“[Fill in the blank] compatible” should set off alarm bells.

Luckily in Europe where the majority of people have and use bicycles, there are many companies who stock and sell almost everything that you will ever need, and at cheaper prices than Amazon. Where I am currently at, there are 3 big companies that probably receive most of the online business for Shimano parts because they have almost everything in stock all the time with next day delivery if you order before 2pm. Only special brands like sugino or mks you have to search for at smaller companies that import directly from Japan.

Unfortunately the location of the item is not always correct on ebay and ebay tolerates it. I have ordered stuff that showed a California location and had a package from China arrive. I have learned over time how to spot the deception.

Part of all of this, too, is just the desire for time savings on the part of the seller. A large, well-known shop with a presence on eBay sold me a Brooks saddle, but they'd crafted general-purpose ads for that model of saddle, not distinguishing the specific features of the specific saddle sent to me. Ad was specific about having X feature, but I got Y feature; same saddle model, but different feature. They've got hundreds of ad listings they create, at any given time. I'm sure they don't open each and every box, and I'm sure the photos/specs used aren't specific to each and every boxed item individually. To the detriment of the buyers, now and then.

I've had good experiences buying bikes, parts and accessories on Amazon. No issues at all, I highly recommend it provided you do some due diligence.

I don't purchase high end however, which is much more risky for knockoffs and scams. The same goes for electronics. Workhorse quality common components, no problem.

Reminds me that I need to order new brake pads for the touring rig.

Thanks for this PSA! I needed the reminder. I’ve bought counterfeit stuff (non bike) from Amazon before, and it was a nightmare getting my money back. Just not worth the risk.

I’ll buy through amazon from a trusted seller or if fulfilled by Amazon, but that marketplace isn’t any better than ebay or Alibaba. Buyer beware.

there is no cure for impulse & there is no substitute for convenience, hence amazon always seems best from from 9pm to 4am

I've bought all sorts of stuff, off of Amazon and never had a problem...BUT having said that Amazon has changed in the last 3 to 5 years, they no longer give out good description information like they use to, and they no longer tell you if the seller is an authorized dealer for the product you want, so now you have to ask questions to get the information. If the seller is not an authorized dealer then you'll have problems with any warranty issue, and could run into a counterfeit item.

I've been buying bike parts for years, and in the last 25 years I've haven't bought anything from Jenson USA because they haven't been cheaper on anything that I ever needed. Now having said that it is wise to check several bike shops on line to see if they have something for less than Amazon, I've found a Serfas saddle for my wife cheaper at Serfas than I did on Amazon?! Strange, but it just goes to show you that you need to do some shopping, the biggest problems in pricing is usually the cost to ship, Amazon is most of the time free, but shipping from various stores can charge you from $5 to as much as $20 for the same item!

Ebay is a lot like gambling, you hope that the seller, who appears to have a lot of buyers with a high reputation score would be good to go, but China is smart, but crooked, they will load up glowing reports on a seller (they do this with reviews on Amazon too), because the seller and or the product is coming out of China, so they want you to think this product is good, they load as many as a 100 reviews, all 5 stars, and all fake. So I try to find a product with more than 100 reviews on Amazon; on Ebay I simply make up some question and ask the seller, if they don't respond I don't buy it from them.

Friggin' Bezos. Next time, lemme tell you, I will NOT buy my mail-order bride from Amazon. Was not sent from expected country of origin. Was not the size I ordered. Did not match the picture and definitely did not come in two days.

Been there and done that. Nothing. Lots of these places are the same. Currently buying a set of Conti 700X28 tires on eBay from a seller called bellsbike (in Philadelphia). About a 10 days ago, eBay marked it as shipped. If you look on the shippers site, you will notice that all they have done is created a shipping label. Nothing more. Nothing has shipped. So, almost three weeks from ordering and the product has not shipped, even though it was "guaranteed" to arrive on the 2nd of July. But to eBay, it has shipped. I have seen the game before but am still annoyed.

Any website that is a company website for some product, and they have buyers reviews, you know they eliminate all the bad ones and post only the good ones.

The guy who started a thread here today about his kid's rear derailleur - I wanted to point him to a better replacement than the identical part he'd found at a much inflated price. So I searched "Acera derailleur" on Amazon. The top result - from a brand called "Bessie Sparks" - was a copy of the previous generation. Their first photo has Shimano markings but the rest do not. Amazon shows it listed as a "Best Seller" with five whole reviews and three stars.

This is a new generation of listings. The previous generation were parts that were functional, slightly weird and all had six-letter names.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/11/s...copyright.html

The new ones are definitely just scanned copies. Another example is the "Fooker" pedals reviewed by Berm Peak Express a month ago, which are from a 3D scan of Race Face Chesters down to the barely-altered logo
Amazon is not innocent here. They support the forgers with advice how to use the website and the American market, and with SEO.

I wonder what Shimano's lawyers are doing about all this. I'm sure it's not nothing, not after killing all the gray market imports a year and a half ago.

ebay is your friend !!

I just bought some Shimano shift cables and Supacaz Kush tape and were the real thing.

that's on you, quit blaming them!

I live in Hawaii, and if the online bike companies even ship here (which many don't), they charge outrageous shipping costs even though there isn't much difference in US postal rates from Hawaii to the US mainland. They're just price gouging when they charge $15 to ship a small lightweight $10 part. Some of these companies will only ship using UPS or Fedex whose rates to Hawaii are insane. Like most people on the island, I depend on free shipping as part of Amazon Prime. When I can find bike parts from an LBS, the prices are 2-3 times higher than Amazon. Since the LBS's don't stock a lot of parts or accessories, they have to order it from the mainland. Why bother when I can get the parts faster and cheaper from Amazon? On the other hand, I wouldn't use Amazon as much if I lived in a big city with well-stocked competitive bike shops or where shipping was cheap. It's all about necessity.

That's the price you pay for the choices you make. Like living in paradise.

Not apropos of bike parts, here is the knockoff of the camp stove* griddle I'm shopping. Where did the photographer get these foods? The egg looks fake, the hamburger looks like it was just unwrapped, I'm not sure what to think about the... the... is it a hot dog?




* for the RV, put away the butane

That’s surprising to me. I thought the place had a decent reputation, though I’ve never used them. Too far from my house.

Plus, a lot of sellers create or pay to have created, positive reviews/feedback.

Cheers

Needed a replacement Shimano Acera 9spd RD. I use Amazon to scan the market.
Hit by an AVALANCHE of BS. ˜50-60 weirdly labeled "Shimano" and " Acera" hits within AMZ.
Some priced ridiculously high, lots of price scatter.

Impossible to vet or even sort through
I have been burned with Amazon counterfeits, and especially with the FBS, fulfillment by Amazon stuff.
Not sure if long shipping clue is China or somebody selling, then ordering elsewhere to send out.
Seeing lots of shipping / nonPrime games and "hidden" shipping charges.

My time has to be worth nothing to use them at this point.

PS :
Amazon QA is you returning merchandise.
Just plain sloppy. They really do not care to vet their own stuff.

I agree that the unsavory sellers on Amazon are increasing. Reviews will often show pics of counterfeit items they have received. If uncertain, I make sure it has a free return, then inspect carefully after it arrives. But, supporting a LBS is valuablele on many levels. I would hate for Amazon to become the only option...

I've never had a problem with Amazon, and buy a lot of stuff there. As a matter of fact, I bought my Meridian Trike there --

You can tell the BS listings from the legit.

Do you have documentation?