Online shopping could be hazardous to your wealth—and your health. An investigation by the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog agency, found that many products sold by third-party sellers on popular websites such as Amazon.com and Walmart.com were counterfeit—and dangerous—and were often a total waste of money. Cheap, substandard phone chargers could electrocute users, the GAO said, and bogus cosmetics have contained mercury, lead and other hazardous substances. Other frequently counterfeited items included batteries, travel mugs, contact lenses, and toothpaste.
“Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. It kills people,” says Bob Barchiesi, president of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, a nonprofit industry group.
Counterfeiters have designed products that closely resemble the genuine items, making it increasingly difficult to spot fakes. Still, there are ways to protect yourself. Your safest bet is to buy directly from the manufacturer’s website and pay a little more.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
If you’re a bargain shopper, the item you want is out of stock, or it’s only available on e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com, look for the three P’s:
Place. Check the manufacturer’s website to find a list of authorized third-party distributors. If the seller’s name isn’t on it, chances are the website is selling fakes.
You can also check sellers’ authenticity by contacting them directly; if they don’t get back to you, the phone number is out of service, or you can’t understand the response, don’t give them your business.
Packaging. Legitimate brands spend a lot of money on packaging. If the product listing states that there’s no packaging available with the item, that should be a warning sign that the item is a fake.
Price. Be skeptical of an extremely low price. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Other red flags include extra-long shipping times, no established return policy, and suspicious reviews in the feedback section of the website. If the reviews are nearly identical, unabashedly positive and contain a lot of misspellings, they probably aren’t legitimate.
-
Four Surprising Signs You’ll Never Retire (and How to Fix Them)Gearing up to retire? If any of these four signs ring true, you may want to make some changes before you do.
-
Stocks Rise After Trump-Powell Fed Tour: Stock Market TodayNvidia hit a new all-time high intraday, but another renowned semiconductor name and some less iconic stocks were bigger movers Friday.
-
Alabama Tax-Free Weekend 2025Tax Holiday Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 back-to-school Alabama sales tax holiday.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online BargainsFeature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2025Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up. Here's what you need to know.
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnbreal estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute VacationTravel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
-
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?insurance When assessing how much life insurance you need, take a systematic approach instead of relying on rules of thumb.
-
Five Reasons You Shouldn't Shop on Amazon Prime DaySmart Buying Is Amazon Prime Day still a good deal? We'll break it down.
-
When Is Amazon Prime Day? Everything We Know, Plus the Best Deals on Apple, Samsung and MoreAmazon Prime Amazon Prime Day is four days this year. Here are the key details you need to know, plus some of our favorite deals to shop during the sale.
