[cartoonworld]

>There is no value add or special thing about the product; you could order it from the supplier yourself for much less

While otherwise true, I hate to say it but this point misses something.

There is definitely a value-add in marketing something to someone who wants it. There are tons of products (especially fashion) that people might be interested in but don't know exist. This is the most benevolent thesis of the entire marketing field. As scummy as marketing can be, there is definitely some value in curating a basket of stuff and generating a commission on the sales lead.

What the markup is, of course, can really color the palette, but I don't see anything inherently wrong with marketing. This whole scenario is a lot more on the astroturf side of the scale, but social media is a lot of astroturf in some respects.