To warn you about amazon selling fake products?

[NinjaWhat]

Not a 3rd party, not amazon marketplace but Amazon directly.

I always assumed buying from Amazon was safe, have used them for years as long as you don't use 3rd party sellers.

I bought a kettle from 'The Ninja Shop' on amazon. The photos are stainless steel. The description says stainless steel and a plastic kettle arrived.

All the reviews have this same plastic kettle. Some complaints about it.

I contacted Ninja who confirmed that the kettle is an amazon exclusive but should be stainless steel and confirmed they do NOT sell plastic kettles.

So amazon themselves are selling this 'exclusive ' kettle that is not made by ninja.

They could be from anywhere and be a huge fire risk!

I will not be buying any Ninja or electrical items from Amazon again as you have no idea what you may be getting!

(Yes btw i do already have a thread about this kettle but that thread was about the discrepancy in the item recieved, I am starting this thread based on communication from Ninja confirming the kettle is not theirs)

Agree OP. I bought a "silk" pillowcase from Amazon recently which was clearly polyester. I had to pay for recorded delivery to return it to Amazon, so it actually cost me money. I'm avoiding now too.

My understanding is if they are being sold here they should be. However I share your concerns. For example, one thing I won't buy off Amazon is charging cables because I'm too worried about whether they're actually safe.

Wow quite shocking. I just showed this to DP and said how shocking.

He said he’s not suprised! According to him he’s convinced half their drivers don’t even have proper British licenses.

Anyway.. I concluded with ‘would have thought Amazon have more sense than to fuck with Ninja’.

🫠 What a delightful Friday evening exchange only possible in 2025 Britain

Why didn't you contact support? You shouldn't have paid.

Should but aren't. It's so worrying.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/17/business/amazon-temu-shein-eu-unsafe-toys

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-selling-toxic-toys-lead-poisoning-2019-8

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/20/childrens-toys-failed-choice-button-battery-safety-test-what-is-safe

I have stopped buying cosmetics and haircare products on Amazon too. Over last few years I've had a terrible reaction to a "branded" concealer, dog shampoo (he has itchy skin) products that have done nothing to help, despite the same product from the vet working, and the final straw was a nit shampoo that arrived and was the consistency of water! The exact same product from the pharmacy was thick and stayed on my children's hair. It's not worth buying any consumables from them anymore

I now just buy kindle books, it's about the only thing I trust not to be fake or toxic in some way.

I’ve been a freelance copywriter for 16 years. I’ve always had clients queuing for my services. I am the sole breadwinner.

Since AI became available, clients have slowly dropped away. I was left with one - a huge US copywriting agency. Yesterday they folded. I have no clients left and very little prospect of gaining new ones because everyone is using AI. Fuck knows how I’m going to earn an income now.

The fact that AI doesn’t recognise nuance and is often factually wrong doesn’t seem to bother anyone. As long as the content looks good - and it does - no one cares about accuracy or well-crafted writing.

So believe me when I say that I’m complimenting AI through gritted teeth. Grammar and spelling will be spot on, but the content could be total fiction.

I’m unbelievably aggravated by AI, as you can tell 😂

They’re not. Mine overheated my device, first and last time I bought a charger from Amazon. Buy from Argos now.

Definitely! I'll never buy anything edible off Amazon - vitamins, alcohol, sweets etc - because you just don't know what you're getting. I do buy electrical items but I might change my mind now!

Commiserations from another freelancer whose industry is being decimated. It's absolute shit and I refuse to use any AI on principle.

Depressing thread but thanks for the warning. I try to shop elsewhere on principle as I'd rather support independents or at least shops that pay some tax, but safety and quality is also a major concern. I didn't realise that going to the X store on Amazon doesn't mean it's being sold by that actual retailer.

I do buy kindle books and have an audible subscription but I will aim to shop there less!

We stopped using Amazon years ago. They are a disgusting company on every conceivable level.

Legally they are supposed to.

The problem is so many of the sellers on amazon don't give a shit about what the law says and if they get pulled up on it by amazon they just disappear and pop up again next week under a new name. And amazon don't care either.

When the "brand" is just a random collection of letters that doesn't make sense, or when you google it and the only result is that amazon page or a bunch of unrelated amazon listings, when the product picture is identical to several others, when it has those chunky square brackets in the listing and when the listing makes suspiciously obvious claims like a child's toy saying "100% non toxic!" - the item is most likely coming direct from abroad from one of the sellers who doesn't care about safety standards.

Customs don't check every package or shipment arriving in the UK to see what standards the contents meet.

For example do you really think these floats that suspend a baby by their neck pass UK safety standards? I don't - but they are for sale on amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Non-Inflatable-Swimming-Trainer-Prevent-Surrounding/dp/B0DZC5VK42/

Actually, the books are still good and often massively reduced in price. It's hard to counterfeit books!.

Oh ffs I have just ordered this kettle and the matching toaster from amazon so its going to be very obvious if they arent the same material.

That is dreadful, potentially affecting health. There must be a law to deal with that i wonder if trading standards could advise.

Just to play devil’s advocate it looks like only some of the kettles are dodgy knock offs. The listing has a number of reviews and only 2 which make the claims of it being plastic. I would guess something dodgy has gone on in one particular Amazon warehouse and Amazon have no knowledge of this.

dont just leave a review. Go to the top of the listing and click the report an issue with this item.

Can you update when it arrives if it is a plastic kettle?

Did you expect the gold looking metal one?

I am paring back on amazon for this reason. I bought some Adidas trainers I'm 100% sure are fake.

They literally do not care as long as you part with money.

Brands who partner with them need to be really careful that they quality control & don't suffer brand damage.

That's a good sign, but the most remarkable thing about this story is that you've got a DH who actually irons.

Or did he break it by knocking it off the shelf because he didn't know what it was? 😃

I would have thought it's relatively easy?

Yes I will update, think its due today. I literally ordered it and then opened mumsnet for scroll and saw this thread! I was mainly after the 3 in 1 toaster thing and it was cheapest on Amazon but only in that stone gold colour, my kettle is on the blink so thought it would make a nice set. I am not particularly bothered if its not steel but am expecting them to match somewhat, worried about the toaster now!

Im going to be reducing my Amazon use as I have also received 2 clearly fake products recently. Both were cheap and not overly important so I haven’t bothered with trying to get a refund etc. But I will be reluctant to buy more things from them in the future.

It's a real issue with baby carriers too. Even if it says "Ergobaby" as the Amazon store, it's possibly fake. Those of us in the industry spoke to ergobaby about it and they don't even think there's anything they can do about it.