4 Amazon Purchases I Regret
Living smack-dab downtown in a big city, it's impossible to do all your errands without the help of online shopping. And thanks to Amazon Prime, Steven and I have been able to make dozens of purchases that have saved us a ton of time and money. And it's pretty good that after probably over 50 purchases this past year, I personally have only been unhappy with 4 products.
I am very picky as to what I keep in our tiny one-bedroom, and always look for a pleasant mixture of form and function when I shop. But you can't always get it right while shopping online. So let's see where I went wrong in the past, and where Amazon may have done me wrong.
1. Lanivas 7 Set Packing Cubes for Travel
As you all know, I've been on a major cleaning and organizing kick for months now. And one day, just before I was about to go on a trip, I made the realization that a major part of my life was still just as disorganized as it was when I was 17 years old - The way I pack. Before trips, I always just stuffed everything haphazardly into my suitcase, making it a nightmare for me when I arrived at my destination.
So I made the life-changing decision to purchase packing cubes. They were recommended to me by every lifestyle channel I followed. Just pop your garments into different sized zippered cubes for easy filing in your luggage. But instead of waiting for shipping for a set from Eagle Creek or Herschel, (I now own a set from Herschel,) I wanted to speed up the process and have them delivered to me before I left for my trip.
So when I came across a set from a company called Lanivas on Amazon, I decided to have it delivered to me that day. "What could go wrong?" I thought, "The reviews are good!" But then all of my packing gear arrived with cheesy text all over it that read "WISH U HAVE A COLORFUL LIFE."
Whose Fault Was It?: Once I looked back at the product's Amazon page, I realized that this mistake was definitely mine. I didn’t look closely at the images to discover the task. Plus, typically, if there is text on a product, the listing's name or description mentions it. But that wasn't so in this case. Also, does anyone know what "WISH U HAVE A COLORFUL LIFE" means and why anyone would want that on their packing cubes?
The Outcome: Amazon allowed me to return the product and I was happily refunded.
Moral of the Story: Inspect everything you see in the photo before making a purchase. And look into customer photos well.
2. Travel Hanging Toiletry Bag by Hikenture
In the same order as those packing cubes, I also bought myself this hanging toiletry bag. To me, it looked sturdy and minimalistic. When it showed up, it was the material and size I was expecting it to be. But it was an extremely dark masculine gray instead of the one pictured, and what I thought would be a cream colored lining ended up being a nasty shade of yellow that made it look dirty and old. Overall, this again was about aesthetics. But they're important to me, so I decided against it.
Whose Fault Was It?: Perhaps the vendor could have provided a picture with more accurate shading. But overall, this is a product I believe would work for a lot of people...as long as they don't mind yellow lining.
The Outcome: Amazon allowed me to return the product and I was happily refunded.
Moral of the Story: Make sure the item you're buying has a good return policy. And if you see a cream-colored lining on anything, don't always bank on it being closer to white than yellow.
3. Revlon Nail Enamel, Flirt
COLOR NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY
As you may or may not know, I love indie nail polish. I love the unique formulas, colors and packaging that comes with nail polish made by independent manufacturers. But they can get so pricey and difficult to hunt down at times. Which is why when I fall in love with a drugstore polish, I always like to go for it. And one person I always trust when it comes to affordable quality nail polish is my favorite ASMRtist, Maria of Gentle Whispering.
And in one of her show and tell-type videos, she showed a Revlon polish called Flirt, #250. It was a beautifully intense bright yet cool-toned pink. It looked self leveling and luxurious on her hands, and I knew the color would be perfect for me.
While she had purchased it in-store, she provided an Amazon link for her viewers. So I went to the link and bought the polish, confident that I'd be happy with what Maria recommended. But, not so much. The polish advertised on Amazon was the hot pink pictured above on the left, which looked like Maria's color. But instead, I was shipped a polish that was the color on the right. A much lighter, softer and more lavender tone. Still pretty, but not what I paid for. And funny enough, the bottle was correctly labeled "Flirt, #250." So it's not as though they sent me the wrong pink polish.
Whose Fault Was It?: Either Revlon changed the shade of this color and did not update their marketing, I was sent a mismarked polish, or the seller had Revlon knock-offs. And I know you're probably assuming that the color just showed up differently in Maria's video. But the reviews show otherwise.
Because this listing works for ordering multiple colors, when you read reviews, you are reading the thoughts of people who bought any of the different colors. And the reviews said the polish in general was high quality, so I bought it. But upon closer inspection, I noticed that a few people commented that Flirt is no longer the shade it once was or the shade they bought at their local drugstores. And that it used to be Maria's shade.
You could argue it's my fault for not reading those comments ahead of time. But when Amazon links the official Revlon page on the product, it makes one assume that they're getting what's in the photo.
The Outcome: Refunds were not available on this product. Which is shady seeing that their colors aren't always accurate to the photos. But luckily, the polish looks fine on me. I had to get rid of it after a while though due to its thin formula that I have a hard time making smooth and opaque. . Coincidentally, Flirt has been removed from this Amazon listing for the moment.
Moral of the Story: Read every negative review before making a purchase. And take the time during your lunch break to buy your drugstore nail polishes at the drugstore.
4. Skullcandy Ink'd 2.0 Wired Earbuds with In-Line Microphone and Remote
So far, none of these Amazon purchases were a scam, and I take responsibility for my part in the mistake of buying them. But this purchase was the scam that made me really want to think twice before every Amazon purchase from now on. It was the one that made me realize we are not safe from faulty and knock-off products just because we're on good ol' Amazon.com
I love my Skullcandy earbuds with the microphone. They are the perfect price so that I pay for decent sound quality while on the bus of at the office, but don’t have to cry when they inevitably break. I typically purchase them from Target. But one day, I decided it would be clever to buy them from Amazon for a low low price. Back in the day, this listing had higher ratings than it does now. But of course, as we all know, many of those could have been bots. I bought several pairs and kept them as backups for over a month in my closet.
Then months later when I finally busted them out, the ear bud completely fell off the headphone a few days into me wearing them. Then I opened the second pair and the ear bud (on the same side I might add) popped off of it. Then I opened the third pair and as I took it out of the casing, the ear bud from the same exact side fell right off and onto the floor.
I went on Amazon and realized that people in the comments section had their ear buds fall off as well, and one person even provided a photo of his ear buds next to ones he bought from a proper store. There were noticeable differences. Either I had been sold fake Skullcandy headphones, or I had been sold some from a test batch that was defective.
Whose Fault Was It?: This is 100% Amazon's fault for selling faulty products. When we purchase a trusted brand and Amazon allows the seller to link it to Skullcandy's official Amazon page, we expect the real deal. And when someone reports that they have been sold knock offs, Amazon should be responsible for investigating the claim and removing the product and/or vendor.
The Outcome: Amazon refused to refund me, as too much time had passed. But I heard from others that this vendor was stubborn about returns regardless. Surprise, surprise.
Moral of the Story: Read every review before purchasing, even when something has good reviews and is stated to be from a company you trust.
Utilize websites like Fakespot.com to see how many of a product's reviews aren't real, so you can be better informed on your decision-making. It just might shock you.
I hope this has been helpful for you the next time you make a purchase from Amazon. Spend your hard earned money the best possible way on products you love. And make an effort to shop in person when you can. Now I wish I had gone straight to The Container Store for packing materials, Walgreens for the nail polish, and Target for headphones. I would have been able to immediately confirm I liked the look of things, and returned them easily if I had an issue. Until we meet again!