Spot Counterfeit Parts Like A Pro: Five Tell-Tale Signs to Look For

Main Navigation

Advertisement
Social Connect
Resources
Our Brand Family
Counterman Magazine
Counterman has been serving auto parts jobbers, retailers and distributors since 1983.
Sponsored Content

Spot Counterfeit Parts Like A Pro: Five Tell-Tale Signs to Look For

If you are selling auto parts online, you should be aware of a scam that’s going on. A “customer” purchases a legitimate part from your shop and returns a counterfeit part in its place. They get a refund, and then they sell the legitimate part to someone else.

Avatar
By GMB North America Inc.

Sponsored by GMB North America, Inc.

If you are selling auto parts online, you should be aware of a scam that’s going on. A “customer” purchases a legitimate part from your shop and returns a counterfeit part in its place. They get a refund, and then they sell the legitimate part to someone else.

Counterfeit auto parts are everywhere. You can find them on eBay, Amazon, Alibaba and Craigslist and other online markets. Some legitimate online shops are even selling a few counterfeit parts without knowing.

If you accidentally resell counterfeit parts you can damage your brand and lose money if a customer returns the part. To prevent this, you have to inspect all returned parts and make sure they are genuine before restocking them. The 5 biggest signs of a counterfeit part are:

1. Poorly or Incorrectly Printed Packaging

Many, if not all, major auto manufacturers offer OEM parts in high-quality packaging. A counterfeit part may turn up in a package that’s made with low-quality materials and/or printed incorrectly.
If you have more of that same part on the shelf, grab one and compare its packaging to the returned part.

2. Missing Part Number on the Package

Many OEM manufacturers print the part number, or the first section of the part number directly on the package. Counterfeiters usually print the whole part number on a sticker, so they can use one box for several different parts. Compare the returned package with a part in your inventory.

3. Typos

Scammers don’t have a team of professional writers and proofreaders. So there may be misspellings on the package or on the instructions inside.

4. Incorrect or Incomplete Instructions

Make sure the set of instructions matches the instructions in a legitimate package. Even just a missing sentence is a huge red flag.

5. The Part Doesn’t Look or Feel Quite Right

Some scammers are returning counterfeit parts in legitimate packages. So you should always check the part, too. Compare it to a real part in your inventory. Look for imperfections and differences in weight, color and design.

This article was sponsored by GMB North America, Inc. For more information, please visit our website at www.gmb.net

You May Also Like

Sponsored Content

Protecting Your Vehicle in the Winter

Depending on where you live, autumn is an idyllic time of year with bright colors and mild temperatures. If there is one downside though, it means that winter is on its way, which means frigid temperatures, snow, ice and difficult road conditions. The lifespans of cars and trucks are increasing all the time, so protecting

FRAM
By FRAM

Depending on where you live, autumn is an idyllic time of year with bright colors and mild temperatures.

If there is one downside though, it means that winter is on its way, which means frigid temperatures, snow, ice and difficult road conditions. The lifespans of cars and trucks are increasing all the time, so protecting your customers’ vehicles from the harsh weather is even more important to keeping that trend alive.

Read Full Article

More Sponsored Content Posts
A Closer Look: Standard® Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI)

Gasoline direct injection (GDI) is used on most new vehicles and requires a different approach to diagnosis and service. GDI technology has been an integral part of helping to improve fuel economy while reducing emissions, and can be found on more than half of the U.S. fleet. In fact, the use of GDI engines has

By Standard Motor Products
Overcoming Supply Chain Issues in Today’s World

Many legislative and environmental mandates have affected the collision repair industry over the last decade. To comply with such mandates, vehicle manufacturers continue to design vehicles with increasingly advanced electronics, ranging from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems that increase safety, helping people with everything from parking to driving, to the recent push for electric vehicles. They’ve

By U-POL
Two Lubegards Are Better Than One

Lubegard Synthetic ATF Protectant and Instant Shudder Fixx work better, faster and longer together to stop torque-converter clutch shudder (TCC shudder). Both products are effective on their own, but when used together they not only provide a long-term solution for TCC shudder but also offer complete protection for transmissions. Since the 1980s, lockup torque convertors

By Lubegard
High Oil Consumption?

A common question an OEM oil supplier like ENEOS sees is how to tell when oil consumption becomes excessive? Since a few factors could be involved, here are some of the potential implications. How much is too much?First, because of wear, vehicles are more likely to consume engine oil as they age. Common culprits that

By ENEOS

Other Posts

The Value of Replacing the Water Pump and Timing Belt Simultaneously

Water pumps have long been considered the heart of a vehicle’s cooling system. Although its sole function – pumping coolant from the radiator through the engine – seems simple, it’s a crucial process to keep engines running at optimal temperatures. Unfortunately, some drivers can overlook this – along with proper care for the part. On

By Carter
Fill Your Customers in About Total Vehicle Filtration

If you’ve ever wondered what one of the biggest threats to a vehicle’s engine is, the answer is microscopic particles. If these tiny specs of dirt and dust aren’t filtered properly, they will quickly accumulate inside the engine, which can cause significant damage to many parts. Worse yet, this can lead to complete engine failure.

By FRAM
A Closer Look: Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS)

Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) Overview: Advanced Driver Assist Systems have been quite the industry buzz over the last several years. We have seen new business opportunities arise, and even a new segment of mobile technicians focusing on ADAS calibrations. While ADAS may seem relatively new, automotive service professionals have been servicing Driver Assist Systems

By Standard®
FRAM® Provides Next-Level Engine Protection for the Summer

For many people, road trips are an enjoyable summertime tradition. Whether you’re taking the family outon vacation, traveling for sporting events, or just hitting the road for some mind-clearing relaxation,summer usually means miles. Since 1934, Pros and DIYers everywhere have relied on FRAM® to get the most complete engineprotection. When it comes to making sure

By FRAM