Counterfeit parts: Let the buyer beware - Transmission Digest

Counterfeit parts: Let the buyer beware

There is a Latin term handed down from English common law: “Caveat Emptor,” which means “let the buyer beware” of what is purchased. In this era when purchasing parts and other products online is becoming more common, that cautious approach to purchasing is of particular importance.

Recently Transmission Digest participated in a discussion with a supplier in our industry. They had been taking perplexing technical calls on their products. Only after some time did they realize the products in question were not theirs. That began an internal investigation that eventually led them down the rabbit hole of online e-commerce sites such as eBay and Amazon. 

There, they noticed dozens of listings of their products for sale. Upon closer inspection, it was apparent many of these products, though being advertised with their brand and part number, were not in fact their parts. What followed turned into days and eventually weeks of online sleuthing and backtracking information.

At the end of the research road, what they discovered was a single entity out of China using various UPS stores as their U.S. address with over 70 different stealth eBay accounts and dozens more on Amazon and Walmart, selling counterfeit products using more than a single well-known name brand.

To be clear, these are not the generic parts to which many turned when the supply chain challenges were at the most troubling level. The products examined were entirely misrepresented as being a branded kit from a trusted manufacturer.

Spotting counterfeit products is usually as easy as knowing the distributor/vendor. Reliable and well-known parts are available from known industry distributors, including known internet marketplace distributors. If you have a doubt, most suppliers maintain a list of distributors on their website or will verify one with a simple email or phone call to the brand manufacturer/supplier.

It’s worth noting that a part or kit represented on an online marketplace site as being an ABC part isn’t warrantied by ABC unless it is truly ABC’s product. Builders beware and know the source of parts you’ve purchased on the internet. Keep receipts as proof of purchase should a product warranty issue arise.

You May Also Like

Hard parts hunting

Image caption: The diagram representing results from the 2022 Transmission Digest survey of retail shops tracks the various sources those shops rely on for acquiring hard parts. The results don’t provide a breakdown of the original source of the parts. Here we show where the order is placed by the rebuilder. Every April we tend

hard-parts-1400

Image caption: The diagram representing results from the 2022 Transmission Digest survey of retail shops tracks the various sources those shops rely on for acquiring hard parts. The results don’t provide a breakdown of the original source of the parts. Here we show where the order is placed by the rebuilder.

Shop profile: Small-town RAMM Transmission puts family first

When you spend time talking to transmission repair shops, you’ll hear a lot about the importance of family. Transmission shops, after all, tend to be small and specialized, so it follows that many of them are family-owned and operated. Related Articles – Customer-focused approach: American Transmission specializes in automatics and customer service – Nominate your

Customer-focused approach: American Transmission specializes in automatics and customer service

“We only specialize in transmissions in this shop; this is not a one-for-all shop,” says Bo West, owner of American Transmission in Louisville, Kentucky. “We only do automatic transmissions. No general repair, no tires, no engines, no tuneups, no oil changes. None of that. Just transmissions.” Related Articles – Shop profile: The success story of

American-Transmission-1400
Nominate your shop to be featured in TD’s shop profile series

Our best wishes to you all for a successful and happy new year. I know we’re all trying to overcome the challenges of supply chain shortages, inflation and the pandemic. But, every time we see January roll onto the calendar, we have the opportunity to take a fresh look at what we do and quite

Shop profile: AJ’s Transmissions has made a name for itself with customers and technicians alike

Al Varner Jr. was “born with transmission fluid on his bib,” according to those around him. Hanging around his dad’s shop, he had an early introduction to the industry, tearing down transmissions at age 8 and building his first transmission when he was 14. Related Articles – Following The Supply Chain – Canadian Shop Specializes

shopprofile-1400

Other Posts

How the global parts supply chain comes together

Have you ever wondered, when you open up a transmission kit, how many nations all of these different parts came from? How many different journeys these parts had to make to get to where they are, sitting in your shop, ready to serve their purpose in a unit that needs them? Related Articles – Shift

June Cover Feature
Kitting keeps us profitable: Aftermarket kit suppliers listing 2022

The kitting of transmission parts has made profitable shop operation possible. When a kit with 100 parts is necessary, a distributor has already assembled all the important components into the kit and it is typically sitting on the shelf ready to be delivered. Kitting saves time and effort for both the shop and the supplying

The effects of supply chain holdup on the transmission industry

Everyone is aware of the current supply chain issues plaguing our industry and many others. Between a lack of raw materials that affect all rubber/paper and steel products and problems with containers at our ports, these are issues that will continue through Q2 of 2022, if not beyond. This is happening during a time when

Performance Profiting

Going way back in history, it’s evident that when there are more than one or two of any transportation mode, the owners need to find out which is fastest. This has never more true than today when there are attractive profits to be made from serving a new generation of racers willing to pay to