Fake Guitar Strings on Amazon?

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I've been buying genuine strings on a fake Amazon.

[lowrider]

I've looked at strings on Amazon; high price, poor selection.

I stock up at String & Beyond when they have a coupon. They have good prices and fast shipping.

[rstaight]

I hate ordering online. I will if I have no other option.

Call me an old fart, old school, or what ever. I want to put my hands on an item before I buy it.

[M19]

Genuine website? Check!
Genuine Strings? Check!
Genuine Guitar? Check!
Genuine Guitar Player?......Er......Um....eh....

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by rstaight

I hate ordering online. I will if I have no other option.

Call me an old fart, old school, or what ever. I want to put my hands on an item before I buy it.

I can understand that for, say, clothes or shoes or anything where the quality can be variable. You want to see and feel the quality. I agree with that, and will usually do the same in that situation.

But, with respect, I have to ask how putting your hands on a pack of guitar strings changes anything. You don't get to handle the actual strings, just the package, and we all know what's inside a D'Addario or Martin package.

Online shopping is relatively new, but buying items from descriptions and hoping for the best is a time-honored tradition. Surely you remember the Sears and Wards catalogs. I sure do.

[UncleJesse]

I buy D'Addario off of amazon all the time and register each and every serial number at D'Addario and they always take. So I can't imagine their fake.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by lowrider

I've looked at strings on Amazon; high price, poor selection.

I've found the prices are good on Amazon at least in the UK e.g. D'Addario PB £14 for a three pack, Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 £11. Less popular strings not quite as favourably priced.

[JBCROTTY]

I'm a fake guitar player but the strings I've bought on Amazon have been legitimate. Amazon will not rip you off.

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by D41Fan

Thanks guys, that's good to know. As long as Amazon is the seller, I should be OK!

Again, if it says shipped and sold by amazon there will be zero concerns. Even "fulfilled by amazon" is fine. Not as guaranteed as shipped and sold by amazon, but my experience say that amazon is ensuring legitimacy of products that they they are fulfilling...

Outside of the above you are taking larger "risks" for sure...

Cheers

[Ed66]

Originally Posted by lowrider

I've looked at strings on Amazon; high price, poor selection.

I stock up at String & Beyond when they have a coupon. They have good prices and fast shipping.

Strings & Beyond is great and I use them occasionally. For convenience I usually go through Amazon (unless I'm looking for something way our of the mainstream). Respectfully, I'll disagree with your initial statement. I find that the selection is pretty good and the pricing is almost always competitive, especially if you have a Prime account and benefit from free shipping.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by D41Fan

What are the chances of getting fake Chinese copy guitar strings on Amazon.

I typed "fake Chinese copy guitar strings" into Amazon's search portal, and it brought back exactly one result... for a Vic Firth Rute 606. So, I'm going to go out on a limb and say...

Fake Chinese copy guitar strings? Minimal.
Fake non-Chinese copy guitar strings? Also minimal.

[guitar george]

Unless it states where an item is made in the ad or you specifically enquire, most things could be made in a foreign country including most fake goods.

[merlin666]

Simply buy strings that have an authenticity verification system, such as d'Addario:

https://www.daddario.com/play-real

[rstaight]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

I can understand that for, say, clothes or shoes or anything where the quality can be variable. You want to see and feel the quality. I agree with that, and will usually do the same in that situation.

But, with respect, I have to ask how putting your hands on a pack of guitar strings changes anything. You don't get to handle the actual strings, just the package, and we all know what's inside a D'Addario or Martin package.

Online shopping is relatively new, but buying items from descriptions and hoping for the best is a time-honored tradition. Surely you remember the Sears and Wards catalogs. I sure do.

I recall seeing a video by Silly Mustache, at least I think that is who it was. He a bulk order of I believe Daddardio that had holes in the envelope the strings were in. Kind of ruins the rust protection the package offers.

If I look at them in the shop in can at least see if the packaging is damaged.

[menhir]

Originally Posted by merlin666

Simply buy strings that have an authenticity verification system, such as d'Addario:

https://www.daddario.com/play-real

I buy my D'Addario strings from Amazon too, and have never come across a counterfeit set. I've verified every single package upon receipt thanks to their online verification process.

It would be nice to think that all manufacturers would offer the same service, but it may not be necessary. I'm guessing the counterfeiters place most of their efforts copying the most popular brands just to increase the odds of making a bigger profit.

It's not just strings...

Shure microphones, for instance. I won't buy them off of Amazon because there are a lot of complaints from people who found theirs were counterfeit, at least from the big sellers like the SM57 and SM58. There is no obvious way to determine if you received and authentic one...the copies are very convincing...without doing your own research on the web and then closely inspecting the microphones looking for the minor differences. Shure offers no online verification, so it's up to the buyer to find out. It's best to buy from a brick and mortar official dealer.

I bought mine from the Guitar Center instead and just for the helluvit, checked them out anyway...they were both authentic.