# Shopping on Amazon rapidly turning to shit **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313 "2026-08-12T17:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/141 "2026-08-25T13:27:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In the book I mentioned, and several others- the trolls often give a one star for having gay characters or being “woke”. I report those. Can you do that? I mean are they going to do anything? And if they rated a book based on their values, is that really an unfair review? I only ever reported a book review once, and it was a comment actively endorsing pedophilia. That was one comment I couldn’t let stand. I recently knocked a star off a book about trauma because the author kept, apropos of nothing, describing liberals as “moral aberrations.” He didn’t even make a good argument. I could have made a better one. It was disappointing because the book was otherwise a solid takedown of Bessel Van Der Kolk’s _The Body Keeps the Score_ - he just seemed more motivated by hatred of liberals than actually helping trauma survivors. And he kept bringing up climate change. It was bemusing. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/142 "2026-08-25T14:04:23Z")
Might have been a Bot. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/143 "2026-08-25T14:12:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Your cite is a YouTube?? There are YouTube channels and [there are YouTube channels.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Perfect_Union_(media_organization)) [That channel has won seven journalism awards over the past five years.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Perfect_Union_(media_organization)#Accolades) ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/144 "2026-08-25T16:04:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Your cite is a YouTube?? 🙄 I mean, that is like the New York Post, but worse YouTube is a [relatively] uncurated media platform. There is a lot of dreck on YT, but also a lot of worthwhile content produced by credible individuals and organizations (e.g., LegalEagle, Patrick Boyle, Simon Whistler). IMO, it is a mistake to disregard the legitimacy of the latter merely because of the presence of the former. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/145 "2026-08-25T16:11:17Z")
Seconded. There are some very smart, thoughtful, and thorough people on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/146 "2026-08-25T16:12:13Z")
I got an email today telling me my order had been delayed, and explicitly showing all three items. A gap in the system! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/147 "2026-08-25T17:31:29Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Can you do that? I mean are they going to do anything? And if they rated a book based on their values, is that really an unfair review? Yes, once in a while they take it off. If they have not even read it, but have heard it is "woke’ thus bad, then that is not fair. > [@bobsmom101](#): > > IMO, it is a mistake to disregard the legitimacy of the latter merely because of the presence of the former. Sure, but how to tell? And rarely are YT cited and show sources. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/148 "2026-08-25T17:58:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, once in a while they take it off. If they have not even read it, but have heard it is "woke’ thus bad, then that is not fair. Oh, if they haven’t read it, sure. I’m in agreement. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/149 "2026-08-25T18:09:46Z")
A couple days ago I ordered an organizer gizmo you hang from the rod in your closet. When I ordered it I got an email acknowledging my order for a “housewares item”. Today I get an email about a “furniture item” being delivered tomorrow. Same item. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/150 "2026-08-25T18:12:04Z")
I ordered a flow restrictor for a shower head sold as a plumbing fixture. The email said it was a Lawn & Garden item. It’s manufactured by a company that makes bathroom accessories. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/151 "2026-08-25T18:34:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure, but how to tell? Try Google. How do you think I found [the channel’s Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Perfect_Union_(media_organization)) and [all their awards?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Perfect_Union_(media_organization)#Accolades) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/152 "2026-08-25T19:28:56Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Your cite is a YouTube?? 🙄 I mean, that is like the New York Post, but worse > > YouTube is a [relatively] uncurated media platform. There is a lot of dreck on YT, but also a lot of worthwhile content produced by credible individuals and organizations (e.g., LegalEagle, Patrick Boyle, Simon Whistler). IMO, it is a mistake to disregard the legitimacy of the latter merely because of the presence of the former. Saying you don’t trust YouTube is like saying you don’t trust the radio. It’s just a platform. Stuff on the radio runs from rabid right wing ranting to NPR to real-time sports reporting. YouTube has plenty of of dreck , and also, quite a lot of excellent content in a variety of styles and genres. It seems particularly strong on “how to” and history. Both of which genres include terrible stuff. But there’s also really good stuff in both those genres. You need to consider the source, not the platform. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/153 "2026-08-25T19:36:51Z")
I guess getting to my transactions is now a five-click process. Stupid Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/154 "2026-08-25T19:36:54Z")
In @DrDeth’s defense … The person who cited the YT vid included nothing about the channel it came from. Neither did the vid preview include anything that gave away which channel it came from. So even somebody who knows about a lot of quality YT sources would have no way of knowing whether this was dreck or gold without following the link to the vid’s page, then clicking through to the channel’s page, then reading about the channel hoping to learn if this is a worthwhile source or not. Unrelated to the above: For me at least, the big complaint about YT is the vast time for negligible content. I can watch the content of a 30 minute video in 6 minutes. The rest is filler. If only I could separate the filler from the meat ahead of time. And I could read the 6 minutes of video meat in about 2 minutes if it was delivered as a block of text on a page. So post a written transcript or better yet written summary with the filler edited out. YT has a transcript feature but it’s designed to be unusable. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/155 "2026-08-25T19:39:25Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > For me at least, the big complaint about YT is the vast time for negligible content. I can read the content of a 30 minute video in 3 minutes. The rest is filler. It varies a lot from channel to channel. But yes, if posting a link to a YouTube video as a source, it’s good form to say who the author is and perhaps why you trust them and a couple of key points they make. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/156 "2026-08-25T20:10:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > if posting a link to a YouTube video as a source, it’s good form to say who the author is and perhaps why you trust them and a couple of key points they make. Okie dokie! Thanks & will do! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/157 "2026-08-25T20:28:42Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The person who cited the YT vid included nothing about the channel it came from. Neither did the vid preview include anything that gave away which channel it came from. Clicking Play brings up the name of the channel, right under the title. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/158 "2026-08-26T00:59:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The person who cited the YT vid included nothing about the channel it came from. Neither did the vid preview include anything that gave away which channel it came from. > > So even somebody who knows about a lot of quality YT sources would have no way of knowing whether this was dreck or gold without following the link to the vid’s page, then clicking through to the channel’s page, then reading about the channel hoping to learn if this is a worthwhile source or not. Which means I gave them a click, and thus more income. If the poster had explained all that, i would have given it a try. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > For me at least, the big complaint about YT is the vast time for negligible content. I can watch the content of a 30 minute video in 6 minutes. T Yeah, other than music, or something with a lot of animated graphics, it takes many times as long to get their points across, and then- posters can nor snip and share a relevant paragraph. In any case, the fact that Walmart has just the same market share and thus “massive market presence” so Walmart could do the same. I mean, it is well known that YT is a poor sources of medical info- [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35590410/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35590410/) > **Conclusions:** YouTube is not a reliable source of medical and health-related information. YouTube’s popularity-driven metrics such as the number of views and likes should not be considered quality indicators. YouTube should improve its ranking and recommender system to promote higher-quality content. One way is to consider expert reviews of medical and health-related videos and to include their assessment data in the ranking algorithm. and maybe not for political- > **[View of YouTube as an information source on politics and current affairs:...](https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/13633/11642)** and sharing a massive amount of fake news- > **[YouTube is major conduit of fake news, factcheckers say](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/12/youtube-is-major-conduit-of-fake-news-factcheckers-say)** > > Platform is not doing enough to tackle spread of falsehoods, claims letter signed by 80 groups > YouTube is a major conduit of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide and is not doing enough to tackle the spread of falsehoods on its platform, according to a global coalition of factchecking organisations. > > A letter signed by more than 80 groups, including Full Fact in the UK and the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, says the video platform is hosting content by groups including Doctors for the Truth, which spread Covid misinformation, and videos supporting the “fraud” narrative during the US presidential election. > > “YouTube is allowing its platform to be weaponised by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others, and to organise and fundraise themselves. Current measures are proving insufficient,” states the letter to YouTube’s chief executive, Susan Wojcicki, which describes YouTube as a “major conduit” for falsehoods. So, it is proper to remain skeptical about a bare YT as a cite. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > Clicking Play brings up the name of the channel, right under the title. And how do i know it is a reliable source from that? Now linking to this page- > **[More Perfect Union](https://perfectunion.us/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21224600795&gbraid=0AAAAAoSE8cEUeADUFVPxybr0tKj-5Gvs1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-rTUBhAiEiwADv8gBCNpqYNmrNpVYSURy_tsUxPBx5AQ9JdvPD5WQaea9l5vY-1Q43GzZRoCgGEQAvD_BwE)** > > We're helping working people to be seen and heard. More justice. More accountability. More power for the people. A More Perfect Union. and then to the vid would have been more helpful. or better yet- > **[Naming Names: Attorney General Bonta Secures Public Access to Evidence in...](https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/naming-names-attorney-general-bonta-secures-public-access-evidence-amazon-price)** > > “I’m making efforts to push the market back to a retail that will give you \[Amazon\] solid headroom…” “I am very determined to help you hunt the disrupters in the market.” “If the problematic retail does not fix by the end of the week, we will... ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/159 "2026-08-26T03:32:32Z")
Moderating: @DrDeth , if you want to rant about YouTube, please take it to another thread. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313/160 "2026-08-26T13:22:46Z")
Replying to myself for context … Well, my collapsible cloth hanging closet organizer / “Furniture item” arrived yesterday as advertised. So this morning I ordered a vial of lube oil for a hair clipper. Amazon says my “Automotive item” will be here tomorrow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shopping-on-amazon-rapidly-turning-to-shit/1032313.md?page=9)