Cheap doesn't mean it has to be dangerous, that's a false dilemma.
Instead of shopping at Apple, try monoprice.
Edit: I have no affiliation with monoprice. If you downvote, please explain. Is my alternative not helpful?
Instead of shopping at Apple, try monoprice.
Edit: I have no affiliation with monoprice. If you downvote, please explain. Is my alternative not helpful?
On the other hand, I've been getting gorgeous, well made XLR cables from them for a great price, and I've never had a problem with CAT 5/6 cables or HDMI cables[2] from them.
Maybe we can say that low price tolerates more variability.
EOM
[1] They dropped those earbuds pretty quickly. I see they again sell an iPhone earbud, maybe it is better. For $2.36 each I'll probably add three to my next order just to see.
[2] Whenever I need a common cable, I generally buy 3 to 6 of them on the theory that my friends and family will have problems that need solving with such a cable. Then I can give them a $3 solution instead of them going to BestBuy and dropping $30.
I bought[1] a brand new mobile / cell phone today. £4.95 ($8 USD) which includes the phone, the battery, and a charger. It's all neatly packed, things in bags etc. it's not on a contract.
So it's possible for huge multinational companies to use economies of scale to make, ship, and sell cheap things.
I'm not so sure that small companies have the same economies of scale - especially for things which require being built to safety standards.
[1] Buying it took about 10 minutes. I can't quite work out how all the people in the chain manage to get paid from an $8 phone.
Of course, once you actually go into the shop and buy it, you find it's the same (unlocked) handset. But because you bought it on, say, O2 instead of Orange, you get it cheaper.