Business
How to avoid buying fakes on Walmart, Amazon and other online marketplaces
As more consumers prioritize convenience and value over brand loyalty, experts say they’re turning to online marketplaces more than ever to buy the things they need, raising the risk they could inadvertently purchase a fake product.
While fake goods have exchanged hands in informal markets since ancient times, the growth of online marketplaces has contributed to the rise in counterfeits because of how easy online shopping and selling have become. A CNBC investigation of Walmart‘s marketplace published Friday uncovered dozens of third-party sellers who had stolen the identity of another business, and some of them were offering fake health and beauty products.
After CNBC shared its reporting with Walmart, the company began tightening its vetting process for some products and sellers and said it has a “zero-tolerance policy for prohibited or noncompliant products.”
Serene Lee | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Between 2020 and 2024, e-commerce as a percentage of overall U.S. retail sales reached record highs, and goods seized for intellectual property violations more than doubled during that general time period, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
When shopping on online marketplaces, consumers need to be “very careful” to avoid inadvertently purchasing fakes, said Megan Carpenter, the dean and professor of intellectual property law at the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law.
“You’re purchasing from sellers, distributors, manufacturers that are all over the world with the push of a button,” said Carpenter, who previously practiced intellectual property law. “Sometimes you hear the phrase, ‘buy cheap, buy twice,’ but there are also big safety and danger issues” that come from purchasing fakes online, she said.
Counterfeit products have been endemic to third-party marketplaces for as long as they have existed, but it is difficult to quantify just how common they are. While longtime marketplace operators have made numerous policy changes over the years to crack down on fakes, the nature of the platforms makes it difficult to eradicate counterfeits altogether. Amazon said it has taken steps to address fakes on its platform, and is “proud of the progress” it has made in preventing counterfeits. Walmart added in its statement to CNBC that customers who are not satisfied with an item can return it for a full refund.
To ensure consumers are getting the real thing, here are a few guidelines experts said people should follow when shopping on online marketplaces.
Research the seller
Plenty of brands sell their products directly to consumers through online marketplaces. If the company that makes the item is the one that’s also selling it, experts said that’s always a consumer’s best bet when shopping on online platforms.
If the seller offering the item is not the brand, consumers should research the business to make sure it is legitimate.
In the past, the name or business information of a third-party seller offering a product wasn’t always clear. But the Inform Consumers Act, a law that took effect in 2023, now requires platforms to publish that information for certain sellers.
When shopping on marketplaces like Walmart and Amazon, consumers can see the name of the seller offering the product on the right-hand side of the page. When they click the business name, they can typically see more information, such as its address, phone number and some information about what it does.
The seller’s page will offer a host of clues to consumers. Shoppers can typically see where the business is based, go over its catalog of items and read the reviews it has received. If other shoppers have left reviews saying the business sold fake products, that’s a good sign that consumers should find another seller or other place to purchase the goods.
Shoppers should also check the address of the business. For example, if the seller is offering beauty products and the address either doesn’t exist or goes back to a car repair shop, that’s a red flag.
The name of the business matters, too, said Kari Kammel, the director of the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University.
“For example, if you’re buying toys online, and the seller is called, you know, cheap kitchen utensils shop, there’s a discrepancy there, right?” she said. “So it can be a red flag.”
If it’s not immediately obvious if the brand is selling the item, a quick Google search will typically reveal whether the marketplace seller is an authorized distributor of the product. Many brands publish information about resellers on their websites.
When shopping for health and beauty items, the kinds of products that go in or on someone’s body, consumers should only buy directly from the brand or one of its authorized distributors to make sure they are getting genuine products, experts said.
“With any of these counterfeits, you’re gambling, right? You may get one that doesn’t cause any harm, but maybe it just won’t last as long, if you’re lucky,” said Kammel. “On the flip side, you may get something that just totally fails in what would be a normal quality or safety inspection from a legitimate company, and can cause serious harm.”
Plenty of the stuff sold on online marketplaces is considered first party, meaning the platform owns and distributes the products themselves on a wholesale basis. If consumers see “sold and shipped by Amazon” or “sold and shipped by Walmart” they can feel comfortable purchasing the item, regardless of the category, experts said.
Question the price
When shopping on online marketplaces, consumers should keep in mind the old adage: “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
If a shopper sees a luxury beauty cream that’s being sold at a 91% discount from its typical retail price, as CNBC found during its investigation into Walmart’s marketplace, that’s a major red flag that the item could be counterfeit.
“One of the strongest hooks to get people to buy these counterfeit products, of course, is price,” said Saleem Alhabash, the associate director of research at Michigan State’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection. “Making it sound like it’s too good of a deal to pass along.”
Sometimes, the products that third-party sellers are offering are discounted because they were purchased from liquidators or during a promotion directly from a retailer or brand. In those cases, the price reduction will usually be more modest and the item’s cost will be closer to the typical selling price, experts said.
Still, counterfeiters are getting more savvy and are using market data to price their products, Alhabash said. Sometimes, fake goods can be priced nearly identically to the typical selling cost, he said.
Packaging
When consumers buy from third-party sellers on online marketplaces and still aren’t sure if they’ve purchased a legitimate item, the product’s packaging can also offer clues once it arrives.
“Take a second to just look at it and see if it looks right,” said Kammel. “If they get it, and it’s a product they’ve used before and they still have the old packaging of the product, just do a quick side by side.”
A misspelling on a bottle of counterfeit Immuno 150 supplements purchased from Walmart.com.
CNBC
Sometimes, packaging could look different because the manufacturer changed it. In other cases, red flags like typos on the box could indicate the product is counterfeit. If the brand hasn’t changed the packaging, check to see if the design and size of the packaging is the same as what’s sold in stores.
When in doubt, consumers can always call the brand to make sure.
What to do if you buy a fake product
If a shopper buys something they believe is fake, they should stop using it immediately and report it to the platform they purchased it from, said Kammel. Here are a few other steps Kammel said shoppers should take:
- If you’re having a physical reaction to the product, seek medical attention to avoid further harm.
- Try reporting it to a government office for investigation, such as the state attorney general or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- Document the seller’s information, including their name, business address and phone number.
- Log other evidence, including the transaction receipt, the link to the listing, and pictures of the packaging and the product.
- Consider reporting it to the brand to let them know what happened.
New Delhi: Chartered Accountant Abhishek Walia believes investments increase in value over time. Walia asserts that the only way to create wealth quickly is “staying long enough to let compounding do its job.”
Walia, the founder of Zactor, pointed out on LinkedIn that most people think luxury cars and fancy holidays drain their money. He said that our short-term mindset and not fancy spendings actually drain our money. “You think expensive cars and holidays drain your money? No. Your short-term mindset does,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
According to Walia, the majority of people lose money because they expect instant results, panic sell and delay SIPs. “We want quick returns. We panic-sell when markets dip. We delay SIPs because “this month is tight.” And then we wonder why wealth never compounds,” he wrote.
Through an example, Walia shared how a simple delay in investment can make a massive difference. “Let’s put numbers on it. If you invest Rs 10,000/month for 20 years at 12%, you will have Rs 92 lakh. But if you start 5 years late, you will end up with Rs 47.5 lakh. That delay those few “I will start next months” just cost you Rs 45 lakh,” he wrote.
According to Walia, not making decisions is the “most expensive thing you will ever do.”
Walia said that true success in investing comes from patience. If you invest for a long enough period of time, compound interest will gradually increase your wealth, he said. “Patience is the new alpha. Because the only shortcut in wealth creation is staying long enough to let compounding do its job,” Walia wrote.
Business
Gold price prediction: Why are gold prices rallying again and what’s the outlook? Top levels investors should watch out for – The Times of India
Gold price prediction: Gold prices are rallying again on the hopes of US Federal Reserve rate cut expectations, and China’s gold buying. However, Praveen Singh, Senior Fundamental Research Analyst- Currencies and Commodities at Mirae Asset Sharekhan recommends buying the dip, rather than chasing the rally. The analyst shares his views on gold price outlook and what levels investors should watch out for:Gold Performance:
- Although expectations of the ongoing US shutdown ending soon boosted risk appetite, spot gold extended its Friday’s rally to surge sharply higher on Monday on the Fed rate cut expectations, wobbly US Dollar and China’s Central Bank adding gold reserves for 12th month in a row in October.
- Gold gained on inflation concerns also as President Donald Trump once again floated the idea of sending Americans rebate checks of at least $2000 a person (excluding high income people) for the tariffs that his administration has collected.
- At the time of writing this article, spot gold was trading with a huge daily gain of 2.34% at $4,096, while
MCX Gold December contract at Rs 123,707 was up 2.07%. - In the week ending November 7, spot gold prices posted a weekly loss of $1 to close at $4001, which amounts to a third straight weekly loss per se.
US Shutdown likely to end:
- On November 9, the US Senate advanced a plan to end the longest-ever US government shutdown that entered the week. A faction of moderate democrats defied their party leaders and voted to support a deal to end the ongoing shutdown.
- As flight disruptions have worsened due heavy snow, the ongoing shutdown may intensify the stress on the US air-traffic system ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period as controllers may have to continue to work without pay checks.
Fedspeak:
- Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis President Musalem expects the US economy to bounce back strongly early next year due to rate cuts, fiscal support, deregulation and the government shutdown ending. He urged the Fed officials to be cautious on additional rate cuts as he thinks that the current Fed policy is close to the level where it would not put any downward pressure on inflation.
- On the contrary, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly warned against keeping interest rates too high for too long due to softening labour market and moderating wage growth.
US Dollar Index and yields:
- At the time of writing this article, the US Dollar Index at 99.72 was up around 0.15% for the day. Day’s low has been 99.45.
- Ten-year US yields at 4.11% were up by around 1.50 bps, while 2-year yields at 3.59% were up by around 3 bps.
US Data roundup:
- US employment report has not been published in November, which makes it the second month without a national employment report.
- Bloomberg estimates that depending on the US government reopening date, September employment report may be published on November 19/November 26. Even then the report may not offer true picture due to uncertainty over Federal government employment figures. Other reports will also be delayed.
- October CPI report may not be released though.
- Data released in the week ending November 7 were largely mixed as US ISM manufacturing trailed the forecast and contracted for the seventh straight month in October, while ISM services at 52.40 beat the forecast of 50.80 to rise at the fastest pace since February.
- University of Michigan Consumer sentiment fell from 53.60 in October to 50.30 in November, near record-low and even lower than 2008 global financial crisis and Covid levels.
- It is to be noted that ADP data released last week showed that US companies added 42K jobs in October, which signalled a moderate stabilization in the US job market. Challenger job cuts report showed almost 950,000 US job cuts this year through September, the highest year-to-date total since 2020.
Gold ETFs and COMEX inventory:
- Total known global gold ETF holdings rose for two straight days through November 7 to 97.24 MOz, though were down for the third consecutive weeks. Nonetheless, holdings are up 17.36% this year and are hovering around 3-year high level.
- China’s domestic gold ETF holdings rose by 79.015 tons in January to September period, which is a steep rise compared to the 29.927 tons-gain during the same period last year.
- COMEX gold eligible inventory at 17.94Moz is around the lowest level since April.
China’s Central Bank buys gold for the 12th month in a row:
- China’s official gold reserves stood at 74.09 MOz at the end of October, up from 74.06 MOz a month earlier, which means that PBoC bought nearly one ton of gold in October.
- Uzbekistan’s gold reserves reached $47.85 billion October, a record high for the fourth straight month.
China’s gold consumption dips:
- According to a statement from the China Gold Association, the nation’s gold consumption dropped 7.95% y-o-y to 682.73 tons in the January-September period.
Gold Price Outlook:
- A possible end to the US government shutdown has turned investors’ attention back to the Fed rate expectations in October as the upcoming US data may show deteriorating economy.
- Gold is benefiting due to China extending its buying spree and inflation concerns, too.
- However, steady US yields and Dollar may limit the gains barring
- In the very short-term, gold is expected to test the strong resistance around $4160, a successful breach of which would open the way to test the resistance in $4190-$4200 zone.
- Dip buying is preferred over chasing the rally.
- Support is at $4075/$4025/$3990.
Silver: Sharply up
- MCX Silver December contract surged to 153,650, up 4% for the day.
- The metal may test the resistance around Rs 158,500 as it has taken out the strong resistance at $49.30 (Rs 150,000), which will act as a support now.
- Next support comes in at $48.50 (Rs 148,000).
- Dip buying is preferred over chasing the current rally.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
Stephanie MiskinBBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Investigations
BBCFor single mum-of-four Abi, the debts she has built up by using buy now, pay later (BNPL) services have left her trapped in a “vicious circle”.
Abi, from Sheffield, is one of a number of people who spoke to the BBC about the money they owe after using BNPL to purchase basic goods, including groceries and school uniforms.
Five leading debt support organisations say they are seeing a rise in the number of families needing help with the type of debt racked up through apps such as Klarna, Zilch and Clearpay.
About 1.6m people in the UK used these methods to spread the cost of their household bills this summer, according to research by debt charity Stepchange.
Buy now, pay later services say their products have safeguards to help customers manage their spending and they offer support for those who get into financial difficulty.
‘I’m trapped in a vicious circle’
BNPL allows shoppers to spread the cost of purchases over weeks or months, using interest-free credit. But debts can mount if people miss payments.
From next year all BNPL apps will be regulated, leading to stricter affordability checks.
But in the meantime, debt advisors say people are using them “unsustainably” to “plug the gap” in their budgets.
Soft credit checks mean BNPL providers are often not told if people are borrowing from elsewhere – so they sanction loans without knowing a customer’s wider situation.
Abi started using BNPL when she hit tough financial times.
“There’s a temptation to go ‘oh I’ll just use that today and when I get paid, I’ll pay it off’ – and extend it over a few months,” says Abi, who is training to become a barber.
“Then you have to go back and live on it and then do it again.”
The 37-year-old, who cannot use credit cards because of other existing debts, began using BNPL three years ago to make larger purchases.
She now uses multiple BNPL apps to buy everyday items including pet food, bus passes and groceries – choosing which supermarkets to go to based on which she can get BNPL vouchers for.
Abi regularly buys a weekly travel pass, costing £40, using a BNPL card at the checkout.
She pays an initial fee of about £5 which allows her to spread the cost over several payments. Another fee is then applied if repayments are delayed.
Abi has faced additional fees and interest after deferring multiple repayments and now owes BNPL firms about £3,000.
Five leading debt advice groups say referrals related to BNPL debts are increasing.
Debt counselling service Money Wellness says it helped 44% more people with buy now pay later debts in the year ending in September 2025 than it did in the previous 12 months, which it describes as a “huge spike”.
The National Debtline and Business Adviceline, which are run by the Money Advice Trust, supported 11,000 people in the same period with debts of this kind.
Citizens Advice says it has seen a 48% year-on-year increase, and Christians Against Poverty says 14% of its clients had BNPL debts in 2024, up from 9% in 2023.
Tom Gibbons, from Money Wellness, says the rising cost of living has “pushed people’s budgets to the limit”.
Food prices have increased by 37% in five years, meaning a food shop costing £10 five years ago would now cost £13.70.
Mr Gibbons says Money Wellness is seeing more young single women with children seeking help with BNPL debts as they try to “plug the gap and can’t make ends meet”.
Abi has begun applying for a debt relief order, which would freeze her debts for 12 months. If her financial situation does not change, those debts may be written off, but her credit file will be affected for six years.
In August, a record monthly high of more than 4,200 debt relief orders were approved.
Jennifer, not her real name, owed £5,000 through BNPL before she was approved for a debt relief order in July.
The 26-year-old single parent from West Yorkshire says it has given her a “fresh start” and she no longer lives in fear of phone calls from debt collectors.
“I can finally breathe again,” she says.
She is one of many who told the BBC that accessing BNPL “was too easy”, adding: “You fall into a pattern, and before you know it, it’s a huge problem.”
But not everyone who uses BNPL has spiralling debts.
Danielle, a single mum of five and home care assistant from Rotherham, says she is “responsible with it” and only uses what she can afford to pay back.
Where she would once turn to a food bank or borrow money from family in the run up to payday, she now uses BNPL apps to buy essentials such as shoes and school uniforms for her children.
“I do know people who use it and worry about how they will pay it back, but I don’t want to end up paying money out to BNPL and then having nothing to live off,” says Danielle.
“In the past I’d be worrying and I’d be one of the last parents buying the bare minimum of what I could afford. Now as soon as they finish school I go out and buy all the uniform.”
Many people who spoke to the BBC never imagined they would find themselves in debt.
Mr Gibbons says: “All it takes is an accident and you’re off work, or made redundant and then all of a sudden you’ve got no money coming in and you’re still going to have find the money to pay BNPL.”
In response to the BBC investigation, a spokesperson for Klarna says the firm would welcome new regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) next year and its “products are designed to help consumers avoid getting trapped in debt”.
If payments are missed, access to further credit is then restricted, they say.
Zilch, which is a regulated FCA lender, says it has “affordability safeguards in place” to ensure its customers “are using our product responsibly”.
- Details of organisations offering help and support with debt are available via the BBC Action Line.
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