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0 pointssokoloff5y ago0 comments

The tool borrowing is unscrupulous, but it provides a ready source of “Used-Very good” Amazon Warehouse tools at 15-35% off, which I do appreciate.

0 comments

lm284695y ago

Some returned objects are sold as new, some people even swap the items before returning them. See: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23939042

omgwtfbyobbq5y ago

I'd like to see Amazon start a lend/use program like auto parts stores. I guess they would have to verify tool functionality though, which can be expensive.

sokoloffOP5y ago

The auto parts stores pretty much don’t, at least in my experience, and push it off to the customers/borrowers. I’ve gotten broken or incomplete tools from the (free) lending programs enough that I’ve mostly stopped using them and just buy tools instead. I don’t have time to get stuck halfway through a job and any $50-100 tool still leaves me with cash savings overall on the job.

Even in cases where I told them I broke a piece in a kit, they didn’t seem to care and it looked like the kit was going right back into stock to me.

Parts store do it because it gets you in the door to buy parts. If the lending was done through the mail, I’m sure Amazon would sell more parts, but it’s not clear it would be enough more profit to cover 2-way (or 4-way if a tool was broken) shipping on the tools.

justinclift5y ago

In Brunswick (part of Melbourne, Australia), there is a Community "Tool Library" where people can borrow tools. In much the same way as book libraries:

https://www.brunswicktoollibrary.org

It's pretty cheap (AUS$85/yr), and AFAIK they have about 400 members. Though Melbourne is currently in a coronavirus lockdown so everything is closed. :(

Regarding broken/incomplete tools, (prior to the lockdown) they had a day every week or two set aside to go through and fix broken/worn tools (etc).

Seems like a good solution to the tool sharing problem, and it seems to work well for everyone.

O5vYtytb5y ago

I've bought too many things that come with annoyingly broken parts. Not enough to render it useless, just annoying. For example, a cracked handle on a Amazon Warehouse snowblower. It still worked but required a tricky glue job. For most things now, I'll pay the extra for something new from a local shop.

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