Given the multitude of sites out there selling questionable products from dubious manufacturers and sellers, it’s a good thing buyers can go to ethical sites they trust, like Amazon, right?
The site’s anti-counterfeiting policy states it plainly – and in bold:
Customers trust that they can always buy with confidence on Amazon.com. Products offered for sale on Amazon.com must be authentic. The sale of counterfeit products, including any products that have been illegally replicated, reproduced, or manufactured, is strictly prohibited.
A Credibility Crisis Among E-Commerce Giants?
While many online shoppers have come to accept that sites like eBay and Alibaba are flooded with counterfeit products, many of us like to think that Amazon is a safe go-to for legit products.
Unfortunately, we simply can’t assume anymore that the products we buy on Amazon are not knockoffs. Counterfeiters have infiltrated that site, too, as reported on a plethora of sites, including here, here and here.
Suffice to say that there are many more “heres” out there documenting how bad the prevalence of counterfeit products has gotten on Amazon, despite their efforts.
Which Businesses are Suffering the Most from Counterfeited Products on Amazon?
While Amazon is recognized for putting forth more effort in correcting the counterfeiting problem, legitimate businesses from the mom-and pop variety to corporations like Apple are getting hit hard.
Counterfeiters do not discriminate. Whether your product is globally recognized or growing exponentially in targeted markets, nobody’s intellectual property is safe.
Counterfeit Amazon Products: A Growing Chorus of Concern
In a previous blog, we explored the kind of problem the world’s largest and most influential tech company faces with e-commerce.
But Apple, who filed a lawsuit against another manufacturer producing dangerously replicated chargers, isn’t the only enterprise worried about counterfeited goods on Amazon.
One entrepreneur is a licensed nurse who became an Amazon seller and did extremely well with a bedding system called BedBand, which filled a market demand for keeping sheets locked in place on mattresses.
When her IP was counterfeited by mostly Chinese knockoffs, her profits plummeted and she had to layoff many employees.
The Third-Party Seller Problem
Those who are independent sellers – who offer a selection of new, used, collectible or refurbished merchandise – are considered third-party sellers.
Since Alibaba and eBay do not own the products they sell and ship to retail customers, all sales on those sites are considered third-party. These third-party conditions are well-suited for counterfeiters to take advantage of consumers.
Approaching the Holiday Season
As we approach the 2016 holiday season, this year’s growing list of reports about Amazon’s problem with counterfeit goods has more businesses concerned about their IP.
Now more than ever is the time to track possible knockoffs of your products. Our software here at Scout is the hub that insurance companies, government investigators and a variety of corporations are enlisting to track and organize their cases for counterfeiters.
If you already have volumes of data to import, our software seamlessly imports and integrates the information for easy navigation within your team.