We've all been there: we see an ad for a cute or useful product online and buy it. But when it comes to our doorstep, it’s a sad, lumpy disappointment. How did online shopping become such a minefield, and who's actually to blame?

Two Cents' video, We Bought An AI Product To Explain Why Online Shopping Is Broken, unpacks the history of misleading advertising, explains why fake reviews are flooding sites like Amazon and Google, and explores why the platforms hosting them aren't doing more to clean things up.

Questions:

• Have you or someone you know bought something online that turned out to be a total disappointment? What was it? How did it compare to what you/they thought you’d/they’d receive?
• Do you think it’s the buyer’s responsibility to do research on the products they choose to buy? Or, do you think it’s the seller’s responsibility to provide accurate information for the products they’re selling? Explain.
• According to the video, around 4% (probably more) of online reviews are likely fake. Why do you think people still rely so heavily on reviews despite knowing some are not real?
• The hosts describe a step-by-step playbook scammers use to set up fake products, flood them with fake reviews, cash in, and disappear before getting caught. If you were running Amazon, what would you do to disrupt this cycle?
• At the end of the video, the hosts say they've started relying more on trusted outlets like Wirecutter and Consumer Reports, and on recommendations from people they actually know. Which sources do you trust most when making a purchase? What makes a source trustworthy to you?

Follow this video with NGPF’s Consumer Skills unit!

About the Author

Sonia Dalal

Sonia has always been passionate about instruction and improving students' learning experiences. She's come a long way since her days as a first grader, when she would "teach" music and read to her very attentive stuffed animals after school. Since then, she has taught students as a K-12 tutor, worked in several EdTech startups in the Bay Area, and completed her Ed.M in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is passionate about bringing the high quality personal finance content and instruction she wished she'd received in school to the next generation of students and educators. When she isn't crafting lesson guides or working with teachers, Sonia loves to spend her time singing, being outdoors, and adventuring with family and friends!

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