What can we as sellers do about the massive amount of fake OEM parts?
I sell a lot of auto parts, a lot of ignition coils.
There are hundreds of these sellers using the term "OEM" or even the supplier (Motorcraft, Denso, NGK, etc) in the listings of aftermarket parts.
Obviously, when the price for the OEM coils are the same as the aftermarket ones, and other odd behaviors such as blurred logos, using splits in the name "Den-so" "Moto-rcraft", you know these parts are not genuine OEM parts.
These sellers have tons of negatives with buyers getting duped, and rightfully being irritated that these sellers constantly get away with doing this. It seems eBay is simply turning a blind eye because at the end of the day, what matters to them most is the fees they make off it. Some of these sellers have sold tens of thousands of these parts, with feedback percentages in the low 90s, sometimes even upper 80s!
It's even more irritating when I've had legitimate listings for brand name parts that I can 100% verify authenticity get taken down by eBay's junk AI, and when you go and report these scammy sellers listing aftermarket parts as OEM, every report comes back the same, verbiage akin to "we did not find this listing to be in violation of any rules".
Why am I so mad about this? Because these sellers are taking away business from me and other sellers by deception, and eBay does zilch about it.
inhawaii
·5 months agoSome of my listings for parts say...
"Most of these being sold here on ebay are not OEM. They are cheap knock-offs from, China."
"This is a genuine OEM part, not a cheap knock off from China,"
"If you're buying a carburetor for $20, it's not a genuine OEM carburetor."
onefootflipper
·5 months agoThere is nothing you as an individual seller can do to fight problems with Chinese parts that won't end up being a net negative to you financially. Either find a way to thrive in the business anyway, or find a new business, as you could dedicate 100 unpaid hours per week to fighting against them and likely it would not ever result in you getting a single additional sale. The category is too vast, the number of sellers too large, and the way the Chinese sellers operate a new one pops up instantly to replace each one that is eliminated.
luckythewinner
·5 months agoDon't all auto parts come with free returns? I would think these sellers would be paying a ton of penaltry fees and shipping both ways.
inhawaii
·5 months agoLots of buyers buy, receive, install and are happy with their non-OEM parts without a clue they are not OEM.
luckythewinner
·5 months agoYes, but the post I was responding to claimed that they are getting tons of negatives with buyers getting irritated.
I would assume that any buyers who gave negatives and got irritated also filed for a free return.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoIf I want OEM parts, I will buy them from the dealer and have them installed by the dealer.
There are many, many other consumers who follow the same process
As a seller, you cannot control what your competition does. Your voice is irrelevant to Ebay, and Ebay enforces its policies, if and when buyers demonstrate a pattern of dissatisfaction when they receive what they can see is CRAP.
The business you have chosen to be in requires you compete with every variety of unethical and dishonest seller as well as many ethical and honest sellers. It is your job to determine how to best compete.
bonanza125
·5 months agoWhy am I so mad about this? Because these sellers are taking away business from me and other sellers by deception, and eBay does zilch about it.
There is no evidence which support your claim that these fake items are a sole reason why you are not selling specific items.
As far as reporting and not violating policy well you are experienced. You know already that Ebay agents aren't experts. They go by what the listing reads. Unless they find clear evidence to remove the listing they won't. You should know this already.
quadcitypickers
OP5 months ago1. Any sale to another seller who is using terms/logos to their advantage through deceptive means is a potential loss of sale to me or any other seller. Traffic and purchases will be shaped towards a seller who offers a better deal, but doing so through deception. I can easily go to eBay's product research hub and see for every 1-2 legitimate aftermarket sales, 5-10 are using manipulation and deception to achieve more sales.
If two competing grocery stores were selling 75/25 ground beef, but one was advertising it as 85/15 for the same price (when in reality it's the same 75/25), who do you think is going to sell more ground beef?
Likewise, a seller fraudulently using the term OEM in their titles and pictures is going to draw more sales.
2. If you look at these listings, they put OEM in the title, usually the pictures too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/404770621106
It would take an agent all of 5 seconds to see the brand is NOT listed as Denso or whatever OE supplier Nissan uses. I'm not sure if actual people look at these, most likely they use AI.
inhawaii
·5 months agoWhat can we as sellers do about the massive amount of fake OEM parts?
Answer: Don't buy them.
I know it's a huge problem.
I will only buy OEM parts. If in doubt I wont buy -or- i'll ask the seller "are you SURE these are OEM?"