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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be angry about Amazon selling illegal items

43 replies

SoloD · 02/12/2016 11:49

I read this article on the BBC warning about fake illegal Iphone chargers.

www.bbc.com/news/technology-38167551

It turns out that Amazon do not take any responsibility for products sold on Amazon, so anyone can sell un-certified unsafe and illegal products, from sellers based overseas (often in China).

These sellers also send their products to Amazon warehouses in the UK, so it makes it difficult to spot, they don't register for UK or pay VAT, putting UK sellers out of business. www.ravas.org.uk

It seems in mad that this is allowed. If it was a retail shop then Trading Standards would have shut them down.

And yes I have brought a dodgy charger.

OP posts:

Yoarchie · 02/12/2016 11:53

Yes it is bad.

However you should be really careful buying things from random sellers. If I wanted an iPhone charger, I would only get it from apple. Everyone knows that all manner of stuff is faked.

DailyMailSucksAss · 02/12/2016 11:56

They aren't official but many EU made products still confirm to CE standards - they're the ones that are slightly more expensive and last.

idontlikealdi · 02/12/2016 11:56

Yes its bad but my rule of thumb woul be to buy only from the amazon or amazon authorised suppliers. Same as ebay. Most likley if its coming from China / HK and costs 50p it'll be a fake.

DailyMailSucksAss · 02/12/2016 12:03

Apple's chargers are actually shit compared to some companies out there. I have one made for me by a UK start up that's lasted 5 years - longer than any I ever got from Apple.

Original poster

SoloD · 02/12/2016 12:05

idontlikealdi

I brought it with Amazon Prime, yes it does say sold by xxxxxx but came from a Amazon warehouse. Can not believe a company like Amazon are selling items which could kill people. It's Amazon who took my money.

They don't pay tax, they facilitate VAT fraud, at what point do they get off.

OP posts:

OverScentedFanjo · 02/12/2016 12:28

Oh no! I have ordered one today. It said it was Apple product. Gah!

Honeydragon · 02/12/2016 12:30

I had an issue with a fake item purchase via Amazon Warehouse. They took responsibility and refunded me

harderandharder2breathe · 02/12/2016 12:37

If people stopping buying them they would stop selling them. Yabu for buying anything electronic from a random seller, it's cheaper for a reason!

I don't care where I buy books from but anything that could be dangerous if faulty id only buy from a proper seller like amazon themselves

engineersthumb · 02/12/2016 12:46

Has it got a CE Mark, an EAN or a DoC? If none if the above I'd be careful.

Meadows76 · 02/12/2016 12:50

If it was a retail shop then Trading Standards would have shut them down.. There are hundreds of shops up and down the country selling cheap phone chargers. They haven't been shut down. You get what you pay for imo. I always buy apple chargers etc from Apple. You can't do any better than buying the genuine thing.

Meadows76 · 02/12/2016 12:52

Oh no! I have ordered one today. It said it was Apple product. maybe it is. If it is fake you will be able to tell from the listing.

Mishmashpotatoes · 02/12/2016 13:44

Yabu. You get what you pay for. What do you expect when buying cheap electrical goods? Warnings have been in the news for years now advising you to only use official chargers, even says it in leaflet you would have got with your phone.

Mishmashpotatoes · 02/12/2016 13:45

Also, Amazon are usually really good and will give you a refund.

datingbarb · 02/12/2016 13:45

I was just about to order new chargers as we currently have 1 between 4 of us and that one is dodgy and flicks on and off and takes hours to charge.

Was looking on amazon but no confused as to what is safe and what isn't, as the apple ones are useless

BarbaraofSeville · 02/12/2016 13:49

I won't buy anything from Amazon unless it comes from Amazon themselves. I don't want fake products, especially things like phone chargers where the cheap ones are more likely to cause fires.

If it's not actually from Amazon, they word things very carefully, so it sounds like it is genuine, but when you get it, it often isn't. I don't think Amazon should allow 3rd party sellers to sell fakes where it isn't clear whether it is fake or genuine, because you have to read things very carefully and still they supply fakes where most people would expect the item to be genuine going on the wording in the listing.

BarbaraofSeville · 02/12/2016 13:51

The producers of fake goods also put fake CE marks on stuff so that's no guarantee that it is genuine.

Flingmoo · 02/12/2016 13:52

Be careful with SD cards too. They're very often fakes on Amazon and eBay - i.e. it says 32GB and it's actually much, much smaller. If you stick it in your computer it'll be spoofed to say 32GB but when you start taking photos with it, the space runs out too soon and your photos will likely be corrupted and ruined. You have to use a special piece of testing software to check whether they're real.

OverScentedFanjo · 02/12/2016 13:54

how will i be able to tell from the listing? I looked carefully and selected the apple brand not the generic. It's the lead for the charger, the actual plug is ok, but my original iPad lead has frayed. Worried now.

Aderyn2016 · 02/12/2016 13:55

Amazon are good at refunding but it can't be doing their business good if people can't trust what they buy. The beauty of amazon is its ease of use - if returning dodgy products becomes a regular thing that customers have to do, then people will go elsewhere eventually.
Personally, I think they have an obligation to control what is sold through their site.

BarbaraofSeville · 02/12/2016 14:00

I would be less worried about buying just the usb lead. I think it's the plug that can go wrong/be poor quality.

If it's significantly cheaper than the Apple full price, it's probably fake, because Apple don't do discounts.

WhisperingLoudly · 02/12/2016 14:02

I've twice bought chargers which claim to be compatible with iPhone from virgin only to find that they're not.

Expensive and frustrating

OverScentedFanjo · 02/12/2016 14:08

The reviews say it's a genuine product, but that's easy to write a fake review! It was about £4 for the lead. It's going to be a fake isn't it.

I don't have an actual Apple store near me otherwise I go in and buy one.

BarbaraofSeville · 02/12/2016 14:10

If it says compatible it's definitely fake. Some fakes will work and be fine, but plenty aren't.

I learnt the hard way when I had to buy a charger for a Sony camera. Use of a fake/compatible charger killed my battery (either the camera or the battery contains software that does this if you use a non official charger), so I had to buy a new battery and a new charger.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 02/12/2016 14:13

It's amazing how many fakes are on the market these days.

I watched a YouTube video about how to spot fake Louboutin shoes. The woman had bought these shoes from a reputable US store and when she got home she realised they were fake.

She phoned the store who agreed to give her a refund and they told her that sometimes people come in and buy a real pair, take them away and swap them with a fake pair and then take them back asking for a refund. Sometimes shop assistants miss it because the fakes are so good.

So even if you buy from reputable shops you have to be aware that there is a possibility you could have a fake item.

Ex-BF once bought me a pair of Uggs online - when they arrived I knew immediately they were fakes.

BeMorePanda · 02/12/2016 14:28

my £1 iphone charger from pound shop is great - am I not supposed to be using that?

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