Counterfeit ICs from Amazon - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2025, 05:11:00 pm
content: I should know better20 TL071 op-amps and all are fake! They show a crazy amount of crossover distortion, poor bandwidth, negative going waveform swing with weird distortions and the offset null terminals don't appear to be connected to anything on the insideBut they look nice

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2025, 05:44:43 pm
content: Fake IC on Amazon? I am shocked, SHOCKED!

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2025, 05:50:20 pm
content: How does Amazon respond to reports of counterfeit technical goods?

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2025, 06:25:23 pm
content: Quote from: TimFox on March 09, 2025, 05:50:20 pmI made a return request and within that I explained the reason. The parts are on the way back to Amazon. I do not expect to hear any more about it.Anybody have any ideas about liability in cases like this? I have no intention of pursuing anything ... just curious. I did mention it to Amazon, without making any threats whatsoever. The only harm to me was a small loss of time ... I test before use.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2025, 11:45:52 am
content: When I find something on eBay, I look at Amazon. When I find something on Amazon, I look at AliExpress.Price for exactly same thing: eBay>>Amazon>AliExpressIn other words, the sellers on Amazon are the same sellers on Ali.For actives, I either order a tube directly from TI (need a business email, does not matter if it is about electronics) or from Digikey/Mouser.Resistors I am OK with and caps it depends. But actives, the price difference is not the risk of creating anadditionalproblem for myself.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2025, 12:05:18 pm
content: Quote from: Grandchuck on March 09, 2025, 06:25:23 pmThe term you are looking for is consequential liability. Most retailers will have a clause in the sales terms and conditions that limit their maximum liability to the total value of the goods sold to you, I don't know whether people have challenged this in court with regards to counterfeits from online retailers, but consequential liability is rarely immediately accepted by any business, it is something you have to sue for.

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2025, 02:19:30 pm
content: Quote from: TimFox on March 09, 2025, 05:50:20 pmAs a long time Amazon seller and vendor: It depends. If you leave a return statement like "fake component", the KI might grab that and will stop sales until the seller proves otherwise. Unless you are a chinese seller - those have unlimited possibilities to dodge *everything* and immediatly re-instate banned listings.If you report with the seller: prepare to be ignored. If you report with the Amazon customer service: prepare to be ignored.Best way (from a customers view): Leave a negative review of the item and leave negative feedback on the seller and return the item (which will cost the seller additional money).

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2025, 12:37:48 am
content: What is "the KI"?

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2025, 01:44:58 am
content: I was also burned by fake TL07x series. I now assume all greymarket opamps are LM358/LM324 regardless of their labelling.https://halestrom.net/darksleep/blog/038_fakeopamp/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/opamp-input-offsets-working-in-the-opposite-direction-to-what-i-expect/msg2668860/^ some nice die pics by other people too in that forum topic

author: Ranayna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2025, 10:24:58 am
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on March 11, 2025, 12:37:48 amSince Haenk shows the german flag, i assume that the german abbreviation for artificial intelligence slipped into his post.KI is "Kuenstliche Intelligenz", translating to "Artificial Intelligence"

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2025, 12:25:25 pm
content: Quote from: Ranayna on March 11, 2025, 10:24:58 amThis.(Sorry for the confusion.)Funny sidenote: There probably isn't even AI involved, but just simple word recognition. We once had an item returned by a customer, stating "falsch bestellt" (i.e. "ordered the wrong part") - which promptly toggles the takedown mechanism, and the item got permanently blocked. (We have long given up on fighting against those decisions made by Amazon, as it is pointless.)

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2025, 09:52:20 pm
content: Quote from: Haenk on March 10, 2025, 02:19:30 pmIf its a large seller Amazon will delete the negative review in a few days, as it "violates their guidelines", because you can't mention counterfeit/fake products.

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2025, 11:07:11 am
content: Same sellers often sell same things on Ali eBay amazon. Sometimes sellers get stuff from alibaba (not ali) en bulk and sell that stuff on all 3 platforms. It doesn't mean they are selling you fake stuff intentionally, all it means is that they found some stuff and are making a buck.Assume it's all fake on those 3 platforms. Go to places like DigiKey for the real stuff.

author: Geoff-AU
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2025, 12:57:26 am
content: Quote from: u666sa on March 12, 2025, 11:07:11 amYup, with the added headache that on Digikey I now have to filter by reputable manufacturer in addition to disabling marketplace results. Digikey are now carrying crap parts by mystery manufacturers (eg EVVO).

author: scuzzyTerminator
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2025, 03:54:51 am
content: I buy all my fakes from AliExpress. It saves me a lot of money.

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2025, 12:05:44 pm
content: Well, someone at least seems to care