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Comment by cs702 | Hacker News Reader

> Type in "wireless headphones" and the top results look like what you'd find on a corner in Chinatown than a legitimate electronics store.

This is the most apt, insightful description I've seen so far of what is evidently a growing problem for Amazon: more and more retail consumers no longer trust the merchandise being sold by Amazon.

I write this as a longtime Amazon Prime member who, recently, for the first time ever, decided to buy a relatively inexpensive product (filters for a fairly expensive espresso machine) from a bricks-and-mortar retailer instead of Amazon, because I could not trust that the products listed for sale on Amazon were genuine (as opposed to knock-offs) or even the right kind (made with the right kind of silicon).

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I first stopped buying memory cards, camera batteries and so on from Amazon, after I received a counterfeit battery.

Having found other retailers for those items, they now also benefit from other purchases. I haven't bought anything from Amazon for over two years.

I've also told my parents not to use Amazon for electronics. They won't notice if they get a counterfeit charger that could burn their house down. It's unlikely, but not worth a $2 saving.

Even before Amazon became a problem, anything camera related I always ordered from B&H or Adorama. Camera equipment is just so ripe for fakes and grey market stuff.

B&H openly sells grey market products.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/HelpCenter/USGrey.jsp

Just to be clear, the only thing that's really wrong with grey market products is they don't come with a warranty. The are the same exact products you get on the white market.

And aren't they clearly marked? I'm not against buying grey market equipment. The problem is getting sent grey market stuff when paying US prices.

How can they come without a warranty? Isn't the seller responsible for returns?

They come with a warranty in some country, but that country isn't the US.

Ah, right. I was confused because in the UK (possibly Europe) the retailer is responsible for returns. It doesn't matter where the retailer sourced the product from.

It's important to note that warranties and returns are different things.

Still, the retailer is responsible for both across the EU.

They probably do in the US as well if you press hard enough.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/05/the-wor...

Some have, and have one. Though none that I know of were specifically for grey market products.

Manufacturer's warranty.

Most products come with 6 months-1 year warranty. So, let's say I buy a Samsung TV that breaks six months later due to a defect in manufacturing, Samsung will replace the TV for me under warranty if I bought it from a Samsung approved retailer, say Walmart. If I bought the same exact TV from a retailer unknown or unapproved by Samsung, they will say the warranty doesn't apply.

B&H gives their own warranty on grey market products to make up for it. So if you bought a grey market Samsung from B&H, Samsung's warranty wouldn't apply, but B&H's would.

>For IMP items only, B&H provides a warranty identical to the provisions and limitations of the manufacturer's warranty for such items, with the exception of the time period, which is equal to the term of the manufacturer's warranty or one (1) year, whichever is less.* Your dated B&H sales receipt is all you need to obtain warranty coverage from B&H for a "grey market" product purchased from us.

Although I don't know if this has been tested, I'm not so sure that manufacturers can so easily weasle out of a warranty for a product simply because it was labeled for sale in another country.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/05/the-wor...

You have expressed and implied warranty rights on products, regardless of what their actual warranty paperwork days.

It may not be that there's no warranty, it may be that it's in the country the product was designated for. If I buy a South Korea only Samsung product, they may say "call the warranty number in Seoul to arrange to ship it to the repair depot in Seoul, and by the way that line is Korean language only. You're also going to need your receipt from an authorized seller so we can be sure it didn't 'fall off a truck.'"

Plus, you know what you're getting; they're up front about that. When you buy from B&H, you are going to get the thing you paid for. It's up to you to decide how much the warranty is worth.

  grey market products

... are still genuine. It's the product's authenticity that's the issue, not its journey to you.

Yep, to be honest I might even want to buy a genuine counterfeit item for some reason. If I see a listing for a counterfeit rolex then maybe that's fine (not legally, but it's not harming the consumer). The problem is when you buy a real rolex and get a fake one.

The real kicker is that I've gotten more consistently genuine electronic products from AliExpress than from Amazon.

This is so true. I don't buy dog products made in China for obvious reasons but it's hard to discern what is truly made in America, or what's packaged in America and made in China. So I typically opt for other reputable pet websites. My 2¢.

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