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>Amazon has done little if anything to combat counterfeiting. This article is entirely about Amazon doing something to combat counterfeiting...

F00bart 7y ago
Amazon has benefited tremendously from counterfeiting, and has done little to combat it until recently, mostly because the pressure to act has increased and the benefits of stalling have decreased.
cgriswald 7y ago
Yes, finally. And they’re putting the cost on the manufacturers, even though it’s a problem they created. In effect, manufacturers are now paying for commingling and Amazon is reaping the benefits.
- tidepod12 7y ago
  What a hilarious notion that Amazon "created" the problem of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting has been an issue for centuries, long long before Amazon existed.
  - cgriswald 7y ago
    Amazon didn’t create the problem of counterfeiting, but they did create the problems on Amazon. If I purchase something on Amazon and it is counterfeit, I can’t blame or avoid the counterfeiter because Amazon has commingled inventory. Even if I buy from a trusted seller or even Amazon itself, I might get a counterfeit item. My only choice in that case is to not buy from Amazon at all. If I buy anywhere else that allows third party sellers, I might get a counterfeit item, but I’ll know to avoid that seller in the future. And I can develop a meaningful relationship of trust with sellers; seller reviews about counterfeits will have meaning; and I can shop with a lot more confidence.
  - harimau777 7y ago
    I think the point is that by creating a system that makes counterfeiting easy and doing nothing to stop it when they knew it was taking place (or now demanding payment to stop it), Amazon is somewhat responsible.
- xemdetia 7y ago
  Putting the cost on manufacturers and potentially breaking legitimate resellers just feels straight out of the Walmart strongarm playbook. It feels like it should be against some FTC regulation somewhere that a transferrer of a good has the responsibility to not allow this to happen. The only historical equivalent I can think of is the movements of crude oil through pipelines where if you sell one type of oil and get a different oil on the buyers end the pipeline owner doesn't get to wash their hands of the affair and say 'its just oil, buyer beware.' Amazon should be subsidizing 100% of this program if they can't take care of their own mess.

F00bart 7y ago

Amazon has benefited tremendously from counterfeiting, and has done little to combat it until recently, mostly because the pressure to act has increased and the benefits of stalling have decreased.

cgriswald 7y ago

Yes, finally. And they’re putting the cost on the manufacturers, even though it’s a problem they created. In effect, manufacturers are now paying for commingling and Amazon is reaping the benefits.

tidepod12 7y ago
What a hilarious notion that Amazon "created" the problem of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting has been an issue for centuries, long long before Amazon existed.
- cgriswald 7y ago
  Amazon didn’t create the problem of counterfeiting, but they did create the problems on Amazon. If I purchase something on Amazon and it is counterfeit, I can’t blame or avoid the counterfeiter because Amazon has commingled inventory. Even if I buy from a trusted seller or even Amazon itself, I might get a counterfeit item. My only choice in that case is to not buy from Amazon at all. If I buy anywhere else that allows third party sellers, I might get a counterfeit item, but I’ll know to avoid that seller in the future. And I can develop a meaningful relationship of trust with sellers; seller reviews about counterfeits will have meaning; and I can shop with a lot more confidence.
- harimau777 7y ago
  I think the point is that by creating a system that makes counterfeiting easy and doing nothing to stop it when they knew it was taking place (or now demanding payment to stop it), Amazon is somewhat responsible.
xemdetia 7y ago
Putting the cost on manufacturers and potentially breaking legitimate resellers just feels straight out of the Walmart strongarm playbook. It feels like it should be against some FTC regulation somewhere that a transferrer of a good has the responsibility to not allow this to happen. The only historical equivalent I can think of is the movements of crude oil through pipelines where if you sell one type of oil and get a different oil on the buyers end the pipeline owner doesn't get to wash their hands of the affair and say 'its just oil, buyer beware.' Amazon should be subsidizing 100% of this program if they can't take care of their own mess.