#consumer safety

[pythianoracle]

PSA About Some Shady Shit on Tumblr

This post is to bring light to some shady marketing on tumblr. This is not about an individual, but rather as a company posing as an aesthetic/meme account in order to get people to buy from their shitty drop shipping company.

I am making this post because I am sick of covert marketing and drop shippers over charging for the same stuff that can be found for cheaper and by the actual company. I am also concerned for the possible hazard of drop shipped items that need to be food safe in order to use.

Tumblr user @/my-kawaii—world is a drop shipping company pretending to be an aesthetic blogger who happens to “find” links to all the products in posts. All these links lead to the same drop shipping company website: Lavender Constellation. Under the cut is evidence to support my claim.

Alt text has been added for accessibility.

Hey, so I’m really not one to make posts like this, but I saw something that rlly sketched me out that some people may want to be aware of.

So, someone I follow reblogged this really cute teapot that my-kawaii—world posted!

[ID: a screenshot of a tweet reposted by user my-kawaii—world on tumblr. The post reads “losing my mind over this frog teapot my best friend gave me”. Attached to the tweet are two images showing a green frog teapot with two black tadpole cups. ID END]

Seems innocent enough, right? But then you scroll to the end of the post.

[ID: A screenshot of the bottom of the previous post by my-kawaii—world. Attached is a link to a storefront in green and pink text that reads “**Update For the people asking I asked her and she bought the frog tea set HERE🐸. ID END]

I thought “dang, a ton of people must have been asking them if they went to all that extra effort”, so I decided to check the tags.

[ID: A screenshot of the post reblogs with the user names blocked out in red to respect privacy. From top to bottom, the tags read: #cat #basically #cats and #haha. ID END]

Why would people be tagging this with cats if it has nothing to do with cats? Looking further, if you open up a reblog, you see this.

[ID: A screenshot a reblog that shows a different tweet. Punctuation has been added to alt text for readability. The tweet reads as follows: “Me: Invents a device to talk to cats. Cat: Oh god, finally you understand me. When ever I meow for hours it’s because I want wet food. I know this was so opaque for you. Me: No no, I knew you want wet food the whole time, but you can’t have it whenever you want. Cat: (blank space) Me: (blank space) Cat: first of all, fuck you,”. ID END]

They’re retroactively editing their high note posts to give more credibility to the shit they’re selling. Here is the listing on the linked website

[ID: a screenshot of a website called “Lavender Constellation”. The website has a light purple background with darker purple text. The listing image is of a green frog teapot with two black tadpole cups on a pink background and labeled “TEA SET FROG & TADPOLE”. The item’s original price is listed as $149.95 USD and is listed as on sale for $79.99 USD. ID END]

Wow isn’t it so cool that it’s on sale right now? Save over $60 USD? What a steal! They also offer free world-wide shipping and have a coupon code you can use. Crazy.

Upon further digging, the real teapot is the frog from the サンアート aka sunart brand, specifically from their parent and child collection. And guess what? You can get it on Amazon for less than half the price, even after the “sale”.

[ID: a screenshot of the same green frog teapot and black tadpole cups listen on Amazon. At the bottom are options to select, including Frog Parent, Elephant Parent, and an additional one that is cut off. The frog parent is $32.96 USD and the elephant parent is $26.22 USD. ID END]

I looked into the brand and they seem to specifically make ceramics additionally, the options to pick less popular options that I don’t see nearly as many bootlegs of make me pretty confident this is the actual product.

This is far from the only post they’ve done this with. Looking at their blog, you’ll see a sea of ads for their original posts, all linking to the same store:

[ID: A screenshot of a post by my-kawaii—world. The post is cut off due to the size of the device it was taken on. In the screenshot, there is an image of a silver sword ring with a skull on the pommel and a chain connecting the pommel to the cross-guard. Below the image is a link that red, bolded, and underlined text that reads: “OMG, I FINALLY FOUND THE RIGHT WITH FREE SHIPPING!!!!”. ID END]

And then following the link, we get taken right back to the Lavender Constellation website:

[ID: A screenshot of the same Lavender Collection Website from before with a pale purple background and darker purple text. The listing photo is of a person’s hand with a silver ring in the shape of a sword. It has a skull on the pommel and a chain connecting the pommel to the cross-guard. The listing is labeled “STAINLESS STEEL GOTH SWORD RING” in purple text. ID END]

If you go to their page, you will see a ton of other examples of this. Hell, I have even more examples, but I feel this post is long enough as is. I’m frankly fed up with people doing this shit, especially charging over double the price of an original product for a shitty knock off.

I’m not going to comment of the safety of these products (i.e., if the knock off teapot is food safe or not) because I don’t plan on buying one to test for lead, but that is a genuine risk you have when buying drop shipped products. For example, counterfeit makeup is well known for containing chemicals that can be harmful to the skin due because they’re much cheaper than the skin safe stuff. Here is a research article that discusses some of the harmful effects that unregulated, counterfeit makeup can have on your skin. The article is open access, so don’t worry about being blocked by a paywall.

Again, I don’t know if the counterfeit teapot is food safe or not, I haven’t been able to find any posts discussing the bootleg, or even Lavendar Constellation as a whole, but with stuff like this, it’s much better to be safe than sorry.

I am positive my-kawaii—world and Lavender Constellation are not the only people running operations like this on tumblr, I’m sure there are a shit ton more. Most will probably run the same way as my-kawaii—world. Essentially if you go to a page that posts a ton of cute, aesthetic products and they link to the same website for every single thing, it’s probably a drop shipping scam.

I’m not someone who thinks I’m “morally superior” for buying only name brand stuff, hell I own a few bootleg plushies, but items that need to food safe are not something I personally would fuck around with. And even if these bootlegs are food safe, the fact that they are charging over double the price of the original is so ludicrous and inexcusable.

Personally, I recommend blocking the @/my-kawaii—world account. Don’t micromanage people who have already reblogged from them unless they’re a friend, mutual, etc. Basically, don’t harass strangers who happened to reblog the original post or the edited post. Just get the word out there about this account.

Do I think my post will shut down their site and drive them off Tumblr? Probably not. But the more people that know about this specific scam and scams like it, the better.

#PSA #food safety #consumer safety #dropshipping

[girderednerve]

"Not everyone suing Johnson & Johnson is part of that [mass lawsuit regarding cosmetic talc], and not all of the plaintiffs have ovarian cancer. Some are suffering from mesothelioma, a rare and lethal form of cancer, associated with asbestos exposure, that eats away at the thin layer of tissue surrounding the body’s internal organs and often results in death within a year of diagnosis.

Historically, mesothelioma has been associated with men who worked in mining or construction, although it sometimes affected their wives and daughters as well. Now, though, according to Michael Becich, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who runs the National Mesothelioma Virtual Tissue Bank, “we’re seeing a much younger population and also more women.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that in the past twenty years there has been a twenty-five-per-cent increase in the number of women who died of the disease: four hundred and eighty-nine in 1999 to six hundred and fourteen in 2020, with the highest number of deaths occurring among homemakers. As early as 1997, lawyers working on behalf of Johnson & Johnson to fight a Texas woman’s mesothelioma lawsuit against the company noted in an internal memo that 'rare cases of mesothelioma among women with no other identifiable exposure might be related to exposure to cosmetic talc.'"

#asbestos #consumer safety #cancer #this whole article is actually extremely good & if you are getting paywalled lmk & i'll get it to you #it also goes into how the cosmetic industry managed the talc problem; naturally there's a lot in common with tobacco companies #it's useful to know the playbook imo #i THREATENED to talk about mesothelioma statistics!!! and here!! i have DELIVERED on mesothelioma statistics!!!!

[referencees]

It’s really wild to me that it’s basically common practice to force consumers to waive their right to a trial by jury in terms of service agreements. I remember a few months ago it was a big deal when Etsy added this clause to the new TOS, but I don’t think people realize that Etsy was an industry outlier by not already having it.

Gives me a very icky feeling in my stomach realizing that companies can trick you into forfeiting your right to trial by jury if you ever wanted to sue them. I personally feel that these generic contracts are already legally shaky, so to have this level of control over your consumers legal rights is fucking scary.

#no one cares about contract law so I’m not gonna start talking about contract law #but basically these ‘factory’ generic contracts have been around forever #like 100+ years #but there have always been legal arguments that say these types of contracts are not valid #under the general definition of what a contract is #as one party has no right to negotiations or to request amendments #and you HAVE to accept the text presented without any option to request a change #and no one understands what tf most TOS are saying bc they’re written to be hard to understand #anyways I hate corporate America and I hate capitalism #what else is new #ref rants #consumer rights #consumer safety #legal #contract #civil rights

[trapangeles]

Counterfeit Apple Devices Worth $400k Seized at Port of LA and Ontario International Airport

In a significant operation aimed at curbing the proliferation of counterfeit electronics, authorities have made a substantial breakthrough by seizing a shipment of phony Apple products. The discovery, made at both the Port of Los Angeles and Ontario International Airport, has brought to light the scale of the issue and the potential risks posed to consumers.

The operation, conducted jointly by law enforcement agencies, resulted in the seizure of a significant quantity of counterfeit Apple devices, including watches, headphones, and charging cables. These imitation products, if successfully distributed, could have amounted to an estimated value of $400,000.

The gravity of the situation is further underscored by the implications of counterfeit electronics entering the market. Beyond the financial losses incurred by legitimate manufacturers, consumers are left exposed to substandard and potentially hazardous products that do not meet the stringent safety and quality standards upheld by genuine Apple devices.

The coordinated effort to intercept this shipment is a testament to the vigilance of law enforcement in safeguarding consumer interests and preserving the integrity of well-established brands. The seizure serves as a reminder of the need for ongoing collaboration between government agencies and industry stakeholders to combat the circulation of counterfeit goods.

As consumers and technology enthusiasts, it is crucial to remain vigilant and make informed purchasing decisions. By supporting authorized retailers and understanding the telltale signs of counterfeit products, individuals can play an active role in safeguarding their own interests and contributing to the eradication of fraudulent goods.

In a world where counterfeit goods pose an ever-present threat, the successful interception of this shipment at the Port of LA and Ontario International Airport is a step in the right direction—one that sends a clear message that fraudulent activities will not go unchecked.

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#trapLA #Counterfeit Apple Devices #Port of LA #Ontario International Airport #Seizure #Phony Products #Consumer Safety #Law Enforcement #Vigilance #Quality Standards #Collaboration #Industry Stakeholders #Fraudulent Goods #Informed Purchasing Decisions #Brand Integrity

[don-lichterman]

A Framework For CEOs And CMOs On When And How To Enter The Cultural Conversation

A Framework For CEOs And CMOs On When And How To Enter The Cultural Conversation

Cultural Waves Getty Images Staying out of the socio-cultural fray is no longer an option for most brands and businesses. Can “safety” be a framework for when and how CEOs and CMOs should consider acting? … For the CEOs of the world’s largest companies, navigating when and how to enter cultural conversations, when and how to show solidarity, allyship and citizenship is fraught with real and…

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#CMO #Consumer safety #Corporate Responsibility #Culture Wars #Featured #GLAAD #Gun Control #Human Rights #Human safety #Roe v. Wade #Sarah Kate Ellis

[ghostbsuter]

"And then– I kicked ass and got crowned for it!" Danny sobs, the air around them filled with fear gas, Tim trying everything he can think of to console his little brother.

It's interesting to witness the way danny reacts to the gas with his biology–

Not now, Tim. Crying brother first.

"How about riding back to my apartment, hm? I'll get some takeout, and we watch movies." The mask makes it difficult, nothing he couldn't handle however.

The sobs don't decrease and Tim feels like sobbing himself now.

In a swoop, he's cradling danny, walking to his bike and driving off.

So much for getting to know your long estranged little brother.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #fic prompt #writing prompt #dc x dp prompt #Tim and Danny are siblings #whats bettwr than trauma bonding during a scarecrow attack #dw every civilian has been brought to safety #this is based on the hc that ghosts consume emotions #bit different tho #in this the fear gas + the civilians spiked up emotion caused a mental breakdown for danny #too much for him to consume basically

[daily-crowley]

Crowley Of The Day: gorgeous 😍

(I used up all my hashtags that I couldn’t do my usual GO tags that I always do lol I don’t care)

#personal update #I got into Trolls #but I mean really really really into it #new fixation the brainrot is unstoppable #it’s all I think about I’m to the point that I need all Trolls content to survive #all Trolls content HAND IT OVER! merch fanart fics ALL OF IT #I’m so in love with Branch Floyd and John Dory #Rock Zombie Branch is sooooooo #and so I’d Rock Zombie Poppy #I AM THE NUMBER ONE JOHN FORY DEFENDER LEAVE HIM ALONE HE DID NOTHING WRONG AND DOESNT DEAERVE THE HATE HE GETS #I need what Broppy have oh my fucking god it’s so cute the love they have for each other it’s consuming me #and I need more of Branch and Clay those two rule following safety loving nerds would have such a great relationship #DID YOU SEE CLAY FAWNING OVER BRANCH WHEN THEY REUNITED SQUISHING HIS CHEEKS #THATS HIS BABY BROTHER AND HES AS CUTE NOW AS HE WAS WHEN HE WAS A BABY #AND THE ENDING WHEN HE TOLD HIM HE WAS SORRY FOR MISSING HIM GROW UP BUT COULDNT WAIT FOR THWM TO HANG OUT NOW #everyone focuses on Branch and Floyd but I NEED BRANCH AND CLAY #Speaking of Floyd I love him so much. he’s all I think about. that is if I’m not thinking of Branch #John Dory is everything to me? like I’m obsessed with him in a different way. like I said I’ll defend him every single time #BRUUUUUUUCE!!! 💞💞💞💞💞 #Trolls 3 is still in cinemas and I’ve literally been going to rewatch it once a week #no joke I’m going again this Wednesday #AND I HAVE THE FILM AT HOME! I have all 3 of them and I watch them every day #I’m telling you the brainrot is unstoppable I am going insane #People apparently don’t like when I talk about any other interest of mine especially Trolls #it’s like I’m almost not allowed to talk about anything other than Good Omens #so since people don’t like me doing permanent posts YOU’RE GETTING IT IN THE TAGS #okay I’m done…. for now. #Crowley #Crowley Of The Day #Good Omens

[canisalbus]

I say this in the best way, but your characters feel like they're from an obscure but really good piece of media, and you feel like the artist who always draws the two main characters as ghay lovers

.

#that's actually a really flattering thing to hear! #and I get what you mean #every now and then someone mistakes my art as fanart of some piece of media #that they don't recognize but like the art anyway #I wish I had the product to give to you #a graphic novel or a webtoon or a written narrative #I fear there's a hole the shape of the main story in my work #and even though I allude to it and talk about it in the safety of the tags #it's kind of frustrating that you have to piece it together from the scattered bits of lore #instead of reading ~the thing~ digesting it and knowing you have consumed the story in it's intended form #this got a little off track #I think it's so motivating and rewarding that you're interested in my characters to begin with #even in the absence of a proper finalized work of fiction that ties all the art together #answered #anonymous #imagine a reality where they aren't lovers in the canon work but I just ship them really hard #even better if they aren't even the protagonists but some inconsequential side characters #that get two minutes of screen time every other episode and barely ever in the same scene

[quaranmine]

hot take but like why are we as a society still using lead in manufacturing processes in 2024...

anyway tldr of this is that you are not being exposed to lead unless the circular piece on the bottom of the cup is damaged. so, owning a cup like this will likely not result in lead exposure. this is similar to the fact that in older housing where lead paint has been painted over in subsequent decades, and that paint is in good condition, then it is not a risk. lead based paint only becomes an issue when it is deteriorating (chipping, cracking, peeling, chalking, etc) or being turned into dust during renovation activites. so yeah, in a similar way--you aren't going to get lead poisoning unless the steel compontent on this water bottles comes off.

but also this article says that these lead pellets that are used in the cups are an "industry standard" and i'm like: why? WHY is it industry standard in 2024? at least with lead pipes and lead based paint, we're just dealing with issues from prior decades. but this is current so there is a conscious decision to still use lead in products. also, i don't know enough about this subject (bottle manufacturing) to know why they prefer to use lead for this step, or where in the world they manufacture the cups, but my other concern is that even though the general public will likely not be exposed if it's covered, there are still workers who have to handle it during production.

anyway, i just find that i am constantly learning about more places that lead gets found and it's just. sigh. i know lead has many appealing properties which is why it is constantly found everywhere in everything but at this point it's incredibly clear that no benefits outweigh its risks....

#anyway. assimilating this into brain so that the next time i do public outreach i can answer this question lmao #it pays (quite literally for me) to learn as many of these sources as possible #so now i also get to tell parents they should be careful about their steel tumbler bottles getting damaged... #havent done enough research yet to determine if this is All brands or just stanley & the ones mentioned in the consumer product safety site #but it seems to be a common component of steel insulated bottles #will have to do more research later

[kelpiemomma]

forgive the random idea, but I was thinking about how much I love stories about people with power and in power, able to destroy lives and countries without a thought, being immeasurably strong and deadly... Being so soft and gentle towards their child.

Ingo being a god, a god who's been around for millenia. He's seen nations rise and fall, people come into and out of power. He's been revered and feared and forgotten and renamed. He's lived inthe heavens and on the earth. He's been mortal as an immortal, living a human life before dying and returning to godhood. He is old and tired and powerful. He has caused forest fires and destroyed mountains. He has provided bountiful harvests and life saving rains.

And then one day a child is left on the floor of his temple. A pair of wanderers stayed the night, and with nothing else to their names they left their infant behind. Ingo has no idea who they were, barely noticed that they had lingered, but the disturbance of the child left behind - a taste of innocence that lingers on his tongue, like the breeze over a wheat field and the cleanliness of a newborn - has him going to see what was left.

He's never had a child left as an offering, as payment. Sacrifices? Yes. But this one is still alive. She is so small, her eyes so big, and she looks at him without fear. He can't remember the last time he was looked at without fear, without blind devotion. He hesitates to touch her, not sure how to be gentle, and she reaches out first. She grabs his finger and begins to chew on it.

And Ingo is lost.

#Pokemon legends Arceus au #Dad ingo #God Ingo #I was just thinking about how I love stories about powerful men unintentionally adopting daughters #And turning into absolutely doting fathers #And I oop #(might I recommend 'becoming the dark hero's daughter' if you are also into that trope) #(it's adorable) #In the time period Akari was born in it is widely regarded that if you use/visit a temple you must #Leave something of value as thanks for being allowed to stay #Her parent/s were wanderers with barely clothes upon their backs #food was foraged and consumed throughout the day #The weather was deadly and they had no choice but to spend the night in Ingo's temple #Part of what caught Ingo's attention was their sincere prayers to him for their daughter's safety #Anyway. God Ingo au lol

[lloydfrontera]

i genuinely forget that not everyone is into javilon like i am and that the idea of his obsession with rakiel being the one thing to doom the world as well as save it isn't seen as incredibly romantic and fascinating and instead is just. kinda creepy. like. uh. i guess we are engaging with the same content in really different ways aren't we lol

#i talk a lot <3 #crown prince sells medicine #cpsm #cpsm spoilers #like??? javilon becoming a good enough host to acheros because their obsession with rakiel aligned just right??? #the fact that just hearing rakiel's singing was enough to make acheros #pause in his intent to consume three absolutes because javilon's feelings of safety and comfort associated to it #were strong enough that even when most of his soul was gone rakiel's voice brought them out again??? #that even when he was mostly just a shadow a whisper of himself when acheros asked if they should nurse rakiel back to life #javilon still said yes??? #LIKE. ISN'T THAT ROMANTIC. #i don't even mean in a. eros kind of way. just. the feeling of it. #isn't that romantic. isn't that passionate. isn't that deeply and profoundly emotional. #isn't that what tragedies are made of. #javilon amboise #rakiel magentano #royal malpractice

[wuekka]

Whoever is running us consumer product safety twitter is a fucking genius mad lad! I couldn't fit them all in one post! 😂

#us consumer product safety commission #random ramble

[witchofspades]

legit saw a kid go "I'm 13 but im not scared of blood-y stuff" about reading my comic and im just god you kids are d u m b I'll say it once and ill say it again :) if someone makes a boundary or says something isn't suitable for your age, steer clear. It doesn't matter if ur desensitized. It doesn't matter if you don't find that stuff scary or whatever excuse you're using. Get it in your head that the person making it **doesn't want you there** and there could be a thousand reasons. For my comic, blood isn't the reason I am barring it from kids. The reason I'm barring it from kids is because I'm not comfortable knowing a child is reading it. I don't care who you are, where you're from or what you know. If you're under 15 I don't want you anywhere near my work. It's bad for you. STOP CONSUMING IT. YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO CONSUME IT.

or jesus christ at least have the intelligence to not brag. like fuck dude, internet safety is nothing but shit now-a-days.

#can't stand kids #or no #i can't stand that parents let their kids do shit so unsupervised #can't stand kids that haven't been taught shit about boundaries and intellectual safety #Congrats #you can watch brutal murder #Are you jaded to watching horrific violence? does it not bother you at all in fact do you think its cool? #CONGRATS #You've been FUCKED UP #Content not meant to be consumed at your age will fuck you up :) #the problem is #you're too young to understand how until its too late #If ur parents are okay with it #fine #but I'm not #So *go away* #is2g im gonna just make EA 18+ I #I dont even care at this point like kids are actually stupid

[nico-di-genova]

Constantly fluctuating between happy Legolas being raised by a caring father who was trying his best and Legolas who is a perfectionist because he was raised by a grieving father who tried to be there, but was often too consumed by his own trauma to be the father he wanted to be. Legolas who hides his emotions, even into adulthood, because he was raised by an emotionally closed off man who never spoke of the wife he lost and the mother Legolas had to grow up without. Legolas who doesn’t necessarily like physical contact, but is touch-starved nonetheless because Thranduil hasn’t hugged him since he was a crying child being woken by nightmares of his mother’s death. And he knows his father loves him, but he also sometimes fears that he simply isn’t enough. He wasn’t enough to save his father from drinking himself into a stupor and he wasn’t enough for Tauriel, even if he’s now old enough to realize it wasn’t love he felt for her in the first place, but a deep respect and fierce friendship. And a deep part of him thinks he wasn’t enough to save his mother, despite only being a child when she died in battle. And so there’s the Legolas who grew up in Mirkwood surrounded by kin who tried to give him the best possible childhood, despite the mounting evil around them and the grief that he has endured. The Legolas who laughed freely and loved deeply, because his father wasn’t always closed off, wasn’t always too lost in himself to function. But there’s also the Legolas who used to sit outside his father’s door for hours, just waiting for the man to open it so that they could for once speak of the pain they were both in.

#like I truly think thranduil was a good dad #in that he was fiercely protective of Legolas and would have done anything to ensure his safety #but I also think he never properly dealt with his grief #and because he let it consume him so much it often meant he couldn’t see the hurt his son was going through #legolas #thranduil #lotr #lotr elves #the hobbit #tolkien

[reportwire]

Rivian Recalling Nearly All of Its Vehicles

Rivian Recalling Nearly All of Its Vehicles

Rivian Automotive is recalling nearly all of its vehicles to address a potential problem that could cause customers to lose steering control, the company said Friday. The electric truck and SUV maker said the recall was made after it discovered a fastener connecting the upper control arm and steering knuckle may have been improperly installed. In rare cases, the problem could lead to a loss of…

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#7203.TO #Alternative Fuel Vehicles #Automotive #Business #consumer safety #corporate #Corporate/Industrial News #industrial news #JP:7203 #Motor Vehicles #Passenger Cars #product #Product recalls #Product/Consumer Safety #products #Products/Services #Rivian #Rivian Automotive #Rivian Automotive Cl A #RIVN #services #Sports Utility Vehicles #synd #Toyota Motor #WSJ-PRO-WSJ.com #wsjcorp

[publicdomaincharacters]

Here a public Domain character,Sprocket Man,who appeared in a comic by by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to teach basic bicycle safety.

#public domain #sprocket man #u.s. consumer product safety commission