Amazon Shoppers Disturbed by Counterfeits

• Amazon Shoppers Disturbed by Counterfeits

More than half say they’re at least somewhat worried.

Amazon has dealt with sales of counterfeit goods on its site for some time, and despite its efforts to thwart third-party knockoffs, some consumers remain cautious.

Survey conducted by Survata for CPC Strategy, nearly six in 10 US Amazon buyers who had made a purchase on the site in the past six months said they’re somewhat concerned about counterfeit products on Amazon, though they haven’t had a problem yet.

Meanwhile, a smaller but still significant share of respondents (14.4per cent) said they were very concerned about this issue.

And brands have not only taken notice of Amazon’s counterfeit problem, but they’ve taken action as well. Birkenstock, for example, made headlines in 2016 when it removed its popular sandals from Amazon and ended third-party authorisation needed to sell its shoes on the marketplace.

Still, consumers continue to unwillingly purchase counterfeit goods.

According to a November 2017 Vitreous World survey for MarkMonitor, 31percent of internet users worldwide have unintentionally bought a knockoff online, an increase of 23 percent from 2016. And it hasn’t just happened once. Some 34 percent said they were tricked two to three times, and another 5percent said they unwillingly bought a counterfeit item more than five times.

In China, where a sizable portion of knockoffs are created, local online marketplaces have been proactive in reducing counterfeit goods on their platforms after being labeled by brands as complicit in the sale of fakes.

Alibaba, for one, has been aggressive in recent years to combat counterfeits on its site. Recent measures include using blockchain technology to track cross-border goods, including manufacturer information, through a partnership with logistics company Cainiao.