SHOPPING ON THE INTERNET - BE SUPER CAUTIOUS - EVEN ON THE BIG WEBSITES! !

chief38 said:
NOTHING is sacred anymore! Amazon and eBay often ship non genuine items. Some items which I'll refer to as specialty items are better off purchased from a known dealer or distributor and not on eBay or Amazon! Yes, they will be more expensive but at least you will get the real deal.

Today they are counterfeiting tools, calipers, instruments, appliances, clothing, furniture, eyewear, med's, shoes etc - you name it.... nothing is immune. When you want a tool like a set of Calipers and normally they cost around $300 bucks from a legit dealer, do not believe you are getting the same item in eBay or Amazon for #100 bucks! Some people don't really care, I do.

Some of the items being counterfeited that I have unfortunately encountered lately are GE refrigerator filters, AC replacement Capacitors, Champion spark plugs, automotive key fobs and more. I have learned my lesson (never thought they'd counterfeit sone of these items) but will no longer buy certain items on Amazon or eBay. Just a heads up Guys and Gals.
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Thanks Chief.

But this isn’t anything new. This has been going on since the early days of EBay.

Chase counterfeit goods are killing legit companies.
 
I've encountered knockoff Starrett tools, both on eBay and Amazon.
Both were rules, and the tell tale upon receipt was the endsof the rules were just sheared and not ground. The boxes took close eyeballing to tell they were not original, but really good copies, and the NBS certificates were missing.
I fell for buying them because the prices were close to full price, which fooled me into thinking I was maybe getting a few $ off for volume.
To their credit, both eBay and Amazon made me whole.
 
I've never got one, but have read about people selling fake Aimpoint, Trijicon, and Eotech's on Ebay, and sometimes on Amazon.

Also heard Amazon was bad for fake OtterBox phone cases. I was going to order one, but called OtterBox asking them about them. They told me if the Amazon ad said sold by, and ships from Amazon, it was one of theirs.
 
I bought a package of replacement heads on Amazon for my Oral-B/Braun electric toothbrush not too long ago. When they arrived they looked like the real thing, and were labelled as Oral-B...but there was not an English word anywhere on the package. All of the print was in an Eastern European language...so how could I know they were genuine? I returned them, and ordered the real thing from the manufacturer's website. Yes, I paid a bit more, but I know it's the genuine article.
 
Recently bought several battery packs for my DeWalt battery powered tools from Amazon. Product listed as OEM. FALSE! They were good for only one use because they wouldn't fit into the DeWalt battery chargers! I wrote a "Do Not Buy " with a single star review.
 
GypsmJim said:
No thanks. What I need is on Amazon. It's clearly marked and it comes in 3 days. I don't have to drive there and waste gasoline, and I don't have to put up with dumb people.
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Yep, we've been stabbing ourselves in the neck for the last (40) or more years. Why stop now.
 
One of these days, if we aren't careful, we won't be able to "get it" if it ain't on amazon. They will just supply us with the products that make $en$e
to them.
 
taz666 said:
One of these days, if we aren't careful, we won't be able to "get it" if it ain't on amazon. They will just supply us with the products that make $en$e
to them.
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No doubt.

An omnipotent supplier with no competition and only digital currency. What could go wrong?
 
I like saving a buck or to am much as anyone, but, just remember you tend to get what you paid for.
Buy good quality whatever take decent care of it, and you will save money in the long run.
 
Fake designer handbags such a Coach and Louis Vuitton have been common for years. I had a surprise fake a while back, name brand(Estee Lauder) face cream from Amazon. Price wasn't crazy low to make it suspect but when I opened it it smelled different and was thinner than regular. If it wasn't a product I already used I wouldn't have known. The packaging was a perfect copy.
Another you guys need to look out for are Benchmade and other premium brand knives. I've seen copies that are very good.
 
I ordered a starter /blower motor and mount for a pellet stove from Amazon..waited a week...Out of stock at Amazon 93 dollars and change.. Went to the local big dealer(and online).....after another week or so...got exactly what I wanted from them...in stock. NIB. 155.00...next morning UPS shows up with the amazon package. Boxes were Identical. Opened both...both items were identical. Even the extra electrical wires were identical. Well...I put the Amazon motor on the stove....actually fairly easy install which is rare for me. I re-boxed the unit I got from the big name brand company and returned it. It seems they access their stock from the same source and mark it up to make a good profit margin. BTW there was no Chinese markings etc. just the same name and numbers on the products...even on the 15 year old one I removed from the stove. BTW the stove is working like new...and for 3.50 I got a 2 year warranty from Amazon. Probably a waste of money but hey...if it dies...they send a new one...Not like Grainger
 
taz666 said:
Yep, we've been stabbing ourselves in the neck for the last (40) or more years. Why stop now.
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Just maybe THEY were the ones stabbing themselves in the back.

The internet and many types of chain stores are here to stay. The Mom & Pops signed their own death warrant.

Shops that operated for generations came to the point where the kids don't want to be store clerks any more, so when the last owners died they sold out. Some of those that stayed in business got operated by clueless people. Customer service is a thing of the past.

Lots of different reasons. Consumers will obviously go toward price and less hassle.
 
GypsmJim said:
Just maybe THEY were the ones stabbing themselves in the back.

The internet and many types of chain stores are here to stay. The Mom & Pops signed their own death warrant.

Shops that operated for generations came to the point where the kids don't want to be store clerks any more, so when the last owners died they sold out. Some of those that stayed in business got operated by clueless people. Customer service is a thing of the past.

Lots of different reasons. Consumers will obviously go toward price and less hassle.
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I agree with how consumers ultimately spend their money. I see it, the economics and laziness, as being short sighted.

People go to ballot boxes on a regular basis and vote against their own best interests year after year. People rail against others wanting to earn a decent wage or be active members of a labor union. The latter being responsible for the industrial revolution and fair wages, overtime, Social Security, etc.

The "mom & pop" comment is interesting. I think they were pushed out of existence with a series of calculated maneuvers.
Same thing is happening to family farms right now. Lacking our support seals their fate and we'll be eating what the amazons' of agriculture feed us while they destroy the environment.

I'm not against progress, far from it. I just like to see forward motion that works for everybody.
 
I bought several sets of Troy battle sights for my A/R's off Walmart.com.

The Troy manufacturing site warns about knock-offs and how to spot them. When I received the sights from Walmart, half of them were fakes in original packaging. I guess someone bought the real ones, swapped them out, and returned them.

I returned the fakes to Walmart and told them what they were. It's on them from there.
 
My son is a history buff who is fascinated by the Civil War. I started looking at some Confederate bills as a birthday gift for him. I was surprised by how many sellers who are pretty reputable were selling fakes. One of the fakes even had the word "facsimile" in small print on the back. I pointed it out to the seller but it didn't seem to have much effect on him as it sold for a pretty good price anyway.
 
taz666 said:
I agree with how consumers ultimately spend their money. I see it, the economics and laziness, as being short sighted.

People go to ballot boxes on a regular basis and vote against their own best interests year after year. People rail against others wanting to earn a decent wage or be active members of a labor union. The latter being responsible for the industrial revolution and fair wages, overtime, Social Security, etc.

The "mom & pop" comment is interesting. I think they were pushed out of existence with a series of calculated maneuvers.
Same thing is happening to family farms right now. Lacking our support seals their fate and we'll be eating what the amazons' of agriculture feed us while they destroy the environment.

I'm not against progress, far from it. I just like to see forward motion that works for everybody.
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Kudos to you. You hit every point for me.

Two sides of my immediate family...on both sides of the aisle. One would vote D regardless, and the other R. No convincing them. Interestingly, the D side were factory worker that hated the unions because they screwed them every year. If you said Teamsters to Grandpa you would hear some choice German swear words. The R side were business owners that lost everything in 1929.

Back one generation we were farmers. Had too many kids and the farm could not sustain all of them, so some of the brothers had to go to a factory and the girls had to marry outside of the town.

I don't think Mom & Pop were deliberately push out. It'as all a matter of the times we live in.
 
ladder13 said:
You all buy your guns, ammo, reloading stuff, and misc gun goods from brick and mortars?
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I used to 100%. I only bought ammo at Gander Mountain when they sent me a $10 coupon to get my business.

Dad bought his first rifle at a hometown store in 1939. I bought my first at the same brick and mortar in 1966. From then on until 2021 EVERY gun (and reloading stuff too) I ever bought was from them.

In 2022, the 3rd or 4th generation closed the store. I found a local FFL that would do an internet transfer for 25 bucks. He's my now goto.

Not my choice and not my fault.
 
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