I didn't believe there were fake spark plugs.

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by GMFan
I ordered spark plugs from Amazon not too long ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0065UN0K6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If the product is sold directly from Amazon, does that offer any assurance they are not fakes? I will say the little spark plug boxes that I received were pretty beat up. Thanks.


No, it doesn't
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Amazon isn't listed as an authorized seller , and third-party sellers that use Amazon fulfillment are co-mingled with Amazon's own inventory


Pics of old vs. new. They look slightly different. Old and new from Amazon. I wonder if any are fakes...

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/113xlsS5Kzo3xX-pRfZkYPvcVzfnLayZ-
 
Originally Posted by ABN_CBT_ENGR
I actually identified some and reported to the client who then went to the host country (middle east) and that was the response they got.

They were a privately branded "imitation" that was not a true counterfeit but legitimate competition. ( unlike US and many European countries, a lot of them need and actively pursue this type of income and they have laws that are deliberately drafted and interpreted to protect these things, they are not going to willingly sacrifice those revenue streams)


That's an eye-opener, thank you for sharing.
 
A Chinese friend explained knock-off handbags. A factory will get an order for a certain number of high end handbags and be provided with instructions and material (or are authorized to produce or to purchase material) to complete the order.

They make the handbags and through luck, good management, or planning have a bit of material left over. The staff who made the genuine hand-bags do a little overtime and make some extra bags. These bags are identical in every way to the genuine model (they're a perfect knock-off) but are sold through a non-standard channel, a "special" store open to the right sort of visitors perhaps. They wouldn't sell for the full price of course but could still sell for a lot of money.

This type of unauthorized production would only make sense with a high value product which would ordinarily sell through regular channels for hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Cheap knock offs are just that. Non-standard material, nonstandard fasteners, non standard workmanship, spelling errors, etc. Just don't get caught with one in Italy. I understand it's an offense there to have a knock-off of a major brand's handbag.

I suspect that knock-off spark plugs, oil filters, etc would be in the latter category. They work, sort of, but aren't comparable to the original.
 
Ford (and other manufacturers) have employees that go after these people full time. These counterfeit parts cost them profits but also hurts customer satisfaction with their products since most people think they're actually buying Motorcraft, Mopar, Delco, etc. parts.
 
Originally Posted by PowerSurge
Ford (and other manufacturers) have employees that go after these people full time. These counterfeit parts cost them profits but also hurts customer satisfaction with their products since most people think they're actually buying Motorcraft, Mopar, Delco, etc. parts.


Yes they do for all the reasons you state but its almost like dealing with the Borg- Resistance is Futile.

I speak from experience.

When they have the home team advantage (often with language and culture too) combined with the best political, law enforcement, and black market support and cover money can buy- there little progress to be made on the manufacturing side entry into the supply chain.

The best that can be realistically hoped for is to address this at the distributor level in a country where at least there is an attempt at the appearance of legitimate enforcement of law.

Even that is labor and resource intensive and carries a huge cost to the point some companies find it more cost effective to absorb the loss.
 
Originally Posted by ecotourist
A Chinese friend explained knock-off handbags. A factory will get an order for a certain number of high end handbags and be provided with instructions and material (or are authorized to produce or to purchase material) to complete the order.

They make the handbags and through luck, good management, or planning have a bit of material left over. The staff who made the genuine hand-bags do a little overtime and make some extra bags. These bags are identical in every way to the genuine model (they're a perfect knock-off) but are sold through a non-standard channel, a "special" store open to the right sort of visitors perhaps. They wouldn't sell for the full price of course but could still sell for a lot of money.

This type of unauthorized production would only make sense with a high value product which would ordinarily sell through regular channels for hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Cheap knock offs are just that. Non-standard material, nonstandard fasteners, non standard workmanship, spelling errors, etc. Just don't get caught with one in Italy. I understand it's an offense there to have a knock-off of a major brand's handbag.

I suspect that knock-off spark plugs, oil filters, etc would be in the latter category. They work, sort of, but aren't comparable to the original.



That's grey market stuff and is kind of a different thing. A lot of the time that stuff is actually identical to the original. A lot of western companies have to really clamp down on inventory control on their Chinese factories in order to try to control it.
 
Originally Posted by ecotourist
A Chinese friend explained knock-off handbags. A factory will get an order for a certain number of high end handbags and be provided with instructions and material (or are authorized to produce or to purchase material) to complete the order.

They make the handbags and through luck, good management, or planning have a bit of material left over. The staff who made the genuine hand-bags do a little overtime and make some extra bags. These bags are identical in every way to the genuine model (they're a perfect knock-off) but are sold through a non-standard channel, a "special" store open to the right sort of visitors perhaps. They wouldn't sell for the full price of course but could still sell for a lot of money.

This type of unauthorized production would only make sense with a high value product which would ordinarily sell through regular channels for hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Cheap knock offs are just that. Non-standard material, nonstandard fasteners, non standard workmanship, spelling errors, etc. Just don't get caught with one in Italy. I understand it's an offense there to have a knock-off of a major brand's handbag.

I suspect that knock-off spark plugs, oil filters, etc would be in the latter category. They work, sort of, but aren't comparable to the original.


In the 1990's, I worked extensively with the FBI for several years taking on the counterfeiters of women's high end purses and hand bags. Once I learned what to look for, and how to test for fakes, it became quite easy to identify them. They are rarely made of genuine parts and materials. Knowing how to identify little things like stitching patterns and sizing, seam alignment and quality, leather dye solubility and colorfastness, zipper plating quality and the like, made it clear they were not being produced in the genuine factory. But they would look reasonably close to what they were attempting to copy. They were often sold as "factory seconds". The big names do not market "factory seconds". They have strict controls and destroy any that do not pass their high standards.

Then, of course, are the cheap knock-offs you speak of.
 
Received my order from ebay of Motorcraft plugs.

They were counterfeit.

I'll post pictures tomorrow. I didn't realize they were counterfeit until I got them in and drove around the block, and looked at the box fully.

So I got to do the job twice, went to Advance to get authentic plugs. With their 25% discount code, it was only ten dollars more than the ebay plugs.

Lesson learned.

Some giveaways for me..

Counterfeit box says made in Mexico, plugs are stamped Japan. Counterfeit box is a much older style box. Also motorcraft on plug is written in black on fake plug, and light blue on authentic plug.

Also shape of tip of plug is a little different, and has a different color than OEM plug.

Finally, counterfeit box says it was manufactured in 2011. I don't think this plug was made in 2011 (could be wrong on that though).
 
Wow, didn't even think such a part would've been counterfeited.

I bought NGK 91215 from Rockauto for $15 CAD a plug. Dealer wanted $60 CAD each, Amazon Canada is $32 CAD per.

Rockauto deals with various suppliers, right (i.e., not OEMs directly)? I wonder if these suppliers could be buying from the same places as these eBay sellers dealing fakes.

Hope not, because I've found Rockauto's prices and service to be excellent so far and will continue buying from them. Plugs work great by the way.

But it makes me wonder. Just like how Amazon sells MicroSD cards directly, but also fulfills for other marketplace sellers. Some people reported getting fake cards when buying from Amazon directly with the explanation that the fulfilment sellers selling fakes somehow got mixed in with Amazon's inventory. Don't know if this is true or even if it makes sense, as Amazon might keep its own inventory completely separate from fulfilment stock and thus mixing may be impossible.

Link: https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.red...till_selling_fake_microsd_cards_even_if/
 
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Originally Posted by OppositeLocK
Wow, didn't even think such a part would've been counterfeited.

I bought NGK 91215 from Rockauto for $15 CAD a plug. Dealer wanted $60 CAD each, Amazon Canada is $32 CAD per.

Rockauto deals with various suppliers, right (i.e., not OEMs directly)? I wonder if these suppliers could be buying from the same places as these eBay sellers dealing fakes.

Hope not, because I've found Rockauto's prices and service to be excellent so far and will continue buying from them. Plugs work great by the way.

But it makes me wonder. Just like how Amazon sells MicroSD cards directly, but also fulfills for other marketplace sellers. Some people reported getting fake cards when buying from Amazon directly with the explanation that the fulfilment sellers selling fakes somehow got mixed in with Amazon's inventory. Don't know if this is true or even if it makes sense, as Amazon might keep its own inventory completely separate from fulfilment stock and thus mixing may be impossible.

Link: https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.red...till_selling_fake_microsd_cards_even_if/


Google the return address of your Rock Auto order. It will lead you to the supplier
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by OppositeLocK
Wow, didn't even think such a part would've been counterfeited.

I bought NGK 91215 from Rockauto for $15 CAD a plug. Dealer wanted $60 CAD each, Amazon Canada is $32 CAD per.

Rockauto deals with various suppliers, right (i.e., not OEMs directly)? I wonder if these suppliers could be buying from the same places as these eBay sellers dealing fakes.

Hope not, because I've found Rockauto's prices and service to be excellent so far and will continue buying from them. Plugs work great by the way.

But it makes me wonder. Just like how Amazon sells MicroSD cards directly, but also fulfills for other marketplace sellers. Some people reported getting fake cards when buying from Amazon directly with the explanation that the fulfilment sellers selling fakes somehow got mixed in with Amazon's inventory. Don't know if this is true or even if it makes sense, as Amazon might keep its own inventory completely separate from fulfilment stock and thus mixing may be impossible.

Link: https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.red...till_selling_fake_microsd_cards_even_if/


Google the return address of your Rock Auto order. It will lead you to the supplier
smile.gif





Smart. Just did so. Looks like it's Parts Authority on 67 Winstead in NY. Looks completely legit. Thanks for the advice.
 
eBay is the wrong place to buy there are many unethical players on that website. Beware, I bough a product online (didn't tell me where it was coming from) and after I placed the order it said the product will be delivered 6wk later. In the next 2 min cancelled the order, inspite of the cancellation the order was shipped from China and I have to deal with returns etc etc. Bad customer service and too many crooks out there
 
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