Can we talk about that $200 DNA ancestry kit I bought

I dropped $200 on a DNA ancestry kit last January because I wanted to find out my family background, but the results were so broad they basically just said 'European mix' and nothing specific. The database felt like it was built for people with more common ancestry, and I ended up with a bunch of useless cousin matches who never replied. Has anyone else felt like these kits are more of a gamble than a real answer?

4 comments

4 Comments

karen3611mo ago

Right, because spending two hundred bucks to get told you're European is just such a life changing revelation. I feel like those kits are mostly just a fun novelty for people who already know their basic story. The cousin matching thing is a total joke too, nobody wants to reply to some random person asking about a great grandparent. Honestly, it's not like you're missing out on some deep family secret unless you're royalty or something. Just save your money and ask your grandma.

william_harris1mo ago

Oh man, I feel this so hard. @karen361 is right too, it really is a total gamble. I did the same thing last year and got the exact same thing, just some broad region that told me nothing I didn't already know. The cousin matches part is honestly the most frustrating thing, you reach out to like ten people and maybe one writes back after three months. It's like they want you to fill in their family tree for them but won't share a thing themselves. I still think it's cool for some people, but for the rest of us it's basically just an expensive piece of paper that says you're from somewhere you already guessed.

matthewdixon1mo ago

The cousin matching isn't a total joke, but you gotta be willing to do some legwork yourself. Most people don't reply because they haven't logged in since they spit in the tube, not because they're trying to hide secrets.

wilson.joseph1mo ago

Has anyone actually tried reaching out to the cousin matches with more than just a "hey, we're related" message though? Ngl, I went into it thinking nobody would reply, but I wrote a tiny bit about what I knew and asked specific questions about the common ancestor we were both tied to. Ended up getting replies from like half a dozen people, some with old photos and stories nobody else in my family had. Tbh, the trick is to treat it like a actual conversation starter instead of just fishing for info. The people who don't respond are usually the ones who barely check their account anyway, not the ones hiding big secrets.