Counterfeit Toners: Learn About Fake Products Sold on Amazon
The Issue with Counterfeits
One of the biggest issues plaguing online businesses is the existence of counterfeits. For one reason or another, some sellers use online platforms like Amazon to hand off fake products that are designed to look like ones from proper companies. Ink & toner in particular are frequently faked, since it is hard to tell the difference between real cartridges and knockoffs. Not only is this detrimental to legitimate sellers, but it can also be a problem for the buyer as well.
Keep reading to learn more about counterfeits, and see why things like fake ink & toner can be extremely dangerous.
Counterfeits in 2019
According to the December 2018 edition of Independent Dealer, 42% of the items sold on popular sites like Amazon last year were fakes. It was noted that many of these transactions were handled by third-party vendors, meaning the platforms did not have direct involvement with the shipping of the items.
People sell counterfeits because they are cheap to make. Fake products are usually made with cheaper materials, so they can be sold off for a reasonable profit. For example, fake ink & toner cartridges are typically made with cheap parts that barely fit into official printers.
All scammers have to do is make a counterfeit that looks like an official product and give it a low price, and they can trick unsuspecting customers into buying a poor knockoff. Counterfeit products are troublesome for the entire industry, since both customers and sellers suffer.
How The Industry is Affected
One of the biggest issues behind the selling of counterfeits is that smaller, legitimate sellers suffer. The majority of sellers work hard to get partnerships with popular manufacturers so they can deliver quality goods to consumers. Imagine how they must feel when people ignore their legitimate items in favor of cheap knockoffs.
Counterfeits can make actual sellers lose out on profits, since customers may be inclined to buy something that appears to be cheaper. Not only that, but when consumers find out that the product is a counterfeit, it makes the eCommerce industry as a whole look bad. Customers start to distrust legitimate sellers, and this is problematic for everyone in the business.
Why Fake Toners are Dangerous for Buyers
So why is it an issue to buy products like counterfeit ink & toner? As mentioned above, most counterfeit products are made with cheaper materials, but are designed to look like high quality items. This is done so scammers can trick unsuspecting buyers into buying products that probably do not work properly. Counterfeit toners in particular are very hard to identify at first glance.
Since these toners are made with notably worse materials, they will have a substantial impact on the quality of your printed documents. Some are so poorly made that they can
actually damage the printer while a document is being printed out. If your printer was damaged by a fake product, your warranty will not cover it.
How to Identify Fake Toner
It can be hard to distinguish a fake product from a legitimate one, since advances in technology have made duplication much easier. However, there are some ways to figure out if a product is legitimate before you buy it.
One easy tactic is to compare price points. Toners from a certain manufacturer should be sold around similar price points at different shops, so you should be suspicious if you find the toner being from a third-party seller at a much cheaper price. Do some research as well, and if you find that the seller is trustworthy then the products are most likely legitimate. Always keep an eye out for product reviews.
