Don't read you'll be sorry

Pbnaudio, your place as manufacturer puts you in the unique position of seeing and knowing things others don't.

I'm not here to say that the AQ cables you mentioned at heavy discount from HK are authentic, but nor would I believe they're counterfeit, either.

We know of far too many examples of entities who have sited manufacture in China, only to discover the handle on production control they believed in proved wishful thinking. Time and again, folks with access to product/production figured out they can do well selling through means other than the expected outlet. Though some of this is obviously unethical, if not criminal, before casting criticism on those over there, how many of these Western entities employed the requisite business protections to safeguard themselves? I can say from personal experience, in the high-end audio business, many a company has failed to make even the most basic of moves.

Obviously, in these instances, folks can source the same product intended for sale at much higher pricing at steep discount.

Im not sorry DUDE!!

I'm starting to feel a little sorry.

Audioquest manufactures cables in China for a long time (10 years?). They moved production there, cut prices and changed names of the cables to stay competitive. Python IC, for instance, became King Cobra (half of the price).
I suspect that big portion of price is not actual cost of manufacturing but R&D. I don't know if this can explain such price difference but on the other hand DH Gate doesn't give any specifications. Are they high purity silver? what type of insulation? Is it foam Polyethylene and carbon loaded partially conductive Polyethylene for negative conductors? Even if all is perfect copy of original (including patented DBS system) I would ask if DH Gate has authorization from AQ. If not, it is pretty much like buying stolen bike - some people wouldn't do it but others pretend not to know it is stolen.

I've always like AQ cables, but was slightly worried when I bought some from a fellow audiophile in China. I took them to a friend who works a nearby high end audio store, compared them to new ones, and they passed the authenticity test. I come out of this an absolute winner in every way having saved enough money to put several otherwise impoverished students through medical school thereby helping make a better life for all the little children in the world.