This is ruling out Amazon for so many categories of product and has been going on for years.
Yet they don't seem to be bothered.
So now I look on Amazon, then see if I can buy direct or from a different retailer.
Yet they don't seem to be bothered.
So now I look on Amazon, then see if I can buy direct or from a different retailer.
If selling fake solar eclipse glasses didn’t hit them with the clue bat, I’m not sure what will.
Perhaps the worst thing in my mind about the lack of education (for one reason of another) with reference to eclipse glasses is that good pairs can easily be shared around with minimal planning (I always buy extra new pairs as souvenirs more than anything). The partial phases just aren't things that anyone stares at for minutes on end, and totality requires that eclipse glasses be removed.
Hopefully there'll be more experience at hand and education by 2024 to avoid a repeat of 2017 (which in the grand scheme, was mostly isolated cases of poor outcomes - for most people, the biggest risk would have been driving to an eclipse site).
Look at the reviews of the Apple Thunderbolt Cable [1] -- 40% are 1 star reviews and many mention the cable being fake.
Similar story on the Apple USB Ethernet adapter [2]. I bought one a few years back and it identified itself with Chinese lettering in System Preferences.
Ken Shirriff did an amazing teardown of fake Apple chargers [3] and found a number of safety hazards relating to high voltage isolation. Teardown of the USB Adapter [4] found it used a part that doesn't exist (label does not match any known package for that IC).
1: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Thunderbolt-Cable-2-0-White/dp/...
2: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-USB-Ethernet-Adapter-MC704LL/dp...
3: http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-pr...
4: http://projectgus.com/2013/03/anatomy-of-a-cheap-usb-etherne...
Not just because of the risk of fake products (I buy from ebay and Wish). But also because of the incomprehensible range of "add on" only items; prime only items; and then variable prices for shipping.