Counterfeit Supplements on Amazon?

[Badger]

Recently I went for treatment with a Naturopathic MD and in the course of our talking, she mentioned that supplements she suggested to her patients purchased from other sources than Amazon normally worked well. But when a patient switched to Amazon or Amazon seller, and bought the same supplement/brand/bottle - identical (or close) packaging, size, ingredients to the item they got elsewhere - the supplement ceased to work almost immediately for the patient. This has happened with a number of her patients for various supplements. I've since decided to buy, as much as possible, supplements from other sources. Has anyone else found actual or probable instances of counterfeit supplements purchased via Amazon?

I found a comment from someone who bought a DHEA supplement who seems to think Amazon is selling counterfeit supplements, which, if true, is a very serious crime that could endanger people, aside from ripping them off with bad or too little of the main ingredient. Here is a screenshot of the comment I found:

 

[yerrag]

That could be a reason why Amazon has simplified, or dumbed down, its comments section.

Once I posted a question about Doctor's Best Vitamin C, asking if the product statement posted, of it being from Quali-C, which has low lead content, meant that it is 100% Quali-C. The seller would not care to answer it to vouch for it. An Amazon buyer would answer it even though I requested the seller to answer it. I would reply courteously asking for seller clarification, with other amazon buyers answering again. Needless to say, I saw no point in getting any knowledgeable answers anymore.

It would seem to me that with the vast array and variety that Amazon carries, it would be a great burden for Amazon to ensure the products sold under its umbrella is genuine. So it finds it more convenient to just drop the ball on this and play possum, encouraging buyers to shop under the false assumption that Amazon would never allow its sellers to sell counterfeit products.

When it comes to supplements, it is especially so, and the temptation is insurmountably great. Buyer has virtually no way of proving a product is fake, and a margin of 250% compared to 25% between fake and genuine makes the risk reward so low sellers just couldn't pass up on the chance.

That said, it is also hard to trust even established brands when they would eventually be bought out by larger companies. This happens all too often and if you're not keeping up with the developments in the industry, you'll be ending up paying top dollar for nothing. And nothing would be an understatement if you're actually paying for a negative health outcome.

The Armour thyroid product is one product that is Exhibit A.

Still, I admit I have bought many supplements from Amazon, but my solace is I've cut back a lot on buying supplements and mostly rely on food nowadays. But if I were living in the US still, I would be hard put getting good nutrition solely from food. It is a country dominated by poor antitrust laws and poor regulation and poor enforcement, and it has a long supply chain. The supplier of ground beef, for example, would purposely mix different lots offround beef from different sources so that when there is an e. coli outbreak, it would tell you the trail is cold because of it.

 

[Badger]

That could be a reason why Amazon has simplified, or dumbed down, its comments section.

Once I posted a question about Doctor's Best Vitamin C, asking if the product statement posted, of it being from Quali-C, which has low lead content, meant that it is 100% Quali-C. The seller would not care to answer it to vouch for it. An Amazon buyer would answer it even though I requested the seller to answer it. I would reply courteously asking for seller clarification, with other amazon buyers answering again. Needless to say, I saw no point in getting any knowledgeable answers anymore.

It would seem to me that with the vast array and variety that Amazon carries, it would be a great burden for Amazon to ensure the products sold under its umbrella is genuine. So it finds it more convenient to just drop the ball on this and play possum, encouraging buyers to shop under the false assumption that Amazon would never allow its sellers to sell counterfeit products.

When it comes to supplements, it is especially so, and the temptation is insurmountably great. Buyer has virtually no way of proving a product is fake, and a margin of 250% compared to 25% between fake and genuine makes the risk reward so low sellers just couldn't pass up on the chance.

That said, it is also hard to trust even established brands when they would eventually be bought out by larger companies. This happens all too often and if you're not keeping up with the developments in the industry, you'll be ending up paying top dollar for nothing. And nothing would be an understatement if you're actually paying for a negative health outcome.

The Armour thyroid product is one product that is Exhibit A.

Still, I admit I have bought many supplements from Amazon, but my solace is I've cut back a lot on buying supplements and mostly rely on food nowadays. But if I were living in the US still, I would be hard put getting good nutrition solely from food. It is a country dominated by poor antitrust laws and poor regulation and poor enforcement, and it has a long supply chain. The supplier of ground beef, for example, would purposely mix different lots offround beef from different sources so that when there is an e. coli outbreak, it would tell you the trail is cold because of it.

This is well said and very informative. You've reinforced my resolve to avoid Amazon for buying supplements.

 

[yerrag]

Just look at how a seller at Amazon could brazenly sell a 64gb drive but lists it at 16tb for a bargain price of $100, and make it appear legit with good reviews.

Stuff like this eventually gets exposed, but you have to worry about those that get away with it.

This seller would be better off selling supplements.

 

[Mathgirl]

Try to stick to the Bulgarian Guy!

 

[Perry Staltic]

Amazon either ships from its warehouses that are stocked from various manufacturers or products are shipped from the manufacturers themselves. People probably need to pay attention to the expiry dates

 

[Jessie]

Amazon either ships from its warehouses that are stocked from various manufacturers or products are shipped from the manufacturers themselves. People probably need to pay attention to the expiry dates

Yep. I bought a BIG bottle of GeriCare aspirin from Amazon several years back, but I got gipped big time. The expiration date was nearly 2 years out of date, and when I opened the aspirin you could tell it was all broken down already. Very potent and overwhelming vinegary smell.

 

[yerrag]

Just look at how a seller at Amazon could brazenly sell a 64gb drive but lists it at 16tb for a bargain price of $100, and make it appear legit with good reviews.

Stuff like this eventually gets exposed, but you have to worry about those that get away with it.

This seller would be better off selling supplements.

Here's the link:

Amazon shoppers warned of portable SSD drive scam | Digital Trends

Shoppers are being warned to be wary of portable SSD drives on Amazon that claim to include 16TB of storage but feature a remarkably low price tag.

www.digitaltrends.com

 

[SaltiestSardine]

You need to make a distinction between sellers on Amazon who fulfill orders via Amazon's warehouses, but it's their stock, and Amazon itself. Amazon gets stock directly from the manufacturers, Amazon sellers/marketplace sellers get their stock from **** knows where

I've been burnt loads of times by Amazon marketplace sellers, so if i buy things from Amazon, it's usually from Amazon itself

Amazon might not be that great of a company, but all the times i have pointed out counterfeit products to them they've been pretty snappy in pulling those listings. I actually managed to get a likely Chinese oral health product company completely pulled from Amazon in a matter of a week when i was sent an incredibly dangerous product and the company owner tried to palm me off with a £100 gift voucher and empty promises of better QC if i amended a review about the incident and gave him 5 stars(lol)

 

[yerrag]

You need to make a distinction between sellers on Amazon who fulfill orders via Amazon's warehouses, but it's their stock, and Amazon itself. Amazon gets stock directly from the manufacturers, Amazon sellers/marketplace sellers get their stock from **** knows where

I've been burnt loads of times by Amazon marketplace sellers, so if i buy things from Amazon, it's usually from Amazon itself

Amazon might not be that great of a company, but all the times i have pointed out counterfeit products to them they've been pretty snappy in pulling those listings. I actually managed to get a likely Chinese oral health product company completely pulled from Amazon in a matter of a week when i was sent an incredibly dangerous product and the company owner tried to palm me off with a £100 gift voucher and empty promises of better QC if i amended a review about the incident and gave him 5 stars(lol)

Are health supplements being sold by Amazon itself, or by sellers under the Prime Program, to only be fulfilled by Amazon? A distinction needed to be made here as well.

And how does Amazon know a health supplement is fake when the buyer has no equipment (such as chromatographs) to spot the fake supplements? So would Amazon act without a complaint from a buyer? And it would require many buyers to complain to establish a pattern for Amazon to act.

Can you tell if you took a placebo? Most of the fakes would likely be placebos (won't hurt or kill), so as long as buyer is fine, he would not know he took a fake product.

 

[Perry Staltic]

Yep. I bought a BIG bottle of GeriCare aspirin from Amazon several years back, but I got gipped big time. The expiration date was nearly 2 years out of date, and when I opened the aspirin you could tell it was all broken down already. Very potent and overwhelming vinegary smell.

I hope you returned it. They know what they're doing and strive to keep customers happy by allowing returns for just about everything

 

[Warrior]

You need to make a distinction between sellers on Amazon who fulfill orders via Amazon's warehouses, but it's their stock, and Amazon itself. Amazon gets stock directly from the manufacturers, Amazon sellers/marketplace sellers get their stock from **** knows where

Haven't seen it myself but apparently just dump all of their stocks, whether direct or 3rd party FBA into one pile so the real and fake can mix together. Makes sense from a logistics POV as they aren't going to waste the effort in giving each seller their own space in the warehouse. Also explains why you can get loads of good reviews, some screaming fake and then back to good again within the space of a few days.

Far better off going elsewhere for that kind of stuff these days, preferably direct to source or a good eRetailer you trust.

 

[Jessie]

I hope you returned it. They know what they're doing and strive to keep customers happy by allowing returns for just about everything

I didn't pay much for it, so I just decided to cut my losses. My local Dollar Store sells the same type of aspirin under their generic brand, no added ingredients. I've always found it to be good aspirin with no expired dates. The bottles are much smaller, but it's cheap and I get like 3 at a time. You can freeze it and it'll last for quite a while.

 

[Perry Staltic]

I didn't pay much for it, so I just decided to cut my losses. My local Dollar Store sells the same type of aspirin under their generic brand, no added ingredients. I've always found it to be good aspirin with no expired dates. The bottles are much smaller, but it's cheap and I get like 3 at a time. You can freeze it and it'll last for quite a while.

fyi in case this happens again, there is no cost to send stuff back. Initiate a return, get a code, take it to UPS store and they care of the rest. Don't even need the original packaging

 

[Sefton10]

New study. 57 sports supplements tested:

- 23 (40%) didn't contain any of the substances on the label
- 28 (49%) had the wrong amount
- 6 (11%) had the correct quantity
- 7 (12%) had illegal additives

Presence and Quantity of Botanical Ingredients in Sports Supplements

This case series study examines the accuracy of labels of dietary sports supplements containing botanical ingredients.

jamanetwork.com