Until now, Forearm Forklift has been forced to self-police the site and take action to get unauthorized listings removed. See an infringer? Send a cease-and-desist letter. Suspicious of a counterfeit? Buy it, and prove to Amazon through a formal complaint that the listing should be taken down.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. And pray it works.
On the second floor of Forearm Forklift's warehouse, Lopreiato opens a closet filled floor-to-ceiling with cardboard boxes from Amazon purchases. Inside each, supposedly, is a version of his product.
There's no subtlety. The packaging includes not only his name and label but images of his family members and co-workers moving washing machines, armoires and exercise equipment. Open a box and find orange straps that are either too thin, too short, have loose stitching or are made of entirely different and weaker material.
Lopreiato said he's submitted more than 100 cease-and-desist letters to third-party sellers and takedown notices to Amazon. But go to Amazon today, and infringers are easy to spot. One listing for furniture moving straps contains an image that looks like a couple of seat belts. Among the attached photos is one of Mark's wife moving a mattress.
In a July 2015 e-mail to Amazon's patent team, Marty Proops, an Amazon marketplace expert who previously worked with Forearm Forklift on its account, said he and Lopreiato had identified 53 separate sellers offering infringing products over the past year.
Buyers who assume they're getting the real thing are dismayed when the product can't possibly help them move a 300-pound refrigerator. Thus, Forearm Forklift has one-star reviews from customers calling it a "cheap knockoff (don't purchase)" and "very obvious counterfeit."
"That posts on our offer page on Amazon so a lot of people think we're offering fakes," Lopreiato said.
Amazon's obsessive focus on pleasing consumers with discounts and service has come at the expense of brands like Forearm Forklift. In trying to provide the lowest-cost option for virtually every product on the planet, the company opened the doors to merchants from across the globe with little respect for intellectual property, despite an anti-counterfeiting policy that prohibits the sale of inauthentic items.
That's enabled manufacturers largely from China to take advantage of cheaper production and labor costs to compete on the Amazon market.
Some big brands have voiced their concerns.
Birkenstock said in July that it's no longer authorizing sales on Amazon starting in 2017. Last week Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) sued a distributor named Mobile Star for selling counterfeit power adapters and charging cables on the site, claiming the products "pose an immediate threat to consumer safety."
There is a lot of douchebaggery in Jeff Bezos and the Amazon brand, no doubt about it. Just take a look at how little regard they have for the people working in their warehouses, and one isn't surprised they don't give a sh!t about their sellers. They've basically become Walmart on steroids...a business that's easy to hate, but still shop at because of their prices.
(btw iirc, this article either a rehash, or yet another example.)
They are many good things to say about this company, and I tend to buy what I can there, providing I can get the right size/qty. The problem with Costco is more about selection limitations.I don't shop much at AZ so I can't comment about their prices but this story from last week said otherwise - http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-vs-costco-prices-2016-10
Another story a few months ago from a different source - http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Amazon-vs-Costco-A-price-comparison-7738699.php
Too bad the closest Costco is about 2 hours away so I can't do a personal comparison.
That was an intentionally ironic comment, yes? And in any event, comparing Amazon Prime to Costco isn't just silly, it's stupid and irrelevant...Another story a few months ago from a different source - http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Amazon-vs-Costco-A-price-comparison-7738699.php
Too bad the closest Costco is about 2 hours away so I can't do a personal comparison.
They are many good things to say about this company, and I tend to buy what I can there, providing I can get the right size/qty. The problem with Costco is more about selection limitations.
the answer to this is YES. amazon does not do shit about this. for this item or for any itemAre/were they refusing to take down counterfeit listings or something
Why? What about Ebay? And all the other etailer sites with "third-party sellers"... Should they all be doing the same?They should be accountable.
Well, if they're refusing to block further sales of identified counterfeits, that's certainly douche-baggery. If the issue is that they aren't affirmatively demanding proof that products are legit before they allow them to be listed, I disagree.the answer to this is YES. amazon does not do shit about this. for this item or for any item
Why? What about Ebay? Should they be doing the same?
Why? What about Ebay? Should they be doing the same?
So, who's a "business" and who's an "amateur"? The more-than-overwhelming-majority of listings on Ebay are by anything but individuals re-selling their own "used stuff" for many, many years now...To an extent yes eBay should be accountable if its connecting businesses with buyers, if its amateur to amateur its not as wrong. Similar to how States have lemon laws that generally don't apply to you or I as sellers because we are not car experts but they do apply to car dealerships because they are experts.
So, who's a "business" and who's an "amateur"? The more-than-overwhelming-majority of listings on Ebay are by anything but individuals re-selling their own "used stuff" for many, many years now...
Agreed. I didn't see anything in the quote in the OP, or even in the article linked, that actually says (or even suggests) that Amazon is refusing to do that, though. The problem appears to be that every time a listing is nixed, another one pops up. But like I said, they products in question are incredibly easy to counterfeit, at least superficially, which always a problem for any product manufacturer. The easier your product is to counterfeit, the bigger a problem you're going to have. The simplest thing would be to stop selling through ANY reseller, but of course, that presents its own problems. But neither problem is "Amazon's fault" as far as I can see, unless Amazon itself "as seller" is selling counterfeit versions of the products.yes Ebay should be removing listings for items that are counterfeit when contacted by the legit seller of said item
Well, then like I said, 99% of Ebay sellers are pretty clearly "businesses" (I'm obviously making that up, but you get the idea), especially when you include all the nickel-and-dime "flippers" who may or may not have tax IDs but are certainly supposed to...If its a business, like it has an Federal Tax ID its a professional. If its a housewife who sells stuff from yard sales its an amateur but regardless as pointed out if a legitimate business asks to have links removed because they are counterfeit Amazon should remove them.
Agreed. I didn't see anything in the quote in the OP, or even in the article linked, that actually says (or even suggests) that Amazon is refusing to do that, though. The problem appears to be that every time a listing is nixed, another one pops up. But like I said, they products in question are incredibly easy to counterfeit, at least superficially, which always a problem for any product manufacturer. The easier your product is to counterfeit, the bigger a problem you're going to have. The simplest thing would be to stop selling through ANY reseller, but of course, that presents its own problems. But neither problem is "Amazon's fault" as far as I can see, unless Amazon itself "as seller" is selling counterfeit versions of the products.
Well, then like I said, 99% of Ebay sellers are pretty clearly "businesses" (I'm obviously making that up, but you get the idea), especially when you include all the nickel-and-dime "flippers" who may or may not have tax IDs but are certainly supposed to...
That was an intentionally ironic comment, yes? And in any event, comparing Amazon Prime to Costco isn't just silly, it's stupid and irrelevant...
- http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-vs-costco-prices-2016-10
Another story a few months ago from a different source - http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Amazon-vs-Costco-A-price-comparison-7738699.php
.
Not every 3rd party they can get their hands on. They are NOT ebay.
All of your solutions could be abused the other way as well..big producers forcing out small competing items of the same thing. Fact is Amazon isn't a fricking yard sale. They should have reputable sellers only. Not every 3rd party they can get their hands on. They are NOT ebay.