I agree with you, however:

One of the qualia of a product is cost. Another is contemporaneity.

If we put these together, we see a wide array of products which, rather than just being trash, hit a sweet spot for "up-to-date yet didn't break the wallet" and you end up with https://shein.com/

These are not thought of as the same people that subscribe to the Buy It For Life subreddit, but some may use Shein for a club shirt and BIFL for an espresso machine. They make a choice.

What's more, a “Technivorm Moccamaster” costs 10x a “Mr. Coffee” because of the build and repairability, not because of the coffee. (Amazon Basics cost ½ that again.)

Maybe Fashion was the original SEO hack. Whoever came up with the phrase "gone out of style" wrought much of this.