35 Products That Are So Bad, It’s Hard To Believe Someone Came Up With Them
Interview With AuthorIf you hate wasting time walking around the mall, online shopping might be right up your alley. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it has become almost like a lifeline during quarantine. When you have something specific in mind, you often turn to the retail giant Amazon, a go-to site for virtually everything. Yet, once you scroll past the items you need, things take a bizarre turn.
The Worst Things For Sale (TWTFS) is a Twitter account dedicated to the most horrible objects on the web. After all, there’s plenty to choose from. The creator, Drew Fairweather, combs the site and handpicks "one terrible item every day" to make his followers a little baffled and a lot amused.
So if you’re looking for a terrible gift guide, you’ve come to the right place because we have selected some of the weirdest things the account had to offer. Continue scrolling, upvote the ones you enjoyed most, and tell us what you think about them in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
When people say that all things should have a function and a purpose, they've probably never stumbled upon an enormous USB-compatible Enter Key or a fried chicken phone case. The internet is chock full of items so extreme that they seem unreal. Yet, all it takes is one look at Amazon to recognize that it’s a true treasure trove of weird, strange, and peculiar objects.
We reached out to Drew Fairweather, the founder of the account, to learn more about his project and the inspiration behind it. The artist not only writes The Worst Things For Sale blog but is also the author of the daily comics Toothpaste For Dinner and Married To The Sea.
Fairweather started TWTFS about ten years ago when he was simply looking through Amazon. He noticed that there were many weird and hilarious items "always peeking out from under what I was actually trying to find," he told Bored Panda. Ever since then, the author has faithfully documented the oddest and most pointless objects found online. "Once you realize the breadth of bizarre things available there, you can't un-see them!"
I have seen it, its actualy amazing becase it hugely desexualite woman wearing it, so they arent fpcus of some random boner
When it comes to the Twitter account, it now has more than 11.6K followers. This shows just how many people are drawn in by a desire to discuss and figure out why on earth such things exist in the first place. Also, why some people actually buy them. Well, as they say, one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
"Since buying items is the main creative outlet of most people—most Americans, at least—people enjoy seeing unusual items for sale," he said. Statista reports that Amazon was responsible for 50 percent of US e-commerce spending in 2021. One of the company’s key tools to increase that spending is Amazon Prime, a membership that gives you free and fast shipping, plus extra privileges like streaming music and video.
In 2018, as many as 62 percent of their customers in the US were Prime members. According to Statista, they are highly engaged shoppers who spend a lot of money—more than double the amount of non-Prime members per year—and are relevant to Amazon’s success.
Fairweather also writes about items "that seem normal—branded waffle irons, pink screwdrivers—that have a strange or sinister subtext hidden beneath the sales pitch." When it comes to some of the most bizarre things he has ever come across, it has to be the "BabySaver, a box where you store your child's baby teeth after they fall out."
"The box has holes for each tooth, so you can reassemble your child's teeth into a jaw-shaped curio," he explained. "If that's not enough, it has a slot in the middle for your child's umbilical cord."
When it comes to finding such items floating around Amazon, he revealed that most of them he has dug up on his own, though his followers also help with suggestions. "I tend to stay away from novelty items, which are those intentionally created to be 'wacky,' since there's nothing unusual or sinister about these."
"I'd rather write about something like Extylus, which is a stylus for your smartphone that you strap to your finger, so you can use your finger to control your smartphone."
"As with any items manufactured and sold, these were all created with the purpose of making money! A lot of these companies, I'd imagine, start with someone having an idea they hope will be popular, a niche product that will become the next Beanie Baby or Scrub Daddy," he told us. "They're then put through the wringer of marketing to become one of the abominations I write about, like Bumper Dumper, the toilet you attach to the trailer hitch of your truck."
My family destroyed capitalism and the only thing they brought back was this tee shirt.
The artist revealed that his ultimate goal is to make people think about what they’re buying and why. "These products are mostly made of plastic, manufactured by underpaid factory workers, sold at a premium to people who don't need them," he explained.
"They're a colossal waste of energy and material resources, and it engenders suffering from the human cost of manual labor, the occupational health hazards experienced by the workers, and the ecological damage done by extracting these limited resources from the Earth."
Ok but I NEED this! I have autism and HATE when food touches, and I would buy this is an INSTANT!
Fairweather continued: "The very richest people accumulate wealth and use their power to strip the rest of us of health and happiness, then sell it back to us, one plastic piece at a time. We don't need any of these things! It's all a symptom of a society which has prioritized the accumulation of the wealthy over all other aspects."
I wonder if it stores the pee or it just flows out on the other side, and you use it more like a watering can.
Both options sound pretty gross... especially if you don't get an opportunity to wash this thing for a while :O
Load More Replies...Well, pretty much every animal if you think about it.
Load More Replies...Try explaining to the ER nurse how you got it stuck in there without belittling yourself more than you already did.
And risk being a registered sex offender for life?
Load More Replies...I think they'll figure out when you do the sigh of relief and the shake at the end
Hiding your shame 🤣, like having your hands under a towel like that isn't going to look suspicious at all.
"Hey Gary, your golf club is leaking." "I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!"
Aren't there trees and bushes on a golf course? Or you can use the caddy.
Hope that cap is liquid tight as most bags hold the clubs with the handle down.
yes please i cant go to the toilets on the course i need to do it on the grass
Didn't you see the product? You pee into the golf club BECAUSE you don't want to pee on the grass :P
Load More Replies...I VE SEEN THIS AND THEY MAKE EM FOR WOMEN TOO. ITS SOOO GROSS. ITS JUST A BUNCH OF P**S COLLECTING IN YOUR GLOF CLUB🤮
I wonder what happens if you drink alcohol while golfing and forget which one is the fake club? Also, if you drank a lot, you would likely forget to wash it out after your game is finished. This is pretty gross! I've seen the infomercial for this product and there are three men using this while standing up against a large shrub and it looks like their peeing against the shrub, but with a "golf club" in front of them. Why not just golf somewhere that has port-a-potties adequately located on the green or discreetly go behind a tree, having made sure no one is looking? Guys can pee anywhere, why make it look like their peeing in a golf club and have to wash it (the "club") after?
Just avoid the after-pee wiggle or everyone will know what you've been doing!
Imagine actually using this on a golf course, and I mean USING IT while using it
I am thinking, straight into the earth, height of laziness !! They'd hardly collect it and take it to the loo !!
I invented a cane for that same use. You know, for formal affairs and such.
This looks an awful lot like the Uroclub; and yes, it stores piss in the "shaft" -- just waiting to make a huge stinky mess when you attempt to dump it into a toliet. :-/
Yeah, this appears a lot on lists like this. It's the kind of surreal idea you get when you're half falling asleep: "Hey, a cilinder looks a bit like a wiener! What can we do with that?"
Its not like you play golf out side with a bunch of trees you can hide behind.
Guys can pee anywhere. Why not one of those holes on the course. Probably can't aim right for that either. A slice or wrong club. Id switch around his clubs and let him explain why he's peeing on his driver.
I've yet to meet a man that doesn't think the entire planet is his f'n toilet
Hey in a moment of desperation it becomes the best invention ever. I have an emergency potty for my kid in the car and it has paid for itself over and over.
Years ago a local radio station pranked the pro at the local course by pretending to be the irate husband of a woman who complained to him that she’d seen the golf pro relieving himself in the bushes from her car on the street. Golf pro didn’t miss a beat. “If she said she could see it from the street then it couldn’t have been me”.
The way he is standing is not at all subtle or natural, it actually looks very suspicious.
I never thought of this... all these men, walking all day in the sun and drinking alcohol... That's probably worse than a public pool!!!!
And women *** I just think men urinate more often than ladies, or at least we are used to holding it more? Not facts just saying... and if this offends you please get over yourself and off the internet.
Load More Replies..."One size DOES NOT FIT ALL. Gauge proper penile circumference before purchasing, no refunds, or returns."
Then you're drinking while playing golf and grab the wrong club, go for that record drive and oops!
You don't see tour de France athletes doing that. Golf is a girls game
So while these awful objects catch our attention and allow us to let out some genuine laughs, they also show a much deeper problem. Remember that each time we consume a product, we support certain businesses and their values. So next time you want to buy a funny-looking thing online, think long and hard whether it's actually worth it.
You can even store the umbilical cord and the lanugo in it. Every proud parent should have one.
Amazing how much american flag apparel there is. I'm sure that there's something written that the flag is not supposed to be worn
Because you can't just use your hands to shape hamburger into any shape you want.
Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
So... People wasted time, money, resources and energy to make... that?
Capitalism is gross. “Does anyone need this? No. But some people will still pay us for it, so let’s make it.”
Load More Replies...A review on the Shock bracelet site complaining that it started shocking them at random intervals. They didn't figure out that they were being punished for being stupid enough to buy it in the first place.
"35 Products That Are So GOOD, It’s Hard To Believe Someone Came Up With Them"
Curious. Question to all of you. If you were to choose one of these products for yourself. Which one would you buy?
It seems to me that this list offended itself. I'd consider quite a few of these. If uncommongoods.com was a little less uptight, they'd sell some of these things.
Which ones? Seems many like the divider thing for plates.
Load More Replies...Several of these would actually be really useful for ND people or those with motor issues :/
"Fight capitalism, buy my merch! Only 10 uyghers died in the factory, on the day this shirt was made" I'm convinced most gen z'ers are going to cause a new type of willfull dark ages, where the information is there but they care more about their own statement backed by feelings rather than facts.
It's kinda sad that some of the ones being mocked are products made for disabled people.
Advanced techniques in design and mass production supporting an explosion of creativity. There's a book called Post-Scarcity Anarchism that explains how these forces have the potential to create an great utopian anarchy. But looking at products like these, it seems we've got a ways to go yet. We're not yet done wasting time, energy, and resources on drivel like this.
I want to read that book, and I think at least half of these items are not drivel.
Load More Replies...Some of these are dumb, sure. But a lot of these are just fun stuff, or actually helpful for people with mobility issues. Made me laugh a couple times at least.
Cats (as well as dogs) are special because they can usually sense when their owner is pregnant. That product may seem dumb at first, but cats do have very sensitive hearing, so it could be good to get them used to baby noises before the baby truly arrives as they can be very loud, as well as other noises that may result from caring for a baby. So that when the cat meets the actual baby, it won’t be as surprised by the noises it makes or become afraid. Just make sure baby doesn’t play too rough with your cat! Kitties are only animals so if your child pulls their tail, the kitty may give you baby a little swat, so be sure to condition your baby to your cat as well and make sure they know how to properly treat cats and to not harm them!
Wow. I think I upvoted every single one except that product to keep food from touching (which seems legit). I'm impressed with the ability of humans to be complete ridiculous.
*that's* the one you thought seemed the most useful?
Load More Replies...So... People wasted time, money, resources and energy to make... that?
Capitalism is gross. “Does anyone need this? No. But some people will still pay us for it, so let’s make it.”
Load More Replies...A review on the Shock bracelet site complaining that it started shocking them at random intervals. They didn't figure out that they were being punished for being stupid enough to buy it in the first place.
"35 Products That Are So GOOD, It’s Hard To Believe Someone Came Up With Them"
Curious. Question to all of you. If you were to choose one of these products for yourself. Which one would you buy?
It seems to me that this list offended itself. I'd consider quite a few of these. If uncommongoods.com was a little less uptight, they'd sell some of these things.
Which ones? Seems many like the divider thing for plates.
Load More Replies...Several of these would actually be really useful for ND people or those with motor issues :/
"Fight capitalism, buy my merch! Only 10 uyghers died in the factory, on the day this shirt was made" I'm convinced most gen z'ers are going to cause a new type of willfull dark ages, where the information is there but they care more about their own statement backed by feelings rather than facts.
It's kinda sad that some of the ones being mocked are products made for disabled people.
Advanced techniques in design and mass production supporting an explosion of creativity. There's a book called Post-Scarcity Anarchism that explains how these forces have the potential to create an great utopian anarchy. But looking at products like these, it seems we've got a ways to go yet. We're not yet done wasting time, energy, and resources on drivel like this.
I want to read that book, and I think at least half of these items are not drivel.
Load More Replies...Some of these are dumb, sure. But a lot of these are just fun stuff, or actually helpful for people with mobility issues. Made me laugh a couple times at least.
Cats (as well as dogs) are special because they can usually sense when their owner is pregnant. That product may seem dumb at first, but cats do have very sensitive hearing, so it could be good to get them used to baby noises before the baby truly arrives as they can be very loud, as well as other noises that may result from caring for a baby. So that when the cat meets the actual baby, it won’t be as surprised by the noises it makes or become afraid. Just make sure baby doesn’t play too rough with your cat! Kitties are only animals so if your child pulls their tail, the kitty may give you baby a little swat, so be sure to condition your baby to your cat as well and make sure they know how to properly treat cats and to not harm them!
Wow. I think I upvoted every single one except that product to keep food from touching (which seems legit). I'm impressed with the ability of humans to be complete ridiculous.
*that's* the one you thought seemed the most useful?
Load More Replies...