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Comment by SoftTalker | Hacker News Reader

Good rule of thumb is that if it goes on or in your body do not buy it from Amazon.

I think it's even worse. They have a completely chaotic returns policy meaning they re-sell used things pretending they are new all the time. I stopped buying from Amazon UK after I received 6 opened and used items in just 20 orders. Some were even missing components. I even received used underwear (yuck!) from a brand that sells boxers inside sealed packages and doesn't allow returns. I heard some scammers were exploiting this returns policy by purchasing phones, installing malware, and sending them back to Amazon.

I received only one part of a chair, repackaged in a box much to small to hold the entire chair (which I received when seeking replacement)

I’m about to start grad school to get my clinical mental health counseling licensure, and Amazon has multiple fake/counterfeit DSM-5s (basically the holy grail of recognized mental disorders and their insurance billing codes) on it, so much in fact that my program director mentioned the Amazon problem in the orientation.

So I’ll add “if you need to guarantee the accuracy of the information in whatever you’re buying… avoid Amazon as well”

What is a "fake DSM-5"? It is a book, anyone can copy it, legally or not.

Why would someone go out of their way to produce different content if they are going to violate intellectual property anyways, be it trademarks or copyright?

Sorry, counterfeit is more accurate (edited original comment) - director mentioned a number of previous students who ordered their copy from Amazon and got DSM 4s or copies missing huge sections of diagnostic criteria, etc.

Or if it's electronic. Fire risk.

the fact legitimate electricians buy fuses/wiring/circuit breakers/crimps off amazon thinking they're as advertised is actually terrifying

all the buildings you enter: houses of friends/family, supermarkets, hospitals, transport, restaurants, offices, all with potentially fatal fake electrics

hopefully the fire door and extinguishers weren't bought from amazon

I recall reading about some counterfeit circuit breakers that were basically just toggle switches. They had no "trip" mechanism at all.

The few tradespeople I know don't even shop at Lowes. They have accounts at supply houses that don't even offer public retail sales.

It’s usually homeowners buying and installing crappy electrical products off Amazon, or ‘handyman’ types who don’t have a license. I sell and run commercial electrical work at a union shop and we buy electrical material from supply houses, not Amazon.

You certainly could buy material off Amazon but if you’re passing the cost onto the customer, why not just buy the real thing?

People buy fuses from Amazon for the cars/motorcycles not understanding it can kill them. They are actually evil at this point for doing nothing about any of these ongoing issues. They can't be unaware if us rando consumers are aware (or if they are doing recalls for fake products).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B90_SNNbcoU

I wonder if this applies to Amazon Pharmacy — seems like maybe this might have a bit more governance.

Amazon Pharmacy is its own regulated pharmacy with licenses in all of the states, not a marketplace/platform like Amazon.com.

It’s really a renamed PillPack [1] which they acquired in 2018 with (I assume) Amazon Pharmacy launching on top of their licenses in 2020

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PillPack

>Good rule of thumb is that if it goes on or in your body do not buy it from Amazon.

If I do that, I always make sure I'm buying from the seller and not a reseller or distributor; I meant to say no other party besides the Seller and Amazon.

If it ships from Amazon, you can still run the risk that you get a counterfeit item since Amazon will co-mingle the inventory. Safer to only buy from the seller and is shipped by the seller.

Good point! But it's very rare to see Seller shipping the product, as Amazon likes to control the inventory itself. Also, I believe Amazon encourages sellers to ship the products to their warehouses for faster delivery to customers, and they'd cover all the costs within their 15% fees.

Where's the best value & quality for that sort of stuff? It's insane what some sites charge for seemingly simple supplements.

I recommend now.

https://www.nowfoods.com/

(no affiliation)

Vitacost.com has worked well for me.

When I tried to buy quercetin from Vitacost recently, they dropped a second, unwanted item into my cart. I noped right out of there. Turns out they were acquired by notorious lawbreakers Kroger.

https://lawyerinc.com/biggest-kroger-lawsuits-in-company-his...

Needless to say, take this sort of advice with a grain of salt.

If Costco has what you want, it's decent value and a pretty good source.

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