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Counterfeit Razor Blades.

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
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McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
OK, even realizing that all the up to date wet shavers these days are equipped with 5 or maybe 6 blades, I still use those primitive & outdated Gillette 3-blade Mach 3 Turbo cartridges, because they give a smooth, comfortable shave. Plus, they last a long time.

Eventually, though, I needed more. So I logged on to eBay to see if I could beat the drugstore price for refills. Sure enough, there was a deal on 4 sealed packages, so I sprang.

Unfortunately, those eBay Mach 3 Turbo cartridges give rough, scratchy-catchy shaves -- worse than the old Gillette Blue Blades & not even as good as those Bic 1-blade disposables. On the back of the pack, it says they came from the UK, so either the UK division of Gillette has major serious manufacturing quality control problems, or the eBay seller was dispensing counterfeit versions of the UK variety of Gillette Mach 3 Turbo cartridges.

Today I gave up on the eBay Mach 3 Turbo cartridges & sprang for some authentic USA refills over at CVS. Those real mccoy blades give a smooth, comfortable shave just as expected.

The devil made me call the toll-free Gillette customer service number & tell the representative my eBay story. The customer service person said the eBay specials are most likely counterfeits, but said Gillette will send me some complimentary genuine USA replacements as a courtesy. They may also ask me to send in the bad blades for quality control & product security purposes. If so, I'll receive a mailer addressed to Gillette in 3 weeks or so. If not, I can send them to Mt. Trashmore.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
Interesting timing, there was a story on counterfit products being sold through eBay on this evening's local news.

In the early days, eBay was a great way to get genuine stuff cheap, that just may have "fallen off the truck" but as the years went on people realized it was easier just to sell counterfits.
 
Gillette Follow-Up.

The customer service person said the eBay specials are most likely counterfeits, but said Gillette will send me some complimentary genuine USA replacements as a courtesy. They may also ask me to send in the bad blades for quality control & product security purposes.
As a courtesy, Gillette sent me 2 packages of genuine, authentic blades -- the real mccoy -- plus a postage-paid mailer for sending the suspected counterfeit blades to company headquarters for possible follow-up analysis & investigation.

It's surprising to me that anybody would go to the trouble of making phony brand-name razor blades -- unlike, say, fake Rolexes that are in a much higher price bracket than triple-blade shavers.

Sheesh.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
It's surprising to me that anybody would go to the trouble of making phony brand-name razor blades.

So one would think, but I just happened to shop for some today, and even at Costco they're $1.75 each. That's why you were looking on eBay in the first place. What do you suppose the manufacturing cost is? I'll bet it's under a dime.

Fortunately, I still have my (even older) Sensor Excel, which I actually prefer even though it only has two blades, but costs less.
 
It's surprising to me that anybody would go to the trouble of making phony brand-name razor blades -- unlike, say, fake Rolexes that are in a much higher price bracket than triple-blade shavers.


Aah, but therein lies the rub, Alan. A Rolex buyer can spot a fake a mile off. And anyone who might consider buying a fake one isn't going to spend a lot of money on anything he thinks may not be the real thing. Anyone with half a brain will know that street vendor who sells those $50 watches isn't selling the real thing. So the market for fake Rolex's is probably very limited.

But fake razor blades, toothpaste, medications, and similar, everyday things? To be sold on eBay and in similar places, where the buyer and seller are only known by screen nicknames, and never meet in person? Well, now, there's a market for that sort of thing. Because nobody expects anyone will counterfeit such items, they can sell them over and over, and nobody will be the wiser, in most cases. The packaging will look right, and performance will be (usually) good enough to pass a cursory inspection. And by the time they are found out, the sellers are long gone, or have changed their names, or whatever, to hide their true identity. If it's a really inexpensive item, most people would just toss it out and not think any more of it. They chalk it up to experience and move on.

And part of me blames WalMart, for forcing so many companies to cheapen their operations, or go offshore to produce things cheaply enough to satisfy the WalMart pricepoints. They're ASKING for fraudulent items to come into play. Counterfeits will be fairly common in such situations, even LIKELY. I'd wager if you went through your local superstore, you'd find many examples of fakery and counterfeit products. But unless someone is paying attenion, they'll slip right through the cracks.

It's very cool of Gillette to send you the real thing. They want to keep you as a satisfied customer. I'll wager it worked. ;)

Dave
 
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A look at the ebay forums gives you some idea of the large quantity of fake merchandise for sale there (and where a lot of it comes from).
 
I've become less fond of Ebay lately. It seems like people are more willing to swindle you, and even the honest ones often aren't careful with packing, or timely with communication, or fair with shipping prices, etc. I've found that for smaller items, it's just easier to go direct to the source and either pay full price, or try to save money with coupons or "freebies".

Ex: I used to buy Gold Canyon candles off Ebay, trying to save a few bucks, but usually got either gouged on shipping, or ended up with poorly packed - and broken - jar candles that the seller refused to replace. Now, I just find a Gold Canyon distributor and try to take advantage of any of their "specials" or drawings for free candles.

I do, however, like Craigslist. (www.craigslist.com) They have craigslist for most major cities, and it's not an "auction" situation. You have to actually go see the item, but that's part of what makes it work, IMHO. If you don't like it, you don't buy it! I don't think they have much in the way of smaller items like razors, but you never know! :) Happy hunting...

Oh, and by the way - I agree with you about the Mach 3 razors. Love them! I once forgot mine while on a trip, so I bought a packaged razor from the hotel room's minibar/sundries case. I ended up with four cuts on my leg. :( Next time, I'll just head to the store!
 
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