Police Seize Counterfeit Purses. Creative Commons
LOS ANGELES — Consumers flock to the internet in search of bargains, but what they often find is far more dangerous: a $4.5 trillion counterfeit industry thriving through online shopping platforms. A Red Points survey found that 68% of consumers were worried about buying fake or low-quality goods online.
E-commerce sites have become ideal platforms for distributing counterfeit, fake, and replica products. These counterfeit goods represent a global criminal enterprise, and online sellers face little consequence. While consumers have legal protections for faulty or harmful products purchased from brick-and-mortar stores, they’re often left unprotected when buying from online marketplaces. Protected by 47 U.S. Code § 230, e-commerce giants are not held liable for false information posted by third-party sellers, many of whom operate anonymously from abroad, particularly in China.
The counterfeit problem has even caught the attention of Shark Tank host Mark Cuban, who reportedly discussed the issue with Vice President Kamala Harris’ team, focusing on protecting American businesses from Chinese knockoffs. While details of the conversation remain sparse, the issue raises the question: Should marketplace platforms be required to vet foreign manufacturers selling to U.S. consumers? (Bezinga)
The Counterfeit Report, an award-winning industry watchdog, has removed listings for almost 500 million counterfeit items offered on e-commerce websites, including eBay, Amazon, Walmart, Wish, Google, Newegg, and Alibaba. Despite these efforts, the problem has spiraled out of control. Brand-protection programs on these sites are either ineffective or obstructive, and consumers are rarely notified when they’ve purchased counterfeit or harmful items.
Before buying online from the e-commerce giants, consumers should consider what we’ve learned over the past decade.
The Federal Trade Commission or FTC recently sued Amazon for monopolistic practices, alleging a $1 billion price-fixing scheme and inflating costs for both consumers and sellers. The FTC, joined by 17 state attorneys general, accuses Amazon of forcing sellers to use its fulfillment services and keeping prices higher than on other platforms. In a press briefing, FTC Chair Lina Khan said, “Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to harm its customers, both the tens of millions of families that shop on Amazon’s platform and the hundreds of thousands of sellers that use Amazon to reach them,” she said. “Amazon now takes one of every $2 that a seller makes.”
In July, the FTC announced a voluntary recall of dietary supplement Umary, promoted and sold for pain, found to be tainted with unlisted drugs diclofenac and omeprazole which cannot be marketed as dietary supplements. Despite the recall, Umary remains listed and sold on eBay, several other online sellers, and a confusingly similar “K-umary” on Amazon.
Consumers are better off shopping with local retailers or trusted major chains like Kroger, Costco, Home Depot, and Best Buy, which offer competitive prices on authentic products. When it comes to counterfeit goods, the advertised “bargain” may come at a much higher cost.
Website: https://www.TheCounterfeitReport.com
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