Wooden Puzzle

Not a very interesting title, but I cannot find a title on this little thing anywhere. Today’s blog post talks about cheap products like this one. I am 100% certain that this little thing was purchased on a cheap site through either Amazon or Temu. I, naturally bought this second hand at a thrift store.

So first off, let’s talk about the pros to this little thing. I was impressed at the number of shaped pieces, I’ve shown the backside of this puzzle first on purpose, tiny little animal shaped pieces with a fair amount of detail. I was definitely impressed with that, but I have to say that’s the only thing about this that impressed me.

Poor quality, the pieces were so small that many of the tiny little connectors or loops were either broken off, or jagged in some way that the puzzle didn’t fully connect, the pieces didn’t lay flat and there were a lot of false fits. Try pulling those apart in this delicate little puzzle!

As you can see the tip of branch or greenery that the giraffe is eating isn’t even part of the whole. It was intended to be, because there was a tiny twig, that’s how I can best describe it, in the box that was so flimsy I’m not surprised it broke off.

Next, this is an obvious knock off of higher quality wooden puzzles. There is no Artist credit on the box anywhere, perhaps there is on the site where it was originally ordered, but something tells me that there isn’t.

Now, I know that some people will make the case for these cheaper branded puzzles and sites but I am not one of those. Here is my reasoning. If I’m buying a cheaper product online and let’s say there’s free shipping, like some of these sites offer. There is a much higher cost that I’m paying! Environmentally, how is this thing getting delivered to my home for free? I just don’t agree with this, plus this is a cheap product that will break maybe on the first use, so then it will go into the landfill for a half hour of (I wouldn’t even dare call it enjoyment).

There is also a very good chance that this would get delivered, the dopamine rush of purchasing something for a very low price has worn off, and the purchaser just donates it without even doing the puzzle. The reasoning being, “it’s ok, it was super cheap” and “I’m donating it, so it’s not going in the garbage”.

This is a great way to go broke, really quickly and I’ll say it again, what is the environmental cost of something like this? Now luckily I found this at the thrift shop, which can arguably give this a longer life, but I recognize that this is trash, so what will happen to it now? I love thrifting, I’m sure we all know this, but I recognize that most of the world’s donated stuff, does not get a second life, it ends up in the landfill.

The main reason I thrift for puzzles, is the affordability, the hunt, and the hope that I am sparing a bit of stuff from becoming trash. Brand new puzzles are pricey, and if they’re good quality, they should be. I’d much rather save up some cash and buy a higher quality wooden puzzle that I will cherish and do many times over. Products like Wentworth or Liberty or Unidragon, are definitely expensive and they’ll charge you shipping, but they will last a lifetime. If you can’t afford these products, which I often am not able to swing, if you hold out, you may find them second hand on reseller sites or at the thrift stores.

I realize this is an unusually ranty post for me, but I am so saddened by the throwaway approach to shopping that these types of sites promote.