Fakes on Amazon (reviews, best, Walmart, membership)
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I don't find it hard to identify the crap and the crap sellers on Amazon. Assuming everything they sell is from them and somehow a 100% good buy is just nonsensical. Yes, they could go the Apple route and carefully vet and control every seller, but that would be at the expense of generally higher prices and far less selection.
Caveat emptor has not become obsolete because there's an app for it.
I simply read the reviews a specific product. If a product either has a large number of reviews claiming a fake, or if there are only a small number of reviews (if sold by a third party seller), I avoid them.
Plus, other sites that offer free two-day shipping typically have minimum order requirements to qualify (generally $25 or $35). I make a lot of orders on Amazon below that amount. And if you are thinking eBay, forget about it, because inconsistent handling time between sellers is a factor in overall shipping time, and those who drop-ship from Amazon using a Prime account to sell on eBay are doing so illegally (against Amazon Prime TOS).
I've asked that poster the same question multiple times. I've never gotten an answer. I don't know of any websites that are equivilant to Amazon Prime, so I don't know how they're coming up with millions.
Amazon Prime is not just "free" 2 day shipping, or even same day shipping, or 2-hour shipping...
There is also Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Wardrobe, Prime Reading, Amazon Photos, free kindle book each month, early access deals, deals only available to Prime memembers....
But millions of other webaites also offer the same? And is that with no minimum purchase too because many websites dont seem to offer free shipping until you've spent $50-$100+. And even then it's not 2 day shipping, more like 5-10 business days shipping.
I've asked that poster the same question multiple times. I've never gotten an answer. I don't know of any websites that are equivilant to Amazon Prime, so I don't know how they're coming up with millions.
Amazon Prime is not just "free" 2 day shipping, or even same day shipping, or 2-hour shipping...
There is also Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Wardrobe, Prime Reading, Amazon Photos, free kindle book each month, early access deals, deals only available to Prime memembers....
But millions of other webaites also offer the same? And is that with no minimum purchase too because many websites dont seem to offer free shipping until you've spent $50-$100+. And even then it's not 2 day shipping, more like 5-10 business days shipping.
I know that Walmart and Google Express offer free two-day shipping, but they have minimum order requirements to qualify ($35 for Walmart and either $25 or $35 for Google Express depending on store). Since I make a lot of purchases under $25, those sites are not equivalent to Amazon Prime for me. Plus over $35 on Amazon I can potentially get Same-Day Delivery on Amazon if the item is in stock at one of their local fulfillment centers; I don't think Walmart or Google Express currently offer same-day delivery where I live.
I’m guessing they meant not millions of Amazon equivalents but millions of other websites selling items that Amazon has in one place. By that logic the whole Internet is Amazon’s competitor. Not sure it’s a valid point though as many people don’t want to deal with ordering from multiple sites, separate shipping cost, return headaches, etc. Exactly the reason why Amazon exists.
Back to the original subject. Yes, this is nothing new. Unfortunately quite a few shady sellers. I bought a set of sheets that were sold as cotton, priced similarly and had good reviews. But turned out they were microfiber or some other material, definitely not pure cotton. Amazon doesn’t care much about this as long as they turn profit. But I’m not buying sheets from them anymore either.
I stopped buying chargers and and electronics from Amazon.com. Over the years I got burnt so many times with fake cables and such. It didn't matter whether it was shipped, or fulfilled and sold by amazon or sold on Amazon by a third party seller. 8 out of 10 times it would be a cheap knock-off that would malfunction in 2 months or less.
One of these faulty cords shorted out my $800 smartphone! Another time a counterfeit car charger sold as a name brand on Amazon blew the fuses in my car. I paid $45 instead of $10 for the cheap knock offs style ones and got screwed anyway with a fake. The mechanic had to remove my whole entire dashboard to put new fuses in because it blew the fuses in my touch screen car radio and computerized speedometer costing me $275!! The mechanic said I was lucky it didn't cause more damage. He also said that I was not the only one that had the same problem with chargers purchased on Amazon blowing car fuses. Your lucky if the fuse just blows in the glove box because you can change the bulb yourself. However, if you get a charger that was as bad as mine, it gets more complicated if they have to remove the dashboard.
I emailed Amazon and all I got told was to return it in its original packaging for a refund and they would NOT pay for the mechanic's repairs. Instead I was offered a free month of Amazon Prime added onto my membership worth a lousy $10. By this point I was fuming because it had awesome reviews when I purchased it and then when I checked again, there were scores of other people who left negative reviews saying the charger was a fake and blew the fuses in their cars too!! Amazon stopped selling it not long after, and then a bunch of third party sellers started popping up selling the same model being fulfilled by Amazon. That is very SHADY.
I tease my husband because he keeps buying cheap wireless earbuds for $10 or less which all malfunction within 3 weeks of using them. The past 6 months he bought at least 8-10 pairs that broke. He is a penny pincher who likes to think he is getting something on the cheap. For $50-$80 he could of bought a really good quality pair of earbuds on BestBuy or gone to a brick and mortar electronics store and have a pair that would last him a few years that actually sound good. He likes his "cheap" things, so he refuses to listen to my advice.
When I need a charger for my phone or automobile I pay the extra and buy it from BestBuy or the cell phone maker. Why take a risk and possibly short out a $800-$1,000 cell phone to save $20 bucks? Amazon will keep selling their cheap imitations and cheapskates like my husband keep them in business.
Eventually, Amazon will reveal to the public how crooked they are and all will be right in the world. We will just have to pay a little more and China and Amazon will no longer get rich off of us. I do not have the same level of trust as I once did in Amazon. To me it has become an Alibaba clone.
I know that Walmart and Google Express offer free two-day shipping, but they have minimum order requirements to qualify ($35 for Walmart and either $25 or $35 for Google Express depending on store). Since I make a lot of purchases under $25, those sites are not equivalent to Amazon Prime for me. Plus over $35 on Amazon I can potentially get Same-Day Delivery on Amazon if the item is in stock at one of their local fulfillment centers; I don't think Walmart or Google Express currently offer same-day delivery where I live.
I have looked into ordering to the Walmart store for the ease being able to return items directly to the store. I was looking at tents when I noticed that there was a new return policy. Third parties have a new policy --yes, you need to watch out who is selling the item to you, might not be Wal-mart--
As of this past summer sometime, Wal-mart is allowing third parties to charge a restocking fee.
I don't find it hard to identify the crap and the crap sellers on Amazon. Assuming everything they sell is from them and somehow a 100% good buy is just nonsensical. Yes, they could go the Apple route and carefully vet and control every seller, but that would be at the expense of generally higher prices and far less selection.
Caveat emptor has not become obsolete because there's an app for it.
No, it's because the entire perceived value of luxury items is in cost and exclusivity. Amazon is the antithesis of that.
Just not about luxury items. If you read the article it’s about every day products that people buy, phone chargers, pet food bowls, etc. Many of the small businesses that invented their own products such as the furniture strap, are being driven out of business by these counterfeiters. I know the article is a bit long but there’s a lot of interesting and surprising things in it.
You can’t tell if the product is real or fake just judging by the reviews. The problem is per the article, Amazon does not separate the real good from the fake good. For instance a genuine Apple phone charger will go into a bin along with all the counterfeit phone chargers. You can buy one from a vendor with all genuine reviews that says genuine Apple, but the one they pull out of the bin can be either real or fake. In other words it doesn’t matter which vendor you buy the phone charger, from because it all comes from the same bin. It doesn’t matter if it’s sold by Amazon or a third party seller. There is no way to tell before buying.
One of the entrepreneurs in the article who’s business has been ruined by the fakes and the subsequent poor reviews, is now lasering in serial numbers on their products.
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Not sure it’s a valid point though as many people don’t want to deal with ordering from multiple sites, separate shipping cost, return headaches, etc. Exactly the reason why Amazon exists.
