Feeling the squeeze? Stop buying brands

Brands are familiar, but often expensive. A new online retailer thinks it can offer shoppers big savings by ditching branded goods altogether.
Brandless launched last month with a promise to sell only "brand-free" products for just $3 an item.
Its product range includes kitchen knives, olive oil, toilet cleaner and facial moisturizer. The items come in simple packaging with a white label containing key product information.

American serial entrepreneur Tina Sharkey developed Brandless with co-founder Ido Leffler, raising about $50 million from investors before the website launched.
Sharkey says they created Brandless to help shoppers avoid the hidden costs of buying a big brand. They even trademarked the term "BrandTax" to describe those costs.

Tina Sharkey and Ido Leffler in front of their Brandless products.
Brandless sources all its products from independent manufacturers and sends them directly to distribution centers. It focuses on natural and organic items at affordable prices