Originally Posted by
veganbikes
Most fakes are not made by the same workers in the same factories by some magical third shift or they "just fell off the back of the truck" It is a common myth that we love because we can continue supporting the fakes and feel good about it. I would rather support the real thing so I know I can get all the warranties and support from the actual manufacturer.
If something is too good to be true, it most likely is.
I am a practitioner of using long lasting components instead of cheap consumable components for cycling. But even I can see that if a $25 fd or a $40 rd breaks, many will just toss it and buy another. I would do the same, actually. If inpwned a Tiagra 4700 fd and it broke, I am not working to replace it thru warranty, ill just spend $25 and buy another. I mention Tiagra since that's the level the OP cited.
Are Tiagra FDs really being faked too? That profit margin has to be so small, given the cost to create the tooling and small sales volumes.
Seems like an odd tier level to fake.
In the end though, its ebay and you can get money back if its fake with paypal, even if it came from China. Show its fake and get a refund. Hardly a big risk.