I am a bit confused, When you buy from Amazon, isn’t there an explicit indication whether you are buying from Amazon itself vs “marketplace” seller? Shouldn’t stuff direct from Amazon be legit?
No, Amazon mixes inventory. You should not trust Amazon with anything that is expensive or you put into your body. A product gets high ratings and is successful, then counterfeiters flood the market with a fake product that you end up inadvertently buying.
A recent example is Eclipse glasses that were purchased on Amazon. Since the inventory was co-mingled and Amazon doesn't have the time or expertise they refunded most purchases of the glasses both from legitimate and illegitimate sellers.
I could be mistaken, but my understanding is that there is no indicator if comingled inventory is enabled or disabled for a SKU, and that even product sold “by Amazon” could be comingled.
That is no guarantee it seems, even for really expensive items.
Go to Youtube and search for "chaseontwowheels" and "rocks", you'll see an interesting story in three parts about a guy trying to order a high end camera from Amazon.
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I am a bit confused, When you buy from Amazon, isn’t there an explicit indication whether you are buying from Amazon itself vs “marketplace” seller? Shouldn’t stuff direct from Amazon be legit?
No, Amazon mixes inventory. You should not trust Amazon with anything that is expensive or you put into your body. A product gets high ratings and is successful, then counterfeiters flood the market with a fake product that you end up inadvertently buying.
A recent example is Eclipse glasses that were purchased on Amazon. Since the inventory was co-mingled and Amazon doesn't have the time or expertise they refunded most purchases of the glasses both from legitimate and illegitimate sellers.
I believe this is only the case in US. If you're buying from Amazon in EU the stock advertised as "sold by Amazon" is actually their own stock.
Do you have a source for that? I tried finding an answer to this a while ago and was left a little unsure in the end.
I could be mistaken, but my understanding is that there is no indicator if comingled inventory is enabled or disabled for a SKU, and that even product sold “by Amazon” could be comingled.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13926015
That is no guarantee it seems, even for really expensive items.
Go to Youtube and search for "chaseontwowheels" and "rocks", you'll see an interesting story in three parts about a guy trying to order a high end camera from Amazon.
I've received counterfeit electronic goods from a Chinese third-party seller before.