What Did You Buy Today?

SouthernChap said:
GrifterGuru said:
I refuse to buy anything from their platform or any of the services they offer or have anything to do with them. Ever.
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(Capitalism being distinct from a decently 'free market', the latter being a virtuous thing and something to cherish, if we ever managed to get one ;))
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'free market' doesn't mean that everyone is small and virtuous. 'free market' means that @GrifterGuru gets to decide that he'll never buy from the big, virtueless company. If we didn't have a free market, we'd all still be shopping at Sears and Kmart. :cool:
 
woodchucker said:
Yes, I have noticed that on many Shars items, if they list it on Amazon it's usually cheaper. I don't understand why. You would think that direct would be cheaper. It could be Amazon pushing vendors to sell it for less otherwise get de-listed. So they use it to introduce customers to Shars, rather than discount machine.. I dunno , just a guess.
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Can't rule that out, but it could also be price competition. Or as you say, sell a few items at cost on Amazon in hopes of customers finding your direct website?
Shars Brand on Amazon $510 + $123 shipping
Vevor brand via another seller on Amazon $369, free shipping

From the pictures, the second one probably came out of the same factory as the Shars branded one. But I won't buy stuff costing more that a few bucks on Amazon from a third party vendor that I don't recognize.
 
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One of the issues I have had with Amazon is counterfeit product, I bought a Mitutoyo Depth Mic which seemed like a to good to be true deal and it was, so I pestered Amazon and got a refund... I have become jaded by some of it and very careful to look at the ratings and comments.
 
verbotenwhisky said:
One of the issues I have had with Amazon is counterfeit product, I bought a Mitutoyo Depth Mic which seemed like a to good to be true deal and it was, so I pestered Amazon and got a refund... I have become jaded by some of it and very careful to look at the ratings and comments.
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I agree, high value common things get counterfeit copies often. Been buying Mutitoyo from MSC lately. Less common items are usually good.

Fortunately, the return policy is good. So, if you found you've been had, at least you can most likely return it.

I do need to add, that mid range Chinese import stuff can be ok. Just need to shop carefully.
 
Shotgun said:
'free market' doesn't mean that everyone is small and virtuous. 'free market' means that @GrifterGuru gets to decide that he'll never buy from the big, virtueless company. If we didn't have a free market, we'd all still be shopping at Sears and Kmart. :cool:
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If you think we have free markets, I have a bridge to sell you! :grin:

That particular point about the distinction between the two wasn't that people will magically become more moral if we had truly free markets (and to get truly free markets we'd need a level of regulation that would make a lot of capitalists very unhappy; truly free markets aren't necessarily of benefit to capitalists, but of course, the apparent existence of them is), it was that a genuine free market system of trade should not be conflated with capitalism; they're separate things and one does not necessitate the other.
 
woodchucker said:
Yes, I have noticed that on many Shars items, if they list it on Amazon it's usually cheaper. I don't understand why. You would think that direct would be cheaper. It could be Amazon pushing vendors to sell it for less otherwise get de-listed. So they use it to introduce customers to Shars, rather than discount machine.. I dunno , just a guess.
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From what I understand having talked to sales reps from Shars, they buy items they think will sell well in bulk. Sometimes they make mistakes, and the items don't sell nearly as well as they thought they would. After a certain time period they offer the slow sellers at a reduced price on Discount Tools which is eBay account. If they still don't sell well there, they further discount them on Amazon.
 
SouthernChap said:
Eh, when you have the power and effectively monopolistic leverage Amazon has, you don't need 'scruples'. Take any commercial organisation, be it a small family owned company or otherwise and give them Amazon's muscle and 'scruples' will mysteriously become conspicuous by their absence. That's capitalism for you.

(Capitalism being distinct from a decently 'free market', the latter being a virtuous thing and something to cherish, if we ever managed to get one ;))
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I don't buy that for an instant. There are hundreds if not thousands of companies that wield power within their industry. Very few would survive should they flex their muscle to the extent they lose their scruples. As for Amazon being monopolistic, I don't believe that either. They may be a giant in their industry, but they are by no means the sole supplier of anything. I rarely buy from them due to their prices. Most often they are 20% to 30% above their competitors. People buy from them because of their timely delivery service more than anything.
 
woodchucker said:
picked up some 55 gallon contractor bags at home depot .. they won't fit in my 55 gallon drum ?????? what?

they are too small and won't stretch over the top..
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Probably because Chinese 55-gallon drums are smaller in diameter. ;)
 
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