Who is Erika
Erika. This is the blog home of my YouTube sex education + sex toy review series The Ins and Outs as well as my general dumping ground for all things sex ed, sex toy, and sex health.
Why does she say that and Where not to buy
Here is a list of sex toy retailers and manufacturers that she doesn't recommend. There are shades of shit here — some of these companies are grossly unethical in her opinion, while others have constant order and shipping problems, etc. As always you’re free to form your own opinions and buy from whomever you’d like.
RETAILERS
Adam & Eve – A&E are old school, and not in a good way. Besides selling largely porous and potentially toxic toys, they’re also known for sending customers indiscreet, unwanted catalogs and porn mailers via snail mail. Because they’re so heavily promoted on YouTube, I did a whole video on my issues with the company.
EdenFantasys – EF have been fucking over employees and the reviewer community for going on a decade now, but what concerns me most for their customers are the allegations that they’ve sent out used sex toys and their disregard for privacy.
A Touch of Glass – What do you get when a creepy UKIP politician starts a glass dildo company and tries to catfish bloggers for nudes and explicit video “reviews”? A baffling shitshow.
sexmachines.co.uk – Used appalling, fat-shaming advertising, including making fun of a plus sized blogger who worked with them, and made light of sexual assault. The company posted (and has sometime since deleted) an apology, but their Twitter account continues to be full of misogyny, transphobic slurs, stolen porn.
Amazon/eBay/AliExpress/etc. – Basically, when you buy a toy from sites like these, you have no idea what you’re actually going to get. It could be counterfeit, it could be used, and manufacturers may not honor warranty for toys purchased from these sorts of sites.
MANUFACTURERS
Pipedream – Pipedream are The Worst. I cannot overstate how disgusting this company is. Their advertising and products are misogynistic and racist in the most vile ways. They capitalized on a sex crime by releasing a Jennifer Lawrence sex doll based off her stolen nude photos. They steal designs from indie companies, sell tons of porous and potentially toxic junk, and make me fume a little every time I’m reminded that they exist.
Bad Dragon – I’m going to state upfront that I have no personal experience with this company. However, there are many, many, many posts on the internet detailing a multitude of issues with them. I recommend you read them and draw your own conclusions.
LELO – I’ve had mixed feelings about LELO for a long time, but their Hex Condoms promotion is the final straw for me. A company that claims to care about women partnering with a well-known domestic abuser is unforgivable in my eyes. I’m done. Update: On top of that, the condoms in question are potentially even unsafe.
KIIROO – This company has made rape jokes on social media, has treated employees abhorrently and then threatened legal action if they speak out about it, and are just generally gross.
Fifi – Fat-shaming, racist, misogynistic advertising. Sexualizing children to market a sex toy. This company’s got it all. Get a Tenga sleeve instead.
Mr. Hankey’s Toys – Mr. Hankey runs an exploitative marketing scheme where he encourages customers to upload explicit videos using his products to “tube” porn sites in exchange for the possibility of free dildos. When called out on Twitter, he responded by sexually harassing me.
Autoblow/SiliconeStroker – Another company who thinks awful misogynistic douchebro advertising is the way to market sex toys to men. The owner has also threatened and attempted to bribe bloggers to remove negative reviews.
Shiri Zinn – Shiri, best known for her Cupcake Vibrator, has censored, stifled, threatened, and apparently doxxed reviewers. Don’t give her your money.
Velvet Nest – They make the cutest strap-on harnesses I’ve ever seen. Too bad you may never receive your order. Or an e-mail reply. Or a refund.
Vamp Silicone – Their pre-made products are great, and if you see them in a shop I totally recommend them. But some people have had issues with custom orders and dealing with the company directly, so I wouldn’t buy from their own website.
Although there are many bad sex toys on the amazon, I have to say that there are many good amazon sex toys that are worth recommending. If you want recommended good or bad sex toy, please comment down.
