Originally Posted by
Ross520
Just an FYI for those that weren't already aware, Amazon is an awful place to purchase bike parts and accessories.
Here's the thing, counterfeits run rampant on their Marketplace, and they do practically nothing to stop this fraudulent behavior.
The worst part? You're not even getting them for a super-low price like all that highly questionable stuff on Ebay.
In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a brand name bicycle part on Amazon that I couldn't purchase at a legitimate store such as JensonUSA for less, and be guaranteed that they're the real Mccoy.
This is not only seen with bicycle parts, but many other items as well. And once again, Amazon does very about to stop this activity.
I only buy cheap household stuff and such (that I figure would be pointless to counterfeit), or items that are sold through the manufacturer rather than a third party now.
Be careful when shopping online.
I'm not a shill for amazon nor can I speak for your experience, but for me, the above is wrong.
I have found genuine Shimano parts (old Deore) that were HALF LIST PRICE, new in package, and I couldn't get those older Deore parts from the local bike shops immediately, they would have had to order them, at much higher cost and longer time than amazon. And, my girlfriend has amazon prime so the shipping was free and fast.
I look at the reviews for the parts, that's usually a great indicator. But if anything turns out to be wrong, Amazon forces them to take it back and provide a full refund, and if not, Amazon provides the refund. The problem resolution process on Ebay is much more problematic, Ebay themselves do not assume any financial responsibility. Amazon does and acts responsibly to build market share. I DO NOT like that they have turned into the behemoth that they have, but there's a reason for that, they do a good job. My only problem with Amazon is yes, I have read that some counterfeiters were selling goods that had intellectual property protections, and I don't know how well they are policing that.
So far my experience with amazon is amazing. Recently, I got parts to repair the clothes dryer and refrigerator at a small fraction of local sources. I had to be careful, some parts claimed "genuine OEM parts" but reviews said "No, they're copies, don't spend the premium price" so I found other parts, reviews were good, the parts were cheap and worked great. And if not, I could have returned them for free, just print out a shipping label but pickup was not free, I had to drop the envelope at amazon's dropoff center downtown. Not a big deal.
I bought a big pop riveter for the dryer fix, jammed from the first rivet, could not fix, back it went, no hassle on the return.