That's really Amazon's fault. To get around Amazon's issues, I just buy everything off of Anker's store[0].

[0] https://www.anker.com/products

I bought an Anker speaker for my office (which I really like BTW - https://www.anker.com/products/A3143011), and was comparing to different model on their site. To purchase, there was only an Amazon button: https://www.anker.com/products/A3142011

Some of their products are offered direct. Others are Amazon only.

I purchased a different bluetooth speaker from them - https://www.anker.com/products/A3102011 and I really like it too. I use this speaker at home in the kitchen and it's amazing how well it sounds for a 35$ gizmo.

The battery life on the SoundCore is superb as well.

It's funny, but I've done the same for about 6 orders in the past month or so... Amazon's level of trust has really gone down at least for me.

I'm glad that works for you, but it's too bad that trick only works in a single country. :P

Amazon has a huge problem with counterfeits. I've noticed that it's especially bad for two things: almost anything that you'd typically find at a place like CVS or Walgreen (e.g. toiletries), and cheap electronic peripherals like USB drives, SD cards, and cables. I avoid buying things from these categories on Amazon whenever possible.

Seriously - it's gotten so bad that I buy those things on eBay of all places. Even though there's counterfeits there too, at least the reviews tend to be better about weeding them out.

I had the same from Amazon. I've always used Anker screen protectors and have been very impressed but the last time I ordered one I ended up with something that definitely wasn't Anker. May not be Anker's fault but it reflects badly on them.

Does this mean that even if you buy from the AnkerDirect Store on Amazon you run the risk of getting a counterfeit?

I'd purchased several PowerLine cables that all died within a month or so of purchase. I attributed it to being a cheap cable.

Look for this on the Amazon listing:

  Sold by AnkerDirect and Fulfilled by Amazon

Edit: formatting.

My understanding is that not even that is safe. Amazon mixes stock for the same sku product from all their suppliers, so even if only one of them is selling fakes, you can get one.

Not even "Ship from and sold by Amazon.com" is safe for the same reason I believe.

To clarify: This is based on experiences I've had en AmazonES buying things directly from Amazon (Gillete razors from the top of my head) and them being obviously fake. Also from previous discussions in HN

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12061288

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13955981

This happened to me with a Steam Controller. Ordered "Ship from and sold by Amazon.com" and received one without retail packaging and accessories and was defective. Had no issues with it getting replaced by Amazon. I assume some sellers use FBA to let Amazon deal with customer service so they can get away with selling bad products.

Really wish they wouldn't mix SKU and stock. Perhaps its cheaper for them and if the customer notices they can replace it and still come out ahead. But it doesn't seem fair for someone who can't identify a fake product.

Directly related: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13924546

I believe Amazon does co-signing when you buy "sold from Amazon". Are you sure they also do so when sold directly through supplier , and not under prime ?

If it's not fulfilled by Amazon, then it's not coming from Amazon's warehouse. It could be subject to counterfeit by the seller, seller's supplier, or possibly even the sellers fulfillment center.

Interesting. My experiences with Amazon UK fulfilment is the exact opposite.

I believe for Amazon UK commingling is off by default, where as in the US its on by default.

That is where they came from...as long as it is from AnkerDirect they should be genuine?

My understanding of FBA is that each SKU can have multiple suppliers, and stock is assigned to its supplier as it arrives in the warehouse (e.g. 250 Anker chargers with SKU ABC123 from AnkerDirect arrived May 22nd and are stored in warehouse X, unit Y, location Z). An order for a SKU from a specific supplier (e.g. ABC123 charger from AnkerDirect) will be taken from that stock, and the quantity remaining is reduced accordingly.

So, to answer your question: if that all happens, and assuming AnkerDirect doesn't have shady stock, then yes, it should be genuine.

It depends on whether the "commingle stock" option is enabled for Anker's listings.

It depends even more on whether there are any sources other than Anker Direct for those branded products. If they're the only source and Amazon is their only channel, then any other seller is either counterfeit or purchased through Amazon and is now trying to resell.

Losing that "we are the only source/seller for our branded products" factor is likely to be a downside of expanding to other retailers. If you know you're the only possible source it should make it much easier to detect and shut down any possible counterfeit sales on Amazon.