35 Products That Are So Bad, It’s Hard To Believe Someone Came Up With Them
Interview With Author
If 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.
The only rational explanation I can think of is it might be made to be used with gloves on?
hmm I might actually buy one. My finger is often too big to hit the teeny tiny buttons on my smartphone screen
I have the problem of being sensitive to touch and using a touch screen often irritates my finger, so this might be good.
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This is actually smart. A lot of old people has to dry fingertips to use them on screens. Sometimes I have the same issue.
My finger tips are always cold. I could go much faster with something like this.
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I really hate those tiny keyboards on phones (and even my mum uses a pen with a silicone top to type), so I would buy this.
My mother too, she might like to have one of these because my dad is always losing the stylus
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Honestly i get this one. Some people don't like touching the screen but using their fingers is easiest so that's what they do.
Nothing wrong with this. It isn't for most people, maybe, but there are definitely some who would benefit from it; me for one, with my big, clumsy fingers. I'm always pressing things i don't mean to.
????? What does it replace? The finger? So I need to wear this on my finger so it can do what my finger does?
Something that I might use - reduces irritation on my fingertip. Though a regular pen-like stylus is more convenient.
When you're monitoring your blood sugar a lot so your finger tips get all kinds of pokes, this helps with pain and not touching the cuts all kinds 🤷🏻♀️
Some people, like myself, have issues with touch screen technology. Something about our body chemistry. That and wrist watches. Can't wear those either because they stop.
I guess this is like people who used a pencil to rotary dial. No nipples needed!
My hands are dry and fingertips have slight calluses so typing is a bit harder. Would buy one.
It's not a bad idea, the entire point of a stylus is to prevent the oil from your fingers from getting on the sreen.
Ummm.... Your finger will operate your phone's touch screen.... Just saying
If the stylus were actually over the tip of the finger, then that would be very useful. My fingers are pretty fat, but I sometimes have better dexterity with them than I do with stylus, so that would make some things easier. Plus you could cut out a small hole in the tip of a glove so that when you do need to use your device that will help.
So, digging around in your pockets/purse for this is easier than just using your finger???
Actually probably a really good idea for people with really big hands who need more precision
....if one could operate a touch screen with the finger... oh, wait...
This might be useful for me, I have calluses on my fingers where they contact the screen and sometimes my phone won’t register my touches.
I have a friend who is diabetic and they have trouble using a touch screen. Something like this could be really helpful.
what in the hell is the point of this really, the whole point of touch screen is that you only need your finger
If you lick the end of it and rub it back and forth you are half way there.
After my friend had chemo her fingers were too dry for touch screens to work. She could've used something like this.
Yes, that is why I always carry a pen with such a tip in my handbag. As soon as my fingers are starting to turn numb no touchscreen will work...
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That would also be useful for drawing apps where you have to use a stylus and a finger won't work. But also gloves. That's a really good point.
Hmm... If only there was something that the phone screen was made to operate by....
excuse me, we can already touch with our fingers in the first place, why this?
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."
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.
For the niche market of people who want to date characters from early Simpsons video games
🎶 Don't tell me what to do, and don't tell me what to say, if I eat cheese from a gun, don't tell me how to behave! 🎶
I find it offending that they assume that only dogs want to video chat. Cats also want to video chat with their slaves at times.
I could see this being useful for people with certain mobility issues.
Taken my arms! Taken my legs! Taken my soul! Left me with life in hell! One of the best songs ever written!
Real men also don't need t-shirts telling them how to be a real man.
It's a squeeze trap. For keeping an animal still while giving injections.
Thanks to Freedom of Choice, people can decide not to buy it.
They were mostly for 2000 and 2001, I don't see the point in dragging it out. We were excited the year finally had multiple zeroes in it was all
Imagine being a kid excitedly opening this present from one of your grandparents and finding out it's a calculator.
Yeah, doesn't work when they are not magnetized under an oak tree during the Northern Summer Solstice by a certified druid.
You will definitely win the corporate-ugly-sweater-contest every year thanks to that.
Look at her, she's been sat there for 10 years and she still can't levitate.
I'm pretty sure the spinny thing would throw pee back onto whoever peed on it.
Le'ts get down to businness to defeat the Huns... Great, now I will have this song rstuck in my mind for hours!
still fascinates me that people will use all the products of science - you know, space ships, aircraft, nuclear power stations, cars, GPS, cellphones, computers, etc - but when it comes to medicine and how the body works they are like, no, screw science, Im going to go with some theory from like 5000 years ago.
People who have suffered traumatic brain injury would probably find this highly amusing. Not everyone is as easily offended as some people think they should be.
It's all fun and games until you accidentally turn off the emergency brake.
It's a hint to the "Now this is what I call [ Rock, Rap, Country, the 70's, the 80's] collections to sell people the same songs they already have on other "Now this is what I call....." albums.
People who need to die : whoever created that horrific 3Ds illustriation.
Now, i'm not saying anything particular, but "Elder Knight" sounds a bit like "Grand Wizard".
It's a card game where you have to win despite the fact that the rules are changed every 10 seconds, no card is what it appears to be and you're allowed to keep cards up your sleeve.
Why is it that in America, pot is still illegal in a majority of states, but alcohol (which is SIGNIFICANTLY worse for both the person using it and society) is so widely accepted that there's a market (however stupid) for things like this?!? I've never been afraid that I was going to get hurt by a stoned person, but drunk people are unpredictable and scary!
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.”
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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?
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