That’s the way things are now days with an overwhelming number of items.
Counterfeits of almost everything are everywhere, even legitimate places such as Amazon. Not that it’s their fault because it would be impossible for them to be aware of every single counterfeit. You probably don’t buy makeup, but it seems to be one of the most counterfeited items out there. I read an article that puts the chances of getting a counterfeit beauty product at over 50% on eBay and nearly that on Amazon. Counterfeit Sure microphones have even popped up at Guitar Center. Luckily, I knew what to look for and didn’t buy there, but made the manager aware. Good thing I knew what to look for. Most likely it was someone that exchanged a counterfeit one for an authentic one, which is another whole separate scam that’s going around.
Whenever possible I buy straight from the manufacturer. It may cost a little more sometimes, but well worth it to get peace of mind.
Almost all of these counterfeiters are overseas and next to impossible to catch and prosecute, considering the level of corruption in those countries. They are not much different than drug smugglers, if they get one out of ten shipments across, they are still making a profit.
Even if a US seller gets caught with counterfeit products law enforcement will most likely not even charge them, but only confiscate their inventory. All they have to do is say that they were not aware that the products being sold were counterfeit. Law enforcement would have a hard time proving knowledge and intent.
If the price sound too good to be true IT IS!