YouTube series

Stickonomics

The hidden economics of ordinary things, drawn in ink. Where your stuff comes from, what it really costs, who gets paid along the way. Every episode is researched from published reports, with the full transcript and sources below each video.

Episode 2 · 7:43

How Free Apps Make Money

97% of the apps on your phone are free. In 2024 people spent $150 billion inside them, and advertisers spent roughly $380 billion more. This episode opens the four doors behind every free app: the ad auction that sells your attention 747 times a day, the data pipes that sent ten ordinary apps' users to 135 companies, the 0.15% of players who pay for everyone's game, and the subscription model that is quietly winning.

Episode 1 · 8:05

What Really Happens to Your Amazon Return

Americans sent back almost $890 billion of merchandise in 2024. Almost none of it goes back on the shelf. This episode follows one box from the returns counter through grading, open-box aisles, liquidation pallets, bin stores, the shredder, and the strange "keep it" refund that software decides before any human looks at your order.

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