There is a problem with pirated Nintendo games showing up in the unpoliced Amazon third party seller marketplace. I don't know how big the problem is, but it's there (as I can personally attest, and as the article describes). Unlike the source cited the article, the bootleg I purchased for my son didn't "play fine."
It isn't just pirated games/getting fake carts, I've ordered things like a "genuine" GBA, GBC, and gotten fully counterfeit hardware instead of a used old device. Nearly a 100% counterfeit rate on certain lines of product (one example is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W39bZDu6zA)
And out of region stuff. I ordered a 3ds game brand new, I wanted to try to get a club code so I ordered one that looked like it would be new old stock, ended up getting a 3ds game intended for sale in Saudi Arabia.
Returned it and just bought it locally instead. Amazon is pretty much a wasteland for collectors. Ebay is far better and more reliable overall.
> Returned it and just bought it locally instead. Amazon is pretty much a wasteland for collectors. Ebay is far better and more reliable overall.
And also, somehow, much lower-priced for the most part.
For out-of-print but popular and relatively recent toys and books, I've often found things for half the price or less on eBay than what Amazon is pushing. Now that Buy It Now is common and I don't have to mess with the auction system, it's my first choice for stuff like that.
The problem is absolutely massive. As a 3P seller who at one point decided to declutter their own home by selling on Amazon, it is infuriating to compete with those who are clearly committing a crime.
I frequently saw "this is a REPLICA" or "This (Wii / Wii U) comes with 100+ games pre-installed at no extra charge!" in the condition notes. (These notes are individual to each seller and each seller's product)
This was blatant counterfeiting / piracy. I opened a large number of cases, but ultimately the answer I would get is, "buy the item and report your findings".
It's not my job to police Amazon, but I did take great pleasure in checking in on the counterfeit sellers, most of whom appeared to be suspended after 2-3 months. (Presumably once they sold their counterfeit copy and were reported by the buyer)
