Online shopping has completely transformed how we buy everything – from electronics to home goods to clothing. What used to require trips to multiple stores can now be done with a few clicks. I’ve said this again and again, but with any popular product, it’s always going to make its way to Amazon – the king of fakes and knockoffs.

But that doesn’t mean all products on Amazon are bad, or that every knockoff is bound to go bad, you just need to be wary and know before you buy. You can take the safe route and buy well-known brands that have good warranties, customer support, and proven track records, as long as you’re prepared to pay a higher price. Or you can navigate the millions of options online if you know what to look for. Here’s what you need to know to avoid cheaply made products, spot common red flags, and develop smarter online shopping habits.

Red Flag #1: The Seller Behind the Product

Let’s address the elephant in the room which is all those brands with random letters that seem like variations of mixed-up Chinese words. They are going to be sold by someone other than Amazon or a reputable brand. I’m not saying these brands are automatically bad, but you’re not going to get the fast shipping, free returns, quality inspection, or other promises that Amazon or a prime account gives. These sellers also won’t carry your typical name-brand products, since top brands usually let Amazon handle everything for them. What I’m saying is – you’re likely getting a cheap product.

If you click “See all buying options” on any product listing, you’ll see who is shipping and processing the item. There will usually be multiple listings, and your best bet is to go for the one sold by Amazon.com. If that’s not available, I’d recommend skipping the product entirely.

Take this example -“VISALY”. It follows the common cheap seller naming pattern of random capitalized words that don’t make sense. A quick Google search won’t turn up any legitimate company information. However, this doesn’t apply to everything. “EUREKA” also makes robot vacuums and other home appliances, but it’s owned by Midea, a well-known established Chinese company with support hotlines, quality control, and many customers. To be safe, always research both the brand and the seller.

Red Flag #2: Dropshipping
I recommend reading up on dropshipping if unfamiliar, it’s been running online shopping for a while now and is most likely what you’re buying when you shop off TikTok or Instagram. It’s better to be informed as you can defenitly avoid some scams if you understand common risks with dropshippers.

Here’s where things get really concerning. This is a robot vacuum listing from one of these sketchy sellers. Ignoring the single 3-star review, I decided to reverse image search the product using Google. Before even searching, I was positive this basic-looking, unbranded vacuum was being dropshipped from some factory in China. And I was right.
Hundreds of exact product matches appeared, ranging from similar Amazon listings using those sketchy capitalized names I warned about to eBay listings with 1-star ratings and common Chinese dropshipping websites like Alibaba and Temu. The same product was listed for 47 Hong Kong dollars (about $6 USD at the time) while being sold on Amazon for $75. It’s pretty obvious what kind of quality you’re getting when the markup is over 1,000%.

Red Flag #3: Fake Reviews

Amazon actively removes fake reviews, but they’re still incredibly common on sketchy products trying to climb to the top of search results. People are more likely to buy products that appear first, especially if they have tons of 5-star reviews. Here’s what to look for:

Lot’s of reviews that all came in around the same date
Reviewers with “sketchy names” or usernames that aren’t real names
Reviewers who have only reviewed this single product
AI-written reviews (you can copy and paste suspicious reviews into an AI detector)

The easiest solution used to be browser extensions like Fakespot (created by Mozilla Firefox), but unfortunately it’s shutting down on July 1st. This is disappointing because it was one of the best, non-intrusive extensions for checking reviews on sites like eBay and Amazon, and I haven’t found any reliable alternatives yet.
Some people have had success pasting Amazon links into LLM’s like ChatGPT and asking for a thorough review analysis, but I haven’t done enough testing with this method to recommend it fully.

What You Can Do Right Now
Here are some practical steps you can take immediately.
Before you buy anything:

Always check who’s selling the product – stick with “Sold by Amazon” when possible
Google the brand name to see if it’s a legitimate company with a website and contact information
Read reviews carefully, looking for the red flags mentioned above
If the price seems too good to be true compared to other retailers, it probably is

When in doubt:

Buy directly from the manufacturer’s website
Shop at established retailers with good return policies
Remember that spending a bit more upfront often saves money in the long run

Be safe shopping online!