this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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Buy it for Life
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A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!
Guidelines:
Things that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last a lifetime) are A-Okay!
Unlike that other BIFL place, Home-made and DIY items are encouraged here, as long as some form of instruction is included in the body of the post.
Videos links are not allowed as post titles, but you may use them in a text post.
A limited amount of self-promotion is accepted, IF the item you are selling aligns with this criteria:
- The item must be made with sustainable or recycled materials.
- If electronic in some way, the item must be open-source.
- The item must be user-serviceable (if applicable).
- You cannot be a large corporation.
- The post must be clearly marked with a [Self Promotion] tag in your title.
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I followed the BIFL subreddit for a really long time. It changed my mindset towards buying so many different products. It was a really great sub.
But then at some point it just became a sub for people to post pictures of old toasters and fans that still worked from the 50.
I strongly preferred it as a guide to purchasing products that will last long term, as opposed to just items that have survived in working condition for a long time.
So I guess my question is which one will this place be?
That's a good question. I'm a bit of weirdo in that I'll actually track down some of that old stuff if it's not too expensive and can perform better than modern alternatives (a rare combination). But I think you're right in that the community could quickly just become a place for people to post their old stuff, which isn't much help for others who are looking for something that's quality and still easily obrained.
I think I'll take the stance that this BIFL will be solely focused on things that are still being made, and make that a hard rule (once I get around to editing the sidebar).
Thanks for asking man!
I support this fully.
Though knowing the nature of the crowds, it might make sense to have something like "vintage mondays" or something, and say that posts of things which cannot currently be purchased are restricted to one day per week. Or a periodic sticky post for that content.
I don't mind the occasional old item since some items are easy to track down used on like ebay. Maybe one day of the week can be for celebrating stuff thats lived a long life and served its owners well? Regardless, I really look forward to the community focusing on currently available items, that used to be a big frustration with the old subreddit
That's good news! I'll be contributing later on. Thanks for the answer man.
The other issue with reddit BiFL is that it was specifically marketed by reddit as a place for companies to advertise their products. Let's avoid that if we can.