Fraudulent Sellers are ruining the Fine Jewelry category
We are in the gated category of fine jewelry and have been since 2013. Chinese sellers are now saying in their product titles that they are selling 14k gold, yet it is not real 14k gold. Can you check on the seller information for the following asins: ASIN: B0CWQ6PXRM (AIGAMIT), ASIN: B0D9PWXB2G (KFERAXSZ), ASIN: B0CFTKPVXX (MOMELF)and see how they came in to sell on Amazon in the first place? These are just a few of the dozens of sellers who are selling fake jewelry. My suspicion is that they came in as fashion or costume jewelry and once approved, began listing their jewelry as though it were 14k gold.
We have purchased their goods, they aren’t stamped 14k, and when tested, they aren’t 14k gold.
When we have submitted reports, we suspect that they are being followed up by AI bots who go out and find these products and see that they do one time, in the 4th or 5th bullet point, state the word plated.
However, according to Amazon’s TOS and the FTC regulations on describing fine jewelry, these products need to have the word “costume” or “plated” or some other descriptor and NOT 14k gold since they aren’t real gold!!
Can Amazon send a human being to check their product listings as well as their products themselves? If the products were sent to an independent lab, they would come back NOT gold and then Amazon can suspend the fraudulent sellers, Amazon will stop their customers from being ripped off by deception, and Amazon can support legitimate fine jewelry sellers. This has been happening for almost a full year!
37 replies
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_8rcwmHdQknTKG
I'd love to look into this personally. Along with the ASINs you sent over, can you please send me any complaint ID's/support case ID's you've opened or submitted so I can dive into those as well? Thank you!
-Jim
Seller_KQBhEV7VsMY5H
Same thing for claims of hypoallergenic . . .
Seller_G1dITKzjrjqtm
It is not just that category, "overseas" and fraudulent sellers are ruining Amazon.
Seller_K3n3J40ogLbQ1
Wow, just happened to randomly come across this. The Chinese sellers have taken over Amazon its ridiculous. We are also having issues with Chinese sellers or sometimes they try to mask themselves with a US business name. Regardless, over the past years Amazon has been penetrated with Chinese sellers it's just sad.
Really they need a policy that doesn't let any Chinese seller onto the platform and needs to be identified purely as an American and not just a US business if they want to sell onto the US marketplace.
They understand how to penetrate Amazon too well. My guess is that they also have a handful of Amazon workers who are Chinese. We also see Chinese or Indian sellers ruining listings.
Anyways, good luck. They've been a pain and hate to say it, but I always feel like an Amazon worker is going to be like "I don't get paid enough for this". They do what they can then brush it under the carpet because it may need such a large movement that they hit a dead end for what they can do.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Fascinating. Several years ago Amazon ruined their sport collectible category by requiring authentication and outside grading for everything no matter how inexpensive the item. A $5 baseball card could not be listed without $20 worth of professional appraisal, which took about eight months waiting time.
And yet they do nothing to police their fine jewelry category and i am sure a number of other categories in which fraud is much easier, more common, and harder to detect.
Seller_csHWMpsP5ANmc
I hope we get to the bottom of this issue. It seems like sellers in this category in the USA are being treated unfairly—we constantly face challenges with changing child safety requirements without any prior notice, while Chinese sellers seem to continue operating without problems.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Apparently they now regard price alerts and duplicate detail page removal as far more important than bogus product fraud. Resources go toward nonsense like this:
This ASIN has GTIN codes that do not match the brand associated to the ASIN. GTIN codes are reliable data that are used to limit duplicate products in the catalog and ensure product authenticity. We verify the authenticity of GTINs by checking the GS1 database and GTINs that do not match information in GS1 are considered invalid. We recommend obtaining your GTINs directly from GS1 (and not from other third parties selling GTIN licenses) to ensure the appropriate information is reflected in the GS1 database.
Seller_SWYNRL4Ly9V7A
Why do you not list the country of origin of your products? Some of the items you sell look identical to the titanium-nitride-plated stainless steel items that are mass produced in China and sold by the sellers that list them as 14K gold. One of your items contains, in the title, "14K Gold 4mm Thick Tube Hoop Earrings" and you list them as 14K gold. "Tube" implies that it is hollow. By FTC guidelines, if they are hollow they should be labeled or described as "14 Karat Gold-Hollow Center," or "14 K. Gold Tubing".
Jewelry items sold in the U.S. are not required to be stamped "14K"; it is up to the manufacturer but if an item is stamped "14K", it must have gold alloy throughout. Any "Gold" item sold on Amazon with an origin of China, should be suspect of being PVD Titanium Nitride Plated Stainless Steel.
Seller_151QEC7QkoAQQ
Not just your category. My proprietary product was totally destroyed by counterfeiters and the processes to contain them are pathetic at Amazon. You simply cannot talk to the people who could help you if you could have a conversation with them. Instead it is endless loops of trying to get Seller Support to get meaningful help for you through email which DOES NOT WORK. One issue needs one contact at Amazon to see it to completion, where back and forth conversation or at least contiguous emails can get somewhere. System is totally designed to prevent you from talking to the people you need.
Fraudulent Sellers are ruining the Fine Jewelry category
We are in the gated category of fine jewelry and have been since 2013. Chinese sellers are now saying in their product titles that they are selling 14k gold, yet it is not real 14k gold. Can you check on the seller information for the following asins: ASIN: B0CWQ6PXRM (AIGAMIT), ASIN: B0D9PWXB2G (KFERAXSZ), ASIN: B0CFTKPVXX (MOMELF)and see how they came in to sell on Amazon in the first place? These are just a few of the dozens of sellers who are selling fake jewelry. My suspicion is that they came in as fashion or costume jewelry and once approved, began listing their jewelry as though it were 14k gold.
We have purchased their goods, they aren’t stamped 14k, and when tested, they aren’t 14k gold.
When we have submitted reports, we suspect that they are being followed up by AI bots who go out and find these products and see that they do one time, in the 4th or 5th bullet point, state the word plated.
However, according to Amazon’s TOS and the FTC regulations on describing fine jewelry, these products need to have the word “costume” or “plated” or some other descriptor and NOT 14k gold since they aren’t real gold!!
Can Amazon send a human being to check their product listings as well as their products themselves? If the products were sent to an independent lab, they would come back NOT gold and then Amazon can suspend the fraudulent sellers, Amazon will stop their customers from being ripped off by deception, and Amazon can support legitimate fine jewelry sellers. This has been happening for almost a full year!
Fraudulent Sellers are ruining the Fine Jewelry category
We are in the gated category of fine jewelry and have been since 2013. Chinese sellers are now saying in their product titles that they are selling 14k gold, yet it is not real 14k gold. Can you check on the seller information for the following asins: ASIN: B0CWQ6PXRM (AIGAMIT), ASIN: B0D9PWXB2G (KFERAXSZ), ASIN: B0CFTKPVXX (MOMELF)and see how they came in to sell on Amazon in the first place? These are just a few of the dozens of sellers who are selling fake jewelry. My suspicion is that they came in as fashion or costume jewelry and once approved, began listing their jewelry as though it were 14k gold.
We have purchased their goods, they aren’t stamped 14k, and when tested, they aren’t 14k gold.
When we have submitted reports, we suspect that they are being followed up by AI bots who go out and find these products and see that they do one time, in the 4th or 5th bullet point, state the word plated.
However, according to Amazon’s TOS and the FTC regulations on describing fine jewelry, these products need to have the word “costume” or “plated” or some other descriptor and NOT 14k gold since they aren’t real gold!!
Can Amazon send a human being to check their product listings as well as their products themselves? If the products were sent to an independent lab, they would come back NOT gold and then Amazon can suspend the fraudulent sellers, Amazon will stop their customers from being ripped off by deception, and Amazon can support legitimate fine jewelry sellers. This has been happening for almost a full year!
37 replies
37 replies
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_8rcwmHdQknTKG
I'd love to look into this personally. Along with the ASINs you sent over, can you please send me any complaint ID's/support case ID's you've opened or submitted so I can dive into those as well? Thank you!
-Jim
Seller_KQBhEV7VsMY5H
Same thing for claims of hypoallergenic . . .
Seller_G1dITKzjrjqtm
It is not just that category, "overseas" and fraudulent sellers are ruining Amazon.
Seller_K3n3J40ogLbQ1
Wow, just happened to randomly come across this. The Chinese sellers have taken over Amazon its ridiculous. We are also having issues with Chinese sellers or sometimes they try to mask themselves with a US business name. Regardless, over the past years Amazon has been penetrated with Chinese sellers it's just sad.
Really they need a policy that doesn't let any Chinese seller onto the platform and needs to be identified purely as an American and not just a US business if they want to sell onto the US marketplace.
They understand how to penetrate Amazon too well. My guess is that they also have a handful of Amazon workers who are Chinese. We also see Chinese or Indian sellers ruining listings.
Anyways, good luck. They've been a pain and hate to say it, but I always feel like an Amazon worker is going to be like "I don't get paid enough for this". They do what they can then brush it under the carpet because it may need such a large movement that they hit a dead end for what they can do.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Fascinating. Several years ago Amazon ruined their sport collectible category by requiring authentication and outside grading for everything no matter how inexpensive the item. A $5 baseball card could not be listed without $20 worth of professional appraisal, which took about eight months waiting time.
And yet they do nothing to police their fine jewelry category and i am sure a number of other categories in which fraud is much easier, more common, and harder to detect.
Seller_csHWMpsP5ANmc
I hope we get to the bottom of this issue. It seems like sellers in this category in the USA are being treated unfairly—we constantly face challenges with changing child safety requirements without any prior notice, while Chinese sellers seem to continue operating without problems.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Apparently they now regard price alerts and duplicate detail page removal as far more important than bogus product fraud. Resources go toward nonsense like this:
This ASIN has GTIN codes that do not match the brand associated to the ASIN. GTIN codes are reliable data that are used to limit duplicate products in the catalog and ensure product authenticity. We verify the authenticity of GTINs by checking the GS1 database and GTINs that do not match information in GS1 are considered invalid. We recommend obtaining your GTINs directly from GS1 (and not from other third parties selling GTIN licenses) to ensure the appropriate information is reflected in the GS1 database.
Seller_SWYNRL4Ly9V7A
Why do you not list the country of origin of your products? Some of the items you sell look identical to the titanium-nitride-plated stainless steel items that are mass produced in China and sold by the sellers that list them as 14K gold. One of your items contains, in the title, "14K Gold 4mm Thick Tube Hoop Earrings" and you list them as 14K gold. "Tube" implies that it is hollow. By FTC guidelines, if they are hollow they should be labeled or described as "14 Karat Gold-Hollow Center," or "14 K. Gold Tubing".
Jewelry items sold in the U.S. are not required to be stamped "14K"; it is up to the manufacturer but if an item is stamped "14K", it must have gold alloy throughout. Any "Gold" item sold on Amazon with an origin of China, should be suspect of being PVD Titanium Nitride Plated Stainless Steel.
Seller_151QEC7QkoAQQ
Not just your category. My proprietary product was totally destroyed by counterfeiters and the processes to contain them are pathetic at Amazon. You simply cannot talk to the people who could help you if you could have a conversation with them. Instead it is endless loops of trying to get Seller Support to get meaningful help for you through email which DOES NOT WORK. One issue needs one contact at Amazon to see it to completion, where back and forth conversation or at least contiguous emails can get somewhere. System is totally designed to prevent you from talking to the people you need.
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_8rcwmHdQknTKG
I'd love to look into this personally. Along with the ASINs you sent over, can you please send me any complaint ID's/support case ID's you've opened or submitted so I can dive into those as well? Thank you!
-Jim
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_8rcwmHdQknTKG
I'd love to look into this personally. Along with the ASINs you sent over, can you please send me any complaint ID's/support case ID's you've opened or submitted so I can dive into those as well? Thank you!
-Jim
Seller_KQBhEV7VsMY5H
Same thing for claims of hypoallergenic . . .
Seller_KQBhEV7VsMY5H
Same thing for claims of hypoallergenic . . .
Seller_G1dITKzjrjqtm
It is not just that category, "overseas" and fraudulent sellers are ruining Amazon.
Seller_G1dITKzjrjqtm
It is not just that category, "overseas" and fraudulent sellers are ruining Amazon.
Seller_K3n3J40ogLbQ1
Wow, just happened to randomly come across this. The Chinese sellers have taken over Amazon its ridiculous. We are also having issues with Chinese sellers or sometimes they try to mask themselves with a US business name. Regardless, over the past years Amazon has been penetrated with Chinese sellers it's just sad.
Really they need a policy that doesn't let any Chinese seller onto the platform and needs to be identified purely as an American and not just a US business if they want to sell onto the US marketplace.
They understand how to penetrate Amazon too well. My guess is that they also have a handful of Amazon workers who are Chinese. We also see Chinese or Indian sellers ruining listings.
Anyways, good luck. They've been a pain and hate to say it, but I always feel like an Amazon worker is going to be like "I don't get paid enough for this". They do what they can then brush it under the carpet because it may need such a large movement that they hit a dead end for what they can do.
Seller_K3n3J40ogLbQ1
Wow, just happened to randomly come across this. The Chinese sellers have taken over Amazon its ridiculous. We are also having issues with Chinese sellers or sometimes they try to mask themselves with a US business name. Regardless, over the past years Amazon has been penetrated with Chinese sellers it's just sad.
Really they need a policy that doesn't let any Chinese seller onto the platform and needs to be identified purely as an American and not just a US business if they want to sell onto the US marketplace.
They understand how to penetrate Amazon too well. My guess is that they also have a handful of Amazon workers who are Chinese. We also see Chinese or Indian sellers ruining listings.
Anyways, good luck. They've been a pain and hate to say it, but I always feel like an Amazon worker is going to be like "I don't get paid enough for this". They do what they can then brush it under the carpet because it may need such a large movement that they hit a dead end for what they can do.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Fascinating. Several years ago Amazon ruined their sport collectible category by requiring authentication and outside grading for everything no matter how inexpensive the item. A $5 baseball card could not be listed without $20 worth of professional appraisal, which took about eight months waiting time.
And yet they do nothing to police their fine jewelry category and i am sure a number of other categories in which fraud is much easier, more common, and harder to detect.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Fascinating. Several years ago Amazon ruined their sport collectible category by requiring authentication and outside grading for everything no matter how inexpensive the item. A $5 baseball card could not be listed without $20 worth of professional appraisal, which took about eight months waiting time.
And yet they do nothing to police their fine jewelry category and i am sure a number of other categories in which fraud is much easier, more common, and harder to detect.
Seller_csHWMpsP5ANmc
I hope we get to the bottom of this issue. It seems like sellers in this category in the USA are being treated unfairly—we constantly face challenges with changing child safety requirements without any prior notice, while Chinese sellers seem to continue operating without problems.
Seller_csHWMpsP5ANmc
I hope we get to the bottom of this issue. It seems like sellers in this category in the USA are being treated unfairly—we constantly face challenges with changing child safety requirements without any prior notice, while Chinese sellers seem to continue operating without problems.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Apparently they now regard price alerts and duplicate detail page removal as far more important than bogus product fraud. Resources go toward nonsense like this:
This ASIN has GTIN codes that do not match the brand associated to the ASIN. GTIN codes are reliable data that are used to limit duplicate products in the catalog and ensure product authenticity. We verify the authenticity of GTINs by checking the GS1 database and GTINs that do not match information in GS1 are considered invalid. We recommend obtaining your GTINs directly from GS1 (and not from other third parties selling GTIN licenses) to ensure the appropriate information is reflected in the GS1 database.
Seller_NaEy7NOsIT9d8
Apparently they now regard price alerts and duplicate detail page removal as far more important than bogus product fraud. Resources go toward nonsense like this:
This ASIN has GTIN codes that do not match the brand associated to the ASIN. GTIN codes are reliable data that are used to limit duplicate products in the catalog and ensure product authenticity. We verify the authenticity of GTINs by checking the GS1 database and GTINs that do not match information in GS1 are considered invalid. We recommend obtaining your GTINs directly from GS1 (and not from other third parties selling GTIN licenses) to ensure the appropriate information is reflected in the GS1 database.
Seller_SWYNRL4Ly9V7A
Why do you not list the country of origin of your products? Some of the items you sell look identical to the titanium-nitride-plated stainless steel items that are mass produced in China and sold by the sellers that list them as 14K gold. One of your items contains, in the title, "14K Gold 4mm Thick Tube Hoop Earrings" and you list them as 14K gold. "Tube" implies that it is hollow. By FTC guidelines, if they are hollow they should be labeled or described as "14 Karat Gold-Hollow Center," or "14 K. Gold Tubing".
Jewelry items sold in the U.S. are not required to be stamped "14K"; it is up to the manufacturer but if an item is stamped "14K", it must have gold alloy throughout. Any "Gold" item sold on Amazon with an origin of China, should be suspect of being PVD Titanium Nitride Plated Stainless Steel.
Seller_SWYNRL4Ly9V7A
Why do you not list the country of origin of your products? Some of the items you sell look identical to the titanium-nitride-plated stainless steel items that are mass produced in China and sold by the sellers that list them as 14K gold. One of your items contains, in the title, "14K Gold 4mm Thick Tube Hoop Earrings" and you list them as 14K gold. "Tube" implies that it is hollow. By FTC guidelines, if they are hollow they should be labeled or described as "14 Karat Gold-Hollow Center," or "14 K. Gold Tubing".
Jewelry items sold in the U.S. are not required to be stamped "14K"; it is up to the manufacturer but if an item is stamped "14K", it must have gold alloy throughout. Any "Gold" item sold on Amazon with an origin of China, should be suspect of being PVD Titanium Nitride Plated Stainless Steel.
Seller_151QEC7QkoAQQ
Not just your category. My proprietary product was totally destroyed by counterfeiters and the processes to contain them are pathetic at Amazon. You simply cannot talk to the people who could help you if you could have a conversation with them. Instead it is endless loops of trying to get Seller Support to get meaningful help for you through email which DOES NOT WORK. One issue needs one contact at Amazon to see it to completion, where back and forth conversation or at least contiguous emails can get somewhere. System is totally designed to prevent you from talking to the people you need.
Seller_151QEC7QkoAQQ
Not just your category. My proprietary product was totally destroyed by counterfeiters and the processes to contain them are pathetic at Amazon. You simply cannot talk to the people who could help you if you could have a conversation with them. Instead it is endless loops of trying to get Seller Support to get meaningful help for you through email which DOES NOT WORK. One issue needs one contact at Amazon to see it to completion, where back and forth conversation or at least contiguous emails can get somewhere. System is totally designed to prevent you from talking to the people you need.
