Avoid Buying Sex Toys From Amazon
Let’s face it. If you’re buying sex toys from Amazon, you’ll find that they’re very cheap. Much cheaper than the MSRP that manufacturers give. Most of the time, they are cheaper than [tooltip text=”MAP” gravity=”nw”]Minimum Advertised Pricing. The lowest priced an item can be sold for as set by the manufacturer[/tooltip]. This is a very common pattern that is found for almost all sex toys found on Amazon. If you have bought from Amazon in the past, there is a chance you have bought some counterfeit sex toys.
It’s probably a counterfeit
For the most part, the reason as to why these toys are so cheap on Amazon is because they are almost always counterfeit.
It’s actually not that uncommon that there are many counterfeit products on the Amazon market. Almost anyone can create an Amazon Seller Central account and begin selling whatever they’d like. It is not uncommon for sellers to list fake products for a quick and easy profit. For the most part, most of the counterfeit products commonly sold are phone chargers (I’m looking at you iPhone lightning cable), phone cases, camera accessories, and clothes.
Deceitful sellers on Amazon commonly order counterfeit products in bulk from China. After they receive them, they sell them on Amazon for a pretty good profit. Generally, people who complain about counterfeits are given refunds by the sellers to prevent them from complaining to Amazon.
Counterfeit sex toys aren’t as good as their legitimate counterparts. They often use cheaper materials, cheaper electronics, and/or unsafe materials.
The Other Possibility
Not all sex toys on Amazon are counterfeit. There are more legitimate sellers on Amazon than counterfeit sellers. However, for those sellers that do offer legitimate toys, there are still a majority who are really unethical and shady. One of the largest violations done by such sellers are those who violate [tooltip text=”MAP” gravity=”nw”]Minimum Advertised Pricing.[/tooltip]. When manufacturers sell items to dealers, there usually exists a contract that dictates the minimum price that a certain product can be advertised for.
Amazon is full of sellers that break MAP. Although not illegal by US law, it is an unethical practice discouraged by manufacturers. When a manufacturer discovers that a seller is breaking MAP, they usually receive a warning. If the seller ignores the warnings by the manufacturer, they lose their Authorized Seller status. Once this happens, the seller is unable to receive any new shipments (which they probably get from somewhere else) and they are unable to transfer any warranties onto the buyer.
No Guarantee
These toys are obviously not checked by the manufacturer and don’t carry the same warranty that authentic toys have. Let’s assume someone buys a toy and it works for the first month. After a certain amount of days, the deadline to file an A-to-Z guarantee claim expires. If anything is wrong with the toy after that time, neither the manufacturer nor Amazon can protect you.
[box type=”info” align=”alignleft” class=”” width=””]A-to-Z Guarantee claims protect you from any purchase on Amazon (US) from any seller. If you have contacted the seller and cannot reach a resolution to any problem, you can contact Amazon and file a claim with them.Amazon as a last resort
Many manufacturers, such as Tantus, don’t approve of selling on Amazon. Since anyone can sell on Amazon, the manufacturer cannot guarantee that a toy sold on Amazon is authentic. If you want to buy from Amazon despite all warnings, inspect the toy once you receive it. Make sure that the packaging has [tooltip text=”no spelling errors” gravity=”nw”]Spelling errors are usually a tell-tale sign of counterfeit products[/tooltip]. When you open the toy, look for any defects or anything that is out of place. Looking at the reviews of a certain product is useless since many sellers [tooltip text=”piggyback ASINs” gravity=”nw”]An unethical method of using someone else’s product page with good reviews and selling your own product which may not have the same reviews[/tooltip].
If the price sounds like you’re getting a steal, you’re probably not. The cost of good toys are the price they are because quality materials are used. Quality is expensive. Paying above or at the [tooltip text=”MAP” gravity=”nw”]Minimum Advertised Pricing. The lowest priced an item can be sold for as set by the manufacturer[/tooltip] price is a guarantee that you will be receiving a quality product backed by the manufacturer or the dealer.
The hassle of dealing with Amazon support and filing claims is not worth it. Trust only the manufacturers or reputable dealers for all of your sex toy needs.
For legitimate sellers, check out my Where To Buy page.
