Originally Posted by
coffeecherrypie
I think a lot of the direct from China drivetrain components are real. Itd be insanely cost prohibitive to get all the tools needed to build a Tiagra rear derailleur then sell it for 70% of US retail or whatever, especially at the relatively low volumes that we are talking about. Apply that to most anything with a moving/pivoting design.
A jersey is easy to fake. A frame isnt easy to fake, but since there are no real moving parts and its large pieces, its at least easier than drivetrains with all the small moving pieces(especially shifter internals).
I have bought a handful of shifters from China in the last 5 years- Microshift R7 2x7, Microshift R9 2x9, Microshift R9 3x9, Shimano 5800 105, and Shimano 6800 Ultegra, All are as real as shifters I have purchased from Merlin(105 8020 Hydraulic and 6800 Ultegra).
It may be 'factory direct'. It may be 'gray market'. It may be 'black market'. I dont know.
I would disagree that any are from the reject bin as they all work flawlessly as they should.
As for the pedals in question, just order them and pay with paypal. When they arrive, if you think they are fake then open a request for refund due to them being fake. The seller has a 99.6% approval rating, so its not like they are a shell seller that will shut down once they sell a handful of fake product. Paypal protection is for this very concern.