TakingMyTime

I just bought some new Shimano bits and pieces off the 'bay (US Seller) and started to wonder about their authenticity. I noticed that Shimano had an app "Shimano Product Authentication" but when I search Google Play I cannot find it.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/infor...unterfeit.html

TMT

Iride01 

Interesting. Google play shows it when going through the web browser on my PC. It's titled ShimanoACP. However I don't find it when I go through the play store app on my phone. Might try emailing Shimano at anti-counterfeiting@support-shimano.com and ask them about it.

Although it only has 1K downloads.. so maybe something up! Or it wasn't quite ready for prime time.

TakingMyTime

I noticed it has a "business' tag. I may only be for qualified agents.

70sSanO

What did you buy and why do you think it is counterfeit?

John

veganbikes

If you would rather not do counterfeits the easy way to do that is to buy from an authorized dealer. I prefer not to do counterfeits as well so I avoid eBay and places like that for the new stuff. Plenty of bike shops that sell Shimano and if you are desperate to avoid human interaction there are even some brick and mortars that have an online presence or if you really hate bike shops entirely there are even some actual legit online only stores.

MattTheHat 

Not sure why the eBay hate. I've never received a counterfeit item from an eBay purchase. On the other hand, I've only been using it since 1996.

veganbikes

I just suggested not to buy new stuff from eBay to avoid counterfeit stuff not a total hate on eBay.

MattTheHat 

Your comment about being desperate to avoid human interaction was an interesting one too. But hey…no hate.

veganbikes

Some people don't like to interact with humans so they go to the online stores only.

Rolla

So because you haven’t personally bought a counterfeit item (as far as you know), all products sold on eBay are on the up and up? Their history suggests otherwise. Google it.

Ridinglurker

You know that ebay is just a marketplace? Many LBS use ebay to sell stuff since that gives them more exposure and doesn't require their own website. Manufacturers also sell through ebay.

And ebay has excellent consumer protection and force the seller to make it right if the complaint is reasonable. A fake should be easy to recognize since the point is to manufacture it cheaply. Send a picture to ebay and you get your money back.

Counterfeit existed before the internet. Thousands of years ago criminals were punished for faking products. So you can't blame ebay for everything.

MattTheHat 

Sure. Or any of a dozen other reasons.

MattTheHat 

I didn’t say that. Lol. Just adding a different data point.

MattTheHat 

Can’t speak for Google Play, but I can’t find an iOS app either.

veganbikes

Sure. But there are actually people who don't like interacting with other people that is what I was saying. Whether you want to believe it or not it is the case. Not everyone who buys stuff online is that way but there are some.

MattTheHat 

Perhaps. Not sure how pointing that out helps the OP. In fact, since the OP has already made his purchase, I’m not sure how anything in your post helped. So it just seemed like a rather run-of-the-mill anti eBay/Amazon post.

MattTheHat 

Same question. Posting your specific concerns will probably help get some answers.

TakingMyTime

I was reading the sellers reputations and a couple of the negative ratings said they were sure what they got was counterfeit. This was only about 3 of 2000 and I'm not sure how credible they were but... it just got me thinking. I was really more interested in that Shimano App that would determine if any item was legit or not.

MattTheHat 

Yeah, it’s interesting if you look at the measures the page shows they’re taking. One is the packaging of cleats. My LBS does have some packaged like they show in the “special” boxes. But they still have about 10x as many in the previous packaging.

The App Store link pulls up a message that says “not available in your region.” Kind of strange.

Ironfish653

That may be because the link in the OP is to Shimano EU - English, not Shimano US (English) and the app store could be geofencing if you have a US IP address.
(The Shimano US page doesn't actually contain any links, and talks about a May 2021 roll-out date, so maybe not active?)

skidder

Like others have mentioned, what type of parts are you worried about? I've ordered parts in the past that have not come in 'retail wrapping' but I'm aware they were probably NOS parts that a bicycle manufacturer bought from Shimano in bulk but no longer needed and simply sold them off via the web to recoup their costs - cassettes, derailleurs are both commonly sold off this way. Nothing wrong with the parts when I got them.

easyupbug 

I did vendor evaluations in the PRC for several years for industrial parts and supplies. IME a company like Shimano would have QA/QC staff on site or a long relationship with the manufacturer and things things go well. The difficulty is two fold, first I found the Chinese view a person who buys a "pig in a poke" is foolish and the seller clever. Second is end runs and fakes. After filling a contract for 10,000 chains to Shimano and the QA/QC is gone and they have materials left over the end run can be good quality until something runs out and is replaced, the good chain lube Shimano specified you don't remove from there chains until service is required is replace with crap you should remove day one or maybe just the Shimano blue dye is replace with a lighter color. So I would never buy a set of Shimano brakes at a bargain price from AliExpress but you might take a chance on a saddle.

2old

I know that some items purchased from ebay were counterfeit because when compared to ones from a bike shop, were deficient in several areas like appearance and fit. Turned out they functioned adequately in most (all) cases (can't remember any that didn't). I still buy from ebay at times, especially now that I know several sites that have always provided (for me) genuine products (AFAICT) which looked and functioned superbly.

veganbikes

Oh no how dare we attack those poor billionaires. What else is there to post? On that end they did buy it, so, the information is still relevant. I get it you have been lucky and never ever bought a counterfeit item (or known it) from eBay and Pierre Omidyar is Jesus number two behind the almighty Jeff Bezos but it does change facts. If you really want to avoid counterfeits, go to an authorized dealer it is not hard. If you want to risk it the various online sellers are a roll of the dice and that is up to you.

MattTheHat 

So, do you hate eBay and Amazon or not? You said no, but now it sounds like a definite maybe.

You are correct, it is up to me. I have an absolutely awesome LBS. I generally will make the drive there (15 miles or so) when I need something…if they show it in stock. If they don’t, I’ll hit eBay or Amazon because it’s fast and easy. My LBS has somehow survived.