Things To Know About Knockoff Parts
 

http://hellafunctional.com/?p=1124

1. They often fail earlier due to substandard craftsmanship/material
2. Often IP infringement
3. Does not support innovation or R&D
4. Don't be a 'tard.

Might I add the reason continued support of authentic products actually BENEFITS the smaller shops and companies. With so many people making cheap knock offs now, it makes it harder for smaller shops that actually put in the resources for R&D to make a name. It's always nice to see smaller companies prove that their own design can match, if not best, the performance of big brand name products. However, with all these lame knockoff companies blatantly stealing designs and cutting corners it makes the consumer think twice before purchasing from them.

Obvious thread is obvious

Phonebooks contain phone numbers. IIRC.

What is this "phonebook" thing you refer to?

I have a replica lip on my car! Oh noes :(

Your avatar is super relevant. :cheers:

If you buy a knockoff be prepared to deal with the potential side effects.

That said, knockoffs would not be so popular if some of there was not a 1000% markup on some of the quality stuff.

I thanked the counterfeit response.


Heh...

Depends on the parts. I'd go for a $50 Ebay knock off plastic lip any day vs $250+ genuine ones. Would I pay for a $2,000 Ebay turbo kit? I don't think so. I've bought a pair of genuine Skunk cambers for my EP3. They sure looked nice but way-off on fitment. Bought some generic no-name Ebay ones for a fraction of the cost and they worked like charms.

The article is over 3 years old but still relevant...

As someone that's bought his share of stuff on Ebay only to realize they're cheap Asian knockoffs, (thankfully just appearance stuff, NEVER performance, I'm not THAT cheap), I hate copy cats and half-assed counterfeits that make stuff that looks like better stuff so they can make a quick buck.

Chinese made stuff isn't all that bad as long as the company ordering the manufacturing has strict standards of the manufacturing company, think Apple and their iPhones, all made in China, but you still buy it!

I saw a documentary about counterfeit products, and for every 1 plant in China making legitimate products directly for a company, there's 2 plants making counterfeit products for the underground market, it's kinda creepy. Those 2 counterfeit plants don't have standards to follow, just make it look and perform CLOSE ENOUGH to the original to not arouse immediate suspicion.

Any legitimate company that has standards of it's products, they keep close tabs on their manufacturing plant and their output.

-RyanG

Not shopping on ebay with shipping from Hong Kong aside, how do you know you're getting the original?

If, through my searching, I found the Batlground header before the Full-Race, how am I to know it's a knock-off? You may never even get to the Full-race site if the Batlground stuff meets your needs.

Very valid point! We tend to assume people know what we do when that really isn't the case. I love researching things and could spend weeks cross shopping but others may see something they like and click order all done!

I'm very touchy with products from companies I know nothing about. On eBay, if I see something that looks shady like who it's from or they're very vague about details or if I look at their other ads and they just copy/paste, that raises a lot of red flags. I've gotten to the point where I wasn't sure so I looked around and finally found a phone number, called, and they were just as un-informed on the product as I was, I hung up and never did business with them.

It's all about the level of detail, if they know less than you, run away! A retailer should know their products if they sell them. It's like going to an electronics store, asking a sales guy about something and they tell you what's on the display tag, versus a sales guy saying yeah I've had one before, it was really good!

I enjoy working for Vivid because the sales guys here really know their stuff, they all have custom vehicles from Vipers, Porsches, to BMW's to Mercs to 3 guys having FRS and me having a BRZ. We had a customer come in today and he has a BRZ and is going all out with stuff, carbon fiber, wheels, seats, wing, etc. and we showed him our stock and talked shop.

It's pretty nice to have a retailer in auto parts that you can personally visit, but if we're not in your state, we'll still treat you right!

-RyanG