09 September 2022
Where I live, certain things are difficult to find in local shops. For that reason, I've been a big fan of eBay. They always have whatever I'm looking for, and I typically get it cheaply with free shipping.
Until recently. I've noticed that some items I've sought must be in high demand, because they keep running short. Sometimes I'm looking for a matched pair of something, and I can get only one of one kind and one of another. It just won't do. The other difficulty is that a lot of stuff isn't stocked here in the US, so I would have to take the risk of having it shipped directly from China. My experience with that kind of thing is that the items have been greatly delayed over the past year.
So, today I had to go directly to the manufacturer. Here's the thing that irritates me most. Some brands are offered on really crappy websites. The one feature you must have, they don't even discuss. You cannot identify the thing based on that at all. You quickly discover who knows how to reach out to their customers. Even then, it's never going to be as cheap as you can get on eBay.
And I hate using Amazon. Not only is Amazon exceedingly difficult with their employees, but their search algorithms can be exceedingly stupid. I've been on Amazon searching for stuff I know they have but can't get it to come up with any of the sensible search terms. I got the impression they were trying to hide it for some reason.
It's falling apart, folks. The online shopping system is collapsing as I watch. It's a symptom of the larger economic collapse. I've seen stuff disappear, no longer offered by any vendor anywhere. It won't matter what it is; the system is breaking down. Here's hoping you aren't caught having to depend on the system for something that actually matters to you.
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