
Ask HN: Amazon listing sold by Apple; majority of reviews say it's fake - nodesocket
I was looking for a new USB-C power cable for my MacBook Pro and came across this prominent listing on Amazon.<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Apple-USB-C-Charge-Cable-2m&#x2F;dp&#x2F;B01MQ5Z080<p>At first I thought, great deal. Then I started reading the reviews and looking at the user posted pictures. Most reviews all claim this is a not an official Apple cable, and the very top review scarily says: &quot;THIS CAUGHT MY COMFORTER ON FIRE!&quot;<p>How can this listing be claimed sold officially by Apple[1]? Doesn&#x27;t Amazon verify name brand sellers?<p>[1] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;stores&#x2F;Apple&#x2F;page&#x2F;77D9E1F7-0337-4282-9DB6-B6B8FB2DC98D
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smt88
Amazon often mixes inventory. As long as the SKU matches, a product from any
supplier goes into the same "bin" and you buy whichever one is geographically
closest to you.

Some bad actors will sell counterfeit products through Amazon to "launder" it.
Other times, people will buy a real product and "return" it (sending a fake
one back), which results in Amazon stocking it.

tl;dr Never shop on Amazon unless you have to. Best Buy, Target, NewEgg,
MacMall, etc. tend to have similar prices and aren't as anti-consumer.

~~~
nodesocket
That makes sense, but the seller is listed officially as Apple, shouldn't they
100% make sure the product is always legit?

I wonder if something like Twitter Verified, but Amazon seller verified would
help.

~~~
smt88
> _shouldn 't they 100% make sure the product is always legit?_

Yes, but they don't.

> _Amazon seller verified would help_

That's the thing. The seller _is_ verified. There is an iPad that really came
from Apple somewhere, but Amazon intentionally neither knows nor cares whether
you receive the iPad shipped to them by Apple or shipped to them by a scammer.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about, btw:
[https://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums/t/return-fraud-
fba/4...](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums/t/return-fraud-fba/428946)

