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  • Amazon Rigged Its Website, Forcing Consumers To Pay More

    The Counterfeit Report|Feb 23, 2024

    February 15, 2024, Los Angeles, CA – Amazon rigged its website "Buy Box" to "routinely" push the overwhelming majority of consumers to pay more for items that could've been purchased at lower costs with equal or faster delivery time, says a class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs allege that the biased Buy Box algorithm drives customers to "reasonably" believe that featured items offer the best deal on the platform and that nearly 98 percent of Amazon sales are Buy Box featured items. "But they...

  • The Grave Dangers of Counterfeit Christmas Gifts

    The Counterfeit Report|Dec 28, 2023

    December 21, 2023, Los Angeles, CA – 'Tis the season of giving, a time when the warmth of joy and generosity fills the air. However, lurking beneath the glittering paper and festive ribbons lies a menace that threatens to cast a shadow over the holiday spirit – counterfeit Christmas gifts. While the allure of a bargain from online giants, including Amazon, Walmart, and eBay may be irresistible, the dangers associated with fake presents are far-reaching and can wreak havoc on both your loved...

  • FTC Lawsuit Says Amazon Made $1 Billion In Price Fixing Scheme; Secret Amazon algorithm raised prices and profits.

    The Counterfeit Report|Oct 31, 2023

    October 26, 2023, Los Angeles, CA – A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit alleges Amazon employed a secret algorithm code-named "Project Nessie" that guided Amazon to raise prices and improve profits on items across its most popular online shopping categories. Because of Amazon's dominance in e-commerce, the algorithm led competitors to raise their prices and charge customers more. When competitors didn't raise their prices to Amazon's level, the algorithm-which is no longer in...

  • United States Federal Trade Commission Prepared to File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon and May Break Up Their Monopoly

    The Counterfeit Report|Aug 1, 2023

    July 27, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA – The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is on the verge of filing a highly-anticipated antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (AMZN), aiming to potentially break up certain aspects of the e-commerce behemoth, according to a Politico report. The lawsuit, expected to be filed in federal court as early as August, has been a long time coming, with FTC Chair Lina Khan and her team scrutinizing various aspects of Amazon's business practices. Khan has been a vocal critic...

  • Overcoming Online Holiday Merchandise Returns

    The Counterfeit Report|Jan 2, 2023

    December 29, 2022, Los Angeles, CA – Holiday shoppers and gift recipients can close out the holiday season with just one more daunting task -- returning merchandise for replacement, exchange, or a refund. E-commerce purchases can be more of a challenge than a simple return to a local retail store, as e-commerce sites each have their own policies and practices. Consumers will find that the return period is usually extended over the holidays, but don't wait on returns. You may discover stricter...

  • From Counterfeit Items to Deadly Truck Drivers, What You Need to Know About Amazon Before You Shop

    The Counterfeit Report|Dec 19, 2022

    December 13, 2022, Los Angeles, CA - Consumers love a good deal, and Amazon is often the first stop for online shoppers. But, behind the scenes at the e-commerce juggernaut is a massive retail apocalypse; an unchecked monopoly and tsunami of destruction on Amazon third-party sellers, bullied retail partners, crushed manufacturers, and deceived consumers. Amazon's free-flowing marketplace enables unvetted third-party global sellers, and Amazon as a direct seller, to flood the consumer market...

  • Black Friday Deals too Good to be True? How to Protect Yourself From Fraud When Shopping Online

    The Counterfeit Report|Nov 28, 2022

    November 17, 2022, Los Angeles, CA – Consumers love a good deal and will flock to the internet for Black Friday bargains. However, online shopping may be risky, dangerous, and little, if any, actual value. A Red Points survey found that 68% of consumers were worried about buying fake or low-quality goods online. The Counterfeit Report, an award-winning consumer advocate and industry watchdog, has removed listings for over 430 million counterfeit items offered on e-commerce websites, including...

  • Amazon Delivery Drivers Really Are Worse than Others

    The Counterfeit Report|Oct 6, 2022

    September 29, 2022, Los Angeles, CA - Amazon's quest to sell all things to all people has a catastrophic carryover -- over 75 dead and scores injured by unsafe trucking contractors. Truckers moving Amazon goods around the country were more than twice as likely to receive unsafe driving scores compared with similar outfits. The investigative article by The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Weaver analyzes Amazon's push for prompt deliveries and the ongoing fallout of injuries and deaths. The WSJ...

  • Think You're Getting the Lowest Price on Amazon? Think Again; California Attorney General Rob Bonta Sues Amazon Over Antitrust and Unfair Business Practices

    The Counterfeit Report|Sep 19, 2022

    September 15, 2022, Los Angeles, CA – A lawsuit filed by CA Attorney General Rob Bonta, targets Amazon's dealings with third-party merchants and suppliers. Amazon penalizes sellers and suppliers that offer lower prices at other internet sites, including Walmart and Target. Amazon seller sanctions included disqualifying them from winning the "Buy Box" (the box containing the "Add to Cart" button on the listing page the shopper clicks to add the product to their cart), demoting seller listings...

  • It's Easy to Buy a Counterfeit Product at Walmart

    The Counterfeit Report|Nov 20, 2021

    November 18, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – Holiday consumers expect Walmart to provide authentic and safe products when they shop on Walmart's website -- but that confidence is misplaced. Walmart is both a direct retailer of counterfeits and has opened its website, Walmart.com, to global third-party sellers who can list just about anything they want, including counterfeit, fake and replica products. Counterfeit items appear right alongside authentic products, creating the illusion they are from...

  • About Half Products Sold on Walmart.com are Counterfeits according to US Government Accountability Office

    The Counterfeit Report|Oct 31, 2021

    October 28, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – Walmart shoppers face the daunting challenge of identifying and dodging a vast assortment of counterfeit, fraudulent, and replica products offered on Walmart.com. Walmart is both a direct retailer of fake and fraudulent items and has opened its website to global third-party sellers who can list just about anything they want, including counterfeit, replica, and fraudulent products. The counterfeit items appear right alongside authentic products, creating the...

  • Amazon Manipulates Search Results to Boost its Own Products and Copies Popular Products for its Own Brand

    The Counterfeit Report|Oct 18, 2021

    October 14, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – Amazon is running a systematic campaign of copying products and manipulating search results to boost its own product lines, according to a Reuters Special Report. Rigged search results and creating knockoff products under its own brand are highlighted from a trove of internal Amazon documents that provide a rare unvarnished look, in the company's own words, into business practices that Amazon has denied for years. Internal documents seen by Reuters show for...

  • Amazon Gets Fact-Checked on its Claims of Fighting Fraud

    The Counterfeit Report|May 20, 2021

    May 19, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – Amazon's global empire is in a crisis. The invasive, manipulative superpower which controls over 50% of online sales is flooded with fakes, scams, phony reviews, and fraud. The e-commerce sales explosion made it easy for criminals to exploit consumers through online counterfeit sales, but Amazon's reaction is too little, too late.. A study funded by the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies found an entire underground economy devoted to creating every possible...

  • Half of All Items Available on Walmart Could be Counterfeit According to Government Investigation

    The Counterfeit Report|Mar 25, 2021

    March 19, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – Shoppers expect Walmart to provide authentic and safe products when they shop on Walmart's website -- but that confidence is misplaced. Walmart's push to capture a portion of the exploding e-commerce marketplace exposes a seedy and dishonest practice -- the sale of counterfeit, replica, and fraudulent products. Walmart is both a direct retailer of fake and fraudulent items and has opened its website, Walmart.com, to global third-party sellers who can list...

  • Do not Buy or Use 18650 lithium-ion Batteries if You Got Them Sold Individually at Amazon or Walmart

    The Counterfeit Report|Mar 6, 2021

    March 4, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers not to buy or use loose 18650 lithium-ion battery cells. These cells are manufactured as industrial component parts of battery packs and are not intended for individual sale to consumers. However, unscrupulous China salvagers separate the battery packs and re-label the recycled unprotected 18650 cells as "new" with wild capacity claims, selling them online. Consumers who believe they are bu...