Surely Amazon wouldn’t sell fake products? The answer might surprise you.
If you do a quick search on Google for “Does Amazon Sell Fake Products“, you can easily find 20+ complaints from Amazon customers about their experience buying fake goods sold on Amazon.com.
Below is one of dozens of credible complaints that I found on one of Amazon’s discussion boards about fake products being sold on Amazon.
Lara says:
I visited with a friend this weekend who sells consumer electronic accessories through Amazon. They have spent the last nine months in battle with Amazon to get them to stop selling counterfeits on their products.
They did the investigations and brought the offending distributors to Amazon’s attention. Amazon refused to do anything.
Doing their research by ordering as secret shoppers, they discovered that over 70% – that’s OVER SEVENTY PERCENT – of their product sold on Amazon by third-party sellers was counterfeit. Only when they filed a lawsuit did Amazon BEGIN to cooperate with them. BUYER BEWARE.
The above post states that 70% of the products sold by Amazon Third-Party Sellers are counterfeit.
If you’re scratching your head and thinking, “What’s a Third-Party Seller?“ let me briefly explain it to you.
What’s a Third Party Seller?
3rd Party Seller’s are independent sellers who offer a variety of new, used, refurbished, and collectible merchandise.
These can be brand name products, or unbranded goods bought at wholesale from factories.
It’s a way for ordinary people to get into the world of e-commerce: https://learntogrowwealthonline.com/amazing-selling-machine-review/
As a Matter of Fact: You, Yes – You! Can Become an Amazon Seller:
Read How My Friend Makes Over $17K/mo. Selling Legit Products on Amazon!
Now, 70% is a high number of counterfeits in the Amazon marketplace, but it’s also understandable.
Here’s the deal:
As a third-party seller, it’s a challenge to find new products to sell online. Research tools like Helium 10 can make the process easier.
One can sell generic products that can be imported from places like Alibaba or Aliexpress.
And you can also sell used items or extra stuff you’ve got hanging around collecting dust.
But many of Amazon’s 3rd Party Sellers end up buying knockoffs from Chinese companies like Aliexpress.com.
The fact of the matter is there are tons of counterfeit products sold on Amazon everyday, most come from 3rd party sellers that buy their products directly from China.
Scary, huh?
How Do Fake Products Get Into Amazon?
Here’s why:
Setting up an Amazon third-party seller account is easy and anyone in the world can do it.
And if you know anything about China’s ability to copy and replicate brand name products, then the picture becomes clear.
The reason there are so many fake products is that… it’s easy!
China is incredibly gifted at copying whatever product they can get their hands on.
Copy the same design, use cheaper materials, and boom; quick cash.
Once they get a hold of a molding for say, an iPhone Case, they can replicate that product almost perfectly.
And they care absolutely nothing about US copyright laws or restrictions.
Big surprise there, huh?
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Does Amazon Support Selling Fake Products?
I’d like to think not…
But after reading so many complaints, it’s tough to say.
There are numerous stories about people reporting counterfeit products to Amazon, and ranting about Amazon’s lack of effort to reconcile the situation.
I personally have used Amazon for years, and one time had a fake camera sent to me.
I complained about it, and Amazon immediately refunded my money, and the seller just told me to keep the camera.
When I called Amazon’s support line about this issue, they clearly stated that they do not support selling counterfeit products.
But, “Generic” products can be sold, if sold correctly.
SAY WHAT?
You heard that right.
As long as the products are labeled correctly and they don’t violate copyright restrictions, you can sell them legally on Amazon.
It’s called selling private label products.
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Don’t Know Where to Start? Check Out This Post
What are copyright restrictions?
Use of brand name, trademarks, and photos to advertise the Generic Product.
Look at the ad below:
This is an ad for a brand name cell phone case made for iPhone 5.
It’s called Lunatik Taktik Extreme.
It’s a military case that has Gorilla Glass, and a protective matrix system, that provides incredible protection for your iPhone.
It normally sells for $100 to $120 USD directly from the original manufacturer, Lunatik.
This ad is a perfect example of a counterfeit product that is being sold today on Amazon. There are easily 3 copyright violations in plain view
How to Spot Fake Products on Amazon:
Here’s what you need to know, to avoid falling for a fake product:
Well, the dead giveaway is that the product is sold by Generic.
Also, look at the price; $24.83.
That’s about 80% off of the retail price.
Sounds too good to be true? It is!
Now look at the Yellow highlighted sections:
These are clear copyright violations using the Lunatik Taktik name and the trademark name of Gorilla Glass.
Plus they are using a copied picture from Google images.
Do You Care About Buying Fake Products?
The reality is (from the consumer’s perspective) there is nothing wrong with generic products in the marketplace.
More often than not you can find a cheaper equivalent of a brand name product.
That is to say, if they are sold honestly as a generic product.
Many times generic products cost 50-80% less than the original brand name, and perform exactly the same, saving the consumer costs.
In the ad listed above, the seller has a 3.5 seller rating – that’s pretty low for a seller on Amazon.
It’s not the best, but after reviewing 22 customer reviews, he’s got 13 great reviews and 3 that are poor.
Take a look at his two most helpful reviews:
Most buyers don’t really care about a brand name when it comes down to it, especially if it’s small product like a phone case.
The real issue is how the product performs.
If it functions exactly like the brand name version… does it really matter?
Especially if you’re getting the product at a 70% – 80% discount.
If you have an opinion about this subject, please leave a comment below, I’d love to get your take on the subject.
It just depends on who you are.
But if the product is inferior, and doesn’t perform as expected, most people will be pretty upset about this, and for good reason.
Now Amazon is awesome about protecting their buyers.
So if a problem arises, they will refund your money, and hold the third-party seller responsible.
But who wants to go through this type of buying experience? Kind of a pain in ###, wouldn’t you say?
5 Tips to Avoid Buying Fakes on Amazon
Does Amazon Sell Fake Products? Read more: https://t.co/702hQDQz3S#amazon #ecommerce #DigitalMarketing #business #scams #fakeproducts pic.twitter.com/LEFAhFG6xG
— Todd Maltzahn (@ToddMaltzahn) August 7, 2017
Once you’ve spent 1,000 of hours on Amazon (like I have) it’s pretty easy to spot the Fakes from Brand Name Products.
Here are some tips to improve your chances of not accidentally purchasing a counterfeit product on Amazon.
1). Where is the seller shipping the product from?
If it’s a brand name product, then it usually is going to be shipped within the US (that is if you’re buying from a branch within the United States).
Most brand name companies use logistic companies, or have their own storage warehouses here in the United States.
So if the product is being shipped directly from China, you know that it’s a fake.
2). If the price is significantly less than the known retail price, be suspicious.
Unless the item is being sold as used, if the price is 30% – 80% less, keep on investigating.
3). What’s the seller’s rating?
Go into the seller’s profile and see what past buyers have to say about the particular seller.
4). What are the customer reviews of the product?
People (for the most part) are honest on Amazon. Check out what they have to say about the product. Maybe it’s a good quality fake. People will put that down if it’s the truth.
5). Read through the entire ad.
I see many third-party sellers on Amazon that use a brand name in the title of their listing.
But then in their product description, they state the product is generic.
If you see Generic anywhere in the ad, then you know it’s not a brand name product. Also, Compares To… is another dead giveaway.
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Conclusion with Amazon & Counterfeits
I hope this post has improved your awareness regarding the prevalence of fake products sold on Amazon.
I also hope I didn’t scare too many people from shopping with Amazon because they do offer excellent buyer support and great products.
Most of the problems that occur with counterfeit products are from third-party sellers, not Amazon itself.
Hopefully you are now better prepared to spot a fake product so that you can have greater confidence in your online buying experience.
With such a large selling platform that Amazon provides, it seems impossible for Amazon to police all the activity that occurs by third-party sellers.
If you want to sell products on Amazon to make money online, it’s an awesome gig if you’ve got the products.
If you want to become an honest 3rd Party Amazon Seller, you can get legit training right here.
Selling on Amazon: Common Challenges
So now you know anyone can get started selling on Amazon, which can lead to some issues with product quality.
On the other hand, if you follow the rules, you can easily make a full-time e-commerce business.
But before you dive in, below are some challenges you’ll run into:
- Expensive importation costs
- Length of time to establish a good relationship with suppliers,
- Getting products through customs and into the Amazon market place.
It can happen, but it takes patience and time.
This is also assuming you have a hot product that will sell fast.
Personally, for me, I wanted to work online, but didn’t want the stress of…
- Dealing with customs
- Buying in large quantities of inventory
- Paying storage fees
- And constant quality control checks.
But I wanted to be able to work online. (click here to read my silly online story)
Now It’s Your Turn:
There are two decisions you can make:
- Dive into the world of e-commerce.
- Learn how to make successful niche-based websites.
If you want to get started with e-commerce, I know of a product that will teach you everything you need to know to build a successful business with Amazon.
It’s called Amazing Selling Machine, and I highly recommend it for serious e-commerce enthusiasts.
But if you want to learn how to make successful niche based websites, there’s one product that is responsible for my online success:
It’s called Wealthy Affiliate.
Whatever decision you make, I’m here for you.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article about Amazon selling fake products.
I’ll do my best to answer any question you have.
Take care,
Todd
hi I read nearly the whole article , when i say nearly , i counld’ nt read all, these stories are from 2014 to 2019 , we are in 2022 .I’m sure amazon is doing something about by now. also I want to point out , how about wholesale brands , made in USA and sold on amazon USA . surely cant be counterfeit and fame also really?. like say Legos or ,skittles, or Crayola
You are right that most real people will review honestly. Problem is now there are fake reviews too. Just the other day I was looking at products and found one just posted by a seller who had just created their account. The day after the seller created their account there were 3 five star reviews. There is no way those people had ordered and received a product that quickly. When I looked closer at each account all three accounts had a couple dozen 5 star reviews, all created on the same date. All three reviewers reviewed the same items. And most of the items were newly posted just like the one I had to originally viewed. So not only do you need to inspect the product post carefully, you have to be careful about trusting reviews as well.
Great advice Dawn. Yeah, the just buy reviews from folks on Fiverr or similar platforms. It’s a shame but when you’re getting a big discount on Amazon, one should look at the details with a bit more scrutiny like you’ve done.
Thanks again! This will definitely help others users from buying fake goods on Amazon.
Cheers,
Todd
Hi. I just saw Amazon way underselling a brand name sneaker, but I was suspicious about the price. I checked out the seller’s rating, which was remarkably high, as were reviews about the product itself. THEN I found a way to spot a fake that may not have been mentioned here: look at the content of the reviews of both the product AND the seller and look for similarities. See if any were “verified purchases.” The fakes almost always had multiple reviews posted within a day or so of each other with short, positive remarks. Seems like these sellers have set up a vast number of fake email accounts and put bots to work in a painfully obvious way. When I complained to Amazon, they took down the questionable seller…and another one popped up in that seller’s place!
Thanks Julie for your feedback and tip. That’s a great work. Yes, many seller pay for feedback. You can actually hire people from Fiverr to do fake reviews.
I’ve found that if the price is too good to be true, it’s most likely a fake. If you’re okay with buying fake goods, it doesn’t matter.
Thanks again!
Todd
I recently received a product “fulfilled by Amazon” that had the same design as the product I wanted, except the image color on the box was green instead of blue. The Amazon description was supposed to be Arishine brand and the vendor Arishine. Instead the product had a different brand name and a different vendor and a word was misspelled on one side of the box, it said made in China and the ingredients had some innocuous list ending in etc. Since when is it allowed to not list all the ingredients? Since it was fulfilled by Amazon, you bet they knew about it and tried to pass off this fake product.
There are a bunch of products being sold through Amazon described as a “FireWire Female to USB Male adapter”, or “USB 2.0 to FireWire”, etc, which are scam/fake products. FireWire and USB are entirely different buses with different data and electrical formats. You cannot just make a plug converter. An item like this can damage the FireWire and USB ports on equipment plugged into each other through these so-called adapters! And, looking at the reviews, this has already happened to people!
www dot amazon.com/dp/B00U7DJ3XU/
www dot amazon.com/dp/B008XYG4KA/
www dot amazon.com/dp/B00VRN2OTY/
And others!!
The real customers are reporting that these don’t work because they DON’T. Some customers are informed enough to realize these are garbage items. The positive reviews have all the telltale signs of fake reviews.
I sent them an email about it and I can almost guarantee you that NOTHING will be done about it.
Thanks for your feedback Jace about Amazon. Sorry to hear about the troubles.
The only way Amazon or any other company will listen is by hitting them were it hurts. Profits.
Have a one day Amazon freeze/blackout. No ordering. I think people can either order before a set day or wait one day. Especially if customer service and product quality and integrity are taken more seriously.
Consumers really have the power to change Amazon’s greedy policies. No customers, no profits.
Amazon India’s ‘Customer Care Number’ is a fake. When you dial 1-800-419-7355 you get Freedom Pop or some porn line.
If their Customer Care Number is fake they very much could be selling fake or bootlegged products.
I tried to get my books pulled from that site and I never heard back from them. Why is India so big on scamming people?
Great article, one thing that I would add is the risk of product laundering on Amazon.
Buyers make purchases, take the real item and replace it with a counterfeit one and then return the counterfeit unit, keeping the authentic one.
I had same experience bought fake samsung tablet. But it was gift from brother in law. I don’t want to ask refund. but I know and my husband know it is fake. I have many tablet and Ipad for my game. I will never gonna buy anything from amazon.com if it is brand name on it. and I will not shopping through amazon.com probably. Everybody should aware this more.
Amazon & Ebay both feature 18650 lion batteries that claim more than 3500mah. It is not possible to make a 18650 battery with a capacity much greater than 3500mah. Check Samsung, Sony, Panasonic. Do not buy these fakes. These type of batteries can explode or cause fires.
Amazon themselves have been caught selling counterfeit items directly.
They successfully covered their scandal where Amazon “shipped and sold” the “Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff” which was not an official product, but a cheap Chinese knock-off.
The counterfeit item could cause hearing damage because it actually did not work properly and did not contain the actual hearing protection found in the official product.
Amazon sent everyone a credit towards a new pair silently (yet not enough of a credit to buy a new pair.
I purchased a couple of shirts that I never received. After two and half months of waiting, contacting the seller and never hearing back, I ended up trying to get my money back. It took me 45 minutes trying to figure out how to contact them through their site, I ended up just googling their number and calling.
After they refunded my money, the representative told me to leave a review. I did, and it was rejected. So I softened my feedback, and it was again rejected. My third review, which said, “Never received item” was also rejected. Can someone please tell me why this is offensive.
I would have never ordered the shirt in the first place if I had seen a review, but if they are not allowing negative reviews, they are not protecting their customers. I’m just curious how much money the seller and Amazon is making off interest? Really shady to me.
I’ve been tracking some of the knockoffs found on Amazon in my knockoff database.
Amazon is selling enormous amount of Counterfeit Goods, they need to face a lawsuit for not Doing Enough to Stop that.
Great article, Todd! Thank you for featuring this issue so eloquently. We are a Tokyo-based online shop and sell only genuinely made in Japan products. We love Japanese products, but there are just too many counterfeit products being sold at online shops overseas. Japanese companies put their heart and soul into producing and selling their products, which should be respected.
More should be done to eliminate fake Japanese products, but it’s just so hard to police them. That’s why we’ve opened our shop which promises delivering nothing but genuine Japanese products overseas. Of course we are much smaller operation than giants like Amazon and eBay, but we draw so much satisfaction from keeping promises to our customers around the world.
Todd, please keep writing and letting the world know this issue!
Hi Todd,
Greeting from India!!!
A great post and I am glad to have found like minded people. I have been working along the same lines in India where the counterfeiting is a huge problem.
I would also like to point out to all the prospective buyers that even going form “Amazon fulfilled” products does not guarantee an original purchase. Amazon fulfilled simply means that the seller has shifted the products to the Amazon’s warehouse.
Amazon warehouse just like any other warehouse will have their own audit and quality checks but it is impossible to check all the products manually and the counterfeits trickle down from there as well.
Further, the reviews are generally a big give away in spotting a fake productas pointed out by Todd. Having said that, please also bear in mind that some of the Chinese companies have been buying fake reviews as well.
The best way to go about it is to follow the rule of Caveat Emptor. If it is a huge investment from your end make sure that you have done all your research before going ahead with the purchase.
Thanks & Best regards,
Akshay
Amazon has a massive problem of sellers shipping out crappy products. I don’t know if these are counterfeit products or if these sellers are just rummaging through the dumpsters and putting the rejects out on Amazon.
I collect comic book shirts like for Spider-Man and Wonder Woman and just in the past week I had to return two orders. It’s amazing how many different ways people can think of to screw up a tee shirt.
My mother placed an order on Amazon and she ended up enrolling for Amazon Prime.
Amazon was good at tricking a 75 year old woman to sign up for Prime but apparently they haven’t been as diligent in keeping counterfeit products out of their inventory.
And Amazon isn’t the only online store shipping out crap. I just got a defective shirt from WBShop also. The problem is almost identical to this same exact shirt I already ordered on Amazon.
I reported several Xiang Guan products to Amazon because they are using a bogus (trademarked) Vibram logo to defraud customers into thinking they are buying a shoe with a Vibram sole. Amazon quickly sent me a response telling me to p*ss off since I am not the trademark holder. They have also blocked all reviews trying to inform other customers that the shoes are using a bogus Vibram logo.
I just last week bought OEM Samsung adaptive fast car chargers and wall chargers (sold by amazon ships from amazon) directly from amazon not a third party. 2 sets of car chargers with cables and 2 sets of car chargers with wall chargers with cables. I got them, and all 4 car charges had the same serial numbers and the 2 wall charges had the same serial numbers. I called amazon they said they got them from Samsung, and told me to call them. I did and Samsung themselves said these were counterfeit as the genuine would have different serial numbers (duhhh) so I called amazon back, and they freaked out and sounded a little worried that I called Samsung and issued a return, but not before I took pictures of the fake items and their serial numbers if needed later. SOOOO even Amazon is selling counterfits
Great story Chad. This sounds on par for Amazon. Push them hard enough and they’ll refund. Otherwise they’re all about the almighty profit.
Best,
Todd
I bought a fake top for my daughter and was shocked that when I reported it to Amazon they did nothing and that company are still trading on there. Nothing was done apart from my money back but it could well be a fire hazard as the material used was a cheap fabric
Hey Karen,
They don’t do anything because they are making money from their sellers fees. If you make enough complaints and really push this issue, they should suspend the sellers account.
Best of luck,
Todd
Not only is Amazon allowing scammers in, but they are working with at least one of their largest US sellers in a particular category who is blatantly marketing other’s products as their own. This seller uses the assigned UPC and SKU of the product and calls it their own. (They don’t even repackage!!) Further, they set the weight that other sellers MUST use at 50 lbs. This makes them the top seller because other sellers shipping price comes out to $52.04. Let’s not even go to where they are selling at approximately 20% above retail, but when you’re the only game in town, I guess that works!!!
Amazon has been notified repeatedly, with proof, and responds by flat refusing to make the corrections, nor warn the seller that they are violating Amazon’s own policies. Amazon’s legal department has been notified, their catalog department and their customer service.
With a refusal to address, Amazon is more than complicit, they are assisting!!
So, there is another buyer and seller beware; you may be ripping off a legitimate company when you buy and you may be ripped off if you try to sell.
I just bought Manfrotto tripod and head, at MSRP. Recieved items. Went to register with Manfrotto to avail of the two year to ten year extension on warranty for registration.
Discovered these are counterfeit from third party sellers wiki deals and eagle camera.
Manfrotto advised me directly that wiki deals is a known grey dealer of unauthorized or counterfeit products.
Still waiting for Amazon to make it right. They keep screwing up my complaint. Finally got it straight late last night but still waiting resolution.
Thanks for the article! I did not receive a counterfeit – that I know of – but bought a $700 exhaust fan from amazon that still states it has a “worry free 10 year warranty”, but when the fan broke within the first few months – amazon could not and would not produce any warranty – no help – no refund – SOL. I will never purchase another thing from this deceitful site. That’s the link to the fan – warranty stated right there …. But I have several emails from amazon saying NOPE! Wonder if you have any articles about issues like this from amazon? This seems illegal?
https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Powerfans-VTX12XL-Fan-2050/dp/B002HJHCL2/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467989986&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=vortex+fan+2000+cfm
Hi Jane,
I think I’d keep pushing the issue with Amazon, ask to speak to a supervisor. This seems pretty clear that you were offered a warranty for the product if you purchased it, but I’d keep at it. I’ve never heard of Amazon choosing this response. They normally care more about their customers satisfaction than anything.
Thanks for your feedback and don’t give up.
Hi Todd,
thanks for your review, I’m an amazon fan and i really like buying all the stuff i need from amazon and just get them delivered.but I’ve never had an experience with a used product, or a product sold by a 3rd party company.
The only reason i searched about this is that I’ve started photographing and I’m learning very fast at the moment, as I”m totally fond of photographing, i just never did start it before, but a while ago i did. and of course, from time to time one needs to upgrade and buy some extra equipment and so on and i needed a new camera and a new lens in which their price was totally reduced by something like 70 to 80% … i checked the seller profiles and i was totally suspicious as there was no address or anything at all… i contacted the customer support and they advised me it’s better not to buy this product and we will escalate the situation from our side. it was kind of stupid, because they didn’t give me a real answer about it, they just said don’t order it … it’s been a couple of weeks and i still can see the same offer poping up from time to time. Thanks to your feedback, I’m now totally sure it’s fraud. by the way I’m in Germany, so I’m talking about amazon Germany, which seems to be having the same problem.
Greetings
Mostafa
Thanks for your feedback Mostafa, glad you didn’t get scammed on the purchase. For Photography, you should check out a cool post I made with I was really considering Photography as an online niche, it’s called Make Money Selling Photos Online
Best,
Todd
Hi! I’m having a really hard time right now with Amazon.
Can I specifically ask your opinion on beauty products?
For example – purchasing Dermalogica brand facial products (which is super good and spa level stuff) directly from Amazon (sold and shipped by Amazon).
Can I trust that it’s real product? The prices are way better, but I’m super nervous of putting stuff on my face if it’s tampered with or not authentic in any way. For some reason, I cannot see upon shipping information where exactly the product came from??
I live in Canada and use amazon.can. Generally products arrive from or leave directly from Mississauga ON or at furthest BCBGENERATION or somewhere in the US.
My shipment of these products say
5:30 AM- shipment has left seller facility (what seller and where??)
8:30 AM – shipment received by carrier (Mississauga ON).
This makes no sense to me?? Amazon is supposed to be the seller AND shipper as I bought it directly from them.. I am really nervous here as I spent a good chunk and this seems sketchy to me.
Pardon my bizarre typos there :
*Amazon.ca
*British Colombia, Canada (not BCBGENERATION?? Weird)
Hi Meigan,
Amazon can be the shipper if the seller ships through they’re FBA program, but they can ship on their own as well. I haven’t sold on Amazon for years now so I’m not sure what they require about the shipment origination destination.
It sounds like you’ve done your homework. I’d email the seller and ask if their authentic. Then with their response you’ll have them guilty if they’re not. As to tell if their real, compare them to the real thing in ever which way you can think of.
If you feel they’re not originals, call Amazon a file a dispute. You should also be able to track every single shipment along with every check point.
Thanks,
Todd
I’ve actually seen Amazon Warehouse deals selling fakes. Granted they didn’t originally purchase the items. They got sent to FBA and ended up getting lost and then Amazon reimbursed the seller and when the items were eventually found Amazon itself sold them through Amazon warehouse deals. I’ve seen it on Microsoft and Apple products. So I’m sure there are at more.
Thanks for your feedback Leahcim. More great info on Amazon. Todd
Here is an article from CNBC (July 2016) about how Counterfeit product and get mixed in with Authentic product and Amazon be the “Seller” of both. It’s their CoMingled Inventory option that a seller may choose. Definitely a “Buyer Beware” when purchasing cosmetics through Amazon! https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/08/amazons-chinese-counterfeit-problem-is-getting-worse.html
Thanks Chris,
As soon as I read your reply, I flash backed to my time as an Amazon Seller importing my first product. I remember talking to Fulfillment by Amazon Specialist and he was telling me about this process.
I remember thinking, how can this be when there’s clearly OEM products in the amazon marketplace. Especially when you see all the fake products out on sites like Aliexpress, even Alibaba.
Anyways, thanks for your input.
Todd
Your claim that 70% of merchandise sold by third party sellers is counterfeit is something that begs to be substantiated. Who conducted the research study? Where can the published results be found?
70% isn’t even close to what any other research project has ever concluded, and while I realize this is an old affiliate post disguised as an article, accuracy and accountability still matter (at least to some)
Hi Jacob,
Did you read the post? 70% was what a private company did with secret shoppers for 3RD PARTY SELLERS NOT ALL OF AMAZON’S PRODUCTS.
Amazon has brand name products and 3rd party sellers that sell on Amazon. Please read the post in more detail before you pass judgement.
People need to be aware of 3rd Party Sellers on Amazon and it’s a major problem. Look below on how many comments this post has received of upset Amazon customers.
This post brings in thousands of visitors and helps people become better shoppers. It’s also evidence that what I teach on this website works regarding SEO, keyword research, and online business.
Thanks,
Todd
Can you please tell me if this is fake? I do not want to buy a fake laptop, and after reading the comments, I am very concerned. Thank you so much for your assistance.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011KFQASE/sr=8-1/qid=1460007601/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1460007601&sr=8-1
Hi Jenny,
Just send an email to the seller asking if it’s a fake or not. That way if it is, you have recourse to get your money back from Amazon as well as extinguish the seller’s rights from ever selling on Amazon again if it is a fake.
Thanks,
Todd
Hi Todd,
Great post – thanks!
I was wondering about if you could tell if this item is real or fake?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WAGS5W2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A30MLCY4M0U47
– Marco
Hi Marco,
Thanks for the feedback on the post, much appreciated. I looked at the drone and you can buy this same drone on Aliexpress (which sells only fakes). So there is a good chance that it could be a fake, but I’d reach out to the seller and directly ask them.
Then when you make your purchase, call the manufacturer and read them the serial number or find some way to identify the product. The seller doesn’t have a ton of ratings, but the ones that he has are good.
If you ask him if it’s counterfeit, and he says no, and then you buy it and find out it’s not, you can get him banned from Amazon’s. You also have Amazon’s backing to get your money back.
The price is right in line with what the brand advertising on their site. And he’s selling from the UK, so at least their not shipping from China. That’s what I’d do or just go directly to the brand name site and buy from them.
Cheers,
Todd
Hi Todd, thanks for the info you have awakened me. Just bought a TAOTRONICS 4.0 BLUETOOOTH TRANSMITTER from Amazon, the seller indicated it was shipping from California but took ages to deliver. I thought the product was made in US but to my surprise it was made in China. Problem is I can’t really tell whether it is a fake though it seems to be working fine for now.
Hi Ivan,
You’re welcome for the Amazon post, it was my pleasure. You can always call the brand name manufacturer and they can guide you through the process of finding out if it’s a fake or an original. There’s usually some serial numbers or something that brand name products use to authenticate their products.
My bet is that these knock off suppliers are getting smart about disguising their delivery origin. It’s not that hard, you just put wherever you want for your delivery location. If it took that long to deliver, I’d guess it’s an fake being sold on Amazon.
Best of luck and thanks for your feedback,
Todd
Hi
Are all products sold by amazon original?
Or there are some fake products ?
Thanks for all this tricks
You welcome for the tips. Check on 3rd party sellers and just follow my steps here to see if your Amazon product is a fake or not. Most of the products on Amazon are real and directly from the brand name manufacturer. It’s the 3rd party sellers you got to watch out for.
Cheers,
Todd
Hi Todd,
Thank you so much for your article. I knew there were fake products on Amazon. I really like how you laid this out.
Cheers,
Jeremy
You bet Jeremy,
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed the post.
take care,
Todd
Todd,
You’ve taken great pains to explain the problem is ONLY with Third-Party Sellers, not Amazon itself. NOT TRUE!!
Given the deeply discounted watch prices I was seeing on Amazon (50%-80% off usually), I was doing some research online to try to figure out if the watches Amazon sold directly were genuine or replicas (fakes). Buried in a difficult place to find amongst the thousands of web pages on Amazon I found the following:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000957101
So clearly Amazon sells replica (fake) watches under the Amazon name, not a 3rd party seller. Looking at the replica watch list below the text and confirming this list with a second search of “replica watches” on Amazon revealed that almost all watches sold on Amazon are fakes, many sold under the Amazon name.
What’s worse, Amazon advertises these replica watches as if they are genuine. For example, an Invicta watch will say “by Invicta” (no 3rd party indicated) and then goes further to say “Ships from and Sold by Amazon”. Searching the text of the product page shows no use of the term “replica” anywhere though the watch comes up in a search of “replica watches”. Here is an example:
https://www.amazon.com/Invicta-0070-Collection-Chronograph-Stainless/dp/B000820YBU/ref=lp_6358539011_1_48?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1448425190&sr=1-48&nodeID=6358539011
Reading the reviews for almost any of these watches you find many incidents of poor quality (probably because they are Chinese knockoffs), receiving used or “refurbished goods, receiving clearly returned goods, etc., all under the Amazon (and Invicta or other OEM) name. These are illegal bait-and-switch tactics and Amazon should be sued for it. They may be the most unethical company in America, and that is saying something.
Given that you are selling to Amazon directly (as a 3rd party seller?) it’s no wonder you are defending them.
Thanks Corey for the update and info on Amazon and more fake products.
You can actually legally sell fake products on Amazon and eBay if you don’t infringe on the product copyrights per Amazon’s and eBay’s policies. But these are clearly fakes when their 10% of the price.
A $1400 dollar watch for $90 dollars seems pretty obvious to me but it’s scandalous nonetheless.
Thanks again for the update.
I’m sorry but your entire post is null since your argument is based on your search of “Replica Watch” on amazon’s search engine. When you search that term, amazon’s search engine looks for products that corresponds to the words you input into the search engine, and the keyword you input there is “Watch”. Also most of Invicta watches are inspired by Omega Seamasters and Rolex Submariners, which is why they are sometimes called replica brands.
The high amount of discount you saw on those Invicta watches are a tactic employed by those phony brands such as Invicta, Stuhrling, SoCo etc to entice people to buy their watches. These watches are low quality and their build do not justify their full MSRP.
If you don’t believe me, go do a search on ANY watch forums regarding those brands I mentioned. You will never find any positive comments on those brands.
Furthermore, Amazon sell luxury watch brands such as Tissot and almost all of the people who bought them left nothing but good comments.
So ask yourself, why does a company risk tarnishing their image by selling fake phony watches while selling genuine high end watches? In short, anything sold directly by amazon themselves are 100% genuine.
Hi Hesus, I think your comment is directed at Corey, but I’ll address it.
I don’t think you read our post in it’s entirety. Otherwise you wouldn’t say an incorrect statement that anything sold on Amazon is 100% genuine. Also read some other comments on here from Amazon customers complaining of fakes on Amazon. I think you only read Corey’s comment.
Our post is about Amazon allowing fake goods into their shopping platform.
Our post is not null because we have clearly shown fake products that exist on Amazon’s selling platform. That’s the whole point of this post. You go into lengthy detail to explain how Invicta sells two types of watches, real expensive ones and fake ones. That doesn’t make any sense to me why a company would do that, but will give you the benefit of the doubt.
Irregardless if a company sells fake products, Amazon is allowing them to exist on their site instead of shutting them down.
I think that Amazon makes good on backing up purchase transactions as well, but you can’t deny that the cases I found on Amazon are not replicas. There was also a large amount of fake micro sd card that were being sold on Amazon not too long ago.
I don’t know watches, but thanks for your feedback on our post.
Todd
If the government would step in and shut Amazon and ebay down for one month or even one week I bet things would change. Ebay is a lot worse than Amazon, I have stopped buying from ebay.
Dear friends, I’m selling on Amazon US. Wait… something is wrong here – I don’t sell. My original products manufactured in Europe by me, are being sold by Chinese companies and shipped from China. How it is possible? Well, I have registered trademark, I have registered brand in Amazon Brand Registry and Chinese companies are selling under my listing with lower price. How low? Well… 50-60%. Is this enough?
And what customers get? Low quality counterfeit products. How about my ratings? I have 98% positive ratings (the rest is negative due to slow shipping Europe -> US). Product ratings was very very good. “Was” because it is not good now. My products get one or two star ratings. I have contact Amazon about few low ratings and they confirm this ratings are not from my customers.
Amazon, wake up or you lose your customers.
Counterfeit product = sad customer = return item = Amazon lose money = customer add one star review = low sales = Amazon don’t earn
Simple?
Thanks Jakub for your feedback with selling on Amazon and dealing with fake products in their marketplace.
Best,
Todd
Amazon website is full of counterfeits sold by china sellers. Amazon is slowly getting like ebay, lots of counterfeit products and corrupt sellers.
It is sad, but so many of amazon products are now being sent to amazon fulfilment from CHINA sellers. Amazon and ebay seem to have a much better interest in China then anyone else.
Hi Steve,
I know how you feel, it’s exactly how I felt working with Amazon, too many Chinese counterfeit suppliers are becoming 3rd party sellers on Amazon. Maybe Amazon’s greed will be there downfall.
Thanks for your feedback working with Amazon/fake products.
Take care,
Todd
Hi Todd,
Thank you so much for your article.
As a Chinese person, I do feel bad about these unscrupulous Chinese sellers “trying to intoxicate the fish ponds” by selling fakes and probably health-threatening products to overseas countries.
Frankly speaking, a lot of the products sold by them are OVERPRICED.
For example, I was so shocked to see a very average beanie selling for US$17. The same thing was sold at around US$2 in China, not to mention the wholesale price.
It’s definitely wiser to shop directly from China.
Just compare the product’s selling price with Taobao.com before buying these low quality Chinese products. (Taobao.com is the largest B2C marketplace in Asia, probably also in the world)
My blog (link removed) aims at teaching Westerners how to shop DIRECTLY from China to avoid these indecent sellers and save money.
Shot me a message if any one of you needs any help!
Be a smart online shopper !
Cheers,
Dennis
Thanks Dennis for your feedback and input. I removed your link for SEO reasons, but thanks.
Todd
Amazon now has lots of dodgy listings. Example NEW IPHONE 6 is being sold for 10% than Tesco. Tesco had the iphone 6 for sale for approx £520. But somehow Amazon small sellers are selling for £450. Even O2 could only sell for £510. This in it’s self tells you they are refurbs not brand new sealed, some of the 1 star reviews confirmed this, but amazon still let it continue. It is common sense that small amazon sellers can not compete with worlds biggest retailer buying /selling power. Amazon themselves knows there are lots of bogus listings but they are just happy taking the commission. I no longer trust amazon anymore, better to shop from trusted companies like John Lewis
The last thing i wanted to buy were fake so i just wont go through amazon anymore.
The first thing was a furmanator, its a dog hair brush that supposedly works very well
People (on the reviews). Bought one, seemed fake, sent it into the furmanator company and the company said it was a fake.
After using it, i had to complain because it made my dog’s skin bleed.
The other thing i wanted was a very good pencil sharpener. The one I picked up from amazon clearly says it’s made in Germany on the Amazon website. But the pictures show the package saying made in china.
Turns out you can’t trust amazon anymore as they don’t care about the quality of their product. I dont think anything they sell there is authentic except buying Paul Mitchell or something like that.
Thanks Cam for your feedback on buying fake products on Amazon. It’s a shame and sorry to hear about your troubles. Use my tips above for any Amazon purchase.
Best,
Todd
Hi, I’m new to amazon and not exactly sure what I’m looking for if it real or fake and wondering if you think this looks legit or not https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTZBHMQ/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER 80% off and selling by amazon,thanks.
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for your question. The deal looks legit to me. You’ve got a brand name company, Helmut Lang, selling it’s own products with just a few rating on their various clothing designs that rate from 3 to 5 star ratings, I think you’re good with this deal. Only 2 left. Let me know how it turns out.
Thanks,
Todd
Hey thanks for your feedback on my comment, its really helped me to make the decision and it turned out great, amazing deal, great pants, kind of hard to believe actually hah. Its great you can help people out, I’m sure ill be back in the future.
Thanks/Shannon
Hi Shannon,
That’s awesome, thanks for coming back and leaving your feedback on your experience and I’m glad I could help.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
Hi todd,
DOes this look fake to you, seller is aMazon export sAles? The size 41 greenflash : http://WWW.AMAZON.COM/PEARL-TRI-FLY-CARBON-WHITE/DP/B00R76V6O4
Srp of this shoes is $180 and they are only seLling it at $85 today, yesterdaY was even cheaper at only $80(brand new).
All the other shops in amazon liKe triathlete sports(with a good user ratiNg) sell the same pRoduct close to the srp price.
Hi Kim,
No they look fine, actually they look really cool for cycling. Love the Green color too. You might notice that they run a little small based on the feedback. I checked all the reviews and the reviews don’t have a strong reviewer rating, but seem authentic on this review and others. Plus the seller appears to be of the original brand, Pearl Izumi.
Go for it, I think you’re just getting a good deal. They are imported and sometimes when importers aren’t selling as fast as they need to, they’ll drop their prices to cover their costs, get rid of older merchandise and keep their business moving forward.
However, as I put in different sizes for the shoes, I got different prices. So maybe you need to make sure you’ve got the right specs. The smaller sizes are selling for half price and this can be common for importers that need to get rid of merchandise that isn’t moving fast enough.
But the weight of the shoes, description, etc., is exactly like it is on the Pearl Izumi’s home site.
If you have any issues with them, Amazon always sticks by their customers. But if the size and price is right, I say go for it.
Have a nice evening and everything looks on the up and up.
Take care,
Todd
Helpful info. Lucky me I found your web site when searching Amazon and Fake Products, you’ve got a lot of great info on building websites, ranking content, building traffic, and making money online. I’ve been enjoying many of your posts and wanted to say thanks in advance!
I bookmarked your site.
Thanks Jan,
Happy to help out, come by anytime 🙂
Todd
I am a little late in reading this. I am shocked at the way you are portraying Third Party sellers.
I am a Third Party Seller I most certainly do not sell fake goods as do a vast majority of reputable Third Party Sellers.
It takes allot of time and effort to avoid the fake goods in the supply chain. Even big high street retailers can be caught out by fake goods in their supply chain I refer to Honda and the fake airbags.
And taring all Third Party Sellers with the same brush amounts to sabotage.
I do agree however that the problem of fakes lies with China & Far East who Openly sell goods displaying well known brand names that are clearly not.
NOT ALL THIRD PARTY SELLERS ARE TRYING TO RIP YOU OFF!
That’s a great point Metack, I appreciate your perspective as a third party seller. And I didn’t mean to imply that ALL third part sellers sell counterfeit goods. Based on my extensive time reviewing Amazon products, when I spot a questionable product on Amazon, or eBay for that matter, I find that these 5 Tips to Spot Fakes on Amazon (outlined in this article) show you how to find out if your desired Amazon product is a fake or not.
By all means, there are many wonderful Third Party Sellers on Amazon that provide a valuable service and have built a strong foundation for their Amazon based businesses. And I certainly respect that. As a matter of fact, I’d love to hear more about your business.
If you’re interested, we could set up a Skype session. Thoughts?
Thanks Metack for your feedback and valuable input on this article.
Todd
Thanks for the tips on making purchases and promoting some Amazon products..
Hi Ken, you’re welcome. That was the whole point of writing this article. To educate Amazon buyers on the truth of 3rd party Amazon sellers. Amazon indirectly sells fake products, but it’s your call to spot them and decide if the deal is worth it or not. Thanks for the comment Ken. Take care,
Todd
Informative post on amazon, didn’t realize they sell fake goods there!
Thanks Todd for stopping by and have a read. Glad you liked the article on Amazon selling fake products. Not everyone’s aware of this, so it’s good to know what you looking for when shopping online. Cheers
Hi:
I bought a Miss Sixty coat as a gift, I did some research and it seems is a FAKE (the labels and quality does not look original). The sad part is, it is sold by Amazon Export Sales. I don’t know much about brands, but according with some websites the coat is fake, and a guy who bought it called the coat: “chinese garbage” (‘couse is made in China). It is possible that Amazon sells fake products. Now i have to find another gift, that’s what bothers me the most.
I’m new buying in Amazon, I thought it would be cheaper than buying on line in my country… I was wrong.
There’s the link of the product:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DU4BN1I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hi Chano,
Sorry to hear about that. I hate these kind of online transactions. You need to call Amazon and give them your order number and file a claim against the seller.
The Seller will then get a notice that they need to respond to the claim. Push the issue if the seller doesn’t respond to you or Amazon.
In most every situation, Amazon will back the Buyer and just take the money from the Sellers account if they don’t make any effort to contact you and resolve the situation.
I know that doesn’t help for your friend’s gift, but you should be able to get your money back. Amazon prefers to keep their customers happy over their 3rd Party Sellers.
Worst case scenario, you don’t get your money back, but Amazon will block the Seller’s Selling Privileges.
Sorry for the delay in the response. I’ll send you a FB message as well.
Best,
Todd
Great post. I’m experiencing a few of these issues as well with Amazon selling fake products, what gives…
Thanks Hanna,
The fake products that Amazon is selling comes from 3rd Party Sellers. Just review the list, 5 tips to avoid buying a fake product on Amazon, listed here in this post and you’ll know exactly what you’re buying from Amazon.
Cheers,
Todd
You have a point there, Todd. As a consumer, I do buy counterfeit products as far as clothing and miscellaneous products are concerned. But I will not trade my money for something that I expect good quality of like supplements, electronic devices or household appliances. They run the risk of harming my health, personal safety and job efficiency.
I have bought from Groupon before and was very disappointed with the quality of the products. I made a mistake by not reading the reviews first (there are plenty of them online actually). Now that I know better, I always make it a point to research first before committing to my purchase.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention about Amazon. I’ll be careful the next time.
Hi Cathy and thanks for your comment and feedback about your buying experiences with Amazon and Groupon. I would agree with you that there is a benefit for buying counterfeit products like Amazon’s 3rd party sellers push. I just think it’s a shame that more sellers aren’t upfront with their advertisements on Amazon. I’m sort of a member at Groupon, or at least I get their emails. But I have never seen any really benefit from using Groupon. Plus, I think their website is kind of a pain to use if you travel like myself. It’s a pain to update your location and as I said, all the Groupon deals that are sent to me never look that good.
Well, I’m glad this article could be of service to you and will improve your buying experience the next time you’re shopping on Amazon.
Cheers,
Todd
Thanks so much for the input Todd! I had no idea the percentage was that high! Thanks to you I will be keeping a closer eye when purchasing from amazon! Cheers!
That’s great to hear Christina. Just always take a look for where the product is coming from. Brand name products have distribution centers in the US, so if you’re buying in the US and it’s coming from Asia directly, it’s a fake product sold by a third part Amazon sellers.
Cheers,
Todd
Todd
Great job showing folks what to look for to shop Amazon safely.
A lot of people are quite naive when shopping online, & your points are very easy to check.
I love the “by Generic” in the ad!
Thanks,
Gary
Hi Gary,
Thanks for the comment and I appreciate the feedback. It’s amazing how many people purchase blindly without reading the bullet points of an advertisement. I suppose it’s partially because its from Amazon and Amazing has such good customer service. But at the same time, kind of a painful buying experience. The internet should be convenient to purchase items, not make you feel like you have to be a watchdog online. Thanks for the comment and have a great day.
Cheers,
Todd
Hi, Todd
I never even knew that Amazon sold fake products but I guess it can sometimes happen by accident as things slip through the net. I’m an associate with Amazon, I recommend their products and I just hope that I don’t recommend anything that’s dodgy. Fingers crossed, lol.
But having said that, I’ve never had problems when purchasing items from Amazon and never heard of any complaints either, touch wood!
Cheers, Neil
Hi Neil,
The thing to watch out for when purchasing on Amazon is for the third part sellers. If you are purchasing directly from Amazon or directly from the brand name product, just look for the 5 tips I suggested here and you’ll be fine. Thanks for your comment and take care.
Todd
Hello Todd,
Yeah I had this happen to me a while back with a printer and like you Amazon was really cool about giving me back my money.
Didn’t know about how to tell if it was a fake or not so thanks for showing me what to look for.
That’s Really helpful ! Thanks
I seen one of the comments talking about eBay being the same way.
Do you happen to know the numbers on that ?
Hey Jason, I don’t have any statistics on eBay at the moment, but I know from personal experience the exact same thing is occurring on eBay as well. Just review eBay ads and if you see the seller is from China or Asia (and not directly from USA), then keep investigating. If it’s a brand name product being sold in the US, then it should be delivered from the US. If it’s from outside of the country, cheap and with a long delivery time, it’s a knockoff. It’s just too easy for anyone to start selling on eBay or Amazon, copy real Brand Name ads, place the same product on eBay or Amazon under the ads ASIN number (on Amazon for example), and if they have a long delivery time, then they’re selling counterfeit products, and it’s most likely, from China.
Thanks for the question,
Todd
Hi Jason,
You bet, it’s helpful to be savvy in this day and age. And yes, with Amazon, they protect their customers extremely well.
Have a great day,
Todd
I run a website that sells Amazon products. So far there have been several hundred purchases and no returns. I am guessing that people are reasonably satisfied with both the genuine and fake products.
Hi Mark,
Yeah, honestly I think a small portion of people buy without realizing they are buying a counterfeit product. And mostly it is those that don’t pay attention to the entire ad, maybe more impulsive buyers. But like I state in the article, most are OK with a counterfeit product if the product functions as it should.
Cheers,
Todd
Hey, great advise!. I never thought I could find counterfeit products on Amazon. In fact I’ve never bought something online but I was going to.
This really helps a lot, and I will watch out for those fake third party sellers following your tips.
But I also think that if a product is not the original but it works the same and its price is way low, I would consider to buy it and save some money!
Hi Manuel,
Thanks for your comment. I agree, if the product works fine, then save your money. I’ve bought several items that were advertised correctly as a generic product and they worked great. Unfortunately, I have also bought, for example, a counterfeit set of “Beats by Dre Headphones”, and the quality was significantly different, but I got them at a 85% discount. So you get what you pay for in that situation.
Cheers,
Todd
Todd,
Although I have dealt with Amazon over the years I had no idea about the gravity of counterfeit products sold there.
You article gave me a very good understanding of this practice and also gave me a new found awareness to ensure I am not being ‘touched-up’ by these 3rd party sellers.
A brilliant post, very informative and extremely well written.
Thank you……….keep these post coming – you have some great value to give on this site!
Russ
Thanks Russ for your comments. Yeah it’s amazing how frequently counterfeit products are found on Amazon and eBay. But the more one knows, the less likely one is to be conned by type of scammers.
Thanks for your encouragement.
Cheers,
Todd