I believe Amazon.com sells Counterfeit items - And they Know it. Here's why.

I have been researching cheap Android tablets for the past few weeks. I have my eye on a certain budget 10 inch tablet you see, and have carefully read over all of the various pages of different sellers offering this same model number and the customer reviews that go with them. I compare them every day in case one of the sellers drops the price lower.

I have noticed some startling trends in the reviews that point to certain items by certain sellers as counterfeit.

Here are examples.

The unit I'm looking at is made with Chinese parts, manufactured by an American company who also has a branch in Canada. There is only one official seller of this product on Amazon.com. The official seller for this company states to beware of knock off's and that the tablets Always ship from the USA, never from China - it's not a Chinese product.

In the reviews, you will have people state how they bought the item and it never arrived "from china". There is one seller at least who does sell and ship the item from China but the offficial company doesn't - so why is this review in the official page and not on the counterfeit sellers page?? Amazon is at fault here.

Amazon started to lump all the reviews for a certain model together on all of the sellers pages - no matter if they were legit sellers or not. Search enough pages of the same item sold by different sellers and you'll notice this too. This is where the problem comes in. Half the people are thinking they are reviewing the real product while they are really reviewing the knock off they bought instead! The reviews thus give you conflicting opinions that no one can trust.

Another example, a Mother told of how she bought 3 of the same tablets at different times through different sellers. One came with google play and the other two came with some Chinese google market alternative! This would not have happened had she bought all 3 from the real seller.

If you keep reading the reviews you will find all sorts of discrepancies like this. Now, being the nice guy I am, I thought i'd write a review to warn folks of the counterfeit sellers. I detailed this same information above in the review and posted it. Amazon sent me a message saying it will not post the review because the content of my post did not reflect an actual product review - fair enough But - an actual person had to read that review and reject it willingly knowing it's contents. Seems Amazon isn't concerned at all if they have sellers pushing fake goods as long as they are making money.

originally posted by: JohnPhoenix
I have been researching cheap Android tablets

Aaaaand we're done.

originally posted by: FraternitasSaturni

originally posted by: JohnPhoenix
I have been researching cheap Android tablets

Aaaaand we're done.

Care to elaborate?

1) Even Samsung Galaxy has it's knockoffs. 2) almost every component you have in all your home electronics are cheaply made and do come from - you guessed it.. China.

I have been using some products from China for a few years, having to use Chinese batteries for my electric bike. they make the best LiPO4 batteries at the best price bar non - American manufacturers can't touch them because china controls a huge portion of the Lithium market. You get to learn which companies are good and which are not good. These tablets are the same way. The technology has allowed for cheaper chips that come close to the performance of the chips the expensive tablets use, such as the AllWinner 31s quad core. You wanna balk about cheap from China, even the big boys like AMD and Nvidia have cheap GPU budget models based on chips designed for budget performance. " Cheap doesn't have to mean crappy junk like it used to, you just have to shop around and compare a lot.

Anyway, do you have any comments on the actual content of the thread?

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

I get that problem all the time, Its not the product that's counterfeit IMO It depends on the Company that's selling and depending on the country the device comes from.

Another example, a Mother told of how she bought 3 of the same tablets at different times through different sellers. One came with google play and the other two came with some Chinese google market alternative! This would not have happened had she bought all 3 from the real seller.

Google Market is a preloaded program. If the country selling the product is in China it will have the Chinese Version.

I get the same issues with Nearly every Mobile Phone I buy. Some come with preloaded Arabic Settings others with Chinese. It depends on where the seller is. Even where I live, actual Shops have the same issue where Two people go in and buy the same device but when they first turn them on they are completely different but again its Software preloaded. Its not that much of a problem for me as I can Factory restore and then pick and choose what I want. It can be a pain but I got it cheap so no complaints from me.

Amazon is mostly a Third Party Seller/Distributor. They are compiling reviews based on the actual Product not the sellers.

originally posted by: Maltese5Rhino

Google Market is a preloaded program. If the country selling the product is in China it will have the Chinese Version.

yeah.. in this case the company who made the unit is American and will not ship from China. The lady bought 3 of the same tablet thinking she was getting the exact same product. It looks like she ordered one form the real seller and two from the counterfeit seller. The lady didn't say the app was named " google market" she just said it was a google market knock off. If she had ordered all 3 at the same time from the real seller, she would never have gotten anything other than the real google play store.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

Ah ok sorry I mistook that part of your post. Looks like they could be knockoffs.

The only other thing could be if the two other Tablets where purchased by the company in China and then resold again back through Amazon.

Like yourself a lot of companies look for sudden price reductions and simply buy then wait then sell again when the price drops. For this one though, it looks like the counterfeits are coming through. Amazon is too big a company now to even care.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

Beware! I bought a cheap, Chinese android phone off amazon this year - Star 9500. It did everything the S4 does although the speakers were poor and the 3.5mm jack was glitchy. It had a habit of the front camera coming on (that little red light would shine) and, once or twice, independently ran through screens in Chinese and I'd have to turn it off to use it again. The camera activity didn't bother me much and I never entered any valuable p/words so the issue of it being laden with malware was fairly trivial.

One day it just bricked - 3 months in. Got a refund. The fone went back and is probably owned by someone else right now...

The model was later pulled off Ebay (Ebay!!) no less after a German security firm discovered it was infested with spyware. Amazon still sells them. The thing is, Amazon is a marketplace and not a party to counterfeiting or mischief even if some of the sellers are. They eventually ban the sellers.

Go cheap and Chinese by all means, but be aware that it might also be a risk if you plan using any p/words that matter.

originally posted by: JohnPhoenix
I have been researching cheap Android tablets for the past few weeks. I have my eye on a certain budget 10 inch tablet you see, and have carefully read over all of the various pages of different sellers offering this same model number and the customer reviews that go with them. I compare them every day in case one of the sellers drops the price lower.

I have noticed some startling trends in the reviews that point to certain items by certain sellers as counterfeit.

Here are examples.

The unit I'm looking at is made with Chinese parts, manufactured by an American company who also has a branch in Canada. There is only one official seller of this product on Amazon.com. The official seller for this company states to beware of knock off's and that the tablets Always ship from the USA, never from China - it's not a Chinese product.

In the reviews, you will have people state how they bought the item and it never arrived "from china". There is one seller at least who does sell and ship the item from China but the offficial company doesn't - so why is this review in the official page and not on the counterfeit sellers page?? Amazon is at fault here.

Amazon started to lump all the reviews for a certain model together on all of the sellers pages - no matter if they were legit sellers or not. Search enough pages of the same item sold by different sellers and you'll notice this too. This is where the problem comes in. Half the people are thinking they are reviewing the real product while they are really reviewing the knock off they bought instead! The reviews thus give you conflicting opinions that no one can trust.

Another example, a Mother told of how she bought 3 of the same tablets at different times through different sellers. One came with google play and the other two came with some Chinese google market alternative! This would not have happened had she bought all 3 from the real seller.

If you keep reading the reviews you will find all sorts of discrepancies like this. Now, being the nice guy I am, I thought i'd write a review to warn folks of the counterfeit sellers. I detailed this same information above in the review and posted it. Amazon sent me a message saying it will not post the review because the content of my post did not reflect an actual product review - fair enough But - an actual person had to read that review and reject it willingly knowing it's contents. Seems Amazon isn't concerned at all if they have sellers pushing fake goods as long as they are making money.

As you say it yourself... chinese parts.

If you buy parts for a product of any kind in China, there's a high likelihood that the product will be copied. They won't even have to do too much, because they are already making the parts.

Add to that, that I don't think it's too hard to become an Amazon shop these days. It's probably only a couple of forms you fill out and then pass percentages off to Amazon as you send off items.

Imagine how many sellers they must have... then imagine them having to check back and forth, to see if a shop is legit or not.
They might even be doing it, but there would be so many shops to check that it could take a long time to come to any conclusion.

Anything expensive I would stick to a store based near you. Fx if you live in the EU, stick to sellers with physical EU shops etc.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Good to know.. I'll keep my wits about me and not expect too too much - I'm only gonna pay less than 200 dollars and this includes the tablet, carrying case with built in keyboard, wireless mini mouse, screen protectors, 64GB Micro SD, 7 port USB Hub and an external antenna to help pull in weak wifi hotspots. I already know the dual cameras on the unit aren't the best from the reviews but it should play Android games well, (it has a powerful graphics chip), should play youtube video well, and allow me to use headphones and mic for turning my wifi device into a phone with Groove IP or Talkatone.

The one I'm looking at isn't a budget Chinese tablet - it's a budget American tablet LOL.. The company is named Contixo and is from California.

Contixo Company is a manufacturer of consumer electronics corporated in the United State, with brand trademark CONTIXO, XODO, YABILA registered in US and other countries. It has steadily expanded its sales and distribution operations globally.

The Company's corporate objective is to provide value to consumers at all levels of income and status. The current core product lines for Contixo are based on LCD panel and latest decoding, computing and telecom technologies, such as Tablet MID & Computers, Mobile Phones and so on.

The corporate headquarter is located in California, USA, with manufacturing bases in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and China. It is also served by various satellite sales offices located in the USA, Canada, UK, China, Hong Kong etc. Overall, they all share the common corporate objective of providing value to Contixo consumers. Each employee strives each day to achieve that objective.

www.contixo.net...-home

This is about the Only reason why I'm even considering this tablet. If I had to get one from China, and deal with a Chinese company, I'd be way more leery. I feel better dealing with an American company and using an American product, even if it was assembled over seas.

I have even tried to find this product or anything by this company on all of the popular Chinese wholesale websites and cannot find not one of these.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

If you really want to see easily spotted fakes on the site go look at shoes and watches. There are more fake fakes then real or knockoff items. A friend of mine bought a pair of so called designer pumps for $40, when she got them they were another similar pair covered in glitter that looked like a kindergarten project. Most good retailers offer certification but buyer beware when it comes to everything else. In this case you don't even get what you pay for since most of this stuff looks like recycled flea market trash.

Btw have you considered a plan, I have a new HTC one m8 which is only $20 a month. I hate plans too but with 3 people on 1 account is not that bad.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

Tangca sells video cards that are falsely advertised if not fraudulent on amazon. I reported it yesterday. Trying to sell GT 430's for 80 bucks. Claims they are new but the item in the picture is scratched up and a little broken. Amazon is okay with it.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

I stand corrected

Good luck with the purchase and continue to be careful.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

Most places don't allow negative reviews from non-buyers. That would allow the review statistics to be artificially influenced negatively.

There are sellers on Amazon that sell counterfeit items, just as there are many other places that sell counterfeit items. That's why buyers should always pay attention to reviews, and also pay attention to what they're receiving.

There was this one time that i bought a new, unused item from a seller on Amazon, but the item was clearly used. That happens on Ebay and any other place where you can't view the item before you buy it.

That's where the phrase "Buyer Beware" comes in.

Hey John, You're Right!!!!! We've purchased DVD Box Sets through some of Amazon's Biggest Sellers and nearly without fail, they've all bee PIRATES!!! Glitchy Tracking Issues and Stopping and Starting and Asian Writing at the end of the video and we paid Full Retail for these. Beware Folks Amazon Sells lots of Counterfeit items. We buy all our DVDs now from authorized video retailers in our town. Thanks for bringing this issue up John and Peace Arjunanda a reply to: JohnPhoenix

I've been cheated on cologne and perfume before. It was fake. But that happened on EBay, as well. The Aramis that I bought smelled nothing like the original. I did get a refund and warned other people about the sellers who were pulling this scheme. You gotta be vigilant when shopping online

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

It seems all companies fall victim to the curse of greed with time and we are way too often willing and very supportive victims.

I blame two factors.

1. The seller - Riches over quality.

The company is in business to make money. They will do almost anything to get their customer base. Once they have a large loyal customer base, their new goal is to milk them for every cent they can get. Their second goal is more profit for the same item, so they jack up the prices until the customers balk. When the customers balk, their next attempt is to increase profits, is to reduce purchase cost, this make knocks an appealing, if underhanded choice for the seller.

2. Riches over need.

Too many of us are addicted to things. We buy things not because we need them but because we want them. Go to that room or space where you have stored away all those items that you just "had" to have! Look at all the wasted dollars piled up there and reflect on the sacrifice made to be the proud owner of a dust collection hidden behind closed doors. Calculate the dollars spent on the items in that space, then calculate the real cost, the hours forfeited from your life to earn those dollars spent. The hours spent that were forfeited for more valuable and memorable times taken from you or the ones you claim to love. Things that even when useless, continue to take up space in your life because you can't bare to part with them because you are convinced that they still have value, when half of it you had forgotten was stored away. You cabpn tell yourself anything that helps you support the deception, but you know that if you look to close at your collection you will come face to face with the reality that none of those things sitting in front of you fulfilled there promise.

We often purchase "things" on impulse, because we have been brainwashed to believe we are "less than", if you don't have the latest and greatest. Some people pay ridiculous prices for an item because of its name, for its, envy me factor. Just to make a point and to show just how ridiculous we can be, My sister-in-law, a while back, was showing off some tiny purse she bought, at a social event we attended together. Everyone was oohing and aahing over this thing that couldn't hold a pack of cigarettes, that she spent $500.00 dollars for, and she was so proud because it made by some supposed famous designer. Now I am sorry, but she not only didn't need it, it served no purpose other than to impress, and as long as we are willing to spend money on items for just their envy factor, there will be an industry out there to allow those wanting to impress that have Cristal taste, but a Coors pocketbook.

We really are much more powerful then we realize. We decide what is of importance and of value in our lives, and we are so right when we hold the idea that "it is just money". Money indeed has little if no value, that is not the problem. It is what we are willing to sacrifice or willing to do or submit to, to acquire that worthless bit of paper that is the problem.

originally posted by: AnteBellum
a reply to: JohnPhoenix

Btw have you considered a plan, I have a new HTC one m8 which is only $20 a month. I hate plans too but with 3 people on 1 account is not that bad.

Funny about those shoes...Don't tell my wife.. LOL

They have plans now for as little as 20 a month? Wow.. I didn't know that. It would not do me any good because I cannot get a HTC One M8 in the 10 inch tablet style. That tiny phone would annoy me no end - too hard to read and too hard to operate - I'm Not a thumb person. My tablet will never be touched by my thumbs but only always operated either with keyboard and mouse or my index fingers with Touch, as in my opinion it should be.

At $537.00 the HTC is still about 3 times more than I'm willing to pay and IMO is way too much for what your getting. I also have a huge problem with feeding any telecommunications companies monopolies. I believe all phone service to the world should be free. I already have wifi at home and the hotspots with the external antenna will keep me communicating. Now if my budget 10 inch had cell phone abilities (which it doesn't) and I could still get a service for 20 a month, i'd think about it.

It looks like for 20 a month you are getting the service and paying off the phone at the same time.. you have to be locked into a plan that allows you the time to pay off the phone. The site says if you discontinue the service, you still have to pay the balance of the phone. Every 5 months you pay 100 dollars, so it will take you 25 months to pay that off - by then the phone will be obsolete. To me, thats not such a good deal.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

I'm sorry the phone is $20 a month to own, I think I mislead you with the way I wrote it. The plan is just a standard TMobile family plan which is extra. I debated it and for years did not want to buy into the monopoly plan either but eventually I had to, for work and kids. I wanted the HTC personally because I think it's beautifully engineered. Simple personal choice, I use it for everything including this site, but posting can get tedious when doing anything other then typing. Spending $600 on it at the time was out of the question but $20 a month for 2 years is doable and I can upgrade in a year, but I won't.
I thought you were looking for a phone based device my fault.

Have you tried WirelessTablets.com or TigerDirect.com yet?

There's a whole bunch under $200 (18 I think, I can't get the link to work at TigerDirect) and I've built computers with parts from this site, usually pretty good service.

originally posted by: JohnPhoenix

Another example, a Mother told of how she bought 3 of the same tablets at different times through different sellers. One came with google play and the other two came with some Chinese google market alternative! This would not have happened had she bought all 3 from the real seller.

That's not true at all. Hardware devices, tablets included, often are updated to deploy new software/firmware version to keep them up to date. These deployments take in several inputs from whomever is pushing them out, default language being one of the primary ones. It's very possible that all of the 3 were made in China, and someone programming them before shipment simply put in the wrong default language before flashing the updates.

No conspiracy here...just knock off's being sold on Amazon IMO, which isn't news. Anyone can tell that by looking at the hardware manufacturer.... I.E. iApple does not equal Apple, regardless of how much it may look and act like an iPad.