Jump to content

Counterfeit products on Amazon


footfree

Recommended Posts

I bought an Otterbox case from Amazon, and it looked legit, but it didn't feel the same.  Packaging was almost identical.  It failed by the 2nd week and so I went in and amended my rating.  Wow, did that start a firestorm!  The seller contact me and told me "you change your mind, I send you new box."  "Give good recommendation"  Yep, a red flag.  So I accepted the offer and I used it up until my phone was traded in.  It was half the price of a real Otterbox.  I didn't realize this was such a huge situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazon is a warehouse that deals with many companies. Yes they have found that some companies have been selling counterfeit electronics but that doesn't mean everything is bad. One thing I like about Amazon is they will replace anything without asking questions. If you don't like it let them know and they will either give you your money back or replace the item. I do a lot of business with them using Amazon gift codes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not saying I will stop buying from them however I will be more diligent about finding out where  the item is being shipped from.I read reviews before buying anything and the ones I find to be leery of are the ones that said they have been given a discount for their unbiased review.I don't know why but something about that statement doesn't sit well with me. Plus I don't only take the word of Amazon reviewers I will do a google search of other stores and read their reviews also.I have found a lot of the same reviews  on Amazon and other sites,every single word is verbatim, that to me is a red flag.Some things are cheap enough that price isn't the concern,however I don't want cheap knock offs.It isn't good for us,the original maker or America.Some of the products from China have made people ill,don't need that headache.

 

 

P.S.  Not all things from China are bad.I do buy some famous named brand labels that have their manufacturing plants in China and their products are better then some items made in America.However I do not want to buy inferior products just to save a buck ,only for them to turn around and break on me or make me sick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not saying I will stop buying from them however I will be more diligent about finding out where  the item is being shipped from.I read reviews before buying anything and the ones I find to be leery of are the ones that said they have been given a discount for their unbiased review.I don't know why but something about that statement doesn't sit well with me. Plus I don't only take the word of Amazon reviewers I will do a google search of other stores and read their reviews also.I have found a lot of the same reviews  on Amazon and other sites,every single word is verbatim, that to me is a red flag.Some things are cheap enough that price isn't the concern,however I don't want cheap knock offs.It isn't good for us,the original maker or America.Some of the products from China have made people ill,don't need that headache.

 

 

P.S.  Not all things from China are bad.I do buy some famous named brand labels that have their manufacturing plants in China and their products are better then some items made in America.However I do not want to buy inferior products just to save a buck ,only for them to turn around and break on me or make me sick.

I've given reviews about things I've bought and no one ever offered or gave me a discount. Like you I would wonder how good a review like that would be when it was paid for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just bought a laptop for my daughter on Groupon from a third party seller and it won't even power up. Third party sellers are wrecking the joy of online shopping. At least they are for me. You don't know what you are actually buying until you have it and communicating with them is frustrating. Many don't speak english and worse they don't have any knowledge about the items they are selling. More competition should drive prices down but it hasn't. They charge full price for outdated merchandise. A 2013 model costs as much as a 2016 model.

 

/rant

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I try to buy American but it is hard to do. Many companies do have their items made in China or other countries but the well known companies will usually have a quality Control person watching how things are made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a few things last month from a third party Amazon seller. When they sent me the purchase confirmation there was a note saying the item ships from China. On the product page it said "US SELLER CALIFORNIA" so I cancelled the order. I don't mind buying some things from China but I feel they lied and it makes me question if it would be a genuine product as the description said or a fake. I stopped using eBay long ago because of stuff like that. Hopefully Amazon doesn't become the same but right now they are headed in that direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They say if you are not happy with Amazon's purchase and or you think it's counterfeit that they are good about giving you a refund.However who do you think eats the price of the refund?They can only afford to do this is much before they have to either up prices or charge more for shipping.So maybe they should invest some money into making sure they are not selling cheap knock offs.I know they will stop selling to a vendor once they find out they are selling inferior products,but then that company turns around makes up another name and starts pushing their wares again.So it is hard for them .I think as consumers we should do our due diligence and find out who is selling the product before buying them.If it's cheap then ask yourself why?Check around for prices on other sites,check where it's being shipped from.Do your homework, it can be worth the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Amazon return policy is really good but some items have a restocking fee from around 10% or higher so you don't always get all of your money back.

 

I know they will stop selling to a vendor once they find out they are selling inferior products,but then that company turns around makes up another name and starts pushing their wares again.

 

I have found a few stores selling the same items that I'm 99% sure are the same people. That looks really scammy. I think I'm going to stick to buying from Amazon warehouse stock from now on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I signed up on Amazon to test products for honest reviews.  I can't even remember how I go on there, but I get 3-4 emails a day from these people wanting me to try their products for a reduced price.  Most of it are not things I would use, like a Superman logo tshirt.  Maybe some of you have a use for it, but I don't.  So far I haven't tried anything, but I do read reviews that say that they received a discount for their honest review.  Maybe someday I will try something. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I signed up on Amazon to test products for honest reviews.  I can't even remember how I go on there, but I get 3-4 emails a day from these people wanting me to try their products for a reduced price.  Most of it are not things I would use, like a Superman logo tshirt.  Maybe some of you have a use for it, but I don't.  So far I haven't tried anything, but I do read reviews that say that they received a discount for their honest review.  Maybe someday I will try something. 

I didn't know they did that. The reviews I make are not for money. It's on the items I buy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here Paulgro.  I found some article on line and so I gave it a try.  Most of the stuff they send me to try is not what I would normally buy anyway. Baby clothes, a flashlight that costs $79 without their coupon.  They give you a discount and you give a fair evaluation.  I must say that I have seen people give blunt opinions even after getting a discount.  I would never give someone a great review on a junky item just for a discount.  I would want to be giving folks a heads up.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here Paulgro.  I found some article on line and so I gave it a try.  Most of the stuff they send me to try is not what I would normally buy anyway. Baby clothes, a flashlight that costs $79 without their coupon.  They give you a discount and you give a fair evaluation.  I must say that I have seen people give blunt opinions even after getting a discount.  I would never give someone a great review on a junky item just for a discount.  I would want to be giving folks a heads up.  

Many of the reviews I make are about the packaging and I will answer questions that people might ask. I found the reviews have helped me decide what to buy when I was looking for an item so I was glad to start making reviews and answering questions.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here Paulgro.  I do read those, but I learned to read the middle road ones.  The weren't disgruntled with the purchase and I felt I could trust them more.  If there is bad, I want to know it.  Unless there are a lot of bad reviews, I feel like the product might be worth a try. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...