I ordered a webcam on Amazon, some time ago. Amazon had it listed as “official,” and had a link to the manufacturer’s store page at the top. It was a “Fulfilled by Amazon” product, which should have told me that it wasn’t actually coming from the manufacturer, as the listing led me to believe.
However, when I received the device, it was the Chinese version (gray market), with a fairly crude sticker on the box, claiming that it was the US version (it wasn’t), even though all the packaging was Chinese. After I returned it for a refund, I attempted to write a review on the page, warning of the scam, complete with a photo of the sticker, and the review was rejected by Amazon. They completely ignored my reports. As far as I know, the item is still listed, with hundreds of positive reviews (I just checked -it is).
It’s fairly obvious that Amazon is directly and knowingly working with sketchy vendors, and actively suppressing attempts to expose these practices. I’m wondering if there’s a bottom to this. I think it would take a fairly aggressive effort, by multiple governments, to stop it, and I suspect the will is not there. There’s probably a lot of money being made, and many people would be perfectly happy with the gray market device (until they try to upgrade it, or get it fixed).
I did let the manufacturer know (when I ordered the real device, directly from them). I saw many complaints on the manufacturer’s support site about the same exact issue (which is why gray markets are such a brand-damaging problem). I would not be surprised if the manufacturer was afraid to do anything about it, as Amazon is an 800lb gorilla.