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If I opened a shop on the high street selling fake hard drives I’d be shut down. Why does Amazon get a pass simply because they’re doing it at scale?

fshbbdssbbgdd 4y ago
Where I live in the US there are flea markets with stalls selling fake electronics like they have on Amazon. Neither the stalls nor the flea markets get shut down.
- TeMPOraL 4y ago
  But is Amazon a flea market or a mall?
chii 4y ago
> If I opened a shop on the high street selling fake hard drives I’d be shut down so who's doing the shutting down?
- p-e-w 4y ago
  The law, which applies to everyone except companies like Amazon for some reason.
  - themitigating 4y ago
    What law?
    - bogantech 4y ago
      Trademark, FCC and other safety regulations etc
    - mcv 4y ago
      I would really hope the US has some consumer protection laws. If it doesn't, they should address that. Are these fake items also accessible from the EU? I'd expect the EU wouldn't take kindly to these sort of scams.
      - gambiting 4y ago
        Well, they do show up in UK Amazon, page 2 of results after searching for "portable SSD" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-External-Portable-Storage-Laptop/dp/B0BMXL4KC9/ref=sr_1_25?crid=4PC17KHOC9F1&keywords=portable+ssd&qid=1673944052&sprefix=portable+ssd%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-25 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-External-Portable-Storage-La...
      - blowski 4y ago
        Yes. I searched for 16TB SSD drive” on UK Amazon, and quite a few £90 models matching the description were there.
      - hnbad 4y ago
        I routinely see reviews on German Amazon complaining about products lacking legally required certification or safety features. Those products continue being sold on Amazon. My guess is that for every product that gets shut down another pops up and Amazon drags its heels when confronted.
    - pmontra 4y ago
      IANAL but it's fraud, which is a federal crime in the USA.
    - chrisacky 4y ago
      https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising
- blowski 4y ago
  It looks like our best hope is market forces, as people stop buying from Amazon after seeing this constant drip-feed of Amazon's poor quality control.
hef19898 4y ago
I never stumbled across one of those offerings, but are those fake SSDs sold by Amazon or by a marketplace vendor? Because Amazon's management of its marketplace can only be described as hands-off at best, but legally they are not the seller.
- blowski 4y ago
  How many people say "Oh no, I didn't buy this from Amazon, I bought it from Amazon _Marketplace_"? I've never heard anyone say it, so perhaps it's a rather technical distinction. Amazon is paid to list it (they're "sponsored listings"), store it, deliver it, and profits from the sale. I think we can hold them accountable for the sale. It's somewhat akin to how "handling stolen goods" is just as much a crime as stealing them in the first place. If Amazon can't guarantee what they're selling, they shouldn't be selling it.

fshbbdssbbgdd 4y ago

Where I live in the US there are flea markets with stalls selling fake electronics like they have on Amazon. Neither the stalls nor the flea markets get shut down.

TeMPOraL 4y ago
But is Amazon a flea market or a mall?

chii 4y ago

> If I opened a shop on the high street selling fake hard drives I’d be shut down so who's doing the shutting down?

p-e-w 4y ago
The law, which applies to everyone except companies like Amazon for some reason.
- themitigating 4y ago
  What law?
  - bogantech 4y ago
    Trademark, FCC and other safety regulations etc
  - mcv 4y ago
    I would really hope the US has some consumer protection laws. If it doesn't, they should address that. Are these fake items also accessible from the EU? I'd expect the EU wouldn't take kindly to these sort of scams.
    - gambiting 4y ago
      Well, they do show up in UK Amazon, page 2 of results after searching for "portable SSD" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-External-Portable-Storage-Laptop/dp/B0BMXL4KC9/ref=sr_1_25?crid=4PC17KHOC9F1&keywords=portable+ssd&qid=1673944052&sprefix=portable+ssd%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-25 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-External-Portable-Storage-La...
    - blowski 4y ago
      Yes. I searched for 16TB SSD drive” on UK Amazon, and quite a few £90 models matching the description were there.
    - hnbad 4y ago
      I routinely see reviews on German Amazon complaining about products lacking legally required certification or safety features. Those products continue being sold on Amazon. My guess is that for every product that gets shut down another pops up and Amazon drags its heels when confronted.
  - pmontra 4y ago
    IANAL but it's fraud, which is a federal crime in the USA.
  - chrisacky 4y ago
    https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising
blowski 4y ago
It looks like our best hope is market forces, as people stop buying from Amazon after seeing this constant drip-feed of Amazon's poor quality control.

hef19898 4y ago

I never stumbled across one of those offerings, but are those fake SSDs sold by Amazon or by a marketplace vendor? Because Amazon's management of its marketplace can only be described as hands-off at best, but legally they are not the seller.

blowski 4y ago
How many people say "Oh no, I didn't buy this from Amazon, I bought it from Amazon _Marketplace_"? I've never heard anyone say it, so perhaps it's a rather technical distinction. Amazon is paid to list it (they're "sponsored listings"), store it, deliver it, and profits from the sale. I think we can hold them accountable for the sale. It's somewhat akin to how "handling stolen goods" is just as much a crime as stealing them in the first place. If Amazon can't guarantee what they're selling, they shouldn't be selling it.