

Post by teddyh »

grugagag wrote: post #114
teddyh wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fhqwhgads!

The problem with these brands is that they’re unpronounceable, and they’re almost as memorable as serial numbers.

It’s /fə·'hʊ·kwə·gɑdz/: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjjjWJMIGhM

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#158

Post by robocat »

foobarbecue wrote: post #80
antiterra wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might not be the case here, but lot of these are drop ship outfits that don’t do any kind of stock check and are susceptible to whatever the actual manufacturer in China is up to. I learned about it buying a moon lamp and it taking over 6 months. When it arrived it was a lopsided 3d printed thing (isn’t that relatively expensive at any kind of scale?) I also discovered a lot of these drop shipping outlets are the…

Interesting; that could be what was going on here, although at the price I kind of doubt it. I bought one of those floating moon lamps from a facebook ad too and it came quickly and was pretty great! Guess I got lucky. Mine is not lopsided, but it's definitely a decent 3D print, looks like low-quality stereolithography or maybe some kind of jetting. It hovers about an inch over the base and spins slowly. Great conver…

I hadn’t seen an advert, so for anyone else wondering what a floating moon lamp is: https://chrisstarkhagen.com/blog/floating-moon-lamp

Re: Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk

#160

Post by t0bia_s »

Just use any kind of adblocker (uBlock, NextDNS) and ads don't bother you anymore. I honestly never ever bought anything just beacuse of seeing ad. It simply never worked on me. Or targeting was just terrible.

What frustrates me more is absence of quality of reviews of products that I think of buying. Usualy there are bunch of generic reviews that was clearly writen for money (cold be called ad) or without deep knowledge or using that product at all. Youtubers usually repeat same phrases and numbers that says absolutely nothing about quality or usability of promoted product.

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