Never buy on Amazon: these items are to avoid!
Amazon has become a staple in most of our homes, and while it is undeniably convenient to use, there are some significant limits to its utility. By this, we mean there are specific categories of items you should never buy on Amazon, no matter how tempting the one-click purchase button may be! It can be alarmingly easy to fall down the digital rabbit hole, scrolling through endless recommendations and “deals,” only to end up with a cart full of items that actually have no place being there. This impulse is fueled by the platform’s design, which encourages quick, thoughtless purchases rather than careful, considered shopping.
This is not an argument that you should abandon Amazon entirely, as for many of us, it remains one of the most convenient and sometimes essential ways to get certain items. The key takeaway, however, is that for a surprising number of products, you can almost always get better deals, superior quality, or more reliable authenticity if you avoid shopping there. It can be easy to default to the online retail giant because its convenience is unparalleled, but just because you can find and buy virtually anything on Amazon does not mean that you should be doing it! A smart shopper knows when to use a tool and when to choose a different one.
Since you can pretty much find anything under the sun on Amazon’s sprawling marketplace, from groceries to car parts to obscure collectibles, it can be incredibly hard to narrow down which items you should avoid and which are safe bets. The sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming, leading to decision fatigue where you simply click “buy” on the first acceptable option. To help you navigate this complex landscape and become a more discerning consumer, we decided to make your life easier! Here are the items we think you should never buy on Amazon, along with the detailed reasons why, so that you can avoid making the costly and frustrating mistakes we did!
Have you ever regretted buying something on Amazon? What do you think is something you should not buy on Amazon, and what was your experience? We’d love to hear your stories, so let us know your answer in the comments!
1. Useless add-on items you don’t actually need
Yes, this is one of the things you should never buy on Amazon, even if it seems like it is one of the best choices at the moment. The “add-on” program is a clever psychological trap. If you have not seen these items before, then it is possible that you have not paid attention to them or that you have never ordered under a certain threshold, but they are a constant temptation for regular shoppers.
If you have not reached the $25 free shipping threshold for non-Prime members (or a similar threshold for certain items), you will probably see these “add-on” products. These are typically small, inexpensive items like a single tube of lip balm, a kitchen sponge, or a particular snack, which have great, affordable prices. However, the catch is that you can only purchase them as part of a larger order, compelling you to reach that $25 total.
They may seem like a great deal, but this system is designed to make you spend more, not save more. If you do not naturally reach that threshold with items you already planned to buy, you basically have to spend extra money in order to theoretically “unlock” the ability to save money on the add-on. But these items are not actually discounted by default; their low price is simply contingent on a larger purchase. If you have to keep adding things to your cart just to get the low-priced ones, then you are not doing your wallet any favors.
You are actually spending more than you intended, often on things you don’t truly need. While you may be able to justify the purchase at the moment (“I’ll use this eventually!”), in the long run, you may find yourself regretting this move as you look at a drawer full of impulse-bought add-on items. It’s a classic upselling technique disguised as a bargain for the customer.
The bottom line is to not fall for these add-on items. It doesn’t matter if you reached the limit and then found yourself with an offer for something you vaguely needed, or if you needed to buy something else to reach the threshold for the add-on item you wanted. The system is designed to benefit Amazon, not you.
A better strategy is to maintain a separate shopping list for these small, non-urgent items. When you have a legitimate, larger purchase to make in the future, you can add them to your cart then. For now, just get the ones that you need that are actually included on your grocery or shopping list, and try to resist the temptation to buy something more!
2. Kirkland brand products
It may seem like a brilliant idea to end up shopping on Amazon for Costco products, especially if you do not want to spend the money on a Costco membership. It may not seem like a good financial move for you, especially if you do not go shopping there often. And let’s be honest, while warehouse stores are incredibly useful for families or those with ample storage, you probably don’t need several pounds of almonds or a gallon of olive oil more than once or twice a year.
So, a lot of us end up thinking that getting those beloved Kirkland Signature items from Amazon is a good compromise: you do not have to pay for the annual membership fee, and you still get access to your favorite Costco brand products without leaving your home. The sad and costly reality is that this way of thinking is actually fundamentally wrong and can cost you much more in the long run!
When you see Kirkland products on Amazon, it is crucial to know that they are not actually sold by Costco Wholesale. Costco does not have an official Amazon storefront. You are actually buying from third-party resellers engaging in what’s known as retail arbitrage. They have bought the items from an actual warehouse store and are now reselling them online, usually for quite a significant profit.
Not only will you end up paying a hefty markup for the items you could have gotten in person at Costco for a much lower price, but you are also putting yourself at considerable risk. With food items, you have no idea when those products were originally purchased or how they have been stored. You could end up receiving products that are close to their expiration date, have melted or spoiled from being in a hot garage, or are otherwise damaged. This is a huge gamble, especially with perishable goods.
Do yourself a favor and avoid the Kirkland products on Amazon entirely. Your best bet is always to go to the warehouse store yourself. If that’s not an option, you can buy many items online from Costco’s own site. And if you do not have the membership, you can get a friend to buy you a Costco Shop Card (their version of a gift card) and use it on their website. You may have to pay a small surcharge as a non-member, but this is almost always cheaper and safer than buying from an unauthorized reseller on Amazon!
3. Trader Joe’s items
Speaking of items you should never buy on Amazon, Trader Joe’s products fall into the exact same problematic category as the Kirkland ones, but with their own unique set of concerns. The Trader Joe’s items you find listed on Amazon are absolutely not sold by the actual company. Instead, they are listed by opportunistic third-party sellers who are looking to make a huge penny off the brand’s cult-like following and the fact that they don’t offer online sales, preying on clueless or desperate customers.
Just like with the Kirkland example, you can never guarantee the quality, freshness, or safety of these items you would be getting online. They have been purchased at one point in a physical store and then kept in completely unknown conditions—perhaps in a car trunk, a basement, or a garage—until they are eventually mailed to you. This is a massive food safety red flag.
You can easily end up with expired, stale, or completely damaged items that you cannot return to a Trader Joe’s store for a refund. Not to mention, you can never actually verify that these items are what they claim to be. The risk of tampering or receiving counterfeit products is very real, especially with popular items like their spices and sauces.
There have been alarming instances where people are actually creating counterfeits of these types of items. Sure, the listing may use official-looking photos and descriptions, but you could be getting an old, refilled container filled with other, cheaper products sold online for a massive profit. This is not just deceptive; it could be dangerous if you have food allergies.
To make it crystal clear, Trader Joe’s has also released official statements denouncing the reselling of their products online. The company has explicitly warned customers that they cannot stand behind the safety, pricing, or quality of anything that is not bought directly from one of their physical stores. When the brand itself tells you not to do it, it’s wise to listen.
4. Accessories for Apple devices
It may seem like a complete no-brainer: you can easily find much cheaper accessories for your expensive Apple products on Amazon, so you don’t need to pay the premium price for the official ones from the Apple Store. While there are certainly some low-risk accessories that you can buy off Amazon with no issues (like simple phone cases, Mac or iPad sleeves, and watch bands), there are some critical Apple accessories you should never buy on Amazon, specifically anything related to power.
It may not seem like a major issue when your Apple Lightning cable starts to fray or your power adapter seems to be on its last days. The instinct is to go online to Amazon and buy a cheap knock-off charger for a fraction of the price of the original. You’re set for another few months, right? It feels more convenient and cheaper in the long run, especially if you have a Prime membership; it will get delivered to your front door with no extra charge!
Yet, those cheap, uncertified knockoffs have one massive, hidden problem: they can easily damage the delicate and expensive motherboard of your iPhone or iPad. This happens because they often lack the sophisticated circuitry that regulates voltage and temperature. It is not something that happens every single time, but there have been enough documented instances that it has become a well-known problem among tech repair specialists online. Not all of the knock-offs are going to give you this problem, but we do not want to be the ones to find out the hard way.
The problem with damaging the motherboard is devastatingly simple: not even the tech support at the Apple Store’s Genius Bar is going to be able to help you in that case. A fried motherboard often means the phone is completely dead. You will have to purchase a new phone, and since these smart devices are not cheap in the grand scheme of things, we strongly recommend you not take the risk and never buy these types of power products on Amazon unless they are from a reputable brand with MFi (Made for iPhone) certification.
Of course, you could take your damaged phone to an independent repair shop that offers complex motherboard micro-soldering repairs, but you will also have to pay quite a pretty penny for that, often hundreds of dollars, with no guarantee of success. So we recommend that you lay off the cheap knock-off chargers and power banks. The small initial savings are not worth the catastrophic potential cost.
5. Amazon Fresh produce
This one may surprise you to see it on the never-buy on Amazon list, especially given its branding, but hear us out! Amazon Fresh can end up being an amazing, convenient service, especially if you are in a real pinch, are unable to leave your home, or you are looking for certain specialty ingredients that are hard to source in your local area during that time of the year.
Yet, if you are not in one of those special situations, we strongly recommend that you avoid buying your fresh produce from Amazon Fresh. The convenience factor comes with a significant trade-off in quality control that you simply don’t face when you shop for yourself.
You may not have had problems with it so far, but you can never know what will happen with your next order. After all, you are relying entirely on an Amazon employee to end up doing the shopping for you. They are going to be the ones to choose the produce, and you may not be getting what you imagined or wanted. This applies to the ripeness of an avocado, the crispness of lettuce, or the quality of a bundle of herbs.
In the end, the personal shoppers are often evaluated on speed and efficiency, not on their ability to find the most perfect, unblemished tomato. They are not going to choose the freshest and best-looking produce with the care that you would; they will more likely just pick the first ones they see so they can get your order fulfilled and out to you as fast as possible. This can lead to receiving bruised apples, wilting spinach, or rock-hard peaches.
You can easily avoid any and all problems with your produce by going to your local grocery store or, even better, by visiting a farmer’s market on the weekends. By picking out your own fruits and vegetables, you can feel, smell, and inspect them for quality, ensuring you get the best bang for your buck and the best ingredients for your meals!
6. Third-party sellers for designer items
We have already discussed the perils of third-party sellers when it comes to food items, and while a lot of things may not seem like a problem to get through this method, we insist that you should be extremely careful and skeptical when it comes to high-end designer items. This is a minefield for fakes.
We are not saying that you should never buy on Amazon any sort of designer item whatsoever, but rather that you should be very suspicious of every single listing and check it with a fine-toothed comb before purchasing. You must do your due diligence to make sure that it is indeed the brand’s official store selling the item and that you are not getting it from a random third-party seller. It may not seem like a problem, but here we encounter the massive issue with bootleg and counterfeit items.
You may not be getting something resold, but a complete fake item. However, you will be paying the full designer price for something that was probably bulk-bought on a wholesale counterfeit market and is now being resold on Amazon for a pretty penny. Even items that are “Fulfilled by Amazon” can be fakes, as sellers can send counterfeit inventory to Amazon’s warehouses.
This is especially a problem with clothing items with specific patterns, as those cannot always be patented, and it’s even more worrying when it comes to make-up and skincare. You do not want to be putting counterfeit makeup on your skin! Fake cosmetics have been found to contain dangerous substances like lead, mercury, arsenic, and even bacteria because they are produced in unsanitary, unregulated conditions.
The bottom line is that you cannot be certain if your items are going to be real and authentic unless you are buying directly from the brand’s verified Amazon store. For the price you’re paying for designer goods, you should not be willing to take this enormous risk! When in doubt, buy directly from the brand’s own website.
We know we are discussing the items you should never buy on Amazon, but let’s be honest! There are a lot of items that are worth searching for in the online shop, and you can easily get some great deals if you are careful to get them from the authorized sellers and brands you trust. Amazon is a powerful tool for savvy shoppers. A great way to make sure you never miss any good deals is to check their deals tab every day. We managed to save quite a lot by doing this on planned purchases, not impulse buys!
7. Paper towels
This is probably one of the items that can make someone confused when they read that they should never buy it on Amazon. This is because paper towels are a common commodity and have become quite essential to the daily operation of all households. It is easy to forget to grab them when you are in the grocery store, but you should not go buy them online in haste, as it’s rarely the most cost-effective option.
It may seem like the Amazon-branded paper towels are going to be a great deal, but the devil is in the details. When you take a moment to calculate the per-square-foot price, you may end up being very surprised. Both the Solimo and Presto brands (Amazon’s own in-house brands) end up not being such good prices when compared to the Kirkland ones in terms of square foot price, and they often lose out to major store brands as well!
The real surprise is that you can almost always find better unit prices at stores like Walmart and Target, which are known to have consistently great prices for paper products. They use these staple items as loss leaders to get you in the door, meaning their regular prices often beat Amazon’s. Don’t let the convenience of delivery fool you into overpaying.
On Prime Day, you may end up being lucky and finding them at a great price, but let’s be honest! Paper towels are not going to be on your mind when Amazon has its biggest sale of the year and you’re hunting for deals on electronics and other big-ticket items. So do your budget a favor and save some real money over the course of a year by avoiding getting paper towels and other paper goods like toilet paper on Amazon.
8. Ikea items
Yes, you can in fact find Ikea items on Amazon, and you already know what we are going to say: never buy on Amazon! This is not because Ikea items are bad—far from it, they offer great design at an affordable price point. The reason is that Ikea officially stopped their partnership with Amazon a long time ago and no longer sells their items directly on the platform. Any listing you see is from a third party.
Indeed, most Ikea stores are not conveniently located, often requiring a dedicated trip to a suburban location. But that doesn’t mean that you should turn to Amazon for the products that you want, as you’ll be exposing yourself to a host of new problems.
You are, once again, going to be buying from a third-party reseller, and you can end up having quite a lot of problems with them. With furniture, the risks are magnified. You could receive items with missing hardware (no screws or Allen key!), warped particleboard from being stored in a damp environment, chipped laminate from poor handling, or even counterfeit items that look similar but are made with inferior materials.
Not to mention, it is almost always easier and safer to just buy from Ikea’s own website! It can end up seeming more expensive when you look at their shipping prices (which can start at $5.99 and go up based on weight and size), but it is worth the peace of mind that comes with it. You’ll have the assurance that your items are genuine and, more importantly, that if there is something wrong with them, you can deal with Ikea’s customer service directly to get a refund or a replacement item shipped to you!
9. Weird review items
We do not mean that you should never buy on Amazon because of the reviews themselves, but rather that you should be highly skeptical of certain items and their review profiles. If you find an item from an unknown brand that sounds too good to be true, has a low price, and all the reviews are spotless five-star ratings that rave about the item, there is a very high probability that something is wrong.
It goes against our better nature to think that people are systematically lying in reviews, but unfortunately, Amazon has had a massive and persistent problem with fake and incentivized reviews for years. Since there are entire companies out there whose business model is to pay people or use bots to write good, favorable reviews on their clients’ items, you should always check if the reviews seem real before committing to certain purchases, especially for electronics or safety equipment.
You can become your own detective. Look for signs of fake reviews: overly generic praise (“Great product!”), a large number of reviews posted in a very short time, or reviews from users who have only reviewed other obscure products from similar sellers. A real, helpful review will often mention specific pros and cons. Be extra wary of “listing hijacking,” where a seller reuses an old listing for a simple, well-reviewed product and changes it to something completely new to inherit the good rating.
Some of the fake review spotting tools we use are online browser extensions and websites like ReviewMeta and Fakespot. So next time you are skeptical about an item with suspiciously perfect ratings, you should run the link through one of these tools to check just how authentic their reviews truly are! It’s an easy step that can save you from buying a shoddy product.
There are a lot of items you should avoid buying on Amazon, and these are just some of them that you should definitely avoid to protect your wallet and your well-being! However, now that you know what to watch out for, you can shop smarter. For example, here are some cleaning items you should get on Amazon, as they will make your life easier and your cleaning sprees seem like a walk in the park! Make sure you check out the most affordable cleaning products that will be a game changer in this article!
