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!
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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."
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.
The American boys edition has a spot for his foreskin too.
Load More Replies...my mother kept them, along with several small strands of hair, I think it’s cute
So did mine. When I turned 16 they had them covered in silver, and made into cufflinks and a tie pin.
Load More Replies...this is normal in Switzerland. We keep their baby teeth as well as the first strand of hair that is cut off.
Same in Germany. I still have my baby teeth and I'm 36
Load More Replies...You never know... If your baby becomes a catholic saint, it becomes valuable collectible relics... Or you can also use it for f****d-up witchcraft s**t, I suppose.
pagan here, witchcraft is the worship of nature (so basically we collect crystals and drink tea) and witches such as myself don't use baby teeth and stuff in rituals. we use herbs and crystals.
Load More Replies...I'm a mom who just doesn't get this. I have not saved any discarded body parts. I find it really weird.
My mom told me she saved my fingernail clippings from my first nail trim when I as a baby. I found them in a box on my parents' dresser several years later and threw them away. Thought I was being helpful. Decades later, I still believe I was.
Load More Replies...I’ve kept my children's teeth. I actually don’t know why, but it never occurred to me to get rid of them.
Dont get rid of them! I keep my kids teeth just like my mother kept mine! She gave them all back to me a few years ago and my daughter is fascinated with them!
Load More Replies...I have actually seen these in baby stores and some hospital gift shops. I think it's a wonderful idea.
A few years ago, for Christmas mom gave my sister and I each little wrapped boxes, and she had the biggest grin, so sister and I knew something was up. We unwrapped them, and lo and behold, she had saved all our baby teeth for this one shining moment. We have yet to come up with an appropriate revenge.
in Romania we throw the teeth on the roof and that's how we know they will grow back. for other body parts, they are burned at the hospital crematory
It's also a good way of keeping tract which tooth has already fallen in case you miss one, like me and don't notice you still have a milk tooth when you are 18, then find out it ain't coming down without help of years of braces. My parents still regret not knowing getting it sorted earlier
I have one of these for my daughters teeth! It's almost full now. My mom saved all my teeth too. Edit- and her umbilical cord is in a baggie in her baby book! Judge me if you want. We all have the choice to do what we want!
Okay, but my brother (third child) got the "Tooth Fairy" to pay for 46 teeth. They weren't being collected when payment was made, so he just spaced out the tooth loss and made bank. He didn't get caught; he finally felt bad about this undetected scam and turned himself in. So. Yes, probably best to collect the teeth.
It might in fact be slightly more accurate to say he felt bad no one had caught on to his genius plan.
Load More Replies...I would have totally bought this when my girls were young. I still have all of their teeth and umbilical cords. :)
I kept my kids' baby teeth. They found them one day and asked what I planned to do with them. I said I was going to make a necklace, just to freak them out.
Baby teeth are one of those things that I'm too weirded out to keep, but still feel so bad throwing them away...
I have couple of my son's teeth stored in safe deposit box. It's for when and if need arises for extraction of DNA for exact DNA match. I hope DNA is preserved in teeth. I don't understand much of DNA stuff but hope I am not wrong to save it.
Not to be that person, but you can use your childs teeth if they need a stem cell transplant, as the teeth are a great source of stem cells.
But the tooth fairy is supposed to take the tooth away from under the pillow. No more tooth, but a shiny new dime in its place!
i remember joking with my parents about making a necklace out of my baby teeth
The odds of collecting every tooth makes my collectionner side cringe
This is honestly better than keeping them in a medicine bottle in the freezer (like my parents did which is coincidental the way I found out the tooth fairy wasn’t real)
I had to look up lanugo...wtf. people save the little hairs off a baby, too. freaky.
The fact this product is on this list speaks loads in terms of culture clash. I can't stress how common it is here in Brazil to keep your children's baby teeth. Very time a baby is born within my social circle this very case is my first gift to the family and the parents go crazy over it! Everyone absolutely loves it, even put it in the nursery as ornament. As a matter of fact whenever we hear of people whose baby teeth have been discarded, you can already expect there to be a huge grudge between that person and their parents lol I myself and my brother have some somewhere in my parents' house, and we're 35 and 32yo [not parents yet].
🤣 I have this one, too! My son and I actually love it though, all of his little teeth get put in there once they've fallen out. He likes finding the spot in the box that corresponds to his mouth and we filled out all the little info together.
Okay keeping baby teeth is not that unusual. My son wants to keep his. But the umbilical cord and lanugo is taking it too far.
and if the kid is slow with losing teeth, there is a tweezer to "Help"
There's no room for the placenta though. It's the most precious thing ! Full of proteins and all.
Where was this 16 years ago? All my kids teeth are in one place and mixed up because I lacked this amazing invention (and because I'm kind of lazy)...
I don’t want it but it’s a good idea from a seller’s standpoint. I mean, some people DO keep these things so you might as well sell to them. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Omg this is another bob's burger episode. Someone swallows a baby tooth and they gotta by a black market hobo tooth before the mom finds out!
Well yes let me place my piece of skin that attached me to my mother ito this box so I can keep it forever
My mom used to save my baby teeth in a jar. But I think that was first time mom sht. This is straight up probably gonna helicopter your kid into a serial killer sht.
Once you have the entire collection, you can place them into a circle in your living room to summon the demon of children whenever you like.
There's a spot for lanugo.... the white, sticky stuff that's on the baby when born. Are you supposed to scrape it off and save it?? Eeeew
I always drop my kids’ teeth 🦷 n the shag carpet. They’re so small I never see them again.
I think that creepy ass baby is collecting teeth for his own basement deep reasons
What's going on with this baby? It has a uni-fang? And a hinged cranium? And to make it worse, you open the cranium to store used teeth. I hate teeth. This is extremely distressing.
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...