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They only do it with standardized products (like those that have registered UPC codes), so that they should be indistinguishable. They try to control the situat
by saosebastiao 10y ago
They only do it with standardized products (like those that have registered UPC codes), so that they should be indistinguishable. They try to control the situation, but it has gotten so bad with some product types due to chinese knockoffs that they have had to shut it off for entire categories.
A particularly humorous situation has evolved from this with matchbox toy cars. With matchbox cars, any 1 car box is entirely indistinguishable electronically from another 1 car box, as all 1 car boxes share the same UPC (as well as 2 car boxes and so on). Collectors now refer to buying from amazon as 6 bullet roulette, because it is now virtually impossible to actually get what you think you bought.
- lisper 10y ago> they should be indistinguishable That seems to me to be missing the point rather badly (by Amazon, not by you). Counterfeits are designed to be indistinguishable, at least to casual inspection. Forging a UPC code is trivial.
- hrktb 10y agoThe system was not designed to fight counterfeit, but to optimize delivery for industrialy produced goods. Think ipod earbuds for instance, imagining they all actually Official ones, you wouldn't care which seller the one you ordered came from, as long as the product reference is the good one.
- tehwebguy 10y agoAlso, categories like Health are gated to keep noobs out. So are high-counterfeit categories like clothes and fashion accessories.