One woman took to social media with a dire warning: Your Amazon goods may be dupes.
TikTok user Liv (@makeup_ghost_) issued the PSA in a viral video that has been viewed over 105,700 times.
“Amazon has a massive counterfeit problem,” the woman began in the clip. “And it doesn’t matter if you buy directly from a seller.”
The woman went on to claim that anyone who purchases from Amazon is “at risk” of purchasing dupes, even if you order on the site directly from the brands that you trust.
“And that’s especially scary when you are buying things such as, like, cosmetics or supplements,” she continued.
Amazon’s ‘counterfeit problem’
The TikToker then shared a screenshot of a retaildive.com article that reported the company removed over 7 million fake goods from its site in 2023.
The online retail giant spent billions to get knockoffs removed from its platform. It also reportedly was able to stop over half a million “bad actors” from infiltrating its website and creating new seller accounts.
This has lowered the number of valid “infringement notices” the company received from other brands upset by the sale of knockoff goods.
However, Liv argued the number of removed goods doesn’t count the ones that had already been sold.
How are you still ‘at risk’ when buying from a trusted brand’s Amazon storefront?
According to Liv, the issue of dupes does not necessarily start with where goods on Amazon are sourced from. The TikToker said a friend who is an Amazon worker told her the issue begins at the retailer’s “fulfillment centers.”
She used purchasing CeraVe cream on the site as an example.
“So, CeraVe is sending their products to Amazon, and Amazon will deliver it to you,” she said. “The problem is that once it gets to the Amazon warehouse, anything that has the name CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, it’s all gonna be under the same skew number, no matter who it comes from.”
She said this lax sorting process may allow dupes to be mixed up and sold with legitimate products.
The Daily Dot reached out to Amazon for comment and more information about its sorting and distribution process.
@makeup_ghost_ amazon has a counterfeit problem #greenscreen #amazon #fakes #scams #scamazon #prime #fyp #themoreyouknow #shein #temu #aliexpress #ethicallysourced ♬ original sound – liv
Amazon accused of reselling cheap, marked-up goods
The woman’s problems with the online retailer didn’t end there.
“A lot of the stuff that they sell is literally just things that they got from Temu, Shein or AliExpress,” she said. “And they just mark up like 10 times the amount they bought it for and then resell it to you.”
Back in June, Amazon reportedly announced that it planned to open a new store that would allow Chinese sellers to ship directly to U.S. consumers.
The plan was created to compete with retailers like Shein and Temu that offer more discounted items. It was also meant to attract Chinese sellers who currently supply other sites.
Viewers respond
In the comments section, many viewers had more questions than opinions.
“Interesting bc I’ve seen brands themselves tell us to buy directly from their page on Amazon. Do they not know about this aspect of the process?” user holdmycrownrealquick wondered.
“Almost everything we buy is from China. Some think China only produce bad quality, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Tons of luxury goods & everything in between are also made there,” user Ninja wrote.
Some applauded the woman for speaking up about the issue.
“Not enough people talk about this,” user Sarah Noelle wrote.
However, others affirmed that they have experience seeing products that are sold cheaper at different retailers being sold on Amazon.
“I get my phone cases from aliexpress for like $2 and then see them on Amazon for $20,” user Dani said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Liv via TikTok comment and direct message and to Shein, AliExpress, and Temu by email.
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