Fake strings----again.

carlos

I'm a fan of D'Addario these days. With the codes in the packaging plus doing whatever stupid quizzes they ask us to do on the website, I've got a few free packs of strings.

guitarjack66

DavidRees said:

time was when a 'packet of three' meant something entirely different ...

They were rarely fit for purpose either.

TTony

Roland said:

Can I suggest Newstrings.

Can you get them on eBay - you know, "good price, special deal"    ?

HAL9000

robgilmo said:

Everything on EBay is either stolen, fake or broken, thats just the way it is.

A friend recently bought a cheap SM58 from the ‘bay - and guess what..?


That’s right - turned out to be a fake thing that stopped working after a couple of months.

Yorkie

Adding Ernie Balls to the list of fake items I’ve spotted — by looking at the pictures — on eBay: D’Addario strings, Ray Ban sunglasses, Beats headphones and SM57s. It’s disgusting. 

There are websites with pictures that help you distinguish between real and fake. These are invaluable, although generally the best way of telling is… price. 

drofluf

Yorkie said:

There are websites with pictures that help you distinguish between real and fake. These are invaluable, although generally the best way of telling is… price. 

This. As someone who also nearly fell for a fake SM58 my watchword should be “if something Looks too good to be true then it probably is”

bluecat

I have bought from Amazon a few times, seem ok, not particularly cheap but I have my doubts now. Think I will stick to strings direct in the future.

BigPaulie

bluecat said:

I have bought from Amazon a few times, seem ok, not particularly cheap but I have my doubts now. Think I will stick to strings direct in the future.

If you check that they're sold by and dispatched from Amazon they'll be fine.

I'd be suspicious of anything sold by another company (notwithstanding the trusted sellers named above) on the Amazon platform.

roberty

*cough* https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006196126886.html

elstoof

A common trick with Amazon is to buy fake gear, buy a genuine one off Amazon, then return the fake for a full refund. The fake then sits on amazons shelf waiting to be bought, the staff don’t know or have time to check its genuine. It’s why I stopped buying bicycle components from them

bobacco

BigPaulie said:

bluecat said:

I have bought from Amazon a few times, seem ok, not particularly cheap but I have my doubts now. Think I will stick to strings direct in the future.

If you check that they're sold by and dispatched from Amazon they'll be fine.

I'd be suspicious of anything sold by another company (notwithstanding the trusted sellers named above) on the Amazon platform.

One thing to be careful of - Amazon warehouses store items direct from them and ‘fulfilled’ by them in the same place. A third-party seller can have their counterfeit goods right next to Amazon’s inventory and they’re picked for orders indiscriminately. Naturally, you’ll be fine getting refunds etc, but the sheer scale of their operation means that they are more likely to deal with fallout than to proactively ensure the legitimacy of third-party wares. 

I will say that this is anecdotal (from someone that worked in an Amazon warehouse, so not just inane hearsay - but also not my firsthand experience) and came up after some perfume I got for the missus held its scent for barely a couple of minutes. Apparently that’s a telltale sign of a fake and it was in conversation with said ex-Amazon friend that he advised the above. 

In sum - Amazon is still a lot easier to deal with post-sale issues than eBay, but they’re not immune from counterfeit issues even when it’s ’Fulfilled By Amazon’. 

idiotwindow

bobacco said:

BigPaulie said:

bluecat said:

I have bought from Amazon a few times, seem ok, not particularly cheap but I have my doubts now. Think I will stick to strings direct in the future.

If you check that they're sold by and dispatched from Amazon they'll be fine.

I'd be suspicious of anything sold by another company (notwithstanding the trusted sellers named above) on the Amazon platform.

One thing to be careful of - Amazon warehouses store items direct from them and ‘fulfilled’ by them in the same place. A third-party seller can have their counterfeit goods right next to Amazon’s inventory and they’re picked for orders indiscriminately. Naturally, you’ll be fine getting refunds etc, but the sheer scale of their operation means that they are more likely to deal with fallout than to proactively ensure the legitimacy of third-party wares. 

I will say that this is anecdotal (from someone that worked in an Amazon warehouse, so not just inane hearsay - but also not my firsthand experience) and came up after some perfume I got for the missus held its scent for barely a couple of minutes. Apparently that’s a telltale sign of a fake and it was in conversation with said ex-Amazon friend that he advised the above. 

In sum - Amazon is still a lot easier to deal with post-sale issues than eBay, but they’re not immune from counterfeit issues even when it’s ’Fulfilled By Amazon’. 

It's called commingling and it is why you have to be careful when buying any commonly faked products on Amazon. Choosing to buy from Amazon themselves is not a guarantee that you will avoid fake strings, SD cards, Apple earbuds, etc.

Sometimes it's just less hassle to pay a little extra and buy from a regular retailer that you know will source products from the official distributor.

Litterick

I buy Rotosound strings, made in Kent, from a music store that is authorised to sell them — I never have any problems.

roberty

Litterick said:

I buy Rotosound strings, made in Kent, from a music store that is authorised to sell them — I never have any problems.

I've been finding that Rotosounds have been making my fingers black lately. The last ones I got were from Andertons so they should be legit. A bit disappointing because I would like to support them

euan

elstoof said:

A common trick with Amazon is to buy fake gear, buy a genuine one off Amazon, then return the fake for a full refund. The fake then sits on amazons shelf waiting to be bought, the staff don’t know or have time to check its genuine. It’s why I stopped buying bicycle components from them

I once got a helmet from Wiggle that was clearly not just worn but worn and involved in some of impact. 

Guessing they purchased that same helmet again and then returned the damaged one in the new packaging. 

skunkwerx

Fool me once.. comes to mind. 

bluecat

I used buy Rotosound In the sixties , I always thought they were bottom of the pile

Musical_Mystery_Tour

Rotosound - the string of choice when they are the only ones the shop have and you've got a gig later that day. Only surpassed in crapness by Martin strings.

bluecat

Edit.
I used to buy Rotosound strings in the sixties , I always thought they were bottom of the pile cheapos because that was all i could afford at the time.
Probably should try them again after 50 years. They may have got better.
Have they got better? I would be pleased to know if they have.
Sorry about the Edit I was distracted and pushed the wrong button.

Svartmetall

Musical_Mystery_Tour said:

Rotosound - the string of choice when they are the only ones the shop have and you've got a gig later that day. Only surpassed in crapness by Martin strings.

I was with a band that almost got signed in the mid 90s and the drummer (who legit Knew People) was saying he could try to set me up with an endorsement deal with Rotosound strings; I said I'd rather pay for D'Addarios than get Rotosounds for free