If you shop online (and who doesn’t?), you probably know Amazon has a counterfeit goods problem. You see the complaints in customer reviews. You may have bought crummy knockoffs yourself.
I’ve heard people say the company doesn’t care, but that doesn’t make sense. As ABC News notes, “since 2019, it has warned investors in government filings that the sale of phony goods poses a risk to the company and its image.” That’s because, “Brands may not want to sell their items on the site if they know there are fake versions being offered. And knock-offs could cause shoppers to lose their trust in Amazon.” Exactly. Plus Bezos has politicians breathing down his neck.
This is in the news this weekend because Amazon just released a report on what they’re doing about it. They wrote the report, so of course it’s self-promoting, but it isn’t published on bamboo paper (as far as I know).
It doesn’t say “problem solved.” It says they’re doing this-and-this-and-this,
Specifically, it says they’re using technology tools to spot phony listings, and blocked 10 billion phony listings last year, destroyed 2 million fake items (N95 masks? they don’t say) sent to its warehouses, and now allow legitimate sellers to remove illegitimate listings themselves. They’re also employing the not-so-techie tactic of suing counterfeiters.
Read story here.
Now let’s see them do something about fake reviews, which as I wrote here, often go hand-in-hand with counterfeit products. By the way, the cheese grater I mentioned in that article is sold out, but that company still has some whiskey flasks left. Or, for those of lesser means (or seeking income), tin cups.
Photo: A $500 embossed whiskey flask from Jacob Bromwell