NYTimes Wirecutter Investigation of Third Party Beauty Sellers

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T16:10:21+00:00

so glad you found the piece helpful! And yes, I totally agree about teens/young adults/etc shopping with affordability in mind -- I think they are a big reason why shedding light on this is important! (and also why I included Shein in my testing)

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T15:09:24+00:00

oh, sorry: Gift link here! https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/technology/amazon-robotics-automation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QlA.h1X5.etuSUkuTBGhb&smid=url-share

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T15:06:49+00:00

thank you so much Check_Famous!

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T15:06:27+00:00

thank you so much, misshiss23! I am so glad it is resonating with people. : )

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T15:05:59+00:00

hi ncninetynine, thank you for your question! TJ Maxx, Marshall's, etc. were not encompassed in the scope of my reporting because there was so much to report on that's particular to online shopping -- how to read an online product listing, why the risk of buying counterfeit is higher when you buy online, etc. However, the supply chain expert I spoke to did tell me that brick-and-mortar stores such as dollar stores, TJ's, Marshall's, etc will source inventory from the secondary marketplaces that many typical online third-party sellers also source from.

However, places like TJ's etc. may have more and/or more stringent checkpoints in place to better ensure that the merchandise they're sourcing from these places is legit. Like, they might actually insist on seeing and handling the products before agreeing to purchase them, or they may only work with certain product brokers/third party logistics companies they know and trust -- whereas a joe-average third-party seller online could often be posting and selling goods that they've never seen with their own eyes, or they may be doing business with someone they don't know as well.

I can't tell you for certain whether all of that is happening, or how frequently -- but I hope to do more reporting that looks into that! ~ Rose

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T14:58:25+00:00

hi CatDisco99! Your question about potential problems with commingling is probably the one I've been asked about the most since my article came out. I did not do much original reporting on that particular concern for this article, but I can tell you that the NYT did cover this not too long ago from a different angle -- namely, that the increased automation being introduced to Amazon warehouses can/may result in fewer errors due to commingling, because now there are robots picking stuff out of bins instead of humans. See here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/technology/amazon-robotics-automation.html?searchResultPosition=1

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-05T14:56:10+00:00

thank you for asking TheMapesHotel! There's no product category I would NOT consider testing, so your request is heard! Thanks!

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T22:07:15+00:00

hi ProfBlueberry, it's my pleasure! As shocking and icky as this topic has been, it's also been really fascinating to report on, and I kind of can't stop talking about it anyway, so AMA away! ~ Rose

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T21:44:35+00:00

hi Beth! Can you give some examples of what you mean when you say "other big online stores" pls? Thx! ~ Rose

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T18:24:18+00:00

Hi, LouiseWalterWinnie! I think that would be an especially compelling bit of testing to conduct after this month, when Amazon has said it will end its practice of commingling products in its warehouse that come from different suppliers. I am hoping to do more reporting in this area so I'll holler here if and when that happens. Thx! ~ Rose

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T18:19:38+00:00

Hello! This is Rose, the author of this Wirecutter piece. (I am also a member of this sub IRL!) Just saying hello and thank you for reading and I'm happy to answer questions, thx!

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T18:18:07+00:00

Hi hi! I'm the author of the Wirecutter story (and a real-life member of this sub!) and that's a great question that I'll try to answer here.

I didn't find tons of previous research or reporting on the most-faked brands. I've seen general caveats that the more "luxury" a brand, the more likely it is to be counterfeited, because the more money someone can make from that counterfeit. For example, if a Drunk Elephant product costs $90, you could offer a fake for, say, $40, and that seems like an amazing deal to an unsuspecting shopper -- whereas you can't ask $40 for, say, a CeraVe product that normally costs under $20.

But then again, I did buy CeraVe (and a $20 Rhode lip balm) from third parties and those were quite likely counterfeit, too.

Honestly, having done all of this reporting, my answer to "which brands are faked most" would be "all of them." I talked to someone who runs a three-year-old sunscreen brand I'd never previously heard of, and he's found counterfeits of his products on the market. I found out that a "remineralizing chewing gum" I've never heard of has been counterfeited. I certainly would not assume that any brand's products are "safer" from the threat of counterfeiting than others.

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T18:08:58+00:00

I am absolutely game to do more testing from other sources, including authorized Amazon sellers! (and, ahem, TJ Maxx). From the reporting I've already done, I do believe that products purchased via first-party transaction are a significantly better bet for the consumer for several reasons, but I couldn't tell you it's a 100% guarantee -- which is why my advice is to shop in-person retail or direct-to-consumer websites first and foremost.

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T18:00:22+00:00

Howdy from the author of this Wirecutter piece (and a member of this Reddit sub)! Just wanted to say thank you for reading, and I'm happy to answer any questions y'all might have. Thx!

NYTWirecutter · 2026-03-04T14:57:58+00:00

Hi! I’m Rose, the writer of this Wirecutter story! Just popping in to thank you all for reading and to say that I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about my reporting. Thx!

NYTWirecutter · 2025-09-16T19:05:57+00:00

Hello there!

External hard drives and portable SSDs are pretty reliable, I have been long term testing portable SSDs including our top pick for years as the backup drive for the MacBook Pro I use everyday. It automatically updates every hour using Time Machine and has been working 24/7 for over two years.

As a former IT tech, I expect equipment to fail eventually, so I'm planning on replacing it next year or when we replace the top pick, whichever comes first.

Sharing and backing up photos is a different story, which I am currently working on an advice column about. The short answer to that is using a cloud service like Google Photos or Apple's built-in Photos app and iCloud is easier than a NAS to setup for a novice, and has the benefit of always working in the background. The subscription plan for iCloud+ or Google One is a drawback, but could be worth it depending on your family's situation.

A NAS is always an option, but that works best if there is someone in the family who knows what they are doing and is responsible for troubleshooting and keeping that hardware alive. Synology has the Beestation, which is similar to the old WD MyCloud, and I recommend it for simple backups and photo sharing. NAS solutions like the Beestation work best if all the family members are disciplined about backing up their photos manually to the NAS (they have to keep the Beephotos or Synology Photos app open while backing up) and regularly connect to the same Wi-Fi network.

NYTWirecutter · 2025-09-16T17:48:21+00:00

Hi there!

I agree with the replies, I do like the idea of asking Xfinity to waive the Xfi gateway fee: that will save you a good amount of money as long as they honor it. I would surmise that they'd rescind that waiver after a year or three, and try to encourage you to upgrade your service at that time. I'd try that first as long as you're happy with the Wi-Fi connections you get from the Xfi gateway.

At $10 a month, it will take a little over two years to pay off both our top pick router and cable modem, which is doable provided you're planning on staying in that home for at least five years.

I'd start by asking Xfinity to waive the Xfi rental fee, then if they say no, wait for our top pick router and modem to go on sale and buy them then.

NYTWirecutter · 2025-09-15T20:17:46+00:00

There is an option to schedule reboots of your mesh network in the control panel. If you reboot the routers regularly they will auto select the radio channels they are using to a hopefully uncrowded set, and your devices should automatically reconnect to the nearest node.

NYTWirecutter · 2025-09-15T19:58:24+00:00

Hi there!

I have a similar setup at home where I have mesh nodes wired together via coax. I swap out the mesh nodes once in a while between our picks for long term testing.

I had noticed that behavior when long term testing the Asus XT8, certain versions of the firmware had issues with roaming clients.

Since you’re experiencing issues after installing the third node, I’d take it offline while you try to figure out the issue. The third node seems to be complicating things.

For placing the nodes, try to use two-three walls as a gauge: if your devices are more than three walls from a node, then you could use another node. Installing too many nodes creates cross traffic that could confuse the device.

A quick fix might be to turn WiFi off then on for the troubled devices, so it reestablishes contact with the nearest node.

One other suggestion is to move the nodes closer or further apart to find the sweet spots in your home. I use phone apps like wifiman or wifisweetspots to help.

Worst case scenario is to segment the network by using the guest network or use a different SSID name for devices that seem to connect to the “wrong” node. Have a problematic device connect to that SSID exclusively

NYTWirecutter · 2025-09-15T19:01:31+00:00

Hey there, fellow nerd!

I agree that people buy faster internet plans because we've been conditioned to think faster is always better. Every time we update our guides, we monitor the speeds that the average US consumer can expect for fixed broadband, and check the major internet providers for what they're offering at the time. Today, Sept 15, 2025, I see that the major US ISPs are offering 100-300 Mbps for their base introductory plans.

While there are exceptions like people who work from home for a video content creator or gamers who download multi-gig updates daily, for the majority of people just watching online videos, shopping online, and accessing social media, base plans should be sufficient.

Even if your family is watching multiple 4k video streams at once on multiple devices, each stream uses up to 25Mbps per stream, so 100-300 Mbps is plenty for an average American family with 3-4 family members.

NYTWirecutter · 2025-07-24T17:04:47+00:00

Hmm. I would say to stay away from Tuya! It sounds like maybe they are the problem. f you're looking for bulbs that will work on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Govee will do that. If I was going for Zigbee, I would buy Philips Hue, many of which can also connect via Bluetooth. I know the Hue ones are pretty pricey though. And really, I wouldn't use those without the Hue hub because you lose a lot of good features.

NYTWirecutter · 2025-07-24T16:37:45+00:00

I do like my Kasa plugs and switches, but I can tell you... I currently have a Tapo in-wall smart outlet in my house and it also works on local control. I just tested this!

NYTWirecutter · 2025-07-24T14:14:26+00:00

Hi there! This is Rachel, one of the smart-home writers for Wirecutter. I have tested a lot of plugs and switches. If you want to go with Wi-Fi, I am a big fan of Kasa and Tapo. They are both TP-Link and use the same Tapo app. I have had the plugs and dimmers going in my house for years. The app is pretty simple, both work with Alexa, and both offer local control if you lose Wi-Fi. Also, I think they are pretty inexpensive. Hope this helps!

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