“Hey, Kid. Kid. Come here. Look inside of my trench coat here. Do you like what you see? That’s right: I have high-end facial products at a fraction of the price you’d pay at an authorized dealership.”
Unfortunately, dealers of counterfeit wares these days do not approach you the same way they did before the internet. On the plus side, we have plenty of fail-safes to protect against counterfeit or inferior products. Today, we will answer the question of whether you should trust products sold by unauthorized sellers on Amazon.
What’s the Problem?
I knew absolutely nothing about unauthorized sellers on Amazon until one of our readers brought it to my attention. They specifically referenced Yon-Ka products so I’m going to use them as an example for this article. Yon-Ka is a fancy-pants retailer of lotions and oils that keep you from looking like a pepperoni and prune pizza. They charge people exorbitant prices for their items, which they only sell through authorized vendors.
The suppliers of these restricted-supply-chain products like to scare customers away from buying from unauthorized vendors by claiming that the items could be diluted, expired, inauthentic, or of otherwise inferior quality. They do this to protect their money.
But, this isn’t the streets of New York City. Most of the time, if the product is listed on Amazon, then it is legit. You see, the widgets are often available due to a leak in the supply chain. Brands often have different prices for different markets and different retailers. This is done to make as much money for the brand and partners as possible. Therefore, unauthorized sales generally benefit the consumer at the brand’s expense.
What’s the Solution?
Though they do come down hard on sellers of counterfeit products, Amazon has already stated that they don’t plan to do anything about unauthorized sellers. As a matter of fact, you can get Yon-Ka products through Amazon Prime, which means they are providing fulfillment for these unauthorized items. Yon-Ka even goes so far as to specifically state that Amazon.com is an unauthorized site.
Even though you can be relatively certain you are getting the real deal on Amazon, you still need to do your research. If you know you are buying from an unauthorized seller, read up on the seller’s reviews and ratings. You can find this information by clicking on the seller’s name. Also, keep in mind that you can return most items to Amazon within 30 days of their arrival. If you find an item is counterfeit, then return it immediately. I’ve used Amazon regularly for over a decade and haven’t come across any counterfeit items.
Do you have questions about shopping on Amazon that have you perplexed? Let us know!
