Comment by sgarland
2 years ago
Light bulbs and batteries, I had to quit. Even if you’re buying name-brand, they’re so often counterfeit, it’s just not worth it.
2 years ago
Light bulbs and batteries, I had to quit. Even if you’re buying name-brand, they’re so often counterfeit, it’s just not worth it.
I've had good luck with the eneloops, not sure how to tell if they're counterfeit but they've lasted multiple use over 3 years (I have a toddler so we use batteries like there's no tomorrow)
Good point, I also have Eneloops from Amazon, and they’re fine. Maybe there isn’t enough demand for NiMH rechargeables to be counterfeited? I also bought mine as part of a charger-included pack, which may reduce the incidence further.
Where else you go for online shopping?
I will give you my list (East Coast USA):
Walmart, Staples, Best Buy, Microcenter, Ace Hardware (there is usually a local one near you that is a Mom & Pop with the affiliation so they can do online orders and inventory management, etc), Walgreens, Lowes/Home Depot, Digikey, Ikea, eBay, or if you don't mind waiting you can just skip the middle man and go right to Ali Express.
Also, it is always a good idea to check the manufacturer's site if you know you want something specific -- they almost always have a 10% - 25% off new customer/newsletter signup deal.
FWIW, I've noticed now that both Walmart and Target online stores have their own version of third-party sellers. I don't know if they do the same as Amazon (combining inventory in fulfillment centers) but just something to be aware of.
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Additionally, buying directly from the company used to be painful, who knows what's going on there? 20 years later, basic eCommerce is relatively well understood and someone that makes a product can easily have their own site that functions well.
Add a password manager and it's just a couple clicks, really no more work that amazon.
So for a huge amount of my stuff, I'll see if I can buy directly from the person/people that make it.
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In a few central european countries, Galaxus is a good alternative. I'm a little afraid to mention it here, because more users means more incentive for sellers to buy fake reviews, and currently one of the best parts about it is that I can trust the reviews. Many of them are well written, too.
But they do quite a few other things I like: If you choose that delivery is not urgent, they will wait for all articles to be available and send them as one package. You can pay a little extra to have the carbon footprint of your order offset. They have their own paid staff that answers questions on products in addition to the community. They pay their own writers to review products and write guides for selecting the correct product in a category, and they seem very genuine, it doesn't read like marketing BS.
So generally, I feel quite good about shopping there. And it seems their style fosters a community of buyers that care about buying the correct product for their needs, and wanting to inform others about their experience.
Home Depot is the best place to buy light bulbs, Walmart will usually do in a pinch, for common light bulbs.
Batteries I get at Costco when they go on sale, Walmart if run out before a Costco sale.
These aren't items I'd usually buy online but all three of those stores have online sites where you can order their merchandise.
For my mentioned items of lightbulbs and batteries, I generally buy them at a physical store (Lowe’s / Home Depot for light bulbs, batteries pretty much anywhere).
If you're in the UK, Argos is quicker and better now, which I find remarkable but extremely pleasing.
No no, sometimes they are simply nearly expired product made for resale in another country. I received a cr2032 that was meant to be sold in Türkiye before, but I’m pretty sure it was actually Duracell.