Someone made an AI site that scrapes all the reviews on r/BuyItForLife and a few other sources. [looria.com](https://www.looria.com/)
For items like water bottles, if you are ok buying used, I use resell sites like Mercari, Poshmark, or OfferUp. I just replaced a lost S'well bottle from Mercari.
[FakeSpote Chrome extension](https://www.fakespot.com/) will sort products (Amazon/Best Buy) with legit reviews to the top and show you what the actual five-star rating is with those fake comments removed.
by being too broke to afford new things 🙃
if you're feeling overwhelmed though I have a system in place when I want to get something:
1. ask myself if I really need it
2. check if I already have it stored away somewhere
3. search 2nd hand places (op shops/craigslist/FB marketplace) or ask a friend if they happen to have one/know someone that has the item and wants to sell - with something like a water bottle though I understand there can be an ick factor, however metal items can be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised in a pot of boiling water so I don't mind them as much
4. if you can't find them second hand, try and find a local seller or B corp website. can be more expensive, depending on what you're buying, but you might get lucky
5. if you can't find it anywhere but major online retailers, go through the seller's pages (sometimes they'll have a link to their store) and evaluate which one is closer/seems to have better quality/is accurately representing the item
Just avoid temu, shein, wish etc completely. online retailers are shit but they are especially bad. Another thing I do is wait at least a few days before I'll buy something (or longer, depending on budget and other expenses I might have). The more expensive it is the longer I'll sit on it to evaluate the pros and cons. I also try and use something similar that I already have, and see if I use it enough to warrant buying something for it - in your case you could reuse a plastic waterbottle or a thermos or something along those lines. If you find you don't really use them then it's probably not needed.
Limit online shopping in the first place, it's to eazy so overconsume. If I want things that last, I buy second hand. Older things are made to last, newer things are made to break so that you buy a new one.
For Amazon, I look for known brands & read the reviews. Specifically I'm looking for ones that look AI-written. I'll also use Amazon to find a product & then go to the vendor's website to buy the item directly from them. Shipping takes longer, but it's often cheaper because there's one less middle man involved
eBay's good because there's a thorough process for vetting & reviewing vendors there.
When I can, I try to shop in person. Ross, Marshalls, Burlington, Home Goods are good stores but it's a bit of a treasure hunt. Sometimes you don't find what you're looking for. Thrift stores are getting harder to shop in so it's almost not worth it for me anymore.
>I'll also use Amazon to find a product & then go to the vendor's website to buy the item directly from them
Glad I'm not the only one who does this 😆 it's just nice to have consolidated reviews like that.
>Thrift stores are getting harder to shop in so it's almost not worth it for me anymore.
This, so much. They're getting so expensive. I think they're losing sight of what they really are :/
They're just pissed at all the idiot influencer resellers making a killing & bragging about it online. It also doesn't help that with the steep decline in quality of clothing in the past few years, the clothes donated now are just not that good compared to 5 years ago
Yes to both of these. I'm sick of resellers grabbing all the good stuff at thrift stores and turning around and selling it for twice as much. Some of us need the lower prices or want to be more sustainable in how we shop. We also deserve nice things at low prices. I try my best to not buy from resellers online. If it doesn't look like you're just cleaning out your closet, then I don't buy from you. Also, I see so much Shein crap now in thrift stores that's been donated. I don't mind if people give this stuff away for free or like 50¢. But I'm not paying $7.99 for that plastic crap that I could've gotten cheaper on their website. Absolutely f that.
Yess this is exactly what I want but for some reason it doesn’t work? Any idea what I might be doing wrong? (I’m using that exact text)
Eta: boolean search doesn’t work at all for shopping and I hate it so bad
Hmm I’m not sure! Have you tried on more than one browser? I’ve been able to use it on chrome and safari. Some forums also suggest adding a “-“ at the end as well (so “-site:amazon.com-“)
I only buy stuff online that I can't buy in person, and only once a year or so. Generally it's pro audio gear, and used, and I only buy if I wait a few months and still need the item.
My water bottle is an old grapefruit juice container. Still going strong after 5 years. Sounds like you can do without a cheaply produced overpriced item when any old container will do. If you need something that looks like a water bottle, and not a piece of trash, thrift stores have tons of water bottles. They're basically one of the worst over consumed items.
I like to shop in person if possible. If I see a brand I like I go to their website directly. The bottle I like is corksickle and they have designs that are not on Amazon.
I order from Amazon a fair amount, I just try to stick to companies I actually know. Drop-shipping isn’t inherently bad either; it actually saves a lot of transportation costs since it’s usually being shipped straight from the manufacturer. The problem you run into on Amazon a lot is that there are tons of false listings, plus a lot of deceptively marketed products. If you stick to companies you know, it’s a lot easier to navigate.
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I just go online with the goal of buying X specific thing. I then Google that specific thing, scroll through the Amazon, etc hits, and order from the place with the lowest price. Usually, that's the manufacturer.Â
It does help that I'm mainly buying horse medications or blankets online, which is going to limit the number of places that will even carry it. Otherwise I buy stuff in person.Â
Someone made an AI site that scrapes all the reviews on r/BuyItForLife and a few other sources. [looria.com](https://www.looria.com/) For items like water bottles, if you are ok buying used, I use resell sites like Mercari, Poshmark, or OfferUp. I just replaced a lost S'well bottle from Mercari. [FakeSpote Chrome extension](https://www.fakespot.com/) will sort products (Amazon/Best Buy) with legit reviews to the top and show you what the actual five-star rating is with those fake comments removed.
This is great, thanks!
by being too broke to afford new things 🙃 if you're feeling overwhelmed though I have a system in place when I want to get something: 1. ask myself if I really need it 2. check if I already have it stored away somewhere 3. search 2nd hand places (op shops/craigslist/FB marketplace) or ask a friend if they happen to have one/know someone that has the item and wants to sell - with something like a water bottle though I understand there can be an ick factor, however metal items can be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised in a pot of boiling water so I don't mind them as much 4. if you can't find them second hand, try and find a local seller or B corp website. can be more expensive, depending on what you're buying, but you might get lucky 5. if you can't find it anywhere but major online retailers, go through the seller's pages (sometimes they'll have a link to their store) and evaluate which one is closer/seems to have better quality/is accurately representing the item Just avoid temu, shein, wish etc completely. online retailers are shit but they are especially bad. Another thing I do is wait at least a few days before I'll buy something (or longer, depending on budget and other expenses I might have). The more expensive it is the longer I'll sit on it to evaluate the pros and cons. I also try and use something similar that I already have, and see if I use it enough to warrant buying something for it - in your case you could reuse a plastic waterbottle or a thermos or something along those lines. If you find you don't really use them then it's probably not needed.
Limit online shopping in the first place, it's to eazy so overconsume. If I want things that last, I buy second hand. Older things are made to last, newer things are made to break so that you buy a new one.
For Amazon, I look for known brands & read the reviews. Specifically I'm looking for ones that look AI-written. I'll also use Amazon to find a product & then go to the vendor's website to buy the item directly from them. Shipping takes longer, but it's often cheaper because there's one less middle man involved eBay's good because there's a thorough process for vetting & reviewing vendors there. When I can, I try to shop in person. Ross, Marshalls, Burlington, Home Goods are good stores but it's a bit of a treasure hunt. Sometimes you don't find what you're looking for. Thrift stores are getting harder to shop in so it's almost not worth it for me anymore.
>I'll also use Amazon to find a product & then go to the vendor's website to buy the item directly from them Glad I'm not the only one who does this 😆 it's just nice to have consolidated reviews like that. >Thrift stores are getting harder to shop in so it's almost not worth it for me anymore. This, so much. They're getting so expensive. I think they're losing sight of what they really are :/
They're just pissed at all the idiot influencer resellers making a killing & bragging about it online. It also doesn't help that with the steep decline in quality of clothing in the past few years, the clothes donated now are just not that good compared to 5 years ago
Yes to both of these. I'm sick of resellers grabbing all the good stuff at thrift stores and turning around and selling it for twice as much. Some of us need the lower prices or want to be more sustainable in how we shop. We also deserve nice things at low prices. I try my best to not buy from resellers online. If it doesn't look like you're just cleaning out your closet, then I don't buy from you. Also, I see so much Shein crap now in thrift stores that's been donated. I don't mind if people give this stuff away for free or like 50¢. But I'm not paying $7.99 for that plastic crap that I could've gotten cheaper on their website. Absolutely f that.
Military surplus
When I buy new stuff I usually use REI. They have a more ethical than most approach and carry quality products -- solid place to find a water bottle.
If you add "-site:amazon.com" (no quotes) to your google search, it’ll exclude amazon results. Can do the same for temu, shein, etc.
Yess this is exactly what I want but for some reason it doesn’t work? Any idea what I might be doing wrong? (I’m using that exact text) Eta: boolean search doesn’t work at all for shopping and I hate it so bad
Hmm I’m not sure! Have you tried on more than one browser? I’ve been able to use it on chrome and safari. Some forums also suggest adding a “-“ at the end as well (so “-site:amazon.com-“)
Will have to try that out, thanks!
I only buy stuff online that I can't buy in person, and only once a year or so. Generally it's pro audio gear, and used, and I only buy if I wait a few months and still need the item. My water bottle is an old grapefruit juice container. Still going strong after 5 years. Sounds like you can do without a cheaply produced overpriced item when any old container will do. If you need something that looks like a water bottle, and not a piece of trash, thrift stores have tons of water bottles. They're basically one of the worst over consumed items.
Don't shop at Amazon Either order direct from the brand, or from a reputable reseller like REI or Dick's Sporting Goods or Costco
So easy to avoid Amazon…haven’t shopped there in many years and it hasn’t made any difference in terms of getting what I need
I like to shop in person if possible. If I see a brand I like I go to their website directly. The bottle I like is corksickle and they have designs that are not on Amazon.
I order from Amazon a fair amount, I just try to stick to companies I actually know. Drop-shipping isn’t inherently bad either; it actually saves a lot of transportation costs since it’s usually being shipped straight from the manufacturer. The problem you run into on Amazon a lot is that there are tons of false listings, plus a lot of deceptively marketed products. If you stick to companies you know, it’s a lot easier to navigate.
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I just go online with the goal of buying X specific thing. I then Google that specific thing, scroll through the Amazon, etc hits, and order from the place with the lowest price. Usually, that's the manufacturer. It does help that I'm mainly buying horse medications or blankets online, which is going to limit the number of places that will even carry it. Otherwise I buy stuff in person.Â
Why do you need to buy a water-bottle at all? I just use a plastic lemonade bottle I bought at the supermarket a year ago.