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Comment by schnable | Hacker News Reader

Yep. I got a counterfeit product, reviewed it with photos showing it alongside the authentic version and the very obvious differences (like lack of branding). Rejected as "the information we have indicates that the product you received was authentic." This along with receiving so many low quality products that have glowing 4-5 star reviews has destroyed a lot of my trust in Amazon. I now order direct from manufacturers when possible and am deliberate about the items I trust to order from Amazon.

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Someone who works in the supply chain made a revealing comment on Reddit that has tainted my trust in Amazon.

When you go to a listing (SKU) on Amazon, it shows you a bunch of "sellers" with various prices. These sellers usually fulfill with Amazon (hence, Prime shipping). Each seller sends its merchandise to Amazon's warehouse for fulfillment (shipping to you). Amazon commingles the inventory; all of that SKU goes into one bin, no matter who provided it.

Suppose the sellers are Creator, Honest Retailer #1, Honest Retailer #2, and Sketchy Knockoff. You care about quality, so you pay extra to order from one of the three trustworthy sellers. You still have a 1/4 chance of getting one of the Sketchy Knockoff's counterfeits, because they're all picked from the same bucket.

This also explains why you might see a review stating that someone received a counterfeit, even though they ordered from the creator.

Holy ** - this explains a lot of the counterfeits I've received over the years.

This is going to be a huge problem in the medical/health vertical. It's one thing to get a BommyTahama pair of sunglasses, it's quite another to get counterfeit supplements that could cause injury.

The US government has long had zero interest in verifying supplements (and vitamins) are what they claim they are. The best you can do is look for a USP logo.

Well, I wasn't going to say so here, but I will because it's important context and might lead Google searchers to this thread: the product I was talking about is Preparation H, a medicated wipe made by GSK Consumer Healthcare for people with hemorrhoids.

(Yes, I have filed detailed reports with the FDA and FTC)

How did you know it was a fake?

I've got counterfeit electrical goods on Amazon (solid state relay that was rated at something like 40A, but on opening it up after realizing it was counterfeit, found the electronics were only rated to something like 10A).

I complained in a review, that review never got published, despite the only SKU having only one seller - the purveyor of the counterfeit items. I did notice they blurred the logo of the real brand in some pictures later, though.

Supplements are a battle you automatically lose. The politics around them are such that they are unregulated.

Best avoided imo.

My rule for Amazon is absolutely nothing life/health/safety related, and nothing that goes on or in your body.

They simply cannot be trusted for these kinds of things.

This already IS a huge problem in the medical/health vertical. You should NEVER order supplements, makeup, or medicines/chemicals from Amazon for this reason.

I think there have been a few different noteworthy events where issues have popped up. I'll link to a couple of articles I've found on the topics.

https://themedicinemaker.com/business-regulation/amazons-fda...

https://www.sitejabber.com/resources/counterfeit-cosmetics-t...

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