Is that Black Friday Sale really a deal? Ask these shoppers

REUTERS
REUTERS

Summary

  • Frustrated buyers flock to Reddit to help each other find everything from electronics to bras

The holiday season is here—and so are the stresses that go with shopping for gifts.

For years, shoppers have struggled with fake reviews on Amazon and influencers hawking products for pay on their feeds. Now, they’re also facing rising inflation and shorter return windows.

Some annoyed shoppers are joining communities on Reddit to share tips and seek candid product opinions. The social network, with 50 million daily active users, lets people gather and post anonymously in groups called subreddits.

Buy It for Life, Budget Audiophile, SkincareAddiction and A Bra That Fits are among the subreddits whose community members provide unfiltered shopping advice for each category, and ban those who violate the rules.

Group moderators generally prohibit paid promotions, as well as referral links, which can provide a commission to the poster if the item is purchased or even clicked. By putting in rules so tastemakers aren’t profiting off their recommendations, moderators hope they can deter members from pushing shoddy or unvetted items.

Engagement across Reddit shopping groups is up this year. The subreddit Buy It for Life had 425,000 people comment, vote and post in the group this October compared with 219,000 in the same month last year, according to Reddit. For that same period, Budget Audiophile had 236,000 people engage with the subreddit, up from 178,000 previously.

Here’s how to use subreddits to inform your shopping choices.

Getting Started on Reddit

Reddit users can post across subreddits devoted to specific topics. Others then “upvote" or “downvote" posts and comments with the intent to collectively vet and surface the most valuable information.

You don’t need a Reddit account to visit a page, but to post, vote or save comments, you will need to create a username.

Use Google to locate Reddit threads about the item you’re looking for. For instance, search “men’s leather boots Reddit." Once you’re on a particular subreddit, you can type queries into its search bar. Many subreddits have megathreads with frequently discussed items. Reading mission statements or community rules gives you a sense of what the group is about. If you have an account and want to get updates on a post or comment, you can subscribe to those items to get alerts.

Ask Often and Be Specific

The Buy It For Life and Budget Audiophile subreddits recommend searching for a specific product or a general category such as “toaster." If you’re unable to find an answer or want a more detailed, updated response, you can post your question.

In the 1.3 million-member Buy It for Life, people recommend products they believe are durable and high-quality. Read the rules before posting to ensure your question hasn’t been answered already, and then list some specifics in your query, such as your budget and what you need a product for, says Benjin Dubishar, a 30-year-old software engineer who’s one of the group’s many moderators. Home appliances are a popular topic, he says.

In Budget Audiophile, beginners looking to expand their sound systems beyond cheap speakers are encouraged to ask questions and set price limitations, says David Carlson, a 60-year-old moderator of the group. The subreddit also tries to maintain an updated list of items on sale, such as amplifiers and subwoofers.

“Before, you might have gotten advice from a couple of friends," he says. With the 187,000-member group, you can get dozens, or even hundreds, of replies to your query, he says. You don’t need to sift through all of the recommendations, though. The best tips will likelybe upvoted, so you can focus on the top replies.

Remember to be nice when you post, Mr. Carlson adds. “As long as you’re on topic, and you’re not a jerk, you’ll probably get some good answers from participants."

Search High and Low

Subreddits such as A Bra That Fits require more-thorough details when you pose a question, including your measurements and experiences with other brands. Since many users might share your same size or budget concerns, it’s likely that someone in the group has already asked similar questions, says Marcy Howell, a 53-year-old group moderator.

Linn Olsen, a 25-year-old who’s used the subreddit for several purchases, recommends skimming posts to see what people are saying. She says too many people post their questions and don’t get answers, because they don’t include necessary details that might help someone make the right recommendation.

That subreddit has branched out, with conversations now simultaneously happening on Facebook and Instagram as well.

Some subreddits get extremely granular, such as SkincareAddiction, a group that discusses skin care and cosmetic procedures. The group has “Holy Grail" threads that contain the most highly recommended products. They require a poster to include the full list of the product’s ingredients, plus elaborate explanation for the recommendation, says Maya Adivi, a 31-year-old moderator.

Similarly detailed recommendation subreddits are MUAonTheCheap (“MUA" stands for “makeup artist"), Watchesand High Quality Footwear. More-general shopping subreddits include Frugal Female Fashion and Frugal Male Fashion, as well as GoodValue.

Fighting Scams and Spam

Many subreddits have rules against people sharing affiliate links or personal YouTube channels. Moderators help weed these people out, but so does the community.

Some subreddits have created ways for people to share referral links, with proper vetting and documentation. Buy It for Life asks small-business owners to tag themselves as such in their posts, says Mr. Dubishar.

On Budget Audiophile, reviewers with their own YouTube channels or websites are allowed to post links to their sites if they actively contribute to discussions in the group, says Mr. Carlson.

In SkincareAddiction, no one is allowed to post about brands they’re affiliated with, says Ms. Adivi. And if product representatives do sneak in, the tone of their posts might give them away. They get reported and banned, she adds. Red flags can be a sensationalized review or claims a product “cured" their problem.

Users should also click on a person’s username and see what else they’ve posted. Look out for issues such as the person spamming different subreddits with the same recommendation but not engaging much otherwise.

Another useful tip: Don’t act on recommendations until they’ve been posted on the subreddit for at least a day. Sometimes members engage in debates over a praised product, giving you more insight to make your final purchase decision.

 

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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