Alarming number of counterfeit products on ebay marketplace
I know this has been posted about before here (but not by me). I mainly buy parts on ebay, lots of parts for cars and motorcycles. I have been shocked recently at the increase in number of counterfeit parts being listed. Two such examples recently have been carburetors and starters claiming to be "OEM Genuine" products. The products and their packaging are getting more convincing, with OEM-looking part tags and identification features on the parts themselves. Also, many counterfeiters have decided to increase the prices to make them only slightly cheaper than the real OEM parts, probably to make it seem like it could just be a "good deal" on a real authentic part.
I almost fell for one the other day for a "Honda Genuine OEM" starter - until I noticed the seller was located in China... and why would a seller in China have hundreds of these supposed OEM genuine parts in stock, and be able to ship them to the US for 1/3 of the price of the actual OEM part?? Yeah - total scam! But the part and the packaging actually looked legit!
The sad thing is, although I can still pick out the fakes, judging by the feedback these sellers are getting, many folks are being fooled and really believe they got a GREAT deal on a genuine OEM part that is 1/3 the cost of buying the real thing! I dislike that ebay allows customers to be scammed! It is disheartening to me that there are SO MANY sellers out there that see nothing wrong with blatantly lying to customers in order to get them to buy their products... SHAMEFUL.
mudshark61369
·5 months ago@rfvcpower ,
"I have been shocked recently at the increase in number of counterfeit parts being listed. Two such examples recently have been carburetors and starters claiming to be "OEM Genuine" products. The products and their packaging are getting more convincing, with OEM-looking part tags and identification features on the parts themselves".
There are stock photos available online for just about anything some come from the original Mfr. That's why you have to delve into the listings more deeply and check each seller's feedback profile before buying from one. Never buy auto parts from a seller located in China or who has feedback saying items were sent from there. One thing to look for is an Item titled and photographed in a box saying for example, it is a Mopar part, but when you look in the item specifics under Mfr. or Brand it says unknown or the space is blank.
Below is a screenshot taken from a seller's profile page, that you bought from. They have a high percentage but if you start reading the neutral comments many of which which are definitely negative ones, but do not count against a seller's feedback percentage, so you may want to recalculate their percentage yourself.
"...many folks are being fooled and really believe they got a GREAT deal on a genuine OEM part that is 1/3 the cost of buying the real thing! I dislike that ebay allows customers to be scammed! "
With millions of new listing posted on the site daily, there is no way ebay can verify each listing's authenticity. So buyers need to read listings carefully check feedback profiles and use their common sense when it come to items priced well below an OEM or Branded aftermarket Mfr's. parts
lady_madonna
·5 months ago>>"I dislike that ebay allows customers to be scammed! "<<
Ebay does NOT allow their customers to be scammed, that is why they have the 30 day Money Back Guarantee for buyers.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210
When a seller lists an item for sale on Ebay, Ebay does not have the means to examine the item for authenticity. It is up to the buyer to file a dispute (Return Request) when the buyer receives a non-authentic/not as described item. If a seller receives multiple disputes/return requests, Ebay will eventually restrict their selling ability.
Also, it is in the best interest of buyers to use caution when purchasing items from sellers located in China.