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Yes! If available, I try to buy all my electronics from Abt.com or B&H Photo, primarily to avoid fakes and co-mingling. For non-electronic items, it's often sur

Yes! If available, I try to buy all my electronics from Abt.com or B&H Photo, primarily to avoid fakes and co-mingling. For non-electronic items, it's often surprisingly difficult to find them off-Amazon, at the same-or-better prices, and with expedient shipping. I'd buy more high-ticket items from Amazon if they implemented better supply-chain controls.

ikeboy 8y ago
B&H does a ton of grey market though
- whitepoplar 8y ago
  Sure, for camera gear, but it's clearly marked on the item's page. There's also nothing explicitly wrong with grey market items.
- fmajid 8y ago
  They're up-front about it, and those are still genuine products, just not meant for the US market. Amazon's nonchalance about counterfeiting and fake reviews looks increasingly like willful ignorance. Bezos could probably buy Fakespot.com or equivalent with loose change from his sofa, but no, they only pay lip service to cracking down on fake reviews and thus the search results in Amazon are highly questionable. I don't think this will change until someone is electrocuted by a fake iPhone charger sold by Amazon from stickerless commingled inventory, and they are sued for billions.
  - whitepoplar 8y ago
    I think this could be the class action lawsuit of the century. If the plaintiffs can prove that Amazon was negligent and they can show damages, I can imagine a potential verdict in the billions, even tens of billions.
  - ikeboy 8y ago
    Having seen several accounts go down for counterfeiting claims I strongly disagree that Amazon is ignoring the issue. Reviews has nothing to do with authenticity.
    - whitepoplar 8y ago
      Would you feel comfortable buying this?: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD819AM-Meter-Lightning-Cable/dp/B014LFT8H0 https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD819AM-Meter-Lightning-Cable/d... Note that Amazon lists the brand as Apple, and the default seller is a third party.
      - ikeboy 8y ago
        Apple will be restricted to only authorized sellers on Amazon very soon. For now, that particular offer looks to be geniune - if they weren't policing that against people selling knockoffs the price would be somewhere in the $10 range (compare eBay). I'd prefer to buy a cheaper off brand cable from Anker or Amazon basics though, there's no reason to pay an extra $10-15 just because it's Apple branded. Some of the off brands are cheaper and higher quality than the Apple ones. Edit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Original-OEM-Apple-Lightning-To-USB-Charging-Cable-iPhone-5-6s-Plus-7-2m-6ft/183524575555 https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Original-OEM-Apple-Lightning-To... $8.99 in retail packaging on eBay, almost certainly fake.

ikeboy 8y ago

B&H does a ton of grey market though

whitepoplar 8y ago
Sure, for camera gear, but it's clearly marked on the item's page. There's also nothing explicitly wrong with grey market items.
fmajid 8y ago
They're up-front about it, and those are still genuine products, just not meant for the US market. Amazon's nonchalance about counterfeiting and fake reviews looks increasingly like willful ignorance. Bezos could probably buy Fakespot.com or equivalent with loose change from his sofa, but no, they only pay lip service to cracking down on fake reviews and thus the search results in Amazon are highly questionable. I don't think this will change until someone is electrocuted by a fake iPhone charger sold by Amazon from stickerless commingled inventory, and they are sued for billions.
- whitepoplar 8y ago
  I think this could be the class action lawsuit of the century. If the plaintiffs can prove that Amazon was negligent and they can show damages, I can imagine a potential verdict in the billions, even tens of billions.
- ikeboy 8y ago
  Having seen several accounts go down for counterfeiting claims I strongly disagree that Amazon is ignoring the issue. Reviews has nothing to do with authenticity.
  - whitepoplar 8y ago
    Would you feel comfortable buying this?: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD819AM-Meter-Lightning-Cable/dp/B014LFT8H0 https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD819AM-Meter-Lightning-Cable/d... Note that Amazon lists the brand as Apple, and the default seller is a third party.
    - ikeboy 8y ago
      Apple will be restricted to only authorized sellers on Amazon very soon. For now, that particular offer looks to be geniune - if they weren't policing that against people selling knockoffs the price would be somewhere in the $10 range (compare eBay). I'd prefer to buy a cheaper off brand cable from Anker or Amazon basics though, there's no reason to pay an extra $10-15 just because it's Apple branded. Some of the off brands are cheaper and higher quality than the Apple ones. Edit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Original-OEM-Apple-Lightning-To-USB-Charging-Cable-iPhone-5-6s-Plus-7-2m-6ft/183524575555 https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Original-OEM-Apple-Lightning-To... $8.99 in retail packaging on eBay, almost certainly fake.