“Retiring” online storefronts

The Algorithms™ have been feeding me a steady diet of ads for long time artisans who are blowing out their inventory on their way into retirement. Jewelry, handbags, cowboy leather, you name it. The most recent I’ve come across was “Junie” (identified within the site as “Junie Collins”). Apparently: 

1975 - 2025: Junie’s retiring and her bags are 80% off!

Out of curiousity I clicked through and was struck by the fact that the bags all seem to be things I’ve seen on Amazon, like this Hazel Vintage Chest Crossbody Bag, which doesn’t really look all that handmade:

Hazel Vintage Chest Crossbody Bag

And, yeah, a Google Images search finds a bajillion hits for that image; the first few are $16 versions on Walmart.com (junieboutique.com lists it for $64.99). If Junie Collins is making this as advertised (“Hand-stitched by me, Junie with 35+ years of expertise”), damn, she’s busy.

So, the merch is suspect inherently. But what about the domain name? Junie’s been in business for 35 years, huh? So her site should be pretty well archived. A quick stop by the Wayback Machine, and, well, nope.

The first use of the site as a “boutique” was captured in late 2021, and appears to be hawking cheap fast fashion. That was still the case (selling garments and accessories) through at least October 2024, and then in or around December 2024 the store was taken down. 

We don’t get Junie and her retirement announcement until around April 2025.

So, yeah, the whole thing smells super super scammy and false. Probably the rest of ’em, too.

Another “e-commerce dark pattern,” found in the wild.