> alphabet soup brand fakes from chinese FBA sellers instead of buying products directly sold by amazon

Does this actually make a difference? I remember the issue was that Amazon would bin devices together regardless if they're from some random third-party or direct sale, so you could have fakes mixed in with genuine and it was basically a lucky dip.

Is this not still the case?

Ultimately, I'd be weary of buying things like this from Amazon and as you suggest go to a more traditional retail channel instead.