Wish.com Escapes Counterfeit Scrutiny -- Until Now

Counterfeits, fakes, and scams are all part of the Wish.com marketplace

September 29, 2020, Los Angeles, CA – Consumers are learning that online shopping is a risky business. E-commerce giants, including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Wish, and Alibaba Group, are flooded with counterfeit, fake, and replica merchandise that can easily deceive and endanger unsuspecting consumers.

Wish.com, a 2011 newcomer to e-commerce trade and reportedly valued at more than $8 billion, has built one of the fastest-growing e-commerce businesses by offering a vast range of products that are "discounted" as much as 90 percent off regular prices. The bulk of items available through Wish come from China sellers overseas, yet Wish largely avoided scrutiny of its sales of counterfeit, fraudulent, or harmful consumer goods until now.

• A CBC News report found that more than half of dozens of well-known products it purchased from the online giants above were suspected or confirmed counterfeits. The popular products ranged from electronics to sportswear to cosmetics, and health and beauty products from multiple brands. Their purchases included MAC lipstick, Crest Whitestrips, Kylie Cosmetics lip kits, Urban Decay's "Naked" eyeshadow palettes, and Biotherm eye cream. The purchased items had substantial health risks in addition to the consumer financial hit for fake items.
• An August 2020 U.K. investigation reported Wish purchases of a dangerous child's car seat, fake "Huawei" smartphone, fake "Bose Quiet Comfort" headphones, and fake "Apple Air Pod" headphones.
• A Chicago Tribune report identifies a Danish Consumer Council advisory warning consumers against purchasing cosmetics from Wish. Some items did not display an ingredients list as required by European Union regulations, and one face cream in the sample contained two prohibited preservatives. Consumers complained about rashes, pink eye, and other skin problems resulting from cosmetics purchased on Wish.

The Counterfeit Report, a global award-winning consumer advocate and counterfeit watchdog, easily found hundreds of counterfeit, fraudulent, and replica items on Wish.com. Infringement complaints were submitted for dozens of Wish listings on behalf of, and authorized by, the brand-owners. Wish acknowledged the complaints and replied they "will be reviewed in due course," yet the items remained, some for weeks.

Wish responded to repeated infringement complaints with requests for, and acknowledging receipt of, documentation and authority to remove the infringing listings. The counterfeit items remained. Wish's Director of Brand Protection claimed the documentation to process the complaints was not received and encouraged The Counterfeit Report to use Wish's "Brand-Partner" intellectual property reporting system. However, sign-up attempts failed and required user acceptance to a 26-page Terms of Use agreement. Wish's counterfeit enforcement appears to be more obstruction than function.

While Wish claims, "Merchants are responsible for providing proof of authorization to sell their authentic, branded products before listing them on Wish," it appears to be more fiction than fact. Some of the products The Counterfeit Report found and reported are not even in the manufacturer's product line.

Websites like Wish, where anyone can sell directly to shoppers, are particularly vulnerable to fakes and fraud. Wish is one of 10 global platforms with the most counterfeits, said Joan Porta, of brand protection company Red Points. That places Wish alongside eBay Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc., and Instagram. "We find hundreds to thousands of counterfeit listings every week."

Some examples of unusual counterfeit and fraudulent items The Counterfeit Report found on Wish.com;

Shown (Images ©The Counterfeit Report);

1. Fraudulent 18650 Lithium-ion ("Li-ion") batteries are a very real hazard -- a dangerous and deadly risk for consumers. Thousands of reported fire and explosion incidents resulting in emergency-room visits in the U.S., including acute injuries that required hospitalization, and victims that suffered the loss of a body part. The FAA reported 262 air/airport incidents (fires and smoke) involving a lithium battery carried as cargo or baggage have been recorded, and 3 major aircraft accidents were reported where lithium battery cargo shipments were implicated. The size of the battery case limits legitimate 18650 batteries to capacities under 3800mAh (milliamp hours), yet Wish offers hundreds of 18650 listings with wild capacity claims up to 79000mAh.
2. Composite Resources Combat Application Tourniquet® (C-A-T®) has been supplied to the U.S. Military, police, first responders, and the public worldwide for the past decade. The authentic life-saving device is approved by the U.S. FDA. Counterfeit and replica versions of the patented C-A-T tourniquet have catastrophically failed during actual life-saving applications but are offered on Wish. The Counterfeit Report did not find a single authentic C-A-T® tourniquet listing after reviewing hundreds of listings offering replicas.
3. Tiny microSD® computer memory cards are used in cell phones, cameras, and laptops.  Authentic, conforming products are licensed by the right-owner, SD-3C, LLC, to use the microSD®, microSDHC®, and microSDXC® trademarks. Memory capacity and performance on counterfeit cards is usually not what is published on the card, and the fake items may fail or install malware on your device. When that happens, you are likely to lose your data, images, and damage your equipment. None of the Wish items shown are authentic, exist in any legitimate product line, or the microSD standard. They are obvious fakes and may install malware or a virus. Despite complaints, many infringing variations of the fake products remain listed.
4. U.S. based Fullips, LLC is a family-owned business producing very popular beauty and cosmetic products displaying registered Fullips® trademarks. Unscrupulous counterfeiters will produce anything to deceive consumers and make a fast dollar, including the counterfeit Fullips product shown. Almost visually indistinguishable from the authentic product, consumers are easily deceived into purchasing a poor quality counterfeit that may contain dangerous lead, carcinogens, and other suspect ingredients.
5. Are you talking to the real police, how would you know? Hundreds of replica and counterfeit current LAPD, FBI, Secret Service, NYPD detective, and other law enforcement badges are offered on Wish.com. Fake law enforcement badges endanger the men and women of law enforcement, the public, and are available to terrorists, child predators, and other criminals.

Counterfeit sales are not only profitable, but fund organized crime, terrorism, gangs, and exploit child labor. Interpol states on its website that there is a clear link between the illicit trade of fake or pirated goods and other crimes, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

America's security, safety, and future are at risk. Wish is destroying manufacturers, U.S. businesses, and endangering consumers. While waiting for Congress to act, consumers would be better served to buy directly from the manufacturer or shop at local retailers or online with the major authorized retailers (Kroger, Costco, Home Depot, Target, Lowes, Best Buy, etc.) who offer consumers competitive purchase options and fast delivery for authentic products. Buyer beware.