Meanwhle I will almost always get an AmazonBasics if it exists as a first result.
99.9% of buyers prefer this over having to wade through innumerate random brands and try to discern quality.
I'd rather these perverse incentives not exist and simply have a more educated consumer base learn to search "Amazon basics X" instead of maximizing conviniece to enable monopolies. We've clearly been shown that we can't handle the latter
You don't have to care per se, that's what the government is for. But taking the time and energy to argue against your long term best interests is disappointing.
It’s not feasible for people to go to China, inspect the manufacturing processes, and figure out what is worth what. There is a whole business there of purveying goods, which is what brands like Amazon and Kroger and Kirkland all the way up to LVMH.
With the advent of the internet, that business is no longer restricted to physical stores, so technically, anyone can make a superior product and sell direct to anyone. There were stories of Kmart and Walmart and whoever else bullying vendors because the vendors used to get nowhere without shelf space.
1. Have access to immense amounts of data about these products that the manufacturers don't. Because they own the marketplace.
2. Can freely advertise, push, or even force their own products as much as possible. Because they own the marketplace.
That's probably the more pressing issue.