4 ms·
I have ceased entirely. All product categories. For most of late 2016 I played the annoying game of "would some really counterfeit this product?", which usually
by elefanten 9y ago
I have ceased entirely. All product categories. For most of late 2016 I played the annoying game of "would some really counterfeit this product?", which usually ended in a stalemate.
First I stopped buying anything that goes in my body.
Then I stopped buying anything that goes on my body.
Then electronics.
Finally, sometime early this year when I caught myself pondering whether paper cat litter pellets might be dangerous if counterfeit... I just realized it was time to stop.
Until they show they care about this, I'm Amazon-free. It's nice, I'm walking more than I used to and it feels good.
- andrei_says_ 9y agoWhat are some guaranteed counterfeit free alternatives?
- milesvp 9y agoIn the EE community, it's generally understood that if you use ebay or amazon, you're probably going to get counterfeit electronics components. Mouser and Digikey are largely considered safe places to order components from, and presumably they have incentive to maintain their supply chain as free of counterfeits as possible. For physical goods, I'm more inclined to go to local retailers, since I can inspect them. Case in point, rat traps, I couldn't find a place on line where I could convince myself they weren't selling cheap knockoffs, so I drove to home depot and bought them there. I can't guarantee I didn't buy counterfeit traps, but at least they were high quality.
- CamelCaseName 9y agoAt the end of the day, no one but the sellers are concerned about counterfeit vs. real. The only thing that matters is the quality, and any marketplace with insufficient controls is bound to suffer in that metric.
- kayfox 9y agoYou will note with Digikey the packing list includes a certification that the parts are not counterfeits.
- fludlight 9y agoLocal retailers sell cheap knockoffs, too. Look up "Lumber Liquidators china formaldehyde".
- andrei_says_ 9y agoThank you. What about less specialized but pricey and thus likely to be counterfeit items, like electronics ( headphones, speakers, hdmi cables, dashcams), cookware (don't want toxic stuff in my food), wool/leather clothing, organic teas etc.
- x0x0 9y agoI think monoprice still makes and sells all their own stuff. I still think it's safe to buy makeup on jet, though they're probably going to start doing 3rd party nonsense soon.