Dont buy USB extension cables from Dollar Tree

[VirtualLarry]

I had been getting these nifty 6' USB extension cables from Dollar Tree for $1 ea. Been selling some of them at the flea for $3-4 ea, as well as using them with clients, usually when I sell them a USB WiFi dongle.

Well, I had one that didn't work, so I took it home and tried it on my machine, it didn't work either. So I pulled another one out of a new package, and it didn't work either. Which is strange, the last two that I used for clients worked fine.

So I had a pile of ones that I had picked up from a different store, and I went through them, and nearly 50% of them didn't work!!!

So you are much better off buying USB extension cables from monoprice, I bought a bunch through them, and those seem to work much better. I got the black 6' with gold-plated ends for $0.99 ea + shipping.

 

[Zap]

You'd think something so basic...

I have a somewhat similar story. Got a bunch of fan extensions that were wired wrong. For every single one of them I have to pull two pins and reverse them. Basically ground was going into RPM wire, and vice versa. Oh yeah, and all were wired exactly the same WRONG way, except one which was wired differently but still wrong. Fan extensions! Seriously!

 

[lxskllr]

Never underestimate the Chinese ability to screw up the most basic items. I had a long standing boycott of Chinese tools, but I broke down and got a Chinese hatchet once. I figured how the hell can they screw that up? It's just a chunk of metal on a stick. Yea... The wood was garbage, and the head wasn't even wedged on. They put the head on, and poured epoxy in the top

I can't believe they run their country off the garbage they make. EVERYTHING's disposable. Hell, you probably buy a car over there for a single trip. Take it to the market, and walk home because it quit working :^/

 

[corkyg]

I don't understand why any rational person would buy anything from Dollar Tree. Even the name shrieks POS.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

I just had to come in here and say, "NO SHIT". lol

 

[brblx]

i mean, wire is wire. it if conforms to USB requirements and isn't soldered together by a blind guy with parkinsons, it should work.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Must be a bad batch. I've used a number of the extension and A-B varieties without any problems.

 

[Paperlantern]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Must be a bad batch. I've used a number of the extension and A-B varieties without any problems.

Well right, but did you get those from Dollar Tree?

I would be hesitant to buy any from a dollar store as well, but rationalization would tell you that just cables really SHOULD be ok. Live and learn...

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Must be a bad batch. I've used a number of the extension and A-B varieties without any problems.

From both a store in MA, and a store in IN? Because that's where I got my cables.

 

[Maverick2002]

I used to get blowpops there, but that's it.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Several purchases from a Dollar Tree in Ohio. Now that I think about it, I even bought a couple in N.C. that worked.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Everything i've bought electronic-wise from the folar tree has worked well, and definitely won on the price vs performance ratio.

 

[TheKub]

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
I used to get blowpops there, but that's it.

Congrats, you have lead poisoning!

I should get you a card from the Dollar Tree but it would likely be made of asbestos.


MMMmmm Cardboard....

 

[JackMDS]

Almost every thing that is sols in Dolar tree is a manufacturing "Sc**wUp", otherwise it will not be there.

With many items it would not matter if you like it (I.e. the way it looks), but with Tools and Technology Items One should be very careful, rarely they really worth anything.

I once got stuck with a tape measure that was inaccurate and left me with a lot of too short pieces of "nice" (and expensive) lenghts of Cedar wood.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
I once got stuck with a tape measure that was inaccurate and left me with a lot of too short pieces of "nice" (and expensive) lenghts of Cedar wood.

OMGWTF? Chinese usually do a better job of directly copying something.

 

[Comdrpopnfresh]

dude, dollar tree sold/sells electrical extension cords with falsified UL cert-stamps; they overload way before the reported wattage max, and indoor marshmallow roasting ensues. Lesson learned- never buy anything @ a dollar store that can't fail w/o ruining something else

 

[fr]

I bought two USB LED lights from there. One didn't work. The other was hardly worth it. Barely any light output at all. I bought a roll of kitchen plastic wrap. Zero cling to it! I also got a roll of "Made in USA" shipping tape. The tape smelled horrible and was super thin. It was just adhesive enough to not be called plasic wrap. The tape was so thin, it tore just from me peeling it off the roll. Even triple taping, it felt like my packages would fall apart.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: TheKub

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
I used to get blowpops there, but that's it.

Congrats, you have lead poisoning!

I should get you a card from the Dollar Tree but it would likely be made of asbestos.


MMMmmm Cardboard....

That's why the Chinese cannot be trusted. It's simply a fact of their society. They don't have a society based on the Golden rule, and on Christian morals, like the US is. So they don't feel any compunction about doing things like selling cardboard as food, putting poison in toothpaste, or eating what most people consider to be pets.

They are a very immoral (compared to the US), and unfeeling society.

 

[Modelworks]

You mean the same country that makes motherboards with plastic that looks like chips, but nothing is inside, makes bad usb cables ?
For resell you could buy from monoprice and get better quality stuff with more than enough room to resell and profit.
http://www.monoprice.com/produ..._id=209&seq=1&format=2

Buy 10 for $7.10 , resell for $5 each , $43 profit
I do that with network cards, buy them for $5 each, resell for $15

There is no bestbuy or the like for 40 miles here, only thing is walmart. Local computer shop guy sells nics for $35 !

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just found this article on MSN's home page, it details some of the perils of shopping at dollar stores, such as counterfeit (poisonous) toothpaste, and extension cords with faked UL labels.

 

[jackschmittusa]

VirtualLarry

Too Funny! The "Christian morals" and pets part belongs on P&N.

Hard to find a group that is larger than China's population to label "most people".

Suggesting that the corporations in the U.S. are guided by "Christian morals" is a joke. They really don't care about circumventing the law until it gets to be not cost effective. - Enron, Pinto, shipping known tainted food, pharmaceutical companies pushing unapproved dosages, treatments, and age classes, health insurance companies that pay bonuses for dropping people that might cost money, the list goes on -

Find a better argument.