Where to purchase?

[ltlvt]

It's really a bummer that we have to be weary of so much fraud everywhere.

Appreciate the thoughts. I would think that packaging would count for/indicate something?. Another thought is that most manufacturers sample their own products from dubious resellers.

My days of trust were ended when I kept getting an annual charge on my bank account that I could not remember agreeing to. When I called the bank, I was told it was for a magazine subscription that I got thru "Best Buy" I never agreed to buy the subscription. After being offered a FREE subscription repeatedly I agreed to the FREE one. Best Buy had my Debit Card info from their checkout and enrolled me in the annual paid subscription. I asked my bank if that was even legal, and they said it is UN-Ethical but not Illegal. I continue to treat others as I would want to be treated but the Golden Rule does not exist anymore in our society. I am soon to be 71 years old and often wonder what it will be like in 70 more years. Sorry for the rant but just had to share my experience.

 

[taiwanluthiers]

My days of trust were ended when I kept getting an annual charge on my bank account that I could not remember agreeing to. When I called the bank, I was told it was for a magazine subscription that I got thru "Best Buy" I never agreed to buy the subscription. After being offered a FREE subscription repeatedly I agreed to the FREE one. Best Buy had my Debit Card info from their checkout and enrolled me in the annual paid subscription. I asked my bank if that was even legal, and they said it is UN-Ethical but not Illegal. I continue to treat others as I would want to be treated but the Golden Rule does not exist anymore in our society. I am soon to be 71 years old and often wonder what it will be like in 70 more years. Sorry for the rant but just had to share my experience.

Best Buy is a company similar to Circuit City, Radio Shack, etc. where their whole business model is ripping people off. Like selling HDMI cables for 50 dollars, headphones for 100 dollars, that is not worth anywhere near what they charge for. Best Buy should honestly go the way of Circuit City and Radio Shack.

Also corporations are NEVER ethical. If they can find a legal way to screw people over, they WILL. They make the laws, so they can screw people over.

 

[Aaron_W]

I bought my Mitutoyo calipers from MSI-Viking I found their prices comparable to the realistic Ebay / Amazon prices. They also sell used tools and equipment.

 

[dkemppai]

I would not trust Amazon, they co-mingle inventory, so you have no idea which vendor put it in the warehouse. Their return policy is very good, so it might be worth taking a chance and seeing if what you get is authentic, if the price is good enough and you are willing to put in the effort to verify it.

The problem is that A LOT of the things listed are sold through "Amazon Marketplace". They are by 3rd party vendors, not amazon. You need to watch for items actually shipped by amazon, not amazon marketplace. That's why amazon seems to be selling the same import crap you get on ebay. It's the same sellers on multiple platforms.

I've actually been finding better prices on ebay, and shipping is faster too. The challenge is to look for reputable vendors selling on ebay. Grainger or Travers tool or even Shars, etc.

If I'm going to shop for substandard import stuff, I'll take my chances with ebay over amazon. It's cheaper. And the amazon return policy for market place items isn't great, if you've ever had to deal with it. Not the same as items stocked and sold by amazon itself.

For things like Mitutoyo, the ebay guys are deciding they can charge as much as for counterfeit as real. I think they sell better if the is priced more like the real deal.

 

[taiwanluthiers]

I actually did buy a fake Mitutoyo caliper once. The seller swear it is genuine and all that but one look at it and it isn't. It was sold at a third the price of a real one too. But on the other hand it's not badly made. The action is still fairly smooth, only problem is the reading unit is the same reading unit used on the cheap calipers. If I replaced the reading unit with a genuine Mitutoyo one it would probably be completely indistinguishable from a real one.

If I ever win the lottery then I'll buy a real one...